Author: ht5tf

     One of the most common comparisons made in the discussion of heroes and villains is the effect of tragic events that mark the threshold of villainy and heroism.  For heroes the tragic event offers that catalyst to excel and overcome a challenge, Batman for example witnessed the death of his parents at the hand of criminals and made it his life's work to rid the City of Gotham from criminals and villains. The effect on society made by Batman marks him as a transformational hero whose actions forever alter the course of society.  I beg the question of what do we call "so called" heroes who are projected to become great? The question was briefly addressed in class discussions and easily labeled as Trending Heroes- prime example being Lady Gaga. Due to the obvious lack of example of these evolving and up and coming heroes, – I would like to bring to your attention K'naan-  A musician, poet and instrumentalist, who very recently ( April 2010)  surfaced on the face of mainstream music with one of his greatest hits of 2010 and the Coca-Cola World Cup Anthem of "Waving Flag" .

Music talent set aside the life story of Keinan Abdi Warsame is one of trials and tribulations. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia on February 1, 1978 he lived through a portion of the Somalia Civil War before immigrating to New York at the age of 13 years old , and settling in Rexdale, Canada. Self-taught in the art of rap and spoken word – by memorizing and extrapolating on his favorite rappers songs. Having moved from Mogadishu to New York and Rexdale – in pursuit of the American Dream – the dream would begin as a nightmare first.. Relocating to Rexdale, a large Somali populated area, K'naan would witness firsthand the cruelty of a different type of war- a war of racism and systematic discrimination.    Unlike many of our previous heroes, K'naan would face several more tragic events such losing friends due to murder and suicide, and deportation before transforming into the Trending Hero ­that he can be considered today.K'naan's musical talent is not limited to his unique and very distinguishing vocal gift  ,but it also extends to his ability to integrate reggae with hip-hop. Yet, unlike the majority of rappers in 'the game'- he explicitly avoids using vulgar language, implicit sexual content , and talking about cars, chains, and  drug dealing in a positive manner. Instead, K'naan differentiates himself by rapping about the bitter truth about living in Mogadishu, and the injustices of living in developed (Canada) vs. undeveloped country (Somalia). The difference in his message versus that of other rappers  is best exemplified in his song " If Rap Gets Jealous" . The trifecta of K'naan's musical talent comes from his ability to transcend the likes of Bob Marley and Michael Fanti to sing, and rap in timeless and universal parables that offer ominous wisdom and food for thought.  One of the most memorable lines of his song is "I take inspiration from most heinous of situation to create medication out of my own tribulation" in the song  Take A Minute .

The unmistaken appeal of K'naan's music comes from the truth of his voice. As a rising star of the East African nation of Somalia – Nation of Poets, K'naan has become The Modern Voice of the African Diaspora Generation. The boons of his artistic ability far transcend the monetary value and measurability. K'naan has instead become the Baron of Truth – who is not afraid to point out the political failure of the UN , or state fact of reality of  why Somalian Pirates really exist.  One can only speculate the greatness which K'naan is yet to reach, but be on the lookout for him to break all expectations of him. Skeptics might raise questions to K'naan's heroic status as a Trending Hero, but to I advise to listen to the wisdom  K'naan bestow upon you in his song Take A Minute which goes as following "And any man who knows a thing knows, he knows not a damn, damn thing at all.".­  So what is it that you know you doubter?

Defining Moments

    Edmund's defining moment as a hero takes place in The Battle of Good vs. Evil.  Fighting as member of Aslan's Army of Good Creatures, Edmund, proves himself to be a hero. Facing improbable odds, the Army of Good prevails due to Edmund's courageous, selfless sacrifice. In the midst of the losing battle, Edward courageously charges White Witch disarming her of her magical wand and ultimately shifting the momentum of the battle. His brother  Peter High King of Narnia acknowledges this courageous act of selflessness:"It was all Edmund's doing, Aslan," Peter was saying. "We'd have been beaten if it hadn't been for him. The Witch was turning our troops into stone right and left. But nothing would stop him. He fought his way through three ogres to where she was just turning one of your leopards into a statue." p.179

Which is best seen in the following clip .

Peter's acknowledgement of Edmund as a hero is the ultimate defining moment of Edmonds role as the hero figure. Looking back at Edmunds actions in beginning of the story and the climax of the battle it is evident that Edmunds character matured and transformed from child to child hero. At the beginning of the novel, Edmund had come off as a snotty, selfish and egocentric child who was power greedy. Yet by the end of the novel Edmund is crowned as, The Just King of Narnia, for his display of courage, strength and nobility. It was the series of challenges and growing pains  that Edmund faced in the context of the novel which transformed him into a hero and The Just King of Narnia.   

