If you decide to become a student of Literary Arts, then your educational journey will be primarily dedicated to unraveling your imaginative potential. Learners of the exact sciences may ridicule their creative opponents for the chosen profession, which “supposedly gives no future”. Yet, becoming a writer, a literary critic, or even a journalist demands exceptional agility of the mind. There is one particular composition students of artistic disciplines are assigned with: a hero essay. If it seems to be an ordinary high school-level assignment, let us instantly provide a disclaimer. When you explore heroes to write about, you carry out research of all the possible and the most compelling heroes. You delve into history, arts, literature, and cinema to differentiate between real-life and fictional characters or draw parallels between historical facts and bookish/cinematic adaptations. At some point, you realize that this investigation is not frivolous at all. Your brain is immersed in constant reading, comparing and contrasting your findings, and even analyzing a variety of psychological traits of unique personalities.

So, while students from STEM disciplines’ departments are laughing at your “scribbling games”, you are nurturing your imagination, improving your linguistic knowledge, and scrutinizing historical events. Your creative profession definitely has the future of a screenwriter, film director, and author of fiction.

Who is a Hero?

Before you start writing your heroes essay, check whether you understand the definition of a “hero”. Traditionally, it refers to a person or a mythical creature (a deity or an alien), who is admired and recognized. Usually, such people are idealized due to their noble deeds and exceptional achievements. However, being a hero is not only about sheer admiration. Take the famous “boy who lived” – Harry Potter. His personality reveals many contrasts. On the one hand, Harry is an ordinary boy. He lives in a Muggle family, being unloved and unrecognized. On the other hand, he is widely recognized in the wizarding world, as he made the most dangerous dark sorcerer disappear. The conflict of Harry Potter’s heroism becomes evident when you realize that he was merely a lucky boy to survive. It can be said that he was just “a hero of certain circumstances”. He became famous unknowingly, being just an infant. In any case, he was endowed with certain unique qualities, which made him a justified hero after several brave deeds. The most notable fact is that Harry Potter is always on the verge of good and evil. He has the same potential to turn into a villain instead of a brave young man. Yet, he chooses the path of kindness and justice instead of wickedness and superiority.

If your task gives you some creative freedom, then you may select basically any hero. It can be a sharp-witted inventor who made a groundbreaking discovery and facilitated human existence. It can be a classical noble knight, a wizard or an elf, chevalier of fortune, or space warrior, among others. No matter what type of hero you would choose, you have to portray this character vividly. There should be a logical explanation behind her or his outstanding deeds. Perhaps, you can disclose a secret of this heroism, a certain trigger, which made the chosen individual do something outstanding.

Experimenting with different types of heroes may be great. Yet, if you lack time, then it is easier to choose from the four types of heroes, which are deemed to be the most flexible.

The 4 Types of Heroes to Explore in Your Essays

The Classic Hero

There is a common stereotype about the classic protagonist: it should be a knight. You may be surprised to know that a variety of classic heroes is impressive. This can be anyone from gods and fairy creatures to modern-life superheroes and even everyman. For instance, Hercules is a classic hero, and so is Wonder woman. The connection here is that they are superheroes. A hobbit Frodo also embodies a classic hero, and so does Katniss Everdeen. Despite the discrepant storylines and fictional genres, one thing unites them all: positive strivings. So, when creating your own classic protagonist, focus on the search for justice and acts of kindness. It is typical of a classic hero to have some extraordinary abilities or strong personal qualities. The life of such a character is satiated with impediments and subsequent adventures. Even if they go through some internal conflicts, they learn from mistakes and usually fulfill their upright missions.

The Anti-Hero

Among all heroes to write about, the anti-hero is one of the most exciting characters. You can perceive it as a mischievous version of the classic hero. Usually, an antagonist is also a positive character, but he is a desperate rebel, so it is in his nature to break the rules. The vivid examples of anti-heroes are Jack Sparrow and Han Solo. Sometimes, they seem not to have a goal and their motives are questionable, but their noble strivings are concealed for a reason. They do not like to take pride in their real positive incentives, so they play the roles of reckless individuals and do not disguise their negative habits.

