Choose three heroes from three zombie films and/or television programs and discuss what kind of hero each is, using concrete, specific examples from the films, and backing up your discussion with quotations from some of the sources listed above, if you wish. (all together 9 character, 3 literary/classic hero, 3 tragic hero and 3 anti hero)
Literary Hero
The Hero, in literature, broadly, the main character in a literary work; the term is also used in a specialized sense for any figure celebrated in the ancient legends of a people or in such early heroic epics poetry such as Gilgamesh, the Iliad, Beowulf, or La Chanson de Roland.
These legendary heroes belong to a princely class existing in an early stage of the history of a people, and they transcend ordinary men in skill, strength, and courage. They are usually born to their role. Some, like the Greek Achilles and the Irish Cú Chulainn (Cuchulain), are of semi-divine origin, unusual beauty, and extraordinary precocity. A few, like the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf and the Russian Ilya of Murom, are dark horses, slow to develop.
War or dangerous adventure is the hero’s normal occupation. He is surrounded by noble peers, and is magnanimous to his followers and ruthless to his enemies.
A hero is usually recognized in a work of literature as someone with great courage and strength (although that's not always the case). The hero may risk or sacrifice his or her life for the greater good. Read about heros in literature.
The Tragic Hero: a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy who is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat: Oedipus, the classic tragic hero.
Definition of Anti-Hero
Anti-hero is a literary device used by writers for a prominent character in a play or book that has characteristics opposite to that of a conventional hero. The protagonist is generally admired for his bravery, strength, charm, ingenuity etc. while an anti-hero is typically clumsy, unsolicited, and unskilled and has both good and bad qualities.
The origin of this literary device is marked in 1714 but there have been literary figures who believe that the concept of an anti-hero existed well before that. Recently the usage of anti-hero in television and books has increased and became bolder than ever. Nowadays, there are thousands of shows, books and movies that portray such characters, who are widely admired by audiences.
Examples of Anti-Hero
The majority of television shows these days portray dark characters. The most celebrated TV shows have anti-heroes who seem to possess both positive and negative traits. Many have successfully explored and impressively depicted the darkest aspects of a human life, fantasies and psyches. Particular characters from these shows are discussed below:
Character: Dexter Morgan TV Show: Darkly Dreaming Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay
Dexter is one of the most celebrated anti-heroes of recent times. He is a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. He is a kind and loving father, friend and husband who has an anti-social personality that makes him murder criminals.
The idea of killing only the guilty people does not seem such a bad thing to do at first. Rather, to some extent, it sounds rational but it is not. Dexter did not become a serial killer to rid society of crime. He did so because he took pleasure in it while the social cleansing part came in as a spinoff. The show depicts that he is slowly moving towards redemption and that is what keeps the audience glued. This is a good case of a modern anti-hero.
Character: Gollum Novel(s): Lord of the Rings series J. R. R. Tolkien There is a wide array of opinions on whether or not Gollum should be considered an anti-hero. He does not really have any good or useful characteristics but his character is a perfect example of the struggle that we go through in our daily lives when choosing between good and evil.
He is portrayed as a swamp creature who warns those who want the ring. The good side of him that occasionally surfaces makes him a loyal servant. The dark side of him that is infected by the greed to have the ring makes him do evil things which eventually lead to his death. Thus, Gollum can justly be called an anti-hero of the novel.
Function of Anti-Hero
Anti-hero can serve a great purpose if used skillfully. An anti-hero brings the spice and flavor to a script that an ordinary hero-villain format cannot. The more secular approach to the idea of using anti-hero shows that it has much more potential as compared to the conventional style. It can be used to represent many things at the same time such as, social flaws, human frailties and political culture.
An anti-hero is usually given the most prominent role after the protagonist and is represented as an amalgamation of both good and evil. Instead of having two different people to represent two extremes, an anti-hero combines both into one person and thus shows the real human nature. This is why people associate themselves with some stories better than others. Gulliver of Jonathan Swift and Jean Valjean of Victor Huge are two such characters. They have been portrayed to have flaws but still they held fast to their nature. These two characters can exemplify anyone who has suffered all through their lives but they are not the kind of characters one can look up to.
Moreover, in modern society when we are presented with a character that is overly righteous and upright, we find it too good to be true. The social turmoil that the entire world as a community has been facing recently has disposed us to be skeptical of almost everything. The greatness that a conventional antagonist shows is something we do not witness in society, which is why we find it far from reality. Suffering and sorrow are a part of human life. So, we relate better to a character that has suffered through life and has both good and bad sides than a character that is only seen doing good.
I. Introduction
a. Attention getterAttention Getter (if a “story” no more than 2 sentences long
b.background/Context—discuss the concept of heroes as presented in class, and connect the idea of heroes to zombie films.
c. Thesis: identify your three heroes and the films/TV shows in which they appear. Note what kind of hero each character is.
II. Main Point One—John Doe is an Epic Hero
Topic sentence—identify the film, the character, and the type of hero Background context as necessary Examples that prove John Doe is an epic hero by what he does, what he says, and how the other characters respond to him. III. Main Point Two—Jane Doe is a Tragic Hero
Topic sentence—identify the film, the character, and the type of hero Background context as necessary Examples that prove Jane Doe is an epic hero by what he does, what he says, and how the other characters respond to him. IV. Main Point Three—Jim Doe is anti-Hero
Topic sentence—identify the film, the character, and the type of hero Background context as necessary Examples that prove Jim Doe is an epic hero by what he does, what he says, and how the other characters respond to him. V. Conclusion
Transition from specific to general discussion Summary Graceful closing