As our course materials make clear, ideas/images of heroes or heroic figures are pervasive and seem to have both universal and unique (cultural, temporal, geographic, etc.) characteristics and meanings. For your research paper, I would like you to focus on one specific character or individual who has been, or arguably could be, proclaimed a heroic (or at least celebrated) figure. The “hero” you choose may be most frequently encountered in oral tradition (myth, folktale, legend, personal experience narratives, etc.), print (classical mythology, novels, children’s literature, written history, comic books, etc.) or visual/multi-media formats (art works, film, television, Internet, etc.). In all likelihood, crucial understandings (current or past) of any particular hero/celebrity will be found in multiple forms of communication and representation. For example, how many different ways can one come to “know” Hercules, George Washington, or Luke Skywalker?        

What hero figure, heroic ideal, or celebrity will you specifically focus on? What data/modes of communication will you deal with? Why, based on your preliminary research, is this important to study?