1. Arthur Miller
Fighters against all evil, seeking peril, predicament, terror, mystery and struggle in pursuit of a greater good, the heroes triumph is always assured. .
Cannot sleep at night because your favourite hero villain haunts your dreams? Maybe it is Darth Vader, the master of the dark.
side, or Hannibal Lecter, a psychotic killer with a penchant for.
eating his victims, or maybe everybody's favourite flesh eating beast, Jaws. .
In each circumstance however, the hero is the dominant force and is privileged over all elements of the hero story. .
The so called, "heart throbbing" heroes of today possess qualities of complete perfection, self-assurance, bravery, and strength, and certainly, without fail they provide a realistic role model for their younger generation or do they?.
Hence, these heroes are not needed in society because they portray no moral perfections or characteristics. These stereotypical individuals do not need to influence younger audiences today and in the future about false and inappropriate measures in which they condone to violent acts. .
They reinforce the standard perception of heroes to our youth cultures and privilege action and extroversion over imagination and feeling. Thus, heroes continue to be stereotyped and unrealistic. .
Recently I sat through a re-screening of the epic story of good vs. evil, "Star Wars." The auditorium was filled with young children and their attendant parents, many of whom I suspect were original viewers of the movie. The same spectacular effects captivated a new generation. .
The stereotypical aspects of superheroes seldom vary. The construction of a hero privileges some. The hero is always seen as white, male, of a Western descent, attractive and usually young. Thus, these dominant elements of the hero story give great influence to children of white ethnicity, the marginalisation of women and the importance of impregnability and bravery. .
Courage is nothing more than integrity in context and the hero is one who holds firm to their values and ideology in the face of opposition.