Civic Engagement I:From Super Heroes to Everyday Heroes

Richard A. Gershon, Ph.D.Freedom of Expression, Com. 3070

Western Michigan University

Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols.A symbol is something such as a picture, written word, sound (or combination) that represents something else by association or resemblance.

Charles Sanders Peirce (1839-1914) the founder of the philosophical doctrine known as pragmatism argues that semiotics (or semiosis) involves the cooperation of three subjects: 1) the sign, 2) the subject matter (i.e., object) and 3) its interpretation. Ferdidnand de Saussure (1857–1913), the "father" of modern linguistics argues that a sign is the basic unit of language. Every culture contains both language and a complete system of signs to go with it.

Star and Crescent Symbol

The star and crescent is a well known symbol used to represent Islam. It features prominently on the flags of many countries in the Islamic world, notably Turkey and Pakistan. Surprisingly, the symbol is not Muslim in origin. Rather, it was a polytheistic icon adopted during the spread of Islam, and its use today is sometimes controversial in the Muslim world. The crescent and star are often said to be Islamic symbols, but historians say that they were the insignia of the Ottoman Empire, not of Islam as a whole.

Florida State U. Seminoles

The Seminole are a native American people originally from Florida. Roughly 3,000 Seminoles were forced west of the Mississippi river during the Indian Removal in 1830 under President Andrew Jackson Approximately 500 Seminoles stayed in Florida, where they lived and defended themselves in and around the Everglades. In an effort to dislodge them, the US government waged the Seminole Wars. The Seminoles never surrendered to the U.S. The Seminoles of Florida call themselves the "Unconquered People". In 1947, students at Florida State University selected the name "Seminoles" to represent their university and athletic teams. The image of the spear depicted on the FSU football helmet is intended to portray bravery and simplicity of spirit.

Sports Logos

Professional sports logos are the quintessential iconic symbols representing the spirit, fire and majesty of the teams that they represent.

Tatoo

A tattoo is a marking or image made by inserting ink into the layers of human skin. Tattoos provide important symbolic value by serving as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, statements regarding religious and spiritual devotion, decorations for bravery, pledges of love, identification with a certain group or culture.Tattooing is practiced worldwide ranging from the Ainu, the indigenous people of Japan, to the Maori of Australia and New Zealand.

Tattoos are often associated with religious, social / professional groups or family (loved ones). All the while, tattoos symbolically represent a spiritual, familial or personal value or connection.

Symbols and the Ancient Mystery

Symbols also hold mysterious value.Consider the reverse side of the U.S. dollar.

The pyramid is a perfect triangle represents spiritual development reaching to the highest state of perfection – can be found in ancient Egyptian and Hermetic philosophy and the great Pyramids found in Giza 2400BC as well as Mayan philosophy as depicted in Chichen Itza in Mexico (roughly 600 AD).

The Eye of Providence, (the all-seeing eye), is a symbol showing an eye surrounded by rays of light (glory) and usually enclosed by a triangle. The all seeing eye can be traced back to Egyptian mythology as well as Buddhism.Several of American’s founding fathers, (Washington, Franklin, Hancock) were members of the Freemasons order. Masons believe in the brotherhood of humankind.The Eye of Providence in the capstone portion represents the becoming state or unfulfilled potential in all of us.The current design of the Great Seal was approved by Congress on June 20, 1782, and the seal was introduced to the dollar bill in 1935.

What is an Archetype?

An archetype is a primary example or symbol universally recognized by all

Mother Earth – connection to natureThe Hero – journey of self discoveryWater - CleansingThe Circle – perfection

Circle of lifeWedding band

Light and Darkness –Wise Old Man / Teacher

The concept of psychological archetypes was advanced by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung (1919). In Jung's framework, archetypes are innate, universal symbols that can be found in literature, public life and dreams.

Archetype cont.

Consider the universality of fire and the various ways that fire can be used as a symbolic statement:Rites and rituals, political rally's, initations etc.

Symbolism: The Hero’s Journey

Author Joseph Campbell’s seminal work,The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) introduces the archetypal hero; a concept celebrated in all cultures and mythologies.According to Campbell, the hero undergoes a journey of self discovery and is tested on the field of battle or competition.In the ancient 7th century Anglo Saxon tale, Beowulf, the character of Beowulf fighting Grendel could very well be the story of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Similarly, the Old Testament story of David and Goliath recounts the story of a young hero (against hopeless odds), about to challenge an opponent of superior size and strength …

Well known heroes of literary and film culture…

Luke SkywalkerStar Wars

Bruce WayneBatman

Sarah ConnorsTerminator

Roy HobbsThe Natural

Herman BooneRemember the Titans

Frodo BagginsLord of the Rings

MulanHarry Potter

The Hero's Journey: Departure

The Call to AdventureThe call to adventure is the point in a person's life when they are first given notice that everything is about to change. They are invited to participate.Refusal of the CallOften when the call is given, the future hero refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances. Supernatural AidOnce the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, his or her guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known. The Crossing of the First ThresholdThis is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous place where the rules and limits are not known.

