Fit For A Hero example essay topic

Indian literature since the 1970's has focused on themes of death and dislocation, as a response to colonialism. Indian literature just started to get its international recognition around 1975, for its originality. This conferred that Indian literature had an identity all its own. Indian literature unlike American literature is based on constant reoccurring themes. The majority of Indian writings are supporting an obsession with death, the treatment of political and personal paralysis, and metaphors of dismember ance and dislocation, or magic and realism. Indian base much of their literature on their religious thoughts that are the oldest in the world, and believe that their many gods are their hero's.

Heroes are rare and come in many shapes, sizes, color, and nationalities. When society encounters a hero, many are appreciative for the extraordinary deeds done by the hero. Author Joseph Campbell say that in order to be a hero a person or object must exemplify one of five characteristics. First, they must accomplish beyond normal experiences. Second, they must make some type of self-sacrifice. To accomplish all of this a hero must first accept an adventure.

The hero must then go through a re-birth and come to terms with fear. The character Antigone exemplifies all of these traits. For example, she accomplishes beyond normal experiences by overseeing her sexual gender and not letting any obstacles get in her way. After being apprehended, she accepts the fate that will come because she says " I did it and deny nothing" (Sophocles, 763) this is how she exemplifies self-sacrifice. She accepts her adventure in the very beginning when she states "Creon buried our brother Ete coles with military honors, and gave him a military funeral, And it was right that he should go the same for Polynices" (Sophocles, 749-50) and decides that she is going to stop at nothing to bury Polynices. Her re-birth is seen when she decides that she doesn't want to die for something that she feels is the right thing to do and this is seen when she states "Let me go for I have done no wrong" (Sophocles, 779).

With the traits that Joseph Campbell sees fit for a hero, one can conclude that it is very strenuous trying to become or even being a hero. Indian Literature revolves around all heroes'. Although they have many heroes, they are nothing as the average American crime-fighting super human that people are so used to. Rather they worship their gods as their hero's. Very few of these gods even fit Joseph Campbell's description of a hero.

Take for instants Shiva, the third god of the Hindu triad, who is the destroyer of evil. Shiva is one of the selected few gods in Indian literature who fit Joseph Campbell's depiction of a hero. Shiva accomplishes beyond normal experiences by doing things that many of the other gods in the Hindu religion could not have even come close to. Such as Shiva's creation, it is said that Brahma wanted a child and meditated for one, when Shiva appeared from meditation and he wouldn't stop crying and because of his excessive crying he picked his own name. Another example beyond normal accomplishments is the power he possesses to turn someone into ashes just by putting a hand on that person's head.

Although he is the god of darkness, he still possesses a reproductive power and uses his power to resolve what he has dissolved. These actions may also be viewed as Shiva's resurrection or re-birth. The five faces of Shiva can be associated with a journey or quest. These five faces represent five tasks that he must fulfill. They are creation, establishment, destruction, oblivion, and grace. A self- sacrifice is seen when people are describing Shiva's four arms and three eyes.

It says that he hold in one hand the Pinata. In another a bow which symbolizes destruction. The self -sacrifice is being recognized in the description of the hands that are empty. One is raised in a gesture of blessing and protection, and the other is pointing towards his feet as a symbolism of salvation. Shiva never really has to come to terms with fear until he is exposed to the one enemy he has but he is still believed to be the universe because he produced ecstasy through dance. Heroes are rare and come in many sizes, shapes, colors, and nationalities.

When society encounters a hero, many are appreciative for the extra ordinary deed done by the hero. It can be concluded that a hero is either real or fictitious, like Shiva and Antigone, but the person (s) being called a hero is in actuality being embellished by society. It is not known for sure why, but probably because people have some sense of security when they believe a hero is there to save the day.