Essay on Sundiata the Hero

If a ruler has this stamina and charisma to lead, his comrades willingly go with him because of their confidence in his ability to lead them and to achieve their objectives (Loughman). For example, if a president is outspoken and shows these qualities, like in a time of war, the people of that country will follow behind that president until his last days of service, much like Beowulf’s followers.

Gilgamesh was considered a hero because he had many great qualities, such as loyalty, perseverance, and heroism. Although these are heroic traits, he also had his flaws and was self-righteous, selfish, and prideful. Gilgamesh was a great man and was seen as flawless and “perfect in

modern culture we are used to the stereotypical, sympathetic hero; the Batmans and Supermans who lose their parents in tragic circumstances and devote their lives to vanquishing evil. That however, is not the way heroes have always been portrayed. When we look at The Epic of Gilgamesh we see the archetype of every hero since, however, we are not overcome with a desire to see Gilgamesh succeed. On the hand, if we fast forward two thousand years and look at a hero from Africa named Sundiata who is very similar to Gilgamesh in many aspects, we do have desire for Sundiata’s success. Why do we root for one hero while casting away the other? It has to do with the way perceive that hero and their values as well as how we perceive the conditions each hero is faced with. If we can picture Sundiata as the evolution of Gilgamesh we see the differences and similarities between the two as culture moves toward embracing the sympathetic hero.

Amongst many other things, the epic is implicitly an exploration of what qualities define Sundiata as a hero, and by extension, what virtues are heroic. The most glaring is his strength. Even when he is crippled as a child and cannot walk, the boy has strong arms. But when he finally stands, he surprises everyone, bending an enormous rod to a bow and pulling a tree up by its roots. Another quality is his bravery, most clearly illuminated by his skill and grit in battle. But Sundiata has more than animal strength – he shows patience, interest in other peoples and ways, and humility before the magic of the world. Because of these qualities, he is more than a great hunter or warrior: he is a great king.

The religion detailed and examined throughout Don Talayesva’s “Sun Chief” can be difficult to understand and near impossible to appreciate. At first glance to the casual reader it can appear shallow and ridiculous; a religion created around the wants and needs of the Hopi but not based on any empirical or even supposed sacred evidence. When coupled with The Sacred Canopy however, the reader begins to understand the simplistic beauty of their religion providing necessary guidance and support to the Hopi tribe. The reader also is able to relate to Don’s religion in terms of the love one has for his or her own dogma and the importance it plays in an individual’s life.

The most important trait all heroes must have is that their actions are for others, not for themselves, and they act selflessly. A hero recovers from their struggles determined to inspire others around them to be their best. Heroes can come in all different ages, races, genders, and personality types. There are many heroes around, even in everyday life. It could be a friend, a relative, even a coworker. In my case, it was my classmate Nick Kimble. Nicholas Kimble, also known as “No-Knees Nick,” was born at home in a kiddie pool. From a young age he was interested in Latin and would draw detailed pictures of famous Greek scenes, not unlike the renaissance artists. Naturally, he pursued Latin in his high school career, which is where I met

When Sundiata was a child, Mali was a very small kingdom at the time. While he was still a child, the Soso people captured Mali and took control of the empire. Sundiata became a captive member of the Soso, he lived with the leader of the Soso (see "Sundiata Keita of Mali" ). When he was seven years old, Sundiata began to become stronger. He learned how to walk and started exercising every day. In just a few years, he changed himself into a strong warrior. He was determined to free Mali from the Sosos and fled into exile. While in exile, Sundiata became famous as a feared warrior and fighter. After several years, he decided to return to Mali in order to make Mali a better place. The people of Mali were tired of the high taxes that the Soso rulers asked of them and wanted to revolt.

Heroes are the people who demonstrate qualities of courage or outstanding achievements and are recognized for their influence in the society. Heroic characters are defined similarly in literatures as well. In the two literatures, Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali and The Odyssey, the main characters shape the plot the stories by their heroic abilities. The literatures also tend to illustrate how heroic qualities were perceived and portrayed in societies. Both characters come from different part of the world yet their plots are similar to each other. The protagonist from two literatures is on a quest to go home and to claim their ancestors’ throne, which is righteously theirs.

Physical disabilities can be crippling. Some disabilities you can overcome, but no matter what effect they leave physically, they have lasting effects on character. Sundiata had a “slow and difficult childhood” (D.T. Niane, 2004, 127) due to not having the use of his legs, and horrid social skills. As Sundiata grew, the other children were walking and playing, but Sundiata crawled and hit them (D.T. Niane, 127). The narrator describes Sundiata as gluttonous, and lame. These things can have a negative effect on character, and perhaps causing Sundiata to feel below expectations, and have an impending sense of responsibility to walk. The ridicule expressed towards him may have caused him to feel some sort of shame. Despite the negative impact

In the story Sundiata the hero of the story is Sundiata himself. Sundiata shows a lot of strength in the story not only physically but mentally. When he was being made fun of and people were saying he was an embarrassment that showed real strength in him because at that point he could have just gave up, but he didn’t he used that negativity to push him forward. When Sundiata was little since he couldn’t walk his arms where extremely strong, so when he was able to walk he was able to pull the tree out of the ground with ease. The mental strength he had was patience, modesty, and determination. He was patience with when he was going to walk and was also determined to do so. Lastly, he showed modesty toward other people and their ideas. Being strong was not only good for him to be a great hunter but, it was also good for him as a king.

Hercules learns his lesson of not being selfish and to have an open heart when he finishes his labors and becomes a god Zeus says this ““A true hero isn't measured by the size of his strength, but by the size of his

If you want a taste of West African History Sundiata will give you exactly what you want and more. Sundiata was an interesting piece of literature to read. Unlike the previous two books we have read this semester I found this book much more simple. This book was much easier for me to comprehend and actually get into. This book exposed me not only to the West African history, but also a new religion.

The epic of Sundiata pertains to the ancient kingdom of Mali in Africa. The king there has two sons and multiple wives. Sundiata was set to have taken the throne being the first born son but suffered from an severely impairing illness that would prevent him to walk yet rule a kingdom. When their father, the king, died his second son took over the kingdom as king. He turned out to be an awful leader and treated his people and Sundiata terribly. Sundiata struggled immensely but was able to eventually beat his illness which was preventing him to walk. When the current king observed this, he felt very threatened and in retaliation stated that Sundiata and his mother were to be banished from the kingdom. Shortly after leaving they were accepted

     In Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, Jake Barnes is a lost man who wastes his life on drinking. Towards the beginning of the book Robert Cohn asks Jake, “Don’t you ever get the feeling that all your life is going by and you’re not taking advantage of it? Do you realize that you’ve lived nearly half the time you have to live already?” Jake weakly answers, “Yes, every once in a while.” The book focuses on the dissolution of the post-war generation and how they cannot find their place in life. Jake is an example of a person who had the freedom to choose his place but chose poorly.

Evan S. Connell has a unique writing style. While most stories are told from beginning to end, Son of the Morning Star: Custer and The Little Bighorn (North Point Press, 1984) begins with the aftermath of The Battle of the Little Bighorn. It is then followed by numerous events which led up to this battle. Connell chose this non-linear writing style in order to distribute the details he finds most fascinating and interesting to share with his audience. Using the conclusion of the battle as the introduction of the narrative creates a suspenseful tone.