Arnold & Samson Essay, Research Paper

Arnold Schwarzenegger: A Real Life Samson

Heroes have been around since the beginning of time. The first hero that I can think of is David, from the biblical story David and Goliath. Heroes have not really evolved that much since the early days, they are still basically the same strong men with unhumanlike powers that the normal mortal man cannot even comprehend. Heroes come in many shapes and sizes. Contrary to popular belief heroes nowadays are just regular people with the same everyday problems that we have to endure.

We spent the last three decades observing the climb to superstardom by famed weight lifter and body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the movies he has portrayed some of the most courageous and strongest people that have ever walked the earth and we have watched as he has solved crimes, saved damsels in distress and come out of it stronger than ever before. In our hearts and minds we know of course that the world of movies is only make believe but it is difficult not to get caught up in the strength and abilities of Schwarzenegger just by watching his antics and knowing that the build and muscles are very real indeed. The audience usually watches the movie and goes home with little thought to who the real Schwarzenegger is. If one had to compare the real life person to a figure in the bible one of the closest comparisons would have to be Samson. They have much in common regarding their physical strength to be sure but that is not where the strongest similarity occurs. They both share a quiet confidence in which they know what they want and are capable of going for it, attaining it and doing so in the face of adversity.

In real life most people are aware that Schwarzenegger is married to a Kennedy. Just the name Kennedy evokes such a feeling of awe and emotion that one pauses for effect. The family even has a place that is named the “Kennedy Compound” and most of the family members have achieved fame and fortune in their own right. The family is a pillar of staunch democrats who represent and epitomize the democratic party and its beliefs.

Most, if not all family members have married “like” people who share the political views of one of the most powerful families in America. For one to go into that family and spout off Republican or conservative views would be considered almost dangerous by some accounts and certainly political suicide.

Schwarzenegger never blinked an eye. He displayed the strength of Sansom ten fold when he marched into the Kennedy family and asked for the hand of Maria Shriver Kennedy in marriage. While the movie goers and body builders of the world admire his physical strength and ability to lift cars the true strength of Schwarzenegger , like Sansom, comes from the internal knowledge that he is his own person.

Sansom displayed the same courage even though in the end his marriage failed. The initial strength was to go even against his parents wishes and marry her.

And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines(Bible Judges 14:1 ).

Then his father and his mother said unto him, [Is there] never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. (Bible Judges 14:3)

Sansom saw a woman he wanted for a wife, who was unfortunately a daughter of a Philistine. He was warned, he was told and he was cautioned by family and friends that it would be a mistake to marry her but he knew what he wanted and he did it without hesitation.

One can only imagine the warnings that Schwarzenegger must have received when he, an avowed and very public conservative Republican, decided to marry a Kennedy. But he displayed the same strength and quiet confidence that Sansom showed when he chose his wife.

Since his marriage, which has lasted almost twenty years so far, He has continued to display the strength of Sansom in his personal, professional and political life. One cannot live in this country without being aware of the Kennedy’s political views and clout. The Democratic party depends heavily on the reputation of its most famous family and the actions and behaviors of the extended family members through marriage.

Schwarzenegger has never let his marriage to the Kennedy Clan interfere with his beliefs or desires to promote those beliefs. In a fashion that must have felt similar Princess Di’s actions away from the royal family, Schwarzenegger made no secret of his political affiliation with the Republican party.

Walking out on to the stage during political campaigns has given an enormous boost to the republican causes, while displaying the strength of Sansom because we are privy to the opposite beliefs of the family that he married into.

In addition to the internal strength that was displayed by both men they also displayed immense physical strength throughout their private ordeals. Sansom had to display it when he died as a prisoner of the Philistines. When he brought the house down on 3,000 of them even though it caused his won death he arralleled the part that Schwarzenegger played in the second terminator movie. During that movie his character commits suicide for the purpose of killing the enemy who if left alone would have caused an incredible amount of damage. This was the same self sacrifice and strength that Sansom displayed when he pulled the pillars down, consequently killing everyone who was inside by crushing them.

Schwarzenegger has long since been a hero and a role model to millions as a body builder and an actor. He came out of nowhere with his funny accent and poor acting ability and then learned to act, made millions and became a star. No one can deny his clout through the use of movies. However where his Sansom like strength really comes into play is in the matter of his marriage to Maria Shriver Kennedy and his public political beliefs that are diametrically opposed to one of the most influential families in the nation.