While Sherlock Holmes did possess some positive qualities, the great detective does not deserve to be regarded as a hero. A hero has unique traits and much power. By defining these qualifiers you will see why Sherlock Holmes should not be regarded by society as a hero.
Hero’s carry certain traits. These traits can vary in degree; however, hero of every kind possess them. Leadership, humility, courage, virtue, diligence are trademarks of heroes. A hero leads (they are not afraid of failure and proceed with great responsibility). A hero is humble (not self-righteous). A hero has courage (to take the necessary risk for the best good). A hero is virtuous in nature. A hero is diligent (and will work until the task is finished).
Hero’s are incredibly powerful. Two incredibly moving concepts are wrapped in a hero: justice and community. Hero's have an innate moral compass the presses them on to justice be held—motivation. In addition to carrying justice, Hero’s, also, move communities. By a hero serving justice they are intervening turmoil from the lives of their community. This accumulates into a uniting power.
Sherlock Holmes is many things: an amazing detective, wildly intelligent, quick witted, etc. However, there is one thing that he surely is not—a hero. Mr. Holmes carries traits that are not in alignment with those of a hero. He is self-isolated, diligent, passionate, and an addict. A mix of good and evil, Sherlock Holmes is a melting pot of characteristics.
Self-isolation cannot be a trait of a hero due to the power a hero has. There are incredible opportunities for uniting a community and locking yourself away (like when John Watson discovered him in his house). Diligence is a trait of a hero. Sherlock carries this in spades—he never wants to leave a case unsolved. Passion is another trait similar to the qualities of a hero; however, Holmes has much of his passion out of productive balance (given his self-righteous nature and addiction). Holmes is also an addict. Addiction is terrible. The behaviour that it triggers can be very destructive (to the individual and their loved ones). Therefore, these traits of self-isolation, diligence, passion, and addiction go to show that as great of a person Sherlock Holmes was he was not a hero.
Interesting post. If you define heroism by the results of action; if you define it by character, he's not.
ReplyDeleteThis is RESINK's response for Thursday, November 6th.
ReplyDeleteDear Brooke Gray and other partners,
I found your post very interesting and opinionated (not in a bad way)! What I liked about it was how you compared Sherlock Holmes to the traditional customs of a hero. To me, I see a modern hero as a superhero. One of which possesses qualities of strength, speed, courage, and leadership, like you mentioned above. However, similar to what Dr. Campbell wrote, if you are basing Sherlock Holmes upon the qualities that you and I listed, than yes, Sherlock wouldn't be seen as much of a hero.
In contrary, I see Sherlock as a genius, or a smart ass if I say so myself. What I liked about his character, especially from the extra creditTV show we watched of him, was his ability to outsmart or outwit everyone while still being arrogant at the same time. However, back to your post. Though you claim he isn't a hero, which I agree with, he does seem to be quite entertaining because of his wisdom. This was an interesting post that I liked very much. It got me as a reader more engaged and active during this response. Good job to you and your group.
Team RESINK
I see where you are coming from when you say he is not a hero. But if you think about it in certain aspects he can be seen as either hero or not a hero. His personal qualities and actions can somewhat blur the line between this. In his personal life he shows everything you talk about such as addiction and self isolation, which are selfish qualities. Then when you look at his actions he helps solve mysteries that in the grand scheme are helping and saving many citizens. So in that aspect he is looking out for the greater good of the public when solving these mysteries. In the end he seems to be a contradictory because he somewhat isn't able to be identified as a hero or not. Overall I really enjoyed the argument you have made.
ReplyDelete-MAL