美国电影中的英雄主义

American heroism in moviesFrom <Saving Private Ryan> to <Die hard>,from <Stagecoach> to <Jill the Ripper> ,these movies reflect the obvious heroism .Take it as a example, <Die hard>is a typical one. The wife of protagonist works at a Japanese company，being visitedto participate in the Christmas party of The 30th floor. Yet a group of gangsters are playing in 600 million money of the company. They blockaded the building ,leaving these guests as hostages. Mike succeed Iin escaping luckily, circling round prisoners individually to put to flight they finally，and extricate his wife.Hero is a rich concept of cultural meaning, as the embodiment of human ideals,not only with the common human culture, but also because it has obviously special characteristics as being the product of specific history.In Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary (4th edition), it says that: heroism is brave and noble conduct. In Webster’s New World Dictionary (3rd college edition), it reads that: heroism is the qualities and actions of a hero or heroine, bravery, nobility, valor, etc. And also, as Thomas Carlyle explained in his book On Heroes, Hero-ship, and the Heroic in History, heroism in history was greatness of spirit, which was created by the heroes, who not only create the values by which other men live and gain their only true freedom b ut also satisfy mankind’s deep need for veneration of heroes.The heroism of America roots in the Puritanism of America. Puritans was the name given in the 16th century to the more extreme Protestants（新教徒，基督教徒）within the Church of England who thought the English Reformation （英国宗教改革）had not gone far enough in reforming the doctrines and structure of the church. They wanted to purify their national church by eliminating every shred of Catholic influence. In the 17th century many Puritans emigrated to the New World, where they sought to found a holy Commonwealth in New England. Puritanism remained the dominant cultural force in that area into the 19th century.Puritans believed that human beings were predestined by God before they were born. Some were God's chosen people (God's elect 上帝的选民)while others were predestined to be damned to hell. The success of one's work or the prosperity in his calling given by God was the sign of being God's elect. Therefore, everyone must work hard, spend little and invest for more business. Working hard and living a moral life were their ethics. They regarded Bible to be the authority of their doctrine. To be able to read the Bible and understand God's will, education was essential for Puritans. Puritanism in New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine and Rhode Island) made a great influence on American culture. The Puritans hoped to build "a city upon hill"—an ideal community. Since that time, Americans have viewed their country as a great experiment, a worthy model for other nations. New England also established another American tradition—a strain of often intolerant moralism. The Puritans believed that government should enforce God's morality. They strictly punished drunks, adulterers, violators of the Sabbath（安息日）and other religious believers different from themselves. The American values such as individualism, hard work, and respect of education owe very much to the Puritan beliefs.Notice the four components of heroism: moral greatness, ability and prowess(英勇）, action in the face of opposition, and triumph in a spiritual form.The hero is one who holds rational values and fights for them, if necessary, against every conceivable form of opposition. Heroism is a moral concept. By its nature it is reserved for the man set apart--for the select few who tower above the rest. It is a rare classification. To attain this status one must reach the peak of human morality--an unalterable commitment to rational values, in action, in the teeth of （抵挡）opposition that would dismay a lesser man.The characteristics of American heroism are individualism, offensive and absolute paring with other European countries , American heroism is as young as this country. As a nation of immigrants, it's "Heroes" can not help withha ving the shadow of the Old World’s heroes. But the young country constantly have exploited the boundary and enhanced national strength since it’s establishment.The heroes they have shaped, whether it is a "Yankee" or a cowboy, the white settlersexpanding westward or American soldiers fighting overseas, generally have similar traits: individualism, aggressive and absolute self-confidence. Westerns are almost always a universal mode: a hero single-handedly conquerd the world, and finally achieved the goal and quietly disappeard. Modern heroes in the American movies are certainly have a variety of shapes and backgrounds, but the essence of "American Heroes" is only one model: the styles of American themselves. The only different is that he is sometimes dressed in cowboy clothes, sometimes wears a