Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Heroes Anyone?
In the movie The General Johnnie Gray, a simple engineer,tries to win the heart of his girlfriend by enlisting in the army. Although he is refused, he eventually takes on a group of Northern soldiers who hijack his train. Not only does he rescue his beloved Anabelle (and General), but he also helps defeat a Northern army in battle. Yet, his methods are hardly standard deerring-do. Is Johnnie just lucky or a true hero? What does this movie tell us about heroism?
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Although Johnnie Gray is lucky when he rescues his girlfriend and helps to defeat a Northern Army in battle, his intentions were good, to help someone, which would make him a true hero. I think a true hero is someone who goes beyond their comfort zone to help someone and does something that seems incomprehensible to the average person.
ReplyDeleteIn his attempt to save his girlfriend from where the Northern army kept her, he risked his life in Northern territory. While he was lucky when trying to get his train back from the robbers, he was more in control when he got to the house where Anabelle was held captive. After he saw the guards outside the room she was held in or when he realized he was in Northern territory, he could have deserted her to save his own life. Johnnie had to knock out a couple of guards to save his girlfriend, which did not take luck. Actually, when Johnnie and Anabelle escaped on another train, they were particularly unlucky. In one instance, Anabelle started the train without Johnnie and he had to take a short cut to make it back on but when he got there she reversed the train because she realized she left without him.
In the end all that matters is what you have done. Heroism is to show courage and bravery, not necessarily become a hero the fastest and easiest way. A hero does something remarkable with the intentions of doing it, but it doesn’t matter how he or she is able to do it. Sometimes luck can make a courageous, good spirited person be the hero in the end.
It was evident during the movie that Johnnie Gray had some luck on his side. In times of trouble things seemed to always go his way, and place him in a better position then where he was before. But, although he had much luck, his heart was of a true hero. He never would shy away from a challenge and was persistent on achieving his goal. He risked his life and a chance of getting caught by the Northern army several times, all to rescue his girlfriend, and in effect, allowed him to become a member of the Confederate Army.
ReplyDeleteIn one scene, while he was being chased by by the Northern Army, he was faced with two obstacles that were in the path of the train. He miraculously jumped off, ran ahead of the train to release the obstacle from the track just in time for the train to sweep him off his feet, and then he was able to throw the piece of wood onto the other, jolting them both out of the way. It is evident that luck is truly on his side while he was "saving the day," but him having the courage makes him the hero.
I believe that this movie tells us that a hero can be any average person, and doesn't always have to be that "super" being. Johnnie Gray appeared to just be an average man that wanted to impress his girlfriend, and in the end, ended up defeating a army and rescuing her at the same time. Being a hero just means going beyond the limits in order to help others.
Johnnie, a simple engineer caught in the mix of a war strategy, has a ton of luck in his actions. However, it is his actions off of his lucky streak that lead him to have the heart of a hero. Rejected from the army efforts, rejected by his girlfriend because of his lack of army status, he is left only with his train. When that is stolen, he feels that there is no reason not to chase after it, which read not lucky, but is also not necesarily heroism either. While he has a lot of luck on his journey, he doesn't show true heroism until he realizes that his girlfriend has been taken captive. Once that fact sticks in his mind, it becomes less of him trying to help himself, and more about saving her...as well as his train. He has luck on his side, but the heart of a hero. He impersonated the enemy, snuck into their holdout, stole a train, destroyed a bridge, and falsely commanded army soldiers, all to save and impress a girl. However, his actions succeeding is almost all luck. The cannon not destroying him on the train, the military cannon destroying the dam and killing the soldiers, the sword coming loose from the hilt, and other instinses like that. All are acts of luck, but heroism at the same time. This film show that you don't have to be the smartest person or the most prepared person to be a hero.
ReplyDeleteWell I really truly agree with my fellow classmate Mr. Matthew Wellington Burns. It is clearly evident that in the movie conductor Johnnie had a lot of luck to help him through his journey. all of the things that happened when he was on the train, like with the wood stuck in the tracks and when his stupid girlfriend burned a whole in the bridge and he was still safe somehow was all luck. even though he got lucky a lot of times he still had the heart of a hero like matt say, he was still very passionate about getting his train back and using it for good. i think that this movie tells us a lot about heroism, it tells us that every hero needs a little bit of luck to make it through.
ReplyDeleteIn The General the protagonist, Johnnie Gray, is thrown into the front lines of the American Civil War. Although not as he had initially hoped. After being rejected my the southern army, he continues working on his railway. It is here where he fights his part of the war. The Northern army takes control of his train, and the initially pathetic character, Gray, transforms his image into one of an accidental hero. Some may believe that Gray is more lucky than heroic as he defends the railway; but, as this film shows, it isn’t talent that makes one heroic. Rather, it is the willingness to fight this battle, and the determined way in which he fights it, that make Gray the heroic figure of the film. An example of this is when he was attempting to fire the cannon at the Union train. Perhaps it was luck that the cannon hit the right target, but the act of firing to defend his train overshadows his luck.
ReplyDeleteJohnnie Gray is definitely not what you would call a standard hero, but he is a hero nonetheless. Even after his girlfriend and the Southern Army turned their backs on him, he still knew what the right thing to do was. By pursuing his girlfriend despite insurmountable odds, he proved his courageousness and abilities to all of his critics.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many of his victories result from luck, his attempts at heroism were the spark that was needed in order for him to succeed. A perfect example of this is when he attempts an attack on the northern hijackers with a mortar attached to the back of his train. Albeit he was lucky he didn’t kill himself in the process, he accomplished the task and prevented the Northern Army from attacking him. Because he had the nerve to even try an attack with the mortar, he should be counted as a hero.
There is always the argument that “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. However, Johnnie means well, and does not stop trying. Because he never ceases his attempt to rescue his girlfriend, he should be given a heroic status, regardless of how lucky he is. His ability to never give up and his courageousness are two of the qualities that make Johnnie gray a true hero.
It is a bit of both. On one hand i would have to say that he is probably the luckiest guy on earth. All of the close scrapes that he got out of, and being completely oblivious to them at the same time, he is so lucky i think it could probably be considered a skill. But, when it comes down to the bottom line, this dude is dedicated, to chase union troops (even though he didn't know they were part of the opposing army) all they way, deep into enemy territory is a brave thing to do. The fact that he did it to save a damsel in distress along with his train doesn't hurt either. In my eyes this guy might as well be a hero like superman.
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