tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931078954148810179.post4598802127017204237..comments2023-11-03T03:59:28.260-07:00Comments on Story Seer: Zero to HeroLizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14444235737902757507noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931078954148810179.post-31042650550574044932013-03-05T19:57:21.329-08:002013-03-05T19:57:21.329-08:00Also Macbeth can't be fooled by a mere underli...Also Macbeth can't be fooled by a mere underling. No, he's fooled by witches! And King Lear is just... omg. there is no reason to want to be King Lear.<br /><br />I would absolutely guest write or co-write a blog about anything American with you. Send me an email.<br /><br />I think you're picking the wrong heroes. lol. We don't particularly love any of those characters. On the other hand, we are OBSESSED with people like Babe Ruth and all of John Wayne's characters and Huck Finn, and I think these are all American heroes and icons we worship that have transcended American culture. Mizujadahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233866558758957283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931078954148810179.post-61565195079691303162013-03-05T15:05:04.301-08:002013-03-05T15:05:04.301-08:00Point. No wishy-washy flipflopping for Macbeth. An...Point. No wishy-washy flipflopping for Macbeth. And out of all four, he has the least trouble with his sanity, not that that's saying much.<br /><br />See, now I feel like I should just get you to do a guest post about Icarus, because that's fascinating. And you're right, the American hero really does burn his candle at both ends (or at least the modern American hero). And even Washington has his moment of stupidity-begetting-greatness with that freaking cherry tree.<br /><br />The funny thing comes, I think, in the universality of heroes. And a lot of American heroes just don't translate as heroic outside of the American headspace. Johnny Appleseed just bops along doing his bit of good; it's sweet, but kind of Galahad-ish. Paul Bunyan's incredible feats of strength never strive for anything much beyond his (ironically) small world. John Henry is a classic Icarus in terms of ambition AND tragedy, and he doesn't even prove his larger point; sure, HE can drill faster than the steam engine, but he's a superman and he also DIES doing it. And Gatsby... hoo boy. IS he a hero? He's certainly an Icarus, but there's a certain amount of moral bankruptcy going on that makes him tricky even if you've been raised knowing about the American Dream. It's hard to root for an American hero if he's too good, too troubled, or just too doomed. We can definitely admire their greatness, but they're also not people we'd want to BE, in the end.Lizhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14444235737902757507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3931078954148810179.post-34322416861044749282013-03-04T18:44:24.928-08:002013-03-04T18:44:24.928-08:00If I had to pick one of the big four tragic Shakes...If I had to pick one of the big four tragic Shakespearean heroes to be, I'd probably go with Macbeth. At least, upon realizing his fate, he faces it head on.<br /><br />Yesterday I was thinking about Icarus and America. Like, for most people, the story of Icarus is a moral tale not to exceed your own limitations. From Europe, you get paintings of Icarus falling or fallen. For America? Icarus is the perfect role model, and we get pictures like this http://rodolforever.deviantart.com/art/ICARUS-art-deco-165438580 - he's the one who dares to fly higher, dream bigger, go farther. He embodies the 1920s. Does he fall? Yeah, but he touched the sky first, and isn't that all we were ever trying to do anyway?<br /><br />Anyway, I was thinking how the American ideas of a hero are really different from Europe's. Getting back to your post, Americans aren't too upset by heroes who do stupid things, as long as those stupid things are also great.Mizujadahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17233866558758957283noreply@blogger.com