The Privileged Hero - Black Panther
A fight over the throne of Wakanda represents two opposing ideas of justice. Revenge can be sweet but effective leadership requires more substance.
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March 21, 2021
The Naive Hero - Clarice Starling : Silence of the Lambs
Clarice Starling doesn't have experience, but she has instinct and determination. She's going to need both to catch a killer even with help from a cannibal psychopath in this analysis of Silence of the Lambs.
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February 21, 2021
The Disguised Hero - Django
Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained touches on the harsh realities of human nature and the difficulties of going undercover.
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January 31, 2021
The Shortsighted Hero - Mulan
Sometimes taking one's "place" in society requires breaking with tradition. In this adaption of an ancient Chinese tale, Mulan carves a place for herself but sets her aims low. Still, she serves as an example of courage in the struggle to be one's self.
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January 3, 2021
The Stubborn Hero - Antigonê
Can a woman in ancient Greece win an argument and remain living? Sophocles has us pondering the ambiguity of right and wrong as the gods remain silent over human disputes.
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December 12, 2020
The Incompetent Hero: Psyche
Ancient Roman author, Apuleius, makes his heroine in Cupid and Psyche the butt of a joke, but is Psyche as pathetic as she seems?
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November 14, 2020
The Subversive Hero: Joker
The hero's journey can be used for villains, too, and it may have you rooting for the bad guy.
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October 11, 2020
Fictionalizing a Hero: Hamilton
Creator Lin-Manuel Miranda makes strategic storytelling choices to keep viewers entertained as opposed to well-informed.
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September 8, 2020
The Forgotten Hero: Theseus
Before George Washington and King Arthur, Theseus created a democracy and pulled a sword out a stone. He also made the Labyrinth famous.
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August 24, 2020
The Killer Hero: Hercules
You think you know someone until you do a background check... A look at Hercules's punishment after killing his wife and young children using Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey.
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August 3, 2020
