Comparing the Lives of Hercules and Audie Murphy - Essay Example

An Essay Comparing and Contrasting the Lives of Hercules from Greek/Roman Mythology and Audie Murphy, a Decorated Soldier in World War II The lives of Hercules, the Greek hero and Audie Murphy a US Soldier who fought during World War II have many similarities and contrast. Both men were known for their courage and they both were legends in their own rights. However, despite the many similarities in the lives of these two men, they led different lives and they accomplished different things in their lifetime. To give us a clear picture of the lives of Hercules and Murphy, let us compare and contrast their experiences and their values. I. Early Life The birth and early childhood of Hercules and Murphy has little in common. Where Hercules was born in a dramatic setting and was blessed with special gifts early in life (Morford et. al., 2007), Murphy was born to a very poor family and had to struggle to survive and take care of his family (Murphy, 1949). Perhaps the only thing that these two heroes share in common while they were young is that both men never runaway from challenges. According to Greek and Roman mythology, Hercules was the son Alcmena, a mortal, and Zeus, a god (Padilla, 1998). Hercules was an only child and when he was just a baby, Hera, a goddess and wife of Zeus put serpents on his crib to kill him (Padilla, 1998). As a son of a God, Hercules has tremendous strength and he killed the serpents with his bare hands (Padilla, 1998). As a young boy, Hercules was schooled in various forms of art by the greatest experts of his time (Morford, 2007). Where the early life of Hercules has little difficulties, Audie Murphy’s childhood was very difficult (Whiting, 2000). He was born to a family of poor sharecroppers and was the 6th among 12 children. Out of the 12 children, only 9 survived until the age of 18 including Murphy (Whiting, 2000). As a child, Murphy shuttled from one farm to another where his parents work. He studied at a local school in Celeste but dropped out after 8th grade to help support his family (Whiting, 2000). Murphy worked for a dollar a day plowing fields and picking cotton in different farms around Farmersville, Greenville and Hunt County in Texas (Murphy, 1949). At a young age, Murphy became adept at using a riffle and he seldom missed (Murphy, 1949). When asked how he became so adept at using the riffle, Murphy replied that he needed to be good at hunting because if he missed, his family won’t have food for the day (Murphy, 1949). Murphy’s mother died when he was just 15 and he was forced to put his three younger siblings in an orphanage to ensure their care (Murphy, 1949). The early lives of Hercules and Murphy directly contrast with each other. Where Hercules had a privileged life as a young boy and was trained by the best experts, Murphy was poor and was not even able to go to high school. Both heroes showed great aptitude and learned special skills even when they were young. Hercules had his tremendous strength and he was adept at using the bow and arrow while Murphy was a good hunter and he was exceptionally good at using the rifle. However, in terms of character, the two men vary in temperaments. While the young Hercules was unable to accept criticism that he killed Linus, his music teacher, with his own lute (Morford, 2007), Murphy on the other hand was more disciplined and patient. At a young age, Murphy helped raise and support his siblings. He was known to go from one farm to another begging for work and he took on just about any job offered to him by the farm owners. II. The Making of the Heroes Where Hercules had the making of a hero at an early age, Murphy did not have the chance to prove his heroic prowess until he entered the military. Murphy was so busy trying to keep his family alive that he did not even have the chance to go to high school. By contrast, at the age of 18, Hercules already received enough training to become a superhero and all he needed to do was to choose the right path to follow. When Hercules made up his mind to follow the hero’s path, he went to Thebes to free the people of the city from the tribute that they were forced to give. This first heroic act of Hercules earned him the respect of the people and Creon, the king of Thebes, gave his daughter in marriage to Hercules (Morford, 2007). Hercules later on embarked in several adventures and became one of the most well known heroes of his time. He later on fell into disfavor when Hera drove him mad and that he killed his family (Padilla, 1998). To redeem himself, Hercules underwent 12 difficult and dangerous trials which accomplished (Padilla, 1998). After fulfilling the 12 trials, Hercules emerged as a better person and was known for his courage, compassion and persistence. While the path to heroism was relative easy for Hercules, it was not so easy for Murphy. At 17, Murphy tried to enlist in the military but he was rejected because he was underage (Graham, 1989). Late on, he was turned down by the paratroopers and the Marines because he was too short. Murphy was only 5 fee 5.5 inches and he was slightly built so the Marines and the paratroopers rejected him outright (Graham, 1989). He was later on accepted by the United States Army and was sent to Camp Wolters, Texas for training where he passed out during training (Murphy, 1949). After the unfortunately training incident, Murphy’s company commander tried to have him transferred to a cook and baker’s school but Murphy begged his superiors to reconsider (Murphy, 1949). Finally, he was accepted as a combat soldier and was deployed abroad. During his deployment abroad, Murphy proved himself worthy of being a soldier. He became a war hero and one of the most decorated soldiers of his time. After World War II, Murphy became an actor and a composer (Gossett, 1996). He starred in several movies and became one of the well known actors of his time. Although the experiences the combat experiences of Hercules and Murphy deferred, the two of them shared something in common, they both became well known heroes at the end. Hercules and Murphy both won their battles and emerged victorious. Moreover, both men were known for their courage, persistence and compassion. Murphy proved his patience and perseverance when he refused to give up hope when he was rejected by the Marines and the paratroopers while Hercules displayed these traits well when he faced several obstacles during his trials. The only difference between the two of them is that where Murphy followed orders from his superiors as to what to do while in the battle field, Hercules himself had to figure out what to do when faced with difficult circumstances. As it is, Hercules sometimes employed cunning and trickery to get past difficult situations. Another thing that both men had in common is that in battle, they both displayed extraordinary courage and leadership. Hercules led the people in overthrowing the enemies of King Creon while Murphy displayed exemplary heroism and leadership when he led his troupe in Italy. III. Personal Struggles Both Hercules and Murphy fought demons of their own. From the moment he was born, Hercules was already the subject of Hera’s wrath. When he was still a baby, Hera sent serpents to kill him and when Hercules became an adult, Hero drove him mad that he killed his own family. According to Greek mythology, Hera tormented Hercules and drove him to destruction. On the other hand, Murphy has to fight poverty for much of his young life. He suffered through much hardship and was deprived of many things including his education. After the war, like many combatants, Murphy suffered from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was on therapy for a long time (Graham, 1989). Hercules and Murphy were known for their relationships with different women and for their problems with failed marriages and relationships (Morford, 2007). In the case of Hercules, his first marriage ended tragically when he killed his whole family (Morford, 2007) while in the case of Murphy, his marriage ended in a divorce (Murphy, 1949). Works Cited Gossett, Sue. The Films and Career of Audie Murphy, N.C., Empire Publishing, 1996. Graham, Don. No Name on the Bullet, N.Y.: Viking, 1989. Morford, M.P.O, Lenardon R.J Classical Mythology. Oxford: Oxford University Press (2007). Murphy, Audie. To Hell and Back, N.Y.: Holt, 1949. Padilla, Mark W.. "The Myths of Herakles in Ancient Greece: Survey and Profile". Lanham, Md.: University Press of America (1998) Whiting, Charles. American Hero Eskdale Publishing, 2000 Read More