The Action Hero

Zorro is a mythic character in the pattern of Robin Hood, protecting the poor against the depredations of a self-serving and evil authority, and himself a member of the aristocracy who sees protecting the poor as part of the responsibilities placed upon him by his birthright. Zorro is the mythic hero of early Los Angeles, when the latter was only a small pueblo surrounded by farms and feudal estates. Because of the oppressive rule of the alcalde, who had been put in charge by the Spanish, but who ruled for his own gain rather than in keeping with the intentions of the King in Spain. This is very similar to the situation in England during the era of Robin Hood when the rightful ruler was far away and when the rule

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r would like to be able to do, and he does it in a way that, while he faces great danger, makes it seem that he is so superior that danger is nothing to him. Rather than making him less of a hero, this attitude makes him more heroic, more mythic, much larger than life, and ultimately a role model to be emulated. The Action Hero is different in a number of ways. The world in which he operates is a real world, without the mythic sense that permeates the world of the Classical Hero. Yet, the derring-do can be just as athletic and just as dangerous. The hero tends to be a hero in a more self-effacing manner--while Zorro poses and flaunts his greater abilities, the hero of Speed does his job and goes home. The Action Hero is a professional--he is not a hero out of a sense of noblesse oblige but because it is his job and he has to do it. Keanu Reeves in Speed is a policeman, better trained than most, but operating out of that training rather than because he wishes to flaunt his superior abilities and save the weak and oppressed. He is able to do what the average man cannot because he is a professional--his training has prepared him, and his aptitude comes to the fore in dangerous situations and causes him to make the right choic
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Classical Hero, Action Hero, Pimpernel British, Robin Hood, Reeves Speed, Otherwise Reeves, Fairbanks Fairbanks, Fairbanks Reeves, Douglas Fairbanks, Los Angeles, action hero, classical hero, world classical hero, mythic hero, larger life, douglas fairbanks, robin hood, grand gesture, athletic ability, zorro mythic, world classical, zorro mythic character, hero mythic hero, classical hero classical, hero classical hero,
Approximate Word count = 2066
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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