Blog#10: Supervillians!!!

In class we talked about supervillians and how and if they are important they are when talking about superheroes. I think that supervillians are essential to superheroes mainly because superheroes need something to do. If villains were not out there wrecking havoc on the city, murdering people, stealing things, putting society in danger then we would not even need superheroes! If you really think about it villains can exist without superheroes but superheroes cannot exist without villains. I say this because a villain could go around doing what he does because he does it all for himself. He does not go out stealing money to give to others; it is all for him! Superheroes on the other hand are SUPPOSED be doing everything for the protection of others. So if there is no superhero a villain can still go out a be a villain it is just a lot easier but if there is no villain then there is no one the people need protection from so the superhero really would not have a job to do.

Another reason I feel superheroes are important is because they add excitement and longevity to the superhero. This basically builds from the reason above that there should be a villain just because the superhero needs something to do. It also extends to the fact that things need to stay interesting. For example superheroes are supposed to each have a set of values or morals that they live by like Batman never kills or Gawain’s five knightly virtues. Since these characters basically stay the same in this aspect I think having various villains is necessary in order to keep their story interesting. It would be as if Batman only ever fought the joker; it would get boring after a while.

I also think that villains are important because they allow the superhero to learn more about himself; it is sort of like a development of their character. For example in Gawain has to go through the villian’s game in order to realize that he is capable of being more than just King Arthur’s nephew and he also learns more about his strengths against sinful temptations. I’m sure there are many other examples I could include here but I am not really up to date on my superhero movies…sorry. But in the end I totally feel that villains are an essential part of superhero stories. I don’t think that they could exist without them.

WORD COUNT: 409

Blog #9: Gawain

I think that so far one of my favorite stories to read was Sir Gawain and the Green Knight just beating out Oedipus. After realizing this I figured out that I was probably liked them because they both do not have very happy endings. Oedipus ended with him having to leave his city, people, and throne because of the shame he felt. He also ended up losing his wife and he even stabbed his eyes out! In Gawain even though he was forgiven by his people and accepted even after his sins Gawain still felt guilty because of what he did and wearing that girdle around him will forever remind him of that guilt and that is a bit tragic to me.

I think also that another reason why I liked these stories was because they had a certain twist that some of the other stories didn’t. In Beowulf he went out, fought monsters, killed monsters and died. I think this is typical way for these types of stories to go and it has become redundant and expected so I really do not enjoy reading them because it is like I already know how it will end. Oedipus ends all bad, nothing good happens, and I love it! Even though it seems like Gawain may have had a happy ending because he is forgiven from his sins it can be seen that the guilt he feels for lying to Bertilak will weigh down on him forever, and that I love as well.

One thing I realized with the five knightly virtues is that they are really hard to maintain. It seems almost as if it were impossible to obey one without disobeying the other. For example in the scenes when Bertilak’s wife is coming on to him if he were to allow her advances he would be obeying his code of chivalry but if he would then also be breaking his code of chastity. I think this was interesting because when I realized this it seemed like there was no other option than for Gawain’s story to end badly and tragically, and I love that!

Overall I think that both Gawain and Oedipus were great stories; mainly because of their not so happy endings. It is much more interesting to read than the usual “I love him, he loves me, forever happy we will be” kind of stuff. I would take a tragic story over a romantic one anyday!

WORD COUNT:  409

Blog #8- Kung Fu Panda: Super Po!

My favorite part of the semester so far was getting to watch Kung Fu Panda in class of course! I think it is a really good movie and if Angelina Jolie and Jackie Chan are part of it then I am there! I also felt that it was a good way for the class to see how superheroism (if that isn’t a word; it should be) and Daoism correlate. I have to say one reason I am writing about the movie and the bits of Daoism I saw in it is mainly because the actual reading really confused me so I really wouldn’t know what to write about. All I really got was that people that follow this philosophy live life in a simple, spiritual, and natural way. Before I really get into it I would like to ask anyone that reads this to comment and let me know what they got from the reading on Daoism.

So the main aspects of Daoism I saw in the movie were in the character of Oogway and Po’s dad. These two characters were the only ones the entire movie to seem to have been more calm and willing to let things go the way there were supposed to go which is what I feel Daoism is. I think this can be seen in the scene where Po’s dad is talking about how they are meant to noodle people because that is the way it was for his dad and grandfather.