When composing a story with an anti-hero, do your best to get rid of all the stereotypes related to the classic man of courage. There should be many missteps and dangerous adventures, but, in the end, your character will fight for justice or what is dear to him or her.

The Tragic or Failed Hero

One of the most complex and conflicting heroes to write an essay on is a tragic hero. The investigation of the failed hero personality demands some prior knowledge of psychology and even mental disorders. If to recollect Romeo and Juliet, we can say that they embody both a tragic hero and a tragic heroine. They tried so hard to do what they deemed right, but every attempt resulted in misunderstanding and led to the inevitable grave consequences. Unlike the heart-rending love story, a failed hero can be an individual with decent intentions, who unknowingly helps a villain to succeed.

When writing about a tragic protagonist, create as many obstacles as possible to not let him achieve his goal. Sometimes, a failed hero would deal with some repercussions after a tragic event. You can portray some profound struggles of an individual trying to set things right. To make it truly tragic, create a horrible twist the moment he is about to succeed or achieve inner peace. To generate this character to the fullest, answer the following questions: what was the initial cause of their failure? What actions were decisive to insinuate an inevitable tragedy? What important detail could have saved the situation? Why did the failed hero ignore this detail? Keep in mind: readers prefer tragic heroes to superheroes, as the former ones reflect our real-life challenges and mental tortures.

The Heroine

Although a female character can be a superhero, an anti-hero, and a tragic one as well, the classic heroine has a different focus. There are not so many classic heroines who fight for justice or take part in battles. Of course, we can recollect Joan of Arc, Xena, Warrior Princess, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but these characters remain exceptions. When writing about a female protagonist, we usually focus on the inner world rather than the outside world. While the internal struggles of a classic hero are not central to the story, the heroine reflects deep connections within her nature. She is much more emotional; she is mostly guided by her feelings rather than rational decisions. Despite being more emphatic and dependent on the circumstances and traditions of her epoch, the heroine is able to achieve amazing goals and fight for her “place in the sun”.

4 Effective Tips to Create an Enticing Story About the Chosen Hero

It is good if you managed to select the hero type for your creative work. However, learning how to write an essay about heroes is not an easy task. Hence, we would like to share 4 hints from professional writers to compose a brilliant essay.

  • Dedicate some time to brainstorming. If your assignment allows you to choose any kind of hero, then you can brainstorm all the possible personalities that come to your head. Try not to use the Internet. Just write down all the fictional and real-life heroes, which you can remember. Brainstorming beyond the web sources helps you to invent your unique characters. Do not be afraid of some resemblance to real people – you are less likely to come up with cliches if you do not Google some hints. Just remember one thing: a hero should be a memorable character, who remains in the spotlight or takes center stage, even if his or her role is tragic.
  • Outline the ideas for your impending composition. Creating an outline can be compared to traveling with a map. Indeed, intuitive travel is an exciting experience, but it may lead to unexpected “wrong turns”. If you want to save some writing time, then an outline is a perfect guide throughout the character’s inner world along with their ensuing actions. Outlining helps you to create intriguing causes and no less impressive consequences of your hero’s deeds.
  • Make your ideas flow in a draft version. It’s essential to write your draft essay, not thinking about the exact punctuation and grammar, but rather concentrating on the depiction of your hero. If you simultaneously edit when writing, your focus will be shifted from the exciting storyline to impeccable grammar. No one needs flawless sentences when the plot is dull.
  • Revise your hero paper after the draft is complete. It is not very effective to start proofreading your essay right after you finished it. Take a break before immersing in a full revision. You will notice more mistakes and typos after your brain is revitalized.

Concluding thoughts

If you are an avid reader, then you may be excited about the only idea to create your own hero. Perceive this character as an actor in the spotlight who has to make an unforgettable impression on stage before the capricious audience. Fortunately, when pondering over the most suitable heroes to write about, you can imagine basically any protagonist as long as this character fits our previous descriptions. It can be a human being, an alien, or a deity, but their personality should be unique and sophisticated. Besides archetypal inner struggles and adventures, you can devise some startling twists to make your readers exclaim, “That’s a shocker!”

February 15, 2022
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