            Comparatively,  Michael's adventures and discoveries lead him down a different path than Edmund. Instead of discovering himself intrinsically, Michael undergoes  an external transformation that is easily attributed to environment changes. Struggling with the stress and emotional toll of his premature sister's birth, and rehabilitating a mysterious dying angel, Michael has to display mental and physical strength.  The confusion and emotional tension that Michael struggles with are best captured in his narration: "I wanted to stand up and say, "There's a man in our garage [Skellig] and my sister is ill and it's the first day I've traveled from the new house to the old school." But I didn't. (p.13)".This moment of fear, panic, and loneliness best described how difficult Michael finds coping with school and family is. Although, the quote might suggest fearfulness in his tone the reality is that Michael is beginning to realize how abnormal the recent events in his life have been.  Mina, a neighborhood girl who befriends Michael helps him cope with the stress and supports him through the tough times. The role of Mina in relation to Michael is one of support and enabler at the same time-much like the hero +side phenomenon. A within book comparison of the book between Mina and Michael, suggest that as Michael is growing and transforms, he in part adopts the better characteristic of Mina- who teaches him a new and liberal way of thinking of transcendentalism  and  anti-materialism.

            The novel Skellig has many defining moments where Michael and Mina are portrayed as hero duo , but the best and most important defining scene takes place at the end of the story, when:"Skellig leaned forward and hugged us both. He licked a drop of red sauce from his lips."Thank you for 27 and 53," he said, "Thank you giving me my life again. Now you have to go home." (p.168)".The gesture above is the only moment where Skellig acknowledges how valuable Michael's actions were in his surviving. In previous moments, Skellig had thanked Mina and Michael simultaneously not wanting to minimize Mina's importance. The focus of the apology is the thanking for 23 and 57, which has a deeper meaning for Micheal than Mina. The 23 and 57 was a reference to the Chinese Restaurant Order Number over which  Michael befriended Skelling in their first meeting.  In the grand scheme of the novel, if it were not for Michael's rescue of Skellig his sister Joy would have died. Skellig, as the Angel of Death, spared the life of Joy because of Michael's noble act of kindness towards him. After analyzing and reviewing Michael's actions, character, and intentions, it t becomes evident that the kid is special. Michael transformation and maturity is evident in the relationship and interaction with Skellig.

 

            In the end, reviewing Edmund and Michael's adventures it becomes apparent that each character had undergo a series of transformation to become the hero they were. Which brings us back to the original question " Are heroes born or made ?" .  I would argue : Heroes are not born but instead molded, shaped, and formed, by their experiences as we have seen with our two character Michael from Skelling and Edward from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

     Defining heroism is a difficult task, yet identifying hero relatively speaking is easier to do in a comparison.  The two best examples of child book heroes and heroism are displayed by author C. S. Lewis' character Edmund in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and David Almond's character Michael in Skellig. Both Michael and Edward undertake a series of events that challenge them to new heights. The standard definition of a hero suggests that a hero is the protagonist individual who is selfless, kind and noble. A child hero, in comparison, is a child character that develops slowly into their hero character as they undergo their life changing experience and growing pains. Taking a close look at these two childhood heroes will give us a better understanding of the question " Are heroes born or made ?, with a specialized focus on childhood fictional heroes that influenced and sparked the imagination of hundreds if not millions of children.

     In The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Edmund Pevensie is a ten-year-old schoolboy and the second youngest sibling in the Pevensie family of four children. The story starts in the suburbs of Finchley, a northern district of London, England, during WWII,  but the story takes play in the imaginary world of Narnia.  Edmund, early on in the novel, falls prey to the evil spell of the White Witch- the false Queen of Narnia, who manipulates him using magical Turkish Delight. Tempting Edmund with the idea of power, the White Witch brings out his greed and selfishness.  Unfortunately, Edmund like any other child falls victim to the White Witch's tricks.  He temporally betrays his siblings to become Prince of Narnia and sole heir to the throne of Narnia. After betraying his siblings, Edmund has the distinguishing and redeeming quality of courage to admit his wrongs, and to redeem himself in the battle against the White Witch with his courageous strength and noble acts of self-sacrifice.

     In the novel Skellig, Michael is a ten-year-old British schoolboy.  Unlike Edmund, Michael's adventures are in the real world where he has to take care of a dying angel like creature by the name of Skellig. To make matters worse, Michael is also coping with the fear that his prematurely born sister named Joy-who might be dying due to preemi complications. What differentiates Michael from Edmund is that he has to struggle with the concept of life and death at a very young age of ten years old. In each of his encounters with Skellig and Joy, Michael comes closer to understanding the precious balance of The Life and Death Cycle.  What sets  Michael apart from childhood figures is his keen empathy for others, especially for people in distress. The significance of Michael's ability to mature and transform into this caring and understanding young adult at the age of ten-years-old is what makes him an extraordinary individual and child hero. When comparing Michael's maturity to Edmunds lack thereof early on in the novel, it becomes apparent that both through their experiences grow wiser and mature as they overcome their respective challenges of courage and maturity.

 

Don’t believe me check out the follow up post on Defining Moments.