Even though there was not a lot of Daoism I saw in the film it really worked in connecting it to the theme of the class; superheroes. I really think that Kung Fu Panda is a great superhero movie; it has a little of everything. First of all it starts off with a sad background and gives the reason why Po wants to be more than a noodle man. It also has my favorite part in any superhero movie I watch; when they get trained or built to become a superhero. It is all about Po trying to defend his people, Po has his sidekicks, and overall he has the ultimate super villain. Above all Po has the underdog thing going for him. At the beginning everybody is against him but he ends up proving them wrong and that is another thing that I love; watching the underdog end up on top. So once again just to wrap up; what was it you took from the movie that represented Daoism the most? What did you get from the reading that Daoism is?

WORD COUNT: 430

Blog #7- Superheroes and their Costumes

In class we had a discussion about if and why superheroes need to have costumes and I felt it would be a good subject to write a blog on. My opinion is that superheroes do not necessarily need a costume per say but they do need something that help them stand out from everyone else. The main reason I think that this is needed is because the people need to know when safety has arrived. For example the bat symbol is used in one way to call for Batman so it kind of works like a flare gun or s.o.s. also once people see this symbol they are instantly relieved because they know help is coming, sort of like when you hear the ambulance sirens; it gives a sense of relief.

I really do not think it is necessary for our superheroes or super villains to be running around in tights but I think that is what we have come to expect because we have seen it that way for so long. I think that this is also why it seems to me that in the stories we have read the characters do not really seem like superheroes because they do not have costumes. For example Beowulf and Acheillies both wore armor which worn mostly by warriors so in my book they were more warriors than superheroes. Gawain had his pentangle and Rama had blue skin and to me that made them more like superheroes for some reason.

I think in the end the costume of a superhero is just like any other of the characteristics we talked about in class. We mentioned back stories, love interests, super villains, a cause, and many others. I think we can throw costume in there as well if it wasn’t in there before. I think that is necessary for a superhero to have MOST of these things but I don’t think that all are required for every superhero. This is probably why people continue to be interested and keep watching and reading about them they are all different and none of them are exactly alike. I feel that if we were able to say, “oh, he doesn’t do this, she doesn’t have that!” things would be too simple and boring. So to wrap up I don’t think costumes are required unless they are for superheroes that started off in costumes. I think everyone else is free game!

WORD  COUNT: 404 

Blog #6: Rama Rocks!

I have to admit that when I first saw that we were going to read The Ramayana I thought I was going to be bored and confused out of my mind. Just the title of it seemed old and confusing but I am glad I did not give up on it because it actually turned out to be one of the most interesting stories we read this semester probably in my top three. Although I do not entirely see Rama as a superhero I definitely think he has more qualities than Beowulf, Achellies, Oedipus, or Gilgamesh. The story as a whole was also more of a superhero story than that of those characters mentioned above.

One characteristic I really liked about Rama was the way he accepted his fate and the way he listened to his father. If it were anyone else, including me, they would have fought and complained for essentially being ripped apart from what was rightfully theirs. I think that is something a superhero would do, if it is not hurting or harming anyone just simply walk away and let things happen as they should.

Another thing I liked was that there were actual demons and monsters that Rama had to fight. I think that a true villain makes a true superhero and there were many villains in this story Rama fought off that made him super heroic. I don’t know why but when reading the story Harry Potter kept popping into my head. I guess it was all the fights in the forest and fighting off demons; there was a also a very whimsical sense to it which is probably one of the reasons I liked so much.

I also liked the fact that Rama was doing the main thing that I think a superhero should be doing; everything he did, he did for the greater good of his people. I know that my blog about Beowulf I said I didn’t consider him a superhero and I don’t even though he too was doing everything to protect his people. It was just the way Rama carried himself that put him into that superhero section for me. I think that it is necessary to do great things and be respected for doing those things that really marks someone as a superhero. Rama I can respect for his demeanor; Beowulf’s cockiness I can’t but in the end both stories were really entertaining to read.

WORD COUNT: 406

Blog #5 Gilgamesh: Zero or Hero?

