Essay; Heroism

The story Atarssuaq is solely about heroism in my opinion. Atarssuaq’s father was the first hero. Many men tried to kill him, and they were never able to. He was determined to survive, and never gave up the fight. Now someone can argue that him wanting to survive is not a hero trait, but I think he kept fighting for his family. That intention is a great intention and holds heroism values in it. When Atarssuaq was born, his father put all of his efforts into preparing his son for life’s troubles (putting someone before oneself is a prime example of a hero). I like how the author showed the father’s sensitivity towards his son. He was always scared when Atarssuaq would dive into the water. Showing one’s feelings is important for a hero. I hate the stigma that a hero has to be tough and a brute almost. A hero can be courageous strong and caring/loving at the same time.

Atarssuaq was the other hero in the story. He was brave, courageous, compassionate, clever, and determined. He sought to please his father and be the best he could when he was tasked with being a swimmer. He even pushed passed his father’s expectation of his ability to swim. When his father was finally killed, he prepared to defend his mother. He knew he had to step up to the plate, and he ended up exceeding what was expected. He ended up killing everybody that came to attack him, except one. He did what was necessary to protect his mother and himself. He was clever and compassionate when he let the one man go. He spared him, which was compassionate. He also warned/threatened him so they would never come back again.  Great story for an example of heroism for other to learn from.

(Image from FeaturePics)

Essay Week 5: Gods and Goddesses of the Egyptians

The gods and goddesses of Egyptian Mythology were very interesting. I found is especially interesting that gods either chose to live among humans or live in their own realm. That is different from other religions. Some religions have their god/gods remain in their realm and only come to earth to aid humans. Egyptian gods/goddesses came and went when they wanted to. The gods and their abilities were also extremely accessible to humans. The idea that one can have the power of Ra (the head cheese) by just learning his true name is pretty interesting. Thoth’s book was kept on earth where humans have a chance to retrieve it (which one did).  I would think having the gods/goddesses come and go so freely and their power within grasp makes them more relatable to the Egyptians. I have never really read anything where gods are active and physically present throughout daily life until this unit.

            I still managed to see similarities with other mythologies though, particularity with Greek mythology. I actually saw more similarities than differences between the two. The Egyptian gods and goddesses did interact more; however, the Greek gods and goddesses still interacted is similar ways, just not as frequent. There are numerous gods and goddesses within the Egyptian belief and they are all offsprings, siblings, or spouses to each other, which is similar to Greek mythology. They are also fighting among each other is situations. The Secret Name of Ra was about the goddess Isis trying to inherit Ra’s power, and she did by poisoning him. She tortured him until he told her his true name. Greek mythology you have similar fights for power or prestige. Also both mythologies’ gods and goddesses had dominion over certain things or areas in the world. I really enjoy the similarities though; it brings up some curious questions for me.

(Image from Ancient Egyptian Gods)

Essay: Heroism in the Gospel Mark

I chose to write about heroes and the qualities I feel someone would have to have to be considered a hero, as well as the hero character in the Gospel Mark. The first quality a hero must have is selflessness. A hero has to put others before him or herself, in all situations. The second quality is courage. It is type of courage that will allow you to act and do what is right/best, regardless of the outcomes. Consistency is another quality I look for in a hero. Heroes need to be reliable and dependable, and to be both they have to be consistent. I mean consistent in their behavior and actions. There really aren’t a lot of qualities in a hero, but the qualities themselves are very hard to come by. At least containing all three of them. It takes all three to be considered a hero in my book.

            There was only one central character in Mark, which is Jesus. And I feel like Jesus not only was a great example of a hero, but he probably is the greatest example of a hero. Not only did he put others before him, he also taught and showed others how to put others first. The courage Jesus showed throughout Mark, especially when he was put to death. He knew what was going to happen, but he knew how much others needed him. He stayed strong and pushed through for the sake of others. Most importantly, Jesus remained consistent through the stories. People could always count on him being selfless and putting their needs in front, and his courage was never changing. Not only did he show theses qualities when they were needed most; furthermore, he showed me in even the littlest of things. Most heroes from other stories (even stories from the Bible) always had a fall, or something like that, that they recovered from. Jesus never did, but in his stories that is his major difference. He was the perfect everything, that was his distinguishing quality from the rest of the heroes.

This first pic is of Captain America, my favorite comic hero, just another example of heroism

This a funny (yet weird) depiction of Jesus the Hero