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Although there were many major contributors to the French Revolution, none have contributed more to it and yet few, if any, revolutionaries have destroyed more of its central ideals than Napoleon Bonaparte.  He started training in military school as an artillery officer and the French Revolution was his first test.  He saved the Convention from insurrection and was, in result, promoted and given command of the French army that was fighting in Italy against Austria.  Napoleon took even greater power by the 1799 coup d'etat€”that of a military dictator.  But Napoleon, in his greed, wanted more.  So in December of 1802, he crowned himself emperor of France.  During his time of rule of France, Napoleon showed that he was a child of the revolution because he upheld many of its ideals.  While Napoleon was a child of the revolution because he restored the early revolutionaries' economic and social policies, he destroyed the ideals by nullifying the people's voice in politics, in newspapers, and in other forms of expression and for this, he can be considered a villain of the Revolution's ideals.

Napoleon, while giving the people what they desired, also took away the freedom of speech, press, and their voice in politics.  Napoleon elected himself to the position of emperor in 1802.  This provided France with a strong, centralized government. Although it seems like he was doing this for only the benefit of France, he also dominated as the emperor.  Napoleon's declaration of emperor gave him supreme power with no governmental checks.  He took away the peoples' voice in politics, something that the people strived for during the revolution.  Napoleon also severely limited the peoples' voice through press controls.  In 1799, the number of newspapers in France was over 60, but in 1814, that number dropped to four. All printers and booksellers had to swear oaths of allegiance to Napoleon. People could not express their negative ideas about France because of this.  Napoleon destroyed the revolutionaries' dreams of having free speech and press and can be considered a villain as a result.

The Code Napoleon provided many people with benefits but the workers, for the most part, were denied certain rights.  The Napoleonic Code denied collective bargaining, which cheated the workers out of money because they could not negotiate wages. The Napoleonic Code also outlawed trade unions. These two laws prevented the workers from joining together.  Napoleon wanted supreme rule over everyone and the fact that the workers cannot change their wages or hours proves this.  Napoleon wanted nothing to change or fluctuate during his rule.  The Napoleonic Code prevented workers form joining together and thus destroyed the chance of people making more money and the revolutionary ideal of advancing through society.

Napoleon Bonaparte was most certainly a child of the French revolution and kept many of the revolution's ideals such as improving economy and putting an end to serfdom; but he also destroyed the ideal of a completely free people.  Napoleon Bonaparte increased the economy through improvements with bank and in commerce.  He created social equality through the classes with meritocracy and abolished of serfdom.  He kept these ideals of the revolution but he destroyed many others such as the ideal of freedom of speech and press.  Napoleon Bonaparte was a child of the revolution in so many ways, yet he destroyed many revolutionary ideals during his reign as emperor.  He is also notorious for leading the French into many wars, which resulted in millions dead and a bankrupt France.  For all of these reasons and his greed for power, Napoleon may be considered a villain.

Violence is something that most sane people disagree with.  Violence does not solve problems rather it creates them.  Alex, in Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange, is a troubled teen who sees violence as a way of life.  At first, a reader might think that Alex is a horrible human being with no moral code what-so-ever and thus the reader grows to hate Alex.  Anthony Burgess, however, makes Alex a little bit friendlier through Alex's use of slang, Nadsat.  This Nadsat is the way that Alex and his hoodlum friends speak.  This slang is very juvenile with words like "tolchok" that translate to mean knife.  This language gives the reader the sense that Alex and his "droogs" (gang members) are not 15 and 16 years old but five or six.  This language has an interesting effect on the reader.  Without the Nadsat, Alex would be perceived as a menace to society and readers would feel that he should be punished with a slow and painful death.  But with the Nadsat, the reader sympathizes with Alex and feels that he just needs some guidance.  The Nadsat makes the horrific violence seem like a game.  Alex, while showing his love for violence in his participation of repulsive acts, is given pity by the reader because of Nadsat.  Nonetheless, Alex is a cruel villain who shows no remorse for his actions.

