Why_The_Concept_Of_Heroes_Survives_The_Centuries

Why The Concept Of Heroes Survives The Centuries WHY THE CONCEPT OF HEROES SURVIVES THE CENTURIES For centuries, society and literature have revered and idolized extraordinary individuals called ‘heroes.’ The word hero brings to mind several images: strength, bravery, determination. Heroes have been part of human cultures for thousands of years. Gilgamesh is recognized as the original superhero, followed by many others including Hercules and Odysseus, Spiderman and Rambo, George Patton and Todd Beamer. Heroes in “The Iliad” by Homer such as Agamemnon, Achilles, and Hector, all exhibit courage, strength, and perseverance. Our history books are filled with accounts of heroic actions. Daily newscasts report stories about heroes in all walks of life. Students often question why study ancient works of literature. One reason is that readers of ancient literature are treated to some of the greatest superhero stories ever written. What makes the stories even more fascinating is that the most enduring epic, “Gilgamesh,” is nearly 4,800 years old. (Lawall, “Gilgamesh” 10). No matter which era, our heroes have these and other certain traits in common. The most unexplained quality is that of being a “common person” or “regular guy.” These qualities explain why the heroes, hero, gilgamesh, should, ed, norton, literature, homer, lawall, 2002, york, world, people, new, man, makes, good, sarah, often, odysseus, life, graves, courage, anthology, 2nd, strong, strength, sepelak, sandars, religious, qualities, one, iliad, greek, gods