The Incredibles Or Simba In The Lion King

When I think of a hero, I think about The Incredibles or Simba in The Lion King. A hero is someone who sacrifices their life to help other people. Heroes come in all forms. Heroes are leaders. They stand up when life gets tough, and they are someone people can count on. Something that I have to remind myself is that they are also human and not perfect. They will make mistakes, but that does not make them any less of a role model.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is a character that stands out from the others. He definitely has characteristics of a hero. First, when he defeated the monster, Humbaba, he was creative and courageous. The village people warned him not to go because of how intimidating he was. Gilgamesh tricked the beast by offering
his sister to be the beast’s wife. I do not like how he chose to handle the situation, but I do think he was brave to go and try to fight. He stood up and volunteered on behalf of his town. He wanted this to end, so he did something about it. Going into it, he was told he would die. He put his life on the line for other people. Along the same lines, he was courageous when killing the Bull of Heaven. Ishtar tried to manipulate him and seduce him. He did not fall for her and stood strong in that situation. Because he did not do what she wanted, she sent a bull from heaven to kill him. With the help of Enkidu, they killed the beast. Gilgamesh showed self control especially when tempted by Ishtar. I think that is one of the greatest characteristics a man can have. It speaks a lot about him that he was able to take himself out of that situation. It was probably very hard, but sometimes the right thing is the harder decision. Gilgamesh is someone who cares more about his kingdom than himself. He goes out of his way to do things for others. He puts his life on the line to protect those around him. He shows the qualities of a true hero. He experiences pain and humiliation. He knows what it feels like to be the odd one out. Alos, he built a wall around his town of Urak to protect the people. In the beginning he is not a good leader. He does not care about the people, instead he focuses on himself. He sees himself as higher than the people. But, as the story unfolds, he has a change of heart. He becomes a better leader by understanding the people and identifying with his people. In a sense he steps down and gets on their level. He realizes he is not better than anyone else. He is a respectable person for realizing his flaws and doing something about it.
Christine de Pisan, on the other hand, is someone who stood up for woman. She was someone who got a bad reputation because of her writings. But she got a sign from the spirits to write on behalf of women. She has such an inspirational story. At the age of twenty-five she was supporting herself, three kids, and her widowed mother because there were few jobs for women at that time. Her way of getting away from the chaos was through pen and paper. For a few minutes, she wasn’t just a girl having to wash clothes or make supper, but she was in another world. She became the first female professional writer in European history. I don’t think she knew how much of an influence she would make on woman and woman writers.
Without a doubt, there is a different standard for woman than there is for men.
Her goal, as a writer, was to speak truth about women that contradicted the stereotypes she identified in past literature. She was someone who took a chance and a major leap of faith. She stood up for women and their role in society. She has had a major impact on the world and women in general. In the story The Book of the City of Ladies, Pizan writes about three different goddesses. In one of the lines she says, “So you see, my dear daughter, that you alone of all women have been granted the honour of building the City of Ladies” (Puchner, Martin. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. Print). So in this scene, the daughter has been chosen to help construct the city. I love that a girl has been picked. I think it shows that women have power and can lead when needed. The people have put their trust in this girl and I am sure from her perspective it feels good to know this. In the third section of this book, Pizan includes historical examples of women from her life that are notable. She notes that these people aren’t just princesses, but maybe someone who lectured her in a classroom or an art teacher that challenged her. She brings up a good point that in order for someone to be a mentor or a role model, they don’t have to be rich or a person who is known by many people. They might be poor, but they have had many life
experiences. Don Quixote is an unusual character.
He is described as a fool. Everyone has that one friend that is one step behind in the conversation. I know I can relate to him sometimes. In my friend group I am known as the funny one. Sometimes I say things without thinking and it comes out sounding idiotic. I am the person that gets picked on the most because my friends know I can take it. In the same sense, I don’t think I am taken as serious as other people, just like Don Quixote. He is not someone that people are going to trust to do something. Don Quixote is not someone that strikes you, immediately, as a hero. He lacks a lot of the characteristics that most heroes possess. He is in his fifties, which does not matter but he does not have as much physical strength any more. But, I think there is so much that goes into being qualified to be a hero. He was known for having a lot of pride. But one day he changes and has a mental breakdown. He realizes that he is not what he wants to be. He looks up to people that he shares none of the same characteristics with. He has a change of heart and starts acting differently. He takes a leap of faith and goes after what he wants. He realizes his character is not what he wants it to be and he does something about
it. He has some similarities to these other two heroes mentioned, but in some ways is very different. You may be thinking how in the world is Don Quixote considered a hero? He was selfish and did not do anything for other people. But, his actions were not so direct like the others. He had a change or heart, and started acting differently. He is in love with Dulcinea, who is sort of the reason he tries to do good in the world. He wants to win her over. I think the difference in an ordinary hero that we read about in books in movies and Quixote is that he does not have a lot of things to offer. His heroic side comes from his heart. He
When I looked up the definition of a hero it said, “A person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities”. There is no rule that says a hero has to be a man. There is no set definition for being a hero. I think heroes are people whom do not think of themselves as heroes. They are ordinary people who others can look up to. There are many people in history and literature that are seen as heroes. It is really encouraging that there can be many types of heroes. Some stand out in the world and have a voice. Others, like Christine de Pizan,
My absolute favorite quote is from a story that most everyone has seen. In the movie Cinderella, the mother’s last words to her daughter before she dies are, “Have courage and be kind”. She goes on to tell Cinderella that she has power, more than she knows. As humans, we like to second guess ourselves and not give ourselves the benefit of the doubt.