Roald Amundsen Qualities Of A Hero

The explorers pushed themselves against the harsh, cold winds. The helpless dogs whimpered at the men as they hauled four fully-loaded sledges across the ice. The unpredictable weather made the more than 800-mile journey tough, but the explorers were up for the challenge. Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian explorer, was the first person to reach the South Pole, and the first expedition leader to fly over the North Pole. Amundsen was a man with big dreams, and followed his motivation of wanting to risk his life to achieve his goals. However, along with his own, Amundsen put the lives of other explorers in danger, which prohibits him from holding the many qualities of a hero. Roald Amundsen is clearly not considered a hero because he killed many dogs
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Amundsen’s nemesis, possessed many more heroic traits, such as his love for adventure, bravery, and hard work. Although Amundsen achieved his accomplishments, he also put the lives of others in danger. On the other hand, Scott was not as successful, yet he still gave his best and had a passion for what he did. Amundsen lacked enthusiasm in his exploration, while Scott was motivated, making him a strong leader. For example, Amundsen made his men start the trek early so that he could get there before Scott did. This type of behavior shows foolishness and proves that “[Roald’s] attainment of the Pole was just a passionless application of the expertise and cold ambition. And Amundsen himself, therefore, was just a colorless professional (Alexander).” Amundsen went through some of the stages of the Hero’s Journey, but not all of them, which does not classify him as a hero. To begin with, Amundsen never went through the first stage itself. His childhood dream was to travel the Northwest Passage, which was his Call of Adventure. He did not refuse the call, but on the contrary, he met with the mentor. On his way to the geographic prize, “[Amundsen] became closely acquainted with the Netsilik Eskimos (Alexander).” He learned the ways and tricks of getting to the South Pole and how to survive the ice from them. Amundsen gained wisdom with the survival tools he had studied, and this had helped him on his journey. Amundsen crosses the threshold by entering the polar regions, and completes the sixth stage of bringing his companions along with him as well. Amundsen follows the seventh stage of approaching when they begin their journey on October 20, 1911. Amundsen’s story does not come across the eighth stage, but he does take possession of his fame and success of reaching his goal. Amundsen arrives back at his base on January 26, 1912, finishing the