CNA PROJECT – ADV I

Teacher: Leo Azeredo

Group: Max, Matheus and Lucas

A 'hero', in ancient Greek mythology, was originally a half-god and a holy, supernatural being. Their cult was sacred in the Greek religion. The literal meaning of the word is “protector, defender or guardian”.

Later, heroes and heroines came to refer to characters (fictional or historical) that, in the face of danger and adversity, display courage and the will to self sacrifice for some greater good.

Stories of heroism may serve as moral examples, heroes such as Heracles, Perseus, and Achilles inspired and still do, several people.

The Concept of a Hero was questioned/created thousand of years ago, by Aristotle:

“There are men so godlike, so exceptional, that they naturally, by right of their extraordinary gifts, transcend all moral judgment or constitutional control: There is no law which embraces men of that caliber: they are themselves law.”

Men possessing superior virtue and self-mastery necessarily transcend the external human bureaucratic-administrative framework.

This Concept Appeared on the Middle Ages

Go in a quest, journey or adventure to prove love

Make allies, defeat his enemies

Marry a princess (or similar figure)

They have no superpowers but they're smart, brave, and overcome fears to protect their friends, families, and countries.

They usually embody cultural and religious beliefs of the people.

Popular concept, that survives until today.

Osiris

Thoth

Horus

Egyptian mythology

English Culture Robin Hood

Sherlock Holmes

Joan of Arc

Celtic mythology

King Arthur

Merlin

Round Table Knights

Siegfried

Beowulf

In the XIX century, the histories were centered on the biography of individuals such as Oliver Cromwell and Frederick the Great. The heroes were political and military figures, the founders or explorers of states.

Napoleon Garibaldi

Cromwell

Karl Marx argued that history was determined by the massive social forces at play in "class struggles", not by the individuals by whom these forces are played out.

For example, Dom Pedro I, wasn’t the hero of Brazil’s independence, but all of the people who fought for it.

In modern movies, the hero is often simply an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances, who, despite the odds being stacked against him or her, typically prevails in the end.

It has been suggested that the hero or more generally protagonist is first and foremost a symbolic representation of the person who is experiencing the story while reading, listening or watching.

That’s why we like heroes or heroines so much.

In modern times, heroes had an increased moral complexity. Like the crime fighters and the anti-heroic protagonists: Batman, Punisher, Constantine and Wolverine are examples of the anti heroes.

High level of intelligence and perception

Sophisticated and educated

Self-critical and introspective

Mysterious, magnetic and charismatic

power of seduction and sexual attraction

Emotional conflicts

A distaste for norms

Being an outlaw

Disrespect of rank and privilege

A troubled past

Cynicism

Arrogance

Self-destructive behavior

The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters. "a cruelly malicious person who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime;

A superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to the public interest".

Stories of superheroes have dominated American comic books, crossed over into other medias, and spread all over the world.

Extraordinary powers and abilities, relevant skills and advanced equipment.

Superhuman strength, the ability to fly, enhanced senses, and the projection of energy bolts.

Mastered skills such as martial arts and forensic sciences. Others have special weapons or technology, such as Iron Man's powered armor suits and Green Lantern’s power ring.

They have a strong moral code, including a willingness to risk one’s own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward.

A secret identity that protects the superhero’s friends and family from becoming targets of his or her enemies

Daniel Tammet experiences numbers as colors or sensations, In his mind, each number up to 10,000 has its own unique shape and feel. He holds the world record for memorising pi to 22,514 digits. He knows over 10 languages, and is creating one of his own.

Ben Underwood is blind, both of his eyes were removed (cancer) when he was 3. Yet, he plays basketball, rides on a bicycle, and lives a quite normal life. He taught himself to use echo location to navigate around the world.

Daniel Smith is the most flexible man alive. He dislocates his arms to crawl through an tennis racquet.

Michel Lotito performances are the consumption of metal, glass, rubber and so on in items such as bicycles, televisions

Raja Gigi pulled a train with his teeth.

Claudio Pinto can pop both of his eyes 4 cm.

The term is applied to firefighters, police officers, and other good samaritans. The actions of New York City police and firefighters during the September 11, 2001 attacks led to frequent use of the term.

The MY HERO Project is a non-profit organization that hosts stories on heroes and heroism.

The Project provides a curriculum for teachers and afterschool instructors to bring the study of heroes into the classroom and offers educational media workshops in the U.S. and other countries.

We can like Spider-Man because of the life he leads. He was a dork in high school that managed to become a hero, following his uncle’s phrase: “With great powers, comes great responsibilities.”

Characters in comics connect with the real life more often than we think:

The X-Men are hated by the world, like some groups in reality.

Like Batman, we want to take

vengeance on those that do us wrong.

Superman: A stranger to the world trying to find his place among the people.

That is why we should look beyond the pictures, and find the Super Heroes in us all.