Final answer:
Literary heroes share traits like defending others and fighting for justice, which are revealed through description and actions in storytelling. Character analysis involves examining traits, motivations, and their relevance to real life, often using frameworks like Campbell's Hero's Journey. Literature allows for diverse interpretations and personal connections to characters and plot.
Step-by-step explanation:
Literary Heroes and Character Analysis
Literary heroes often share certain characteristics such as facing enemies, defending others, and fighting for what they believe is right. Some may possess super strength or magical powers, but these are incidental compared to their moral qualities and actions. In character analysis, it is important to look at how authors convey goodness through looks, behavior, and speech. The description of Hagrid in the extract from 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' gives us insight into this character's physical appearance, which hints at his inner nature.
Contrastingly, villains are portrayed differently, usually with traits that render them as antagonists. Understanding why we read fiction, such as exploring imagined events and imaginary characters, is part of the appeal and utility of literature. Characters can be a wide array of entities, not just people, broadening the scope for creativity and interpretation. Indeed, powerful literature allows multiple readings and reflects the diverse interpretations of readers based on their experiences.
Joseph Campbell's 'Hero's Journey' Monomyth is a valuable framework for studying the concept of the hero's journey in literature. Questions surrounding the nature of heroism and the relevancy to real life present a way for students to connect literature with personal experiences and broader human challenges.