{"id":2558,"date":"2012-11-27T06:39:24","date_gmt":"2012-11-27T11:39:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/?p=2558"},"modified":"2012-11-26T22:49:59","modified_gmt":"2012-11-27T03:49:59","slug":"the-allure-of-fictional-non-human-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/2012\/11\/27\/the-allure-of-fictional-non-human-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Allure of Fictional Non-Human Heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>By Zack Cerny, Megan McArdle, and Taylyn Hulse<\/strong><\/p>\n

Heroes in fiction are almost always human beings who perform great actions.\u00a0 Often overlooked are the sizeable number of fictional characters who, despite their non-human status, show many of the most cherished qualities of our very best heroes.\u00a0 Here are three such heroes:<\/p>\n

Yoda from Star Wars<\/span><\/p>\n

Heroes come in many shapes and sizes. \u00a0Sometimes the most unexpected hero becomes the most valiant. \u00a0The Star Wars<\/em> movie franchise is filled with large and powerful heroes and villains. \u00a0It is a small, green, elfish character, though, who was the most influential of them all.<\/p>\n

Yoda was the highest Jedi Master and was the leader of the Force. \u00a0He dedicated himself to the Force and to instructing new Jedi knights for his entire 900-year lifespan. \u00a0As he got older, his body weakened but the power of his mind increased. \u00a0In teaching new Jedi knights, he could be as comforting as a grandfather but as strict as a drill sergeant. \u00a0He adapted his style to be the teacher any Jedi knight needed.<\/p>\n

Edward from Twilight<\/span><\/p>\n

As can be read in Allison and Goethals\u2019s book, Heroes: What They Do and Why We Need Them<\/em>, there is a very fine line that separates a hero \"\"<\/a>from a villain. \u00a0There are eight traits that describe heroes (called The Great Eight<\/em>) and eight traits that describe villains (called The Evil Eight<\/em>).\u00a0 Interestingly, several traits can be found on both these lists — e.g., smart, strong, resilient, and charismatic.\u00a0 Heroes only have two traits that villains don\u2019t have \u2013 selfless<\/em> and inspiring<\/em>. \u00a0These two traits make all the difference.<\/p>\n

It is precisely these traits of selflessness<\/em> and inspiration<\/em> that describe Edward, the heroic vampire of Stephenie Meyers’ Twilight<\/em> series.\u00a0 Edward thus represents a great departure from the evil reputation of the vampire species. In Twilight<\/em>, Edward comes from a conscientious clan of vampires who have chosen not to prey on human flesh. This is not normal. \u00a0Feeding off humans is a natural instinct and even a pleasure for vampires. They are creatures who are designed to hunt humans. \u00a0But Edward chose something different. \u00a0His selflessness allowed him to find another way another way to live. \u00a0This rare restraint is what makes Edward so inspirational.<\/p>\n

Selene from Underworld<\/span><\/p>\n

What does it take to be a hero?\u00a0 It takes courage, and above all it takes devotion to a noble cause.\u00a0 Heroes are diverted from their heroic paths but by the end of their story they accomplish that which \"\"<\/a>they set out to achieve. \u00a0Heroes defy the odds and make selfless decisions. \u00a0Their journey is never easy and is truly the road less traveled.<\/p>\n

Selene from Underworld<\/em>, the movie series, fits the description of a hero who takes the rarely traveled path. \u00a0Selene is dedicated to protecting a race of vampires that shuns her. \u00a0In doing so she shows true compassion for the lives of beings who are not of her same race. \u00a0 Moreover, Selene inspires others with her utter fearlessness. \u00a0She remains true to her own race even when they mistreat her. \u00a0In Underworld<\/em>, Selene always finds a way to emerge victorious. \u00a0Selene shows wisdom far superior to her elders, but never brags. \u00a0Ultimately, Selene inspires hope in the darkest of hours, never fears death, and does the right thing in the face of adversity.<\/p>\n

– – – – – – – – –<\/p>\n

Zack Cerny, Megan McArdle, and Taylyn Hulse<\/em>\u00a0are undergraduate students at the University of Richmond.\u00a0 They are enrolled in Scott Allison’s<\/a> Social Psychology course and composed this essay as part of their course requirement.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Zack Cerny, Megan McArdle, and Taylyn Hulse Heroes in fiction are almost always human beings who perform great actions.\u00a0 Often overlooked are the sizeable number of fictional characters who, despite their non-human status, show many of the most cherished qualities of our very best heroes.\u00a0 Here are three such heroes: Yoda from Star Wars … Continue reading The Allure of Fictional Non-Human Heroes<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1182,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fictional-heroes"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phawtM-Fg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1182"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2558"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2558\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.richmond.edu\/heroes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}