Skip to main content

Is Superman an American character?

Is Superman an American character?
Superman is an American hero, he is the embodiment of the American dream. He started from nothing and became successful. Although he was created by Jewish men, he still is a reflection of the American dream and American values. Also the fact that he wears red, white and blue gives him the look of an American. Superman is made relatable by his image and how his malleable background changes throughout time to fit the times and needs of the American people. His story of “from nothing to something” is just like many other immigrant stories that made different Americans popular. Jack Dempsey can be compared to superman because they both personify the American dream. Superman is also a true American hero, like I said earlier he is compared to Jack Dempsey and John Wayne. Superman is also very important to American society. Because of Superman’s ever changing background he can always fit American society. In times of need like the world wars and the depression superman is there as a symbol of hope for many Americans. Also many children idolize superman. This makes superman important because it has kids wanting to be a man of extraordinary character like superman, instead of the kids idolizing and wanting to be a movie star or rapper, most of which with not-so-extraordinary character. I believe Super is an American hero as well as an American character

Comments

J Chambliss said…
I like your analysis of the "malleable" background in Superman stories. If the core aspect of the character never change, then indeed the background must shift and Superman must relate to those changes to demonstrate how the core ideas he represents remain relevant.
September 17, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mythology and Superheroes in Comics

Ohhh my goodness... When I decided on trying to analyze the mythological origins and references in superhero comics, I had no idea the can of worms I was opening up... On the one hand, it was awesome to see just how many connections there were between superheroes and psychology/mythology/philosophy, but all the information also made it terribly difficult to distinguish what I should be using and how to tie it all together. When I was talking to one of my sorority sisters about it she said, "Oh yeah, well, research essays are kind of like putting together puzzles..." and I think that really sums up what writing this paper was like for me. Fortunately, I was really interested throughout the whole process and I very much enjoyed writing the paper. Being a psychology major, I was especially interested in reading about the Jungian archetypes that had a lot of parallels with major modern comic books superheroes. I was also able to incorporate Joseph Campbell's "hero cycle&
2 comments
Read more

Why blame comics for societal failure?

Why blame comics for societal failure? Society blamed comics for the societal failures because it was a fairly new industry, and as things seemed to go “wrong” they figured it must be comic books. When a child grew up during the war, his father was probably killing people and the military and his mother was probably making things in factories to help kill the opposition. The only things kids had to “babysit” them was comic books, and they read many different kinds. So when kids starting acting differently in this new generation the figured it must be the comic books. Society didn’t want to believe it may have been the internal and external scars war causes on the soldiers and their families. Also the fact that young unattended children are reading these comics may not be able to differentiate between fantasy and reality. When society fails it always needs a scapegoat then it was comic books next it was rock and roll. Society naturally resist change.
2 comments
Read more

#FUTURES: Tomorrow Idris Elba will be the Last Man Standing

There is some bad buzz around Pacific Rim on the web. I suspect the possibility of a giant robot movie being awesome is too much for some people.  The internet is full of dark corners, but until we see the movie we won't know the box office.  What we can tell right now is that Idris Elba is doing his part to make the movie a success. A standout performer, Elba has made a name for himself in countless productions .  He achieve wide recognition for his turn on the big screen in films such as Thor and on the small screen in the BBC's Luther . Of course, the open question about actors of color in any film is whether not they will help or hurt the box office.  Will Smith recent disappointment with After Earth opens the door for this conversation. His lack of success sparks the question who will be the next "bankable" star of color. There can be only one! See what I did there:-)  These sentiments reflect a Hollywood centric approach that ignores Nollywood
Post a Comment
Read more