Tragic Hero

What does it take to be a tragic hero?

1. V. Clay- Courageous, doest htings that others normally wouldn't do. Intellingence and cunning, must be clever to decipher the plans and schemes of the villain and be smart enough to know how to stop him or her. Disciplined, able to show sympathy and yet, stern.


2. U. Ewo- Caring, loving, emotionally prepared, brave/bold, uplifting, strong. Whatever emotional drama gets thrown the hero's way then he or she needs to be prepared to handle it.


3. E. Thomas- Able to handle situations, not over-react, nice, kind-hearted.


4. J. Rogers- Gotta be willing to lay it all on the line and never second guess yourself.


5. J. Nelson- Patient, because it may take a while to solve the problem and you can never give up. You must have a "fly" costume. Physically and mentally fit, must be able to handle the drama in both ways.


6. S. Thompson- strength and endurance, determination, dedication. Someone that survives cancer like Lance Armstrong. Supercedes expectations! Unafraid of a challenge, Warrior Spirit.


7. P. Cokely- Responsibility, Leadership, Focus, Confident.


8. B. Hines- Energy, time, and devotion, so that they can put themselves aside to help someone in a crisis, and expects the unexpected.


9. M. Fritz- Determination, Willingness to help and devotion,
   
10. M. Quist- A Hero is someone who has been through some bad times and has bounced back from a terrible situation.


11. G. Rankins- Looked at as honorable and heroic, but that is only the result of experiencing something horrible or tragic.


12. A. Long- Respect of leadership and be ready to serve the people, so that they can look up to him.


13. B. Fullwood- A hero Must believe in his or herself, but not putting too much pressure on yourself.

Who is ALWAYS a person.
That is ALWAYS an object or thing.

Potential Examples:

1. Ewo: Taxpayers, who pay for welfare and education. Foster care parents who take in orphans. Oprah, she does nice things for Africans. Jesus, because He died for us.
   Kelley: Doctors who help people who are ill. Police Officers and Firefighters. Parents. The Autobots from the Transformers.


2. M. Fritz- Jet Jackson, A spy who helps people by investigating mysteries. Hancock, because he helps people who are in distress. Mr. Incredible, because he saved the city and eventually the world.


3. M. Terry- Avatar, he saves the world from the bad guys. Blade kills the vampires.


4. V. Clay- Naruto, he saves people all the time and puts his life in danger/at risk. Moses, because he parted the Red Sea, saving the Israelites.


5. J. Nelson- Martin Luther King Jr., because he paved the way for Black people, and made Obama possible; anti-segregation. Madea, is always taking in down-trodden or suffering people by taking em into her home. Charmed, because the good witches save people. Buffy the Vampire Slayer.


6. G. Rankins- "Tennessee"'s Dad, who saved his son by running from the car that was being carjacked and being a sacrifice. Civil Rights marchers, because they were brutalized and sometimes killed by angry mobs. Doctor Octopus that saved New York, by taking the Sun-like object with him to his death, by drowning in the river/lake. Kenny from South Park, he's always doing good things for people, but he always dies every episode.


7. R. Johnson- Roshach, because he saved most of the people in the city, and solved the mystery of who killed his friend. Dr. Strange, Because he saved the world from a villian, Braniac.


8. K. Kelley- Blart, from Mall Cop, who saved the people who were being kidnapped/held hostage. Will Smith takes a bullet for Carlton in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.


9. S. Thompson- Harry Potter, even though Voldemort killer his parents, he doesn't get caught up in this and still takes the time to save others. Malcolm X, because he believed in education, and argued that people deserve equality and should attain/do certain things, "by any means necessary". Lion King, Simba. Superman, potential modern day Jesus.


10. B. Fullwood- Batman because he fights crime since his parents were murdered in front of his face. Rosa Parks, because she essentially sparked of the desegregation movement. Noah, because he saved all the animals and his family during the "Great Flood".


11. M. Quist- Will Smith in "I am Legend", because he sacrificed his life to save all the people from the disease.

What does it take to be a tragic hero?

1. A. Scott- A tragic hero will sacrifice his or her life for you (a potential victim). God.


2. S. D. Brooks- A person who comes to your aid, during a type of tragedy. A person who dies under tragic circumstances or during a tragic event. A person who grows up overcoming adversity or during the roughest times, but is able to become a role model later on.


3. J. Roper- A hero who does something unrecognized by the general public and only a few understand what he or she has done for the masses.


4. T. Brooks- A person who tries to save people from tragedy.


5. C. McNair- Anyone who can help a person.


6. O. Allen- A heroic person that comes to another person's aid who is in danger.


7. A. Dunmeyer- It takes a person to do good without reward to be a hero, but it takes a person to die doing good to be a tragic hero.


8. B. Palmer- A person that is willing to risk their life for someone whom they love.


9. L. Blackshear- A person who becomes a hero first and they always do things that are tragic to their health.


10. L. Bryant- A person who does not survive a battle.


11. W. Boozer- A person that makes a sacrifice during a tragedy and therefore becomes a hero.


12. C. Brown- Somebody who is willing to save someone else during a tragic event.


13. K. Mitchell- A bad person that is trying to do the right thing, but ends up dying on that path and also, might lose someone that they love.


14. C. Shaw- An average person.

Who is always a person.
That is always an object.

POTENTIAL EXAMPLES:

1. J. Roper- Wolverine killing Jean Grey/The Phoenix to save everyone, because that is what she wanted, and he was the only one who could do it, but he loved her; and no one wants to kill the one whom they love.


2. S.D. Brooks- Obama, Oprah, Batman. They grew up with very tough lives and past, and became inspirations for others.


3. A. Scott- Police Officers/ 5-0. They lock up criminals and bad citizens, who try to cause tragedies in society.


4. W. Boozer- Denzel Washington's character dying in the movie Dejavu to save the girl who he loves.


5. J. Tucker- Harry, the Son of the Green Goblin, who risked his life to save Spiderman, Peter Parker and ended up dying in the process.


6. L. Bryant- The victims of 9-11, particularly the firefighters and policemen, the soldiers in the army, navy, air force, etc. Superman and all the heroes.
   
7. C. McNair-Optimus Prime in the Transformers.


8. C. Shaw- A kid experiencing a house fire, growing up to be a firefighter.


9. A. Dunmeyer- Doomsday/Superman. Leonardo DiCaprio's character in Titanic.
King Kong. Goku being killed by Piccolo when fighting Raditz.

Some common traits characteristic of a tragic protagonist/hero:

• * The hero discovers his fate by his own actions, not by things happening to him.


• * The hero sees and understands his doom.
  
• * This likely causes self-pity and imputes fear into the hero(ine).


• * A tragic hero is often of noble birth, or rises to noble standing.


• * The hero learns something from his/her mistake.


• * The hero is faced with a serious decision.


• * The suffering of the hero is meaningful.


• * There may sometimes be supernatural involvement (in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Caesar is warned of his death via Calpurnia's vision and Brutus is warned of his impending death by his evil spirit).


• * The hero is physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, often resulting in his death.


• * The Shakespearean tragic hero dies at some point in the story, for example Macbeth. Shakespeare's characters illustrate that tragic heroes are neither fully good nor fully evil. Through the development of the plot a hero's mistakes, rather than his quintessential goodness or evil, lead to his tragic downfall.


• * The hero of classical tragedies is almost universally male. Later tragedies (like Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra) introduced the female tragic hero. Portrayals of female tragic heroes are notable because they are rare.[2]

HOMEWORK
Realizing the true definition of a tragic hero, please take the time to identify and explain one example of a tragic hero.