Hero Of Our Times Speech Analysis

In Reynold’s Price famous “Hero of Our Times” speech he says that, “Our need for heroes is at least as old as our need for enemies.” Even before Greek myths, there were boundaries and expectations because without enemies there wouldn’t be a need for heroes. To be an American hero in the twentieth century is a matter of perspective. In my perspective, to be an American hero in the twentieth century means that one must be a model to aspire others, sacrifice something of meaning for the greater good, and should be willing to “answer the call”.
In The Natural without Roy’s ambition to be an outstanding baseball player, he would not have inspired the team and bring them together. Before Roy joined the Knight’s they had lost almost every game in
However, this sacrifice for the greater good made him lose sight of why he started playing baseball in the first place. When Roy first started out on the team all he needed was his bat wonder boy and his jersey on his back. Though Roy had not played for 10 years, his goal was just to acquire a minimum salary and a spot on the team. “ Pop burst into scornful laughter. " ‘Sure, but that entitles you to about thirty-three hundred. Just like that god-awful deadbeat. He'd skin his dead father if he could get into the grave’ " (Pg. 40-41). Moreover, this quote illustrates Roy’s heroic for features for the reason that he gave up a truly deserved salary in order to play the game he loved. What mattered to Roy was the he was able to play again after Harriet Bird betrayed him. As a hero it required Roy to overcome difficult obstacles with his health to do what he loves. Although Roy had a plethora of conflicts with Bump and Gus, Gus still made it hard to have a relationship with Memo. For instance, Gus says to Roy, " ‘Say the word, slugger, and you can make yourself a nice pile of dough quick. Roy wasn't sure he had heard right. Gus repeated the offer. This time Roy was sure. " ‘Say it again and I will spit in your good eye.’ " (Pg.158) Here in this quote Roy like any hero had to deal with right, wrong, and figuring out who he can trust. Once Memo left Roy had no
One the other hand Biff still tries to “answer the call” and try to prove to his father that he will make something of himself. Moreover, Willy wanted to be a salesman for the reason that he wanted to make money and support his family. So, he tries to inspire them when he says, Don’t say? Tell you a secret, boys. Don’t breathe it to a soul. Someday I’ll have my own business, and I’ll never have to leave home any more” (Pg. 30). Ever since Biff was in highschool he followed his father’s orders and played football so he could get into a good college. Since Biff is the typical jock, he relied on his looks to get him anywhere in life. Just like any everyday hero Biff needed to leave in order to find himself and go on that journey. At first Biff was mesmerized by beauty of the farm and that made him realize that he is in the same monotonous job everyday . However, when Biff goes back home he is reminded of why he left in the first place; he realizes he has to go find himself yet again. For example Biff says, “I’ve always made a point of not wasting his life, and everything I come back here I know that all I’ve done is to waste my life.” (Pg. 22-23) In order to “answer the call” Biff promises his dad that he going to find himself a steady job at Bill Oliver’s. Similar to Roy, Biff like any hero has their flaws for the reason