Captain America Speech

[ysabetwordsmith]

This is my favorite Captain America speech ever.  This is what it means to be a hero.  It's not about powers or publicity.  It's about integrity.  It's about observing the world until you understand what's wrong with it, figuring out a solution to some part of that, and applying yourself to it.  It's about deciding your own personal code of honor from which you will not deviate no matter what other people do or don't do.  Heroes take responsibility.  An unsullied hero like Cap is just not budgable on this point. 

Conversely, this is my iconic villain speech.  Villains tend to focus on what they can do more than what they should do, and what people will think about them.  They're in it for their own purposes, their own desires, rather than what is good or what is needed.  When things to wrong, they consistently try to lay the blame on someone else, anyone else.

Comments

Well...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

People have all different kinds of reactions. Some people want to be rescued. Some people want to become the hero, or work alongside one. Some want to be the trusted scientist or best friend or butler who provides the backup.

I usually wanted to rescue the heroes.

Re: Well...

[polydad.livejournal.com]

Ordinarily I wouldn't nitpick on a word, but words are what you do. Not *the* hero, unless you're talking archetypes. The existing hero gets to keep his job; we're going to become hero/as *too*.

Re: Well...

[ysabetwordsmith.livejournal.com]

We were talking about comic books and self-insertion. So both are actually relevant: people who want to become "the" hero are wishing themselves into that hero's storyline. Cosplayers, for instance. People who want to become "a" hero are looking for the same profession but a different position.