A tragedy is defined as a story of the heroic or moral struggle of an individual, culminating in his or her ultimate defeat. Many well-read people will agree that Herman Melville created the American tragic hero, Ahab. Melville provided the commander with the traits of those legendary tragic heroes: greatness, a flaw, and the recognition/downfall.
As one reads Ahab's inspirational words to his crew, the reader can't help but to gain a respect for the arrogant, "crazy Ahab". His dialogue leaves a certain motivation in the reader, as though he or she were apart of the Pequod. Ahab leads his followers into believing that he is the great savior he deems himself to be when the favorable captain proclaims such outbursts as: "I am immortal then, on land and sea!" (Melville 455). The experiences of Ahab only command respect, as he hobbles on the deck with a wooden leg (a daring sacrifice) only for the reason of vengeance. Ahab hates the white whale with a deep passion, a passion that can be felt throughout Melville's seemingly endless pages. This intensity draws in the reader, and makes him or her yearn to know what makes his mind tick.
The captain has a pride that no individual (except maybe Moby Dick) can bring down. "Talk not to me of blasphemy, man; I"d strike the sun if it insulted me," (157 ) shouted Ahab. This superciliousness is his flaw. Reading a book of mythological stories, one may point out that many of these tales contained a hero that stood up to the gods, even though in the end, most of the "heroes" followed a tragic ending. Often, Ahab would seem to just look up at the skies and challenge the heavens to just bring Moby Dick to him- and let those spirits see exactly what he was capable of!.
With every dare Ahab shot up toward the sky, his downfall was drenched in the irony the gods rained on him. While the determined leader struggled his last moments out in the fight he"d been waiting for, the realization slapped a dumbfounded visage upon his face like the fan of a whale's tail upon still waters.
Enders GAME Ender . ... Enders life is almost devoted to the games. ... He does this because he knows he is the best and will not be defeated by a computer. ... But in life if he were to do something of that magnitude nothing that anyone could say we be any different to him he would always be a bad person in his mind. ... Ender finds games wherever he turns. ...
Ender always had trouble relating with family and fitting in at school because he was a Third, solely born at the government's request. ... As intelligence as his weapon, Ender eventually conquers his quest and wins independence after defeating the buggers. He wins fame throughout the world for defeating the buggers, and finally he is able to make his own decisions in life. ... Ender's Game contains many epic aspects. ... Near the end, Ender even communicates with a bugger, which no human has done before. ...
When Ender returns to class he is teased by a boy named Stilson, but Ender just seems bored by school. ... Finally, while Ender is lying in bed at night, Peter comes to him, and at first Ender fears for his life. ... We reenter Ender's life at the breakfast table, where Ender is too preoccupied with his thoughts to eat. ... After Ender's parents talk to the man for a moment they call Ender into the parlor. ... Ender passes because Colonel Graff is satisfied by the reasons Ender gave for what he did to Stilson. ...
Some people would credit the defeat of Napoleon to the losses that he suffered in Russia and at Waterloo. ... Now no one can deny that the alliance of Great Britain, Russia, Austria and Prussia had a hand in defeating Napoleon, but that alliance was not a deciding factor in Napoleon's defeat. ... Napoleon was always searching for ways to bring down the British Empire when he decided to forbid trade in British products in 1803. ... At the end of the day though, no one but Napoleon wanted to pay for a broken blockade. ... It was not always like this, but Napoleon led himself into this posit...
Some readers would say the old man is defeated because he loses the marlin, his trophy. ... In the end, Santiago stands as proof that pride motivates men to greatness. ... This way he always knows exactly how deep they are. ... He lives by his own observation that " man is not made for defeat . a man can be destroyed but not defeated" (pg.103). ... Santiago, though destroyed at the end, is never defeated. ...
The End of History? Francis Fukuyama In the essay, The End of History, Fukuyama claims that soon there will be no more history to be made. ... Fukuyama cites the defeat of Japan and the imposition of American democracy there as an initial step to the democratization of other countries. ... Although history defined in the context of "anything that is past" will always be there, the type of history we typically think about will be radically changed if democracy were to spread all over the world. ... The reason that history will never end is because no nation is exactly the same as our na...
Why were the Greeks able to defeat the Persians in 480/79 B.C.? ... But how when surrounded and outnumbered by a such a huge power that had defeated most the countries it had gone to war with was Greece able to come out of their war with Persia victorious? I will look at whether it was superior tactics used by the Greeks that led to victory or was it the bad tactics used by the Persians that led them to defeat. ... The Hellenic league is similar to that seen earlier in Greek history which confirms the impression that, although they did not always get along in times of relative peace, when...
Proof that the Party was not always right was in his hands. ... He had always mistrusted the party in the past, but this small detail inflamed his doubts. ... He began to hope that truth could eventually defeat the lies of the party. ... Naturally, the moment Winston felt greatest success was the moment in which he was defeated. ... In the end, Big Brother was able to defeat Winston in every way, to the point that Winston came to love Him....
In contrast, at the end of the novel, Meursault now invites the reader to make judgment about his own execution. ... "No, the one thing that counted for me was the possibility of making a dash for it and defeating their bloodthirsty rite; of a mad stampede to freedom that would anyhow give me a moment's hope, the gambler's last throw" (137). ... I was still right, I was always right" (151). ... Mersault believes that death is the end, and there is no afterlife. ... However, when Meursault thinks about his situation in jail, he realizes that death makes no difference in the end. ...