10/28/19 Katrina Chung PD1

10/28/2019 Katrina Chung PD1 Blog #2

Aim: How can we evaluate the evolution of the hero from the Quest of the Golden Fleece through contemporary time?

Do Now: List all of the ways Jason was a hero, without the aid of others:

• First, Kyle and Matthew mentioned how Jason had that initial courage in him. It was his determination in completing the tasks that made him a hero. He had no doubt in doing the task even though he knew it was dangerous. Then Paulina argued that Jason was not really a hero because he had help from basically everyone, especially Medea.

Next, we talked about the Attributes of the Greek Hero. The whole class had a discussion of how Jason fits into these attributes. The Attributes of the Greek Hero are:

1. He is royal birth or a demi-god
2. He must perform extraordinary feats.
3. He is a noble character which is close to perfectly ideal but for a fatal flaw.
4. The suffering of the character is physical
5. Death must occur in an unusual way.
6. The hero fights for his own honor; his deeds belong to the community only after his death
7. Assistance from the divine. 

• Our class said that Jason fit into most of these categories. He was born from a royal family, performed extraordinary feats, suffered, had assistance from the divine, and fought for his own honor. Kyle said that Jason mainly suffered emotionally through the death of his wife and children. 
• Also, Daniel brought up the point that all of these attributes mainly describe male heroes. It brings us back to the discussion of male superiority and how women are stereotypes who need to be controlled. The stories of the heroes from Greek mythology are for the people. The heroes were already predisposed. 

So we talked about the attributes of Greek heroes, but what about the contemporary hero?

The contemporary hero is :

1. selfless
2. fights for a cause that they believe in, rather than honor
3. has a tragic backstory/ humble beginning
4. very brave and courageous 
5. can be anyone (Peter Parker didn't have to be the person bitten by a radioactive spider; it could have been some other kid on a science trip)
6. has more mental struggles rather than physical (the audience connects more with mental struggles than physical because everyone has a mental struggle)
7. has morals

When you have contemporary heroes, you also need to have anti-heroes.

An anti-hero is a protagonist or notable figure who is conspicuously lacking in heroic qualities. Dexter, for example, is a serial killer who only kills criminals. In a way, he makes the world a better place even though he has killing tendencies. 

Why do we need anti-heroes today?

The anti-hero to us, the audience, is more relatable and realistic. We see characteristics of them in ourselves; we see the darkness in ourselves. 

Today, I learned that the evolution of heroes stems from our own views of what a hero should be. The Greeks believed that the hero should be in a way above the common folk and only becomes a hero through fighting for their own honor. Whereas, heroes today have more characteristics of what we are. It is easier to connect to heroes today, especially the anti-heroes and vigilantes. By learning about the evolution of a hero, we can see how much the characteristics of a hero has changed and how much we tend to relate to characters that we see ourselves in. Also, you will have a wider understanding of what the Greeks constitutes as a hero. Jason was not seen as a hero because he had help from a lot of people, but Jason is seen as a heroic leader due to his determination in getting the Golden Fleece.