helmet the Vietnam War, sometimes dressed as Spider-Man or even has the appearance of saucer man.Philosopher Xenophanes say that if cattle have God, God, it must look like cattle. Pretending as the head of the world , the "heroes" Amreican created naturally is the bosses that thy can do everything by themselves. Although some American who do not agree with this,making the movies such as < Apocalypse Now> ,< Saving Private Ryan >with " restore the heroes to the adult" ,or < Born on the Fourth of July > reflect on heroism cultur e’s in fluences, but this was taking a vivid description of the heroic culture and the "American hero" make how far-reaching impact in American. Now the heroism culture has a profound impact on the world, as the other culture of United States.What are heroes, perhaps going through tribulation, still have their own beliefs, and eventually go in the end. This analysis shows, in fact, individual heroism should be divided into two parts. First, individualism, the second is a hero.In fact, individualism can be counted an important part of American culture, they firmly believe that the individual development and freedom are the most important cores.As for heroism, it roots in the anxiety and fear we have due to our own living environment, which is the sense comes from our heart to the unkown world.The heroes always have all the good qualities we expect, always give us the most favorable support and protection in the most dangerous moment. In other words, our hero is actually a perfect position for our own. But we will never reach that kind of standard, so there must be a image of the hero, giving our heart a comfort. Americans seem to be aware of this point deeply. We can see, all the American filmsof heroism must involve the family, love, friendship, failure, depressure, then be enlightened, rise, and ultimately defeats evil.From traditional Chinese view, heroism is often existed, from ancient Yellow Emperor fighted with Chi You can see our hero position, but the Chinese do not promote individualism, which is consistent with the t he Confucianists (儒家). There is no national significance for individuals separate from the community, but there is also a bit of individualism that we must strive to learn, that is its value to share endless pursuit of power, while in traditional Chinese culture, too more emphasis are paid on the contribution of social and surrounding ,there is no intrinsic motivation to drive our not driven pursuit of our own value, consequently, people will lose the will to struggle. So this is our first lessons that we should the draws the essence of individual. Second one is the implementation of responsibility. Individualistic orientation is their own thing, so individuals who live in a society, to fulfill their social responsibilities. The concept of collective responsibility of the Selection Committee in easily leads to another phenomenon, which is a collective cultural ill,to pass the buck to each other. As to heroism, the hero is actually our own values, capabilities perfected. Perfection is impossible, but we can not stop the pace of the pursuit to perfection, as stated before, uphold justice, keep the faith, fulfill its responsibility, never stop the pursuit for the goal, you will find, actually, you are a hero.People love heroes, worship heroes and even follow the leads of heroes. No matter what culture it is, heroism, as a great power, continuously stimulates people to develop and to progress. It plays a significant role in the national spirit. The earthquake that occurred in 12 May, 2008, killed nearly one hundred thousand people in Sichuan province. Countless troops and rescue experts were sent to Sichuan to rescue survivors and to reconstruct. Confront adverse geographical conditions and continuous aftershocks, the soldiers were not afraid. But almost every day we couldh ear the report of soldiers’ injury or death during that hard time. I still remember the words one soldier said, “The 50% possibility of death to the 50% hope of surviving, it’s worth exchanging.” What great heroism spirit it is!Today, the process of globalization is accelerating, how to maintain the essence of national culture and keep pace with the world’s step is a big problem. In China, the publication of heroism is imperative, because it not only strengthens the people's patriotic education, but also encourages people to create values for the country, and this is what a superpower need.References[1]Grolier Incorporated. Encyclopedia Americana. the 14th volume, U.S.A.: Grolier Incorporated, 1988.[2]Hornby A. S,Oxford Advanced Learner’s English-Chinese Dictionary(4th edition), Oxford: Oxford University Press & Beijing: The Commercial Press, 1997.[3]Webster’s New World, Webster’s New World Dictionary (3rd college edition), New York: Webster’s Now World, 1988.[4]复旦大学国际政治系资本主义国家政治教研室.美国[M].上海：上海辞书出版社，1993.[5]顾学稼，陈必录，姚波，吴文嘉.美国史纲要[M].成都：四川大学出版社.[6]赵晓兰.美国的诞生[M].上海：复旦大学出版社，2001.。