Alex loves violence and this love for violence is shown through his use of Nadsat.  The greatest glory in violence for Alex is when he is attacking and mauling someone, not fighting competitively against him or her.  Alex enjoys the slaughter, rape, and otherwise massacre of his victims.  This infatuation with violence can be shown through his language during these attacks.  When Alex and his gang find an older man with books under his arm, Alex and his gang immediately descend upon the old man.  Alex shows his passion for violence when he recounts the scene beginning when "Dim yanked out his false zoobies (teeth), upper and lower.  He threw these down on the pavement and then I treated them to the old bootcrush€¦The old veck (guy) began to make sort of chumbling (mumbling) shooms (noises) –€˜wuf waf wof'-so Georgie let go€¦and just let him have one in the toothless rot with his ringy fist€¦and then Pete kicks him lovely in his pot (mouth)" (7).   The language that Alex uses is very entertaining and he is definitely having fun doing what he is doing.  When people have fun doing things, they usually describe it with as much detail as possible, trying to relive the moment and allow the listeners to live the moment as well.  The same holds true for Alex.  He describes these acts with great detail, showing his pure enjoyment of the violence.

His love for violence is also shown in his description of blood.  Blood is the goal that Alex tries to reach each time he commits an act of violence.  During the same scene when Alex attacks the old man, Georgie punches the man in the mouth and "then out comes the blood, my brothers, real beautiful.  So all we did then was to pull his outer platties (clothes) off, stripping him down to his vest and long underpants" (7).  Another instance of the glorification of blood is when Alex and company are robbing a store and to keep a woman from screaming, "she had to be tolchocked (hit) proper with one of those weights for the scales, and then a fair tap with a crowbar they had for opening the cases, and that brought the red out like an old friend (10).  This quote shows how simplistic the horrid violence seems to the reader.  When Alex says that the lady was hit with a "fair tap", he makes it seem like he really tapped her, when in fact, he bludgeoned her with it.  Calling the blood "beautiful" and an "old friend" shows how obsessed Alex is with the blood.  Nadsat glorifies the blood and also shows how important it is to Alex.  The Nadsat also makes the violence seem like a game in which Alex is surely having fun.  This game that Alex plays is certainly an awful one and exemplifies evil and cruelty in a most villainous form.

Below is a clip from the 1971 film.
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Daniel Ocean of Ocean's 11 (2001) is not the first name people would think of when they are asked to list heroic characters.  Atticus Finch and James Bond come much more readily.  Even as I am writing this, I know he pales in comparison to these giants of fiction, but he still has heroic attributes.

The first scene of the movie shows Ocean being interviewed for early release from a Southern New Jersey prison and it is revealed that he is a thief and con artist.  Yes, the hero starts his journey in handcuffs, but upon release from jail he is able to begin.  Like anyone just released from prison would, he goes to a casino in Atlantic City, has a drink, and begins his journey assembling a team.  To do what you ask?  Rob the three biggest casinos in Vegas.  Yes, more illegal activities for our hero, making my case harder and harder, but he crosses the first threshold of his journey by recruiting his right-hand man, Rusty.

Upon building his team of 11 men with various talents, his basic plan of breaking into the Bellagio vault is revealed to the group.  Everyone thinks he is crazy, but they stick with it.  This is a tribute to Ocean's ability to be a leader.  He has the charisma, intelligence, and possesses great skills as a conman to be the one to lead this team of 11 into the most insane robbery of all-time.  Ocean has his work cut out for him as he now finds himself in quite the belly of quite a whale.

Now the research begins.  Ocean and crew begin casing the casino, learning all of habits of a very punctual and ruthless Terry Benedict.  During this reconnaissance, Rusty learns that Benedict's girlfriend is Ocean's ex-wife, Tess.  Rusty confronts Ocean and Danny admits that the heist is not all about Tess and mysteriously hints that he will not be the one choosing between her and the $150 million.  Upon hearing this, it certainly seems that there is a temptress in the form of an ex-wife who may distract Ocean from doing his job.

