Muskaan Chaudhry

English Composition

October 2nd, 2019

Reading Assignment 1

1. In your own words, describe the two basic hero types in American cinema that Robert B. Ray

describes.

The two basic hero types as described by Robert B. Ray, are the traditional/official hero, and the

outlaw or the vigilante hero. The American culture represents a cultural dichotomy in individuals

and in the community that generated this significant pair of competing myths. The outlaw hero

stood for the part of the American imagination that values self determination and freedom from

entanglements while by contrast the official hero represented the belief in collective action, and

objective legal process that “superseded private notions of right and wrong”.

2. In your own words, explain what is an "archetype" in film (para. 37)? Where else have you

heard "archetype"?

A myth usually contains certain recurring characters, that appear as “character types” or

“patterns” that are found throughout a protagonists journey. These characters are called

archetypes. They may appear in a supportive manner, such as the wise old man who possesses

knowledge or the good mother, with nurturing qualities and a strong intuition. Archetypes also

appear in different respects, like some myths include a shadow figure, which serves as an exact
opposite of the the protagonist helping them figure out their journey by opposing it completely.

Some myths also contain animal archetypes, that can either be positive or negative figures.

3. According to Riesman, how do Batman and Superman's fictional characters reflect cultural

periods in real-life history?

Superman is considered a figure of the early years, as he was first introduced in the post war era.

During that time Superman helped establish the idea of hope and inspiration, the idea that he

portrays to date. Batman however, was introduced in the later stages of American Malaise and

urban decay where using cynicism to portray the current standing of the world seemed to be a

better tool to reflect the dark and intimidating character he was portrayed to be. In the times that

each of these fictional characters were introduced to the public, they reflected the current

political state of the nation but also what they were longing to see in their idea of a hero.