The Hero's Journey: Road of Trials

The Belly of the WhaleThe belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. The Hero is in the thick of it. There is no turning back…The Road of TrialsThe road of trials is a series of tests or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests in the beginning stages.Atonement – The Final TestThis is the stage where the hero confronts his/her biggest fears. In mythology, literature and film, atonement represents the final trial. All previous steps have been leading to this point.DeathSometimes, the hero dies in pursuit of the quest. He/she becomes a martyr.The Hero’s RewardThe Hero’s reward is given for having achieved the final goal, victory or solution to the problem. It is why the person went on the journey in the first place.

The Hero's Journey: The Return

Crossing the Return ThresholdThe trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into one’s life, figure out how to share that experience with the rest of the world. CelebrationThe successful mission is followed by a celebration.Freedom to LiveMastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is learning to live in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past.

Superheroes

A superhero is a fictional character of unprecedented powers and skills dedicated to serving the public interest.Superheroes have crossed over from comic books appearing in the 1930s and have continued up through the present in many of today’s books and films.

The Origin’s of Superman

But it all began with a guy named Superman.Jerry Siegel is the father of Superman -the superhero that made comics great and inspired a whole new generation of supernaturally endowed characters. Siegel created Superman in 1933 with his childhood friend Joe Shuster, who did the artwork. On June 2, 1932, the world's first superhero was born — not on the mythical planet of Krypton but from a little-known tragedy on the streets of Cleveland, Ohio.

It was Thursday night, about 8:10 p.m., and Mitchell Siegel, a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania, was in his secondhand clothing store on the near East Side. According to a police report, three men entered. One asked to see a suit of clothes and walked out without paying for it. In the commotion of the robbery, Siegel, 60, fell to the ground and died.The police report mentions a gunshot being heard. But according to the coroner, the police and Siegel's wife, Siegel died of a heart attack. No one was ever arrested.How does the tragic death of one’s father affect the aspirations of an up and coming young writer?

For the longest time, Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster let people think they dreamed up the bulletproof flying avenger as a way to attract girls because they were a pair of 17-year-old nerdy guys. But an alternative explanation suggests that the Man of Steel was really born from a personal tragedy. According to writer Brad Meltzer:

America got Superman because a boy lost his father… Think about it. Your father dies in a robbery, and you invent a bulletproof man who becomes the world's greatest hero.

Superman’s Secret Identity

The thing that sets Superman apart is that he has a secret identity. On the one hand, he is mild-mannered journalist Clark Kent, who repeatedly fails to show up at the right momentOn the other, he is the last son of Krypton, who arrives in time to save the world. Critics and observers have mused that it is this psychological twist that accounts for Superman's great success.It was Siegel's partner, Joe Shuster, who eventually gave Superman his familiar skin-tight costume and accompanying cape, but it was Siegel who had imagined the Superman legend.

Superman’s Biblical Origins

The origins of Superman's has interesting parallels to the Old Testament tale of Moses.A loving parent tries to save the life of a child by placing him in a basket (space capsule) and sends him floating (blasting)to safety. Found and adopted into a new family in his new world, Moses (Superman) is still guided by the wisdom and counsel of his parent. Both live a double life with a secret identity. Moses eventually leads his people from abuse to freedom in the land of Israel. Superman rescues people from disasters and crime. Both have their sources of knowledge.

Action Comics

Superman first appeared in Action Comics # 1., in June 1938. Siegel and Shuster sold the rights to the company for $130 and a contract to supply the publisher with material. The Saturday Evening Post reported in 1941 that each was being paid $75,000 per year; still a fraction of DC's Superman profits. In 1946, when Siegel and Shuster sued for more money, DC fired them. This prompted a legal battle that ended in 1948, when they accepted $200,000 and signed away any further claim to Superman or any character related to him. DC soon took Siegel's and Shuster's names off the byline. Following the huge financial success of Superman in 1978 and news reports of their pauper-like existences, Warner Communication gave Siegel and Shuster lifetime pensions of $35,000 per year and health care benefits.

Superman: An American Icon

Superman came into being at the height of the depressionAfter Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 Siegel & Shuster decided to rethink their own concept of Superman's characterWhen America entered World War II., following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Superman's character evolved into a combat hero. He destroyed Nazi armor, Japanese submarines and everything else that was thrown at the Allies. No comic book hero, then or now embodies American ideals as does Superman. The man of steel with the “S” on his chest symbolizes “truth, justice and the American Way.”