It actually does as Ocean is red-flagged by the casino.  Now every security officer knows his face and he will not be able to perform his original duties.  This is where we get to see Ocean as a mentor.  Throughout the movie, Ocean has been mentoring Linus, the son of another famous conman, by giving him smaller tasks to complete telling him "you've gotta crawl before you walk, kid".  Linus actually steps into Ocean's role here and performs quite admirably when the con begins.

The initial con goes successfully and once Benedict learns of his loss he goes straight to Ocean.  Tess is secretly watching the exchange between the two men and Ocean offers Benedict a deal, he gives up Tess and Ocean will "look into" who robbed him.  Benedict accepts and Tess runs out of her room to see Ocean before he is taking away to jail for violating his parole.At this moment, it becomes clear that Ocean's primary plan was to steal Tess back.  This noble goal was achieved in a relatively odd way, but shows that Ocean is a heroic figure in doing all of this to get his wife back.  The crew has their money and Ocean has Tess, proving that sometimes, you can have both.

Ocean's journey has elements of what Joseph Campbell believes to be the arc of a hero.  While his journey is an illegal one, his intentions of getting his wife back were morally right.  He also serves as Linus's mentor during the movie and sequels, showing himself to be a caring and nurturing person, certainly aspects of a hero.  The greatest evidence I have for Daniel Ocean being a hero probably rests in Frank Sinatra and George Clooney.  If a character is played by these two legends of cinema, he is certainly a hero in many eyes.
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Dexter Morgan is a serial killer.  He is a sociopath.  He is also a hero.

Dexter (played by Michael C. Hall on Showtime) is an incredibly complex character best fitting the role of a vigilante.  Dexter became who he is for two main reasons.  First of all, he witnessed the murder of his mother at the age of three.  Orphaned, he is adopted by one of the police officers to arrive on scene, Detective Harry Morgan.  During Dexter's childhood Harry sees something in Dexter that disturbs him.  Although Dexter cannot remember his mother's murder at this point, he is already displaying signs of sociopathy due to witnessing the murder.  Harry takes it upon himself to try to teach Dexter how to "blend in" and knowing that Dexter will ultimately become a killer, Harry decides to leave Dexter with a code for killing.  He instructs him how to avoid detection and the best ways to clean up and dispose of victims.  He also teaches Dexter to only kill those that deserve to be killed and to make sure that Dexter has collected enough evidence to carry out his desires.  Dexter is able to keep to this code with a couple of unfortunate exceptions and remain in the clear.

Dexter's character is a true vigilante.  Although not completely sane, he is very methodical in his approach both to prevent being caught and ensure that he has his man.  Dexter gets many of his leads from his work as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami police department, often looking into cold cases and doing subsequent research of his own to determine quilt.  Once proof has been found, Dexter kills his victim and disposes of the body without leaving a trace. Obviously what Dexter is doing is illegal; there is no question about that.  It is also certain that Dexter is an emotionally and mentally twisted individual.  These do not make him a villain though.  His ability to control his actions and be disciplined about whom he murders keeps him from drifting into this category.  Antihero might be the more appropriate term according to some people because of his shortcomings and illegal activity.  Dexter certainly possesses noble traits and his willingness to "take out the trash" benefits society even if they don't realize it.  While this may prevent him from reaching the full status as a hero in most peoples' eyes, he certainly isn't a villain. While Dexter is a complex character, he definitely fits into the hero's mold better than the villain's.  His actions are not moral, but they are heroic.  He risks his life to kill those who escaped the system and deserve to be punished.  What may be even more heroic is his ability to stay disciplined and follow Harry's code despite his sociopathic mind consuming him and dictating his actions. Dexter is today's prime example of vigilante justice and as the show continues, we will be able to see his character develop hopefully into the hero we see inside of him.

     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.