Reflecting - Reflection #11

I came into the class not knowing very much about Superman.  I knew of him and what his super powers and weaknesses were, but not what he stood for.  I found it very fascinating that Superman really represents the ideal American.  Born an immigrant, coming to America, and experiencing a "normal" life growing up, he really represents what all Americans had experienced and what they wanted to strive to become.  Superman is the epitome of the American value and a true American icon, and his stories and what he stands for has taught me a lot about the history of superheroes and their true meanings.  Reading Superman Earth #1 and the many articles attempting to breakdown his character is what really helped me understand why we all value Superman as a hero and what he stands for.

I used to think that the Hulk wasn't really a superhero.  His massive stature and incredible rage always lead me to believe he was more of a villain than a hero.  After reading his origin story and more about his character, it was clear that he was much more than the "green dude" I had previously identified him as.  He is a caring and compassionate genius that is only trying to protect those around him from his uncontrollable state.

There is not much I have learned about myself that I didn't already know, but I have more confirmed why I act the way I do, and what superheroes I am similar to.  I am often stubborn (Iron Man), angry (The Hulk), wise (Prof. Xavier), intelligent (The Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-man, etc.) and many other expressions that can be represented as the many heroes we have discussed in class.

I feel that a topic that should have been more prominent in the class is teamwork.  Many of the very popular Superheroes and Super-groups rely on teamwork to accomplish their tasks (X-Men, The Avengers, The Justice League, etc.).  Teamwork is a very important idea in our lives as well.  We are required to work together in classes, in the workplace, and it is just human-nature to work together.  Talking more about groups like X-Men and the Avengers and how they sort of resemble teamwork in ourselves would have facilitated discussing more about this topic.  These groups are very important in the comic book and superhero realm, and I think it would have done justice to cover their back-story a little more.

Every superhero we have reflected on this semester is somewhat an extension of ourselves.  Each superhero has a story about how they came to be, what they stand for, and what they are trying to accomplish.  In a sense, this is true for every human being as well.  We look to strive for some higher meaning, and we try to stand for something bigger than ourselves.  No one hero can really represent a model for good citizenship, because all of them have their own advantages and their own flaws.  The best model for good citizenship comes from a collection of all of the superheroes we have discussed, because they all have something different to contribute.