Jake And Hamlet example essay topic

A hero is defined by Websters dictionary as a courageous, valorous man. There are many people in history that society deems or defines as heroes. An example of a hero from our past is Martin Luther King Jr... He went against all odds in his fight for freedom. There are fictional heroes that can be considered heroes as well.

Superman and his antics in saving the planet are in many ways considered heroism. Many sports stars and actors are considered by many as heroic figures. Mario Lemieux won his battle withHotchkins Disease, a form of cancer, to win a completely different battle, the Stanley Cup. A hero is a person or character that defies all odds in order to achieve both the respect and idolization of his fellow human beings. Among other characters, a literary hero is a character who lives or struggles to live by a certain code which he sets for himself or which society or environment has established for him.

In our readings this year, there are many characters that exhibit these special qualities. One of which is Jake, in Ernest Hemingway's award winning novel, The Sun Also Rises. This story takes place immediately after World War 1, time of great hardship. These hardships results in a digression both morally and socially. Jake handles this digression like a man and continues to live his life as a journalist.

Jake installs his values on his friends on a trip they take to France. There are two friends that Jake attempts to help that are very special to him. Those friends are Robert Cohn, and Brett Ashley. This is an exemplary example of heroism. It is clear that Lady Brett Ashley is anything but a lady.

She is kind and sweet, but extremely vulnerable that various men in her life seem to smother her with. Brett is unhappy with her life and her surroundings and seeks escape and refuge in the arms of these men. But her actions seem to always end up hurting her, and you could guess who she runs back to, Jake. Jake know that he can never have her as his own, and he accepts this as fact.

This is clear when the Count asks, why dont you get married, you two. (pg. 68) Although Brett toys with Jakes emotions, Jake is still accepting other problems and is tolerant of her behavior because he loves her unconditionally and is willing to overlook everything she does. Jakes willingness to endure and forgive Brett promiscuity and infidelity is an indication of how heroic Jake really is. Jakes war injury forced him to accept living in a seemingly terrible way for more than one reason. The physical ramifications of his injury carryover to his social life. When Georgette makes reference to his injury, he simply replies, I was hurt in the war. (pg. 24) Hardly an acceptable answer for such a sophisticated injury. The acceptance of this injury is the basic definition of a hero.

This is definitely a respectable attribute. Jakes feelings toward his friend Robert Cohn are a combination of jealousy, compassion, and understanding. Jake knew of Roberts relationship with Brett, and it ate him up with envy, but at the same time hek new how it had ended. He had been close friends with Robert, and been through similar situation with Brett, so he had both compassion and understanding for Roberts position. At the same time, Jake is angered withthe way that Robert deals with this. Robert goes around beating up every guy that attempts to get close with Brett.

At one point, he even hits Jake. Jake takes this like a man and accepts Roberts good with his bad and tries to help him. Again, Jakes heroic attributes help a friend in need. The attitude that Jake possesses is an extremely difficult stance to take. Not many people could be as understanding and caring as he is.

I know thesis a fictional character, but the heroics that Hemingway portrays through Jake can be taken with a grain of salt and help normal people such as you and I understand what it takes... to be a hero. In a different situation Hamlet, in William Shakespeare's world renown play Hamlet, helps people learn the truth in a heroic manner. Hamlet exhibits a puzzling, duplicitous nature. He contradicts himself throughout the play. This ambiguity is demonstrated by his ille ged madness. He behaves madly one minute, only to become perfectly calm and rational an instant later.

These inconsistencies are related with the internal dilemmas heh as to face. He struggles with the issue of revenging his fathers death vowing to kill Claudius and then backing out, several times. The heroics shown by Hamlet throughout the play are misconstrued by everyone until the very end when he proves his vengeance is viable. There are many times that Hamlet has to deal with adversity throughout the play. Death seems to be a continuous theme. Hamlet has to deal with many losses.

The way he handles this adversity seems irrational, but is in fact heroic. In the first act, Hamlet commits that he will be committed to nothing else but the revenge of his fathers death. Ill wipe away all trivial fond records, All saws books, all forms, all pressures past, That youth and observation copied there, And thy commandment all alone shall live Within the book and volume of my brain (act 1, scene 5, 99-103). At the end of act two, Hamlet again mentions vengeance. The way that Hamlet plays out his vengeance is very interesting. Instead of playing the part of the vengeful son, or dropping the issue all together, he hangs in the middle pretending to be mad.

This is shown when he says to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern I known ot-lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercise (act 2, scene 2,380-381) Admitting so blatantly that he is only feigning madness would imply that he is comfortable with acting with it. Hamlet does not reveal to anyone his plan of vengeance. Shakespeare leads you to believe that Hamlet is going to act on his vengeance in killing Claudius in the line by Hamlet I should have fatted all the region kites With this slave is off. Bloody, bawdy villain!

O vengeance! Why, what in ass am I (act 2, scene 2,581-585) Hamlet then backs out of killing Claudius in act three. At this point, the characters believe him to be insane and see no vengeance in his acts. At the end of the play, Hamlet is challenge by Leartes in vengeance of Leartes fathers death. This is when the truth comes out. Before the death of He ratio, Leartes, and O philia, Hamlet is looked upon as a hero by all of them as he kills the killer of his father, the king.

Hamlet spends the entire play seeking the perfect vengeance on Claudius. The obstacles that he overcomes to eventually achieve his goal make him a hero. He demonstrates the necessary qualities to go down in the an ols of literary history as one of the most heroic characters of all time. There are many people and characters that are heroes in the public eye. Monuments such as statues are made for iconoclastic people all the time. But heroes are actually seen by each person individually.

A person that may seem like a hero to me, may not be held in such a high honor in your, or anybody elses eyes. The code of the hero is extremely flexible and society does not necessarily take this code into account when deeming someone or something a hero. Jake and Hamlet clearly exhibit the correct qualities tobe considered heroes. They clearly defied all odds to help others gain respect for both themselves and the people that needed them at that particular moment. These characters help us in our quest to become the best that we can be. I know that I compare myself to the people I consider heroes and Have come to believe that that makes me better.

Now, I have two more characters to help me become a hero.