Heroism : rising from the ashes

• Main Author: Oh, Karen Jia Lin
• Other Authors: Jernigan, Daniel Keith
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities::Literature::English
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/14529
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The concept of heroism and the portrayal of heroes have undergone many changes over the ages, departing from its classical precedents. The Hero was once the exemplary model of individuality, chivalry, morality and other noble ideals, but the rise of satire on chivalric literature in the 17th Century subjected him to increased scepticism and contradictory portrayals. Consequently, today it appears as if the Hero has altogether vanished from contemporary writing, which now favours the common rather than extraordinary. However, rather than saying that the Hero is dead, it is more accurate to say that the Hero has been evolving. Even today, the definition of heroism and our understanding of what constitutes a hero continue to shift. Despite the endless shifts and current scepticism on heroism, there still seem to be traces of classical heroism found in contemporary society. Through an essay and 12 original poems, this creative writing project explores some aspects of heroism in the hope of finding remnants of classical heroism in the contemporary. Perhaps heroism will rise from its seeming ashes.