Dec. 7: Heroes, Superheroes, and Antiheroes

In today's reading Fred White talks about the idea of heroism in writing. He further discusses how complex the idea of heroism has become. He states that now heroes can be flawed and downright unheroic. He also talked about antiheros, "protagonist who violate the very idea of heroism". He stated that these characters are often found in what is called "theater of the absurd". But in this absurdity there is a sense of a deeper commentary on the moral or spiritual crisis that some of our sacrosanct insitutions have fallen.
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION:
White believes that it is only natural in our modern age that heroism should come under artistic scrutiny. He believes that we have not lost our appreciation for heroic acts but we have made our heroes less predictable. They are no longer heroic, mythical peope with magical powers but rather more compatible with our understanding of human nature.
The TRY THIS assignment:
1. Write a story about a flawed hero--say a superman-line crime fighter whogets mixed up with a group of Robin Hood types who decide to help the poor in unconventional ways.
2. Write an absurdist comedy in which your main character is a coward or suffers from paranoid delusions or who decides to live out a childhood fantasy, sacrificing his career as an accountant in the process.
Again another assignment that will have to go into the composition book. It is also one that probably will not be under taken any time soon. But who knows.