Heroes Essay, Research Paper

Heroes

Hero. When we think of a hero, what automatically comes to mind? To some it may be someone legendary. Others might think of a hero as someone of great strength or ability. Perchance an illustrious soldier or warrior. Perhaps someone admired for their achievements and great qualities. To me, it once meant someone that showed great courage.

Two characters that remind me of heroes are Bernie, from the movie Hero, and Arthur, from the story ?Arthur Becomes King?. These two characters have many similarities. One similarity is that in both stories, the hero is the last one who would be thought of as a hero. The reason being that Arthur is a meager squire. In Bernie?s case, well, as his ex-wife said, ?It was against his religion to be nice?.

Another similarity is that both were not liked by all. Arthur was not liked by Sir Kay. Bernie was not liked because of his cynical way of being. Also, both were not believed when they first told their stories. It took Arthur three or four times to prove that he indeed was the one who pulled out the sword from the stone. Bernie did not even get the chance to tell some one what he had done.

There is also the similarity in that both, Arthur and Bernie, did not realize that they were special or in some way heroes. Arthur thought he was merely getting a sword for Kay. Bernie was so preoccupied with his illegal selling of stolen credit cards and finding a way to buy time for him not to go to jail. Also, both of their actions cause good to happen to the people around them. With these examples we can see that Arthur and Bernie were a lot a like.

Although Bernie and Arthur had many similarities, they also had many differences. A considerably significant difference is that Bernie?s and Arthur?s personalities were as diverse as heavy metal and classical music. Arthur was humble and forgiving. Bernie, on the other hand, was a cynical man who had nobody’s interest but himself in mind. There is also the difference in the plot. In?Arthur Becomes King?, Arthur is a young boy who makes everything peaceful in his kingdom. Bernie causes John Bubber to want to commit suicide, although he does save fifty-four lives, including a little boy who receives mass media attention. Furthermore, Bernie lets some one else take credit of his heroism because he knew it was the right thing to do, although in the beginning his reasons were completely selfish ones.

After writing this essay I came to the conclusion, and I hope that you too will, that it does not take someone great or special to be thought of as a hero. One simply has to stop thinking of ones self and instead think about others, as did two true heroes, Arthur and Bernie.