In the world, there are many good and bad guys. In stories, there is always a protagonist and an antagonist. Also, in history there have been good guys and bad guys, but what makes them good or bad? In my opinion, I think that if someone makes a difference that helps people, then they are a good person. If someone does something to harm another person, they are bad. In certain situations, I think that two people are neither bad nor good, for example, war. Both sides are fighting for their lives and the well-being of their country. In ancient times when the Vikings were dominating the world by sea and land, were they considered good or bad? People are either good or bad, but it is sometimes spelled out for you, and other times we have to make our own judgments.
In children’s stories, there is always a protagonist and an antagonist. An antagonist is the force in the story that the protagonist struggles with. In short, the antagonist is the bad guy and the protagonist is the good guy. (http://www.roanestate.edu/owl&writingcenter/OWL/ElementsLit.html). In the story Goldie Locks and the Three Bears, Goldie Locks could be considered the bad guy because she broke into the bear’s house, broke things and ate their food. The bears struggle with the effects Goldie had on their house, and they had to work towards solving the problem. In Little Red Riding Hood, Red is simply walking to her grandmother’s house to give her some food. Red doesn’t do anything to hurt anyone, therefore she is the protagonist. The antagonist is the big fox who tries to harm Red. The fox scares her in the woods and then tricks her into thinking he’s her grandmother. The object of good guy and bad guy isn’t just in the world; it is evident in literature too.
The Vikings were vicious fighters, and killed many people. In 793 AD the island of Lindesfarne was attacked by the Vikings. It was a surprise attack and there was no way for the people on the island to fight back. (http://early-middle-ages.suite101.com/article.cfm/viking_attack_on_lindisfarne_793ad). This violent raid would make people think these people were bad and only wanted to harm people. If you asked a Viking, they probably wouldn’t think they were bad people. Right now, we are at war in Afghanistan against terrorism. They might even say they were good people. One of the terrorism groups is called the Taliban. The Taliban used to control almost 90 percent of Afghanistan. “Though the group has been out of power for several years, it remains a cultural force in the region that operates parallel governance structures aimed at undermining the U.S.-backed central government”. The group might have been responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001. (http://www.cfr.org/publication/10551/). This group is bad and evil to us, because they try to hurt the people of America. To them, they think they are doing good but attempting to take down the United States government. Regardless of what they do, and how many people the hurt, they probably still think they are doing well. Someone might think a group of people was bad, but if they asked that specific group it might be a different story.
In some situations, it is easy to tell if someone is good or bad, for example literature. In short stories, who the author wants to be portrayed as bad, is basically spelled out. In real life, it can sometimes be hard to tell. The Vikings always seemed like bad people, but did they think that themselves? Also, we think the people of the Taliban are awful people who want to hurt us for no reason. If we asked them, do you think they would say they were good people getting us back for whatever we did? It is hard to tell whether someone is a protagonist or antagonist, but no matter what everyone is going to have their own opinions on good or bad, right or wrong.
"The Elements of Literature." Welcome - Roane State Community College. Web. 20 Mar. 2010. .
"The Taliban in Afghanistan -." Council on Foreign Relations. Web. 20 Mar. 2010. .
"Viking Attack on Lindisfarne, 793AD: The First Recorded Raid by Vikings in England, at Holy Island." Early Middle Ages. Web. 20 Mar. 2010. .
No comments:
Post a Comment