So I guess I pretty much fell off of this whole blog thing part of it is mainly because I forgot and after reading Gilgamesh I honestly got a little bored with it, but I am back, doing them again only because I have to and I honestly think that I like the idea of having to do these all at the end because I think this way I get to go back through my notes of what we talked about in class for each subject and kind of get me ready for the final exam.

So anyways in this blog I will be talking about Giglamesh and how very un-heroic I think that he is. The story starts off by explaining how Gilgamesh built great cities and fields but was a terrible person because he would rape and abuse any woman he wanted to. In my opinion a Superhero would not be going around taking advantage of women because it is not very moral and I think that morals are something a Superhero should have. Also we talked about in class how Superheroes never get any and I totally felt that made sense so the fact that he does get some makes me think of him less of a hero; as crazy as that may sound.

Also mentioned in the beginning of the story is how Gilgamesh is two-thirds god. We had a long discussion about this in class and I came to think that a God cannot be a Superhero because I think Gods are far beyond the capabilities of a Superhero. One reason is because many people do believe in Gods and their existence. We also believe in Superheroes but realize that they are only real in a fantasy. So since Gilgamesh was considered a God I do not think he could qualify as a superhero.

The last point I want to make on why I do not think Gilgamesh is a superhero is basically his main journey in the story; the fact that he spent the entire journey trying to become immortal. I think that in a superhero story the superhero is always fighting against evil for the common good of his people. Gilgamesh doesn’t do that; he searches ways of protecting only himself from death. Also he ends up failing in gaining immortality and then just gives up and goes home. Even though in the end he realizes that is more important to live in the now and enjoy what he has, I think that if he were a true superhero he would have kept moving towards his goal until he reached it.

WORD COUNT: 438

Blog #4- Achilles: Superhero or Super hero?

For this blog I want to talk about the discussion we had in class on Achilles.  I think in class most of us agreed that Achilles was not a superhero, except for one person, and I just want to share the reasons why I consider him more of a “super hero” rather than a “superhero”. You may notice that my reasons lean more towards why he is not a “superhero” and less towards why he is a “super hero” but it is my blog so I guess I can write what I want.

The main reason why I would consider Achilles a super hero is because to his people he was the ultimate war hero. People looked up to him and admired him for his strength and courage. When we talked about people we considered super heroes in class we mentioned these as major characteristics and named fire fighters and army soldiers as some examples so I think that Achilles characteristics would fit into this category.

One reason I do not consider him a superhero is because he basically started a war over a woman he barely knew and had no feelings for, this to me is not something a superhero would do. There have been superheroes that fight over the woman they care about but Achilles case it was different. He started a war, not just a fight, putting innocent people at risk and it all over someone he just met just to keep his pride.

 Another reason why I would not consider him a superhero is because he had to ask his mom to do his dirty work. He had to ask her for help because he could not do what he wanted himself and I do not think that is something a superhero would do. I have seen superheroes get help from others, like Robin helping Batman, but I don’t think superheroes ask for help because most of them seem too proud. Above all he asked her to hurt other people which is definitely not something a true superhero would do.

The final reason I have is that he is part god and I believe we talked about it in class that gods are not superheroes; at least I don’t think so. They seem to have an upper hand over superheroes I think and I feel that they should be in a separate category. So in the end I think Achilles would be either just a “super hero” or “god”.

WORD COUNT: 413

Blog #3: Oedipus: Tragic, but not Heroic

While reading Oedipus one of the main things I kept thinking about was how Oedipus was able to do so many horrific things and still mostly everyone ended up feeling sorry for him instead of hating him. First of all, he kills his own father. Oedipus goes off and kills his father along with many other people on his way to Thebes and nobody even looks for him because they are worried about something more important at the time. He also ended up sleeping with his mother, he may have not known, but in those times I am sure there was some sort of punishment for incestuous behavior. Nonetheless, when everyone found out it was he that put punishment on himself and I don’t believe they would have done anything if he hadn’t just because he was the king.

This is one reason that makes me not think of Oedipus as a superhero because I think that when a superhero does something wrong he would be looked down on by not only himself but also his entire society at least for a while. In most superhero movies I have seen the superhero has great amounts of followers, when he does something wrong they turn against him, but he ends up redeeming himself by doing something great. Oedipus never did that; he gave up. I do not think that superheroes ever give up even in the worst cases and that is another reason I do not think of him as a superhero. I think that this has a lot to do with the type of poem this is; the most epic tragedy.

