Heroism in the Art of War
“The fame of warriors is built on the destruction of human kind.” _Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Traditionally in a heroic tale, the status of “hero” and the ongoing fame of a person is a driving force behind any hero’s great act. Heroism as a theme of literature invokes many different standard from a reader. The question of true heroism is one to debate. When Sun Tzu created The Art of War, he brought a new standard to warfare, therefore affecting the paradigm of heroism.
Traditionally literature created epic heroes such as Hercules, Gilgamesh and Diomedes with many similar attributes. Great heroes from epic tales have royal and celestial parents. There are often attempts on the young hero’s life. An epic hero is commonly written as larger than life, as a personification of values from his particular society. He is depicted as super human. He is “braver, stronger and cleverer than an ordinary man” (Allingham). When Sun Tzu created The Art of War, this shifted the ideal of heroism. Sun Tzu offered a true life representation of what it requires to be a “hero”. The supernatural meddling gods and superheroes were cast aside. Patience and cunning and skill became the forefront to war. Through the guidelines he wrote, Sun Tzu described a hero that withstood magic and the paranormal. The heroism portrayed in The Art of War, leads a reader to reality. There is no need for exceptional beings in war. Sun Tzu’s hero is a true to life, intelligent man with the moral aptitude for a fair fight.
The Art of War creates a playbook of battle. According to Sun Tzu, any man can win his battles, or be heroic, if he adheres to the writings of this book. “Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected” (Giles). It is necessary to examine what is require in warfare due to the power and control it
Traditionally literature created epic heroes such as Hercules, Gilgamesh and Diomedes with many similar attributes. Great heroes from epic tales have royal and celestial parents. There are often attempts on the young hero’s life. An epic hero is commonly written as larger than life, as a personification of values from his particular society. He is depicted as super human. He is “braver, stronger and cleverer than an ordinary man” (Allingham). When Sun Tzu created The Art of War, this shifted the ideal of heroism. Sun Tzu offered a true life representation of what it requires to be a “hero”. The supernatural meddling gods and superheroes were cast aside. Patience and cunning and skill became the forefront to war. Through the guidelines he wrote, Sun Tzu described a hero that withstood magic and the paranormal. The heroism portrayed in The Art of War, leads a reader to reality. There is no need for exceptional beings in war. Sun Tzu’s hero is a true to life, intelligent man with the moral aptitude for a fair fight.
The Art of War creates a playbook of battle. According to Sun Tzu, any man can win his battles, or be heroic, if he adheres to the writings of this book. “Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected” (Giles). It is necessary to examine what is require in warfare due to the power and control it