The Hero Essay -- essays research papers

The HeroZorro, Lassie, Hercules, and Beowulf all have something in common, they are allconsidered hired guns. It does not matter if the whiz is a man, woman, animal or an evoke objectthat springs to life. It does not matter where the hero comes from or how old he or she is. Theonly thing that a hero needs to do to be a hero, according to Joseph Campbell, is follows apredefined path of a hero and have some common characteristics of one, too. Joseph Campbell inone of the most knowledgeable people on the subject of a hero. According to Joseph Campbellmany heros have completed the same deed over and over again passim history. He points outthat a hero is not limited to one particular time or place. Campbell explains the details about whatmakes a hero a hero in his discussion The Heros Journey. The story of the hero must have amystical quality. A heros characteristics should include doing something beyond the normalrange of a human and giving up ones life for something bigger. A heros sequence of events isbegan by the hero intentionally setting out on ones make to complete a physical deed for a moralobjective. The hero is trying to shape a savage initiation out of his existing world. The hero departsfrom his home to fulfill his deed and then returns home again. The hero undergoes a mentaldevelopment throughout the story through different trials that he or she is facing. This transformsthe heroes state of consciousness. The hero learns to bang in the system in which he or she is anddoes not line victim to it. Lastly whatever is accomplished by the hero is lost when he or she dies. In the story of Beowulf the main character follows Campbells outline of a hero. It is anAnglo-Saxon poem that recounts the life of the hero Beowulf and this poem is one of the oldestexisting poems in the English language. basic of all for a hero to be a hero he needs to be present in a story that has a mysticalquality about it, according to Campbell. The reviewer can see this mystic al quality in Beowulfeverywhere he or she looks. First of all as the story begins it talks of a folks of people, called theDanes, rescuing a castaway baby at sea. The baby that the tribe rescues turns out later to be theirking. Another mystical quality t... ...the path of ahero. First by setting out on ones own to complete a physical deed for a moral obligation. Beowulf leaves Geatland on his own to kill Grendel to repay Hrothgar for his kindness to hisfather. Fulfilling each moral obligation is a step on the path of being a hero. Beowulf kills eachmonster because of a moral obligation and gives his king the riches he receives from each becauseit is his moral obligation to do so. A character departs from his or her home to go on an adventureand then return home again. Beowulf leavs his land to kills two monsters and then returns homeagain. Next a character will shape and savage world and through trials transform to a differentstate of counciousness. By fighting monsters and ruling the land Beowulf grows smarter and lessselfish than he was before. The last step is to live in a system and finally have everything that isgained by the character lost. Beowulf lives in his system without becomming corrupt and in theend the peace and treasure that he fought for is lost by his people. When a character has thecharacteristics and follows the correct path then he or she is a hero. Beowulf is a hero.