If I understood correctly from what we talked about in class this is the greatest tragedy because of the fact that there is no happy beginning, no happy middle, or happy ending; it starts off bad and ends bad. I think for there to be a superhero someone would need to end up happy or there is not anything there that can be considered “super”.

In the end I really enjoyed reading this story but I would not consider Oedipus a superhero and I do not think his constituents did either. He killed his father and many others, slept with his mother, blinded himself, and never really did anything good for his people (nothing that was mentioned anyway). I would agree this is a great tragic story but a horrible superhero story.

WORD COUNT: 403

Blog #2- Beowulf is just too real!

So we just recently finished up reading about Beowulf So I figured I write my second blog about how I ended feeling about him as a “super hero”. In my first blog I mentioned that I did not consider Beowulf a “superhero” because he was just too proud and I do not think that is a characteristic that a “superhero” would possess. When we talked about this in class I came to the realization that the difference in cultures plays a big part when it comes to the definition of a superhero. Back then someone like Beowulf was characterized in this way but today I feel with the advancements in technology we see “superheroes” as something greater than what Beowulf is. So although I came to understand why he could be seen as a superhero I still do not believe he is one in today’s American culture and I thought of another reason why.

Beowulf just seems to be too real to be a superhero. To make my point a little clearer I use Spiderman and Batman as examples. Spiderman is a superhero but his alter ego, Peter Parker, is not. Batman is a superhero but his alter ego, Bruce Wayne, is not. This idea, I suppose, could tie into the previous one of Beowulf being too proud. I feel that characters like Spiderman (even though I do not like him) and Batman can be considered “superheroes” because they themselves are “superheroes” but they separate their personal lives from their work. Beowulf is just Beowulf and that I feel would just classify him as a “super hero”. This idea was further embedded in me when we discussed Oedipus in class.

In class the only thing we really mentioned about is Oedipus as a “superhero” was that we believed he was not one. I agreed with this idea mainly because he was a King and even though this may be a dumb reason I just do not think Kings can be superheroes. I think it may be because Kings are there to rule others more than to just watch over them like superheroes do. Also, the job of a King, anyone can do but you would have to be really “extraordinary” to be a superhero. That is why when Beowulf became king I really didn’t classify him as a superhero because I feel that if he really was one he would be out killing monsters instead of sitting on a throne, which he did end up doing in the end but it didn’t really help change my mind. So in the end I see Beowulf as more of a “Super Hero” than a “Superhero” because he was just too real!

WORD COUNT: 449

Blog #1- Beowulf Pt. 1

This week we started our first reading; Beowulf. I must admit that that I was not looking forward to taking this class just because I find these types of readings difficult to understand but Beowulf has been relatively simple so far.

In part one of the story we learned about Beowulf’s past and the characteristics that make him a superhero to his people. These characteristics are many of the ones we (the class) considered were needed to be a superhero:    

          1.  Beowulf needed to have a back story; he did not have his real parents.    

          2.  He needed something that made him unique; he had extraordinary strength.  

          3.  He needed to defend the weak; protected the cities’ people who could not defeat their adversary. 

          4.  He needed an antagonist; Grendal.

There are some characteristics we haven’t seen yet, like a love interest, but there is still much of the story left.

While these are some of the characteristics that we came up with as a class in the end we are all individuals with different opinions and I for one feel that Beowulf has one characteristic that in my mind stops him from being a superhero and that is conceit. So far all I’ve been able to focus on in the story is how much Beowulf loves himself. He bragged about how he defeated the sea monster and how nobody else but he could have done it. He also boasted about how he would be able to fight Grendal without weapons. Even though he was capable of all these feats I feel it isn’t necessary to brag. Again, this is my opinion, but I can’t respect someone that is that into themselves, no matter how great they may be and I think that having people’s respect would be an essential part of a superhero.

Beowulf so far has reminded me of Ironman, and I make my comparison to the Ironman movie because I have not read the comic, because he too is extremely vain. I really didn’t like Ironman either for that reason; he was very into himself and could not figure out why people liked him so much. I can see why people would appreciate the things these two characters did but not the way they acted. I think this is another thing we can talk about a little more in class. Does a superhero need to be respected to be a superhero? What are some other ways superheroes have lost the peoples’ respect?