Tragic Hero Research Paper
Tragic Hero
My father is a tragic hero. Over the course of his life he’s had more accomplishments than anyone else who has grown up beside him. After enduring seven years of college, he graduated law school at the top of his class. Upon moving back to his hometown, he took over the family business and achieved an outstanding reputation. With the world in his hands, his wife and two daughters would have done anything for him. However, people change, and when my father decided that it was his turn to, nothing was ever the same again.
Two years ago he went through his second divorce, and with it came a very costly mistake that landed him 30 days in jail and the suspension of his law license. Because of his prestigious reputation and successful …show more content…
representation of many criminals, the trial that decided his fate was very public. In a small town where the rise and fall of everyone is relayed from one to another, everyone knew very quickly if a new detail came to light. During the course of his downfall, he began to care less and less what both the public and his own family thought of him. This provoked him to make irrational decisions that were very costly.
Eventually, people began to stray away from the relationship and bond they shared with my father. Multiple times updates regarding his criminal actions made the front news of the papers and aired on television. In a society with a constant itch for information, I became a source. Every time news broke, classmates would approach me for what I viewed as private information. Adults would take every chance they had to get the upper hand for gossip. I grew angry with my father, blaming him for my unwanted rise to fame. This was his fault, he brought this on himself, he made the decisions that complicated not only his life, but also mine. What was he even thinking when he made these choices? For months I was filled with hate and the want for retribution.
Then something changed.
When I could not get in contact with my father one night, I decided to call one of his friends, who told me my father had called her earlier and whispered to her that he was in the emergency room. He then immediately hung up. This worried me deeply. I decided to drive to my father’s, only to find him and his much younger girlfriend arguing. There was a large gash above his left eye that had been sewed up with nine stitches. His girlfriend had sent him to the hospital. For an hour I pleaded with my father to kick her out, to make her leave, but there was no success. We yelled, and he said words and phrases that no daughter should ever hear. I made the decision to end the relationship with him. It was at this point that I realized my father does not want to cause trouble, he simply doesn’t know how to avoid it; it is something he cannot control. Similar to a literary tragic hero who evokes pity from his audience, my father’s fall from prominence made me have sympathy for …show more content…
him.
From this point on I changed greatly; I learned to forgive.
By doing this, I feel as though an entire weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. The constant reminder of the mistakes he has made no longer exist. Accepting my father for who he is has been the hardest decision I have had to make, as I know he has the potential to be something more, but it has been the best decision. Although I still do not have contact with him, my state of mind is much healthier, and the worry that overwhelmed me I have let go. Even though part of my personal life has been lived in the newspapers and through the television, I would not change a single second of it because it has helped to shape me into the person I am. I have acquired new qualities such as the ability to posses patience, to put forth forgiveness, and to accept one for whom they are. I have learned that no matter what obstacles are put in my way, I have the ability to excel regardless, as I did not choose to let his failure reflect onto me, and I did not let his actions define me. Instead, I chose to persevere through the hardships, to overcome the distress.
I wish the best for my father. I know he will eventually rise above his inability to control his actions, and he will win the internal fight. As for me, I intend to pursue a long, healthy, successful life filled with love, happiness, and optimism. The lessons I learned from my father are undeniably a blessing, and because of him I know what type of life I want
to live. Suffering a childhood filled with disadvantages is actually beneficial. The lessons I have learned from mine will be put to use throughout the rest of my life.
My father is a tragic hero. Over the course of his life he’s had more accomplishments than anyone else who has grown up beside him. After enduring seven years of college, he graduated law school at the top of his class. Upon moving back to his hometown, he took over the family business and achieved an outstanding reputation. With the world in his hands, his wife and two daughters would have done anything for him. However, people change, and when my father decided that it was his turn to, nothing was ever the same again.
Two years ago he went through his second divorce, and with it came a very costly mistake that landed him 30 days in jail and the suspension of his law license. Because of his prestigious reputation and successful …show more content…
representation of many criminals, the trial that decided his fate was very public. In a small town where the rise and fall of everyone is relayed from one to another, everyone knew very quickly if a new detail came to light. During the course of his downfall, he began to care less and less what both the public and his own family thought of him. This provoked him to make irrational decisions that were very costly.
Eventually, people began to stray away from the relationship and bond they shared with my father. Multiple times updates regarding his criminal actions made the front news of the papers and aired on television. In a society with a constant itch for information, I became a source. Every time news broke, classmates would approach me for what I viewed as private information. Adults would take every chance they had to get the upper hand for gossip. I grew angry with my father, blaming him for my unwanted rise to fame. This was his fault, he brought this on himself, he made the decisions that complicated not only his life, but also mine. What was he even thinking when he made these choices? For months I was filled with hate and the want for retribution.
Then something changed.
When I could not get in contact with my father one night, I decided to call one of his friends, who told me my father had called her earlier and whispered to her that he was in the emergency room. He then immediately hung up. This worried me deeply. I decided to drive to my father’s, only to find him and his much younger girlfriend arguing. There was a large gash above his left eye that had been sewed up with nine stitches. His girlfriend had sent him to the hospital. For an hour I pleaded with my father to kick her out, to make her leave, but there was no success. We yelled, and he said words and phrases that no daughter should ever hear. I made the decision to end the relationship with him. It was at this point that I realized my father does not want to cause trouble, he simply doesn’t know how to avoid it; it is something he cannot control. Similar to a literary tragic hero who evokes pity from his audience, my father’s fall from prominence made me have sympathy for …show more content…
him.
From this point on I changed greatly; I learned to forgive.
By doing this, I feel as though an entire weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. The constant reminder of the mistakes he has made no longer exist. Accepting my father for who he is has been the hardest decision I have had to make, as I know he has the potential to be something more, but it has been the best decision. Although I still do not have contact with him, my state of mind is much healthier, and the worry that overwhelmed me I have let go. Even though part of my personal life has been lived in the newspapers and through the television, I would not change a single second of it because it has helped to shape me into the person I am. I have acquired new qualities such as the ability to posses patience, to put forth forgiveness, and to accept one for whom they are. I have learned that no matter what obstacles are put in my way, I have the ability to excel regardless, as I did not choose to let his failure reflect onto me, and I did not let his actions define me. Instead, I chose to persevere through the hardships, to overcome the distress.
I wish the best for my father. I know he will eventually rise above his inability to control his actions, and he will win the internal fight. As for me, I intend to pursue a long, healthy, successful life filled with love, happiness, and optimism. The lessons I learned from my father are undeniably a blessing, and because of him I know what type of life I want
to live. Suffering a childhood filled with disadvantages is actually beneficial. The lessons I have learned from mine will be put to use throughout the rest of my life.