Comparing the Similarities Between Hercules and Mona Patel

Myth Versus Reality: Heroes

Heroes are generally depicted as inspirational people that save others. In Greek myths,

Hercules inspired many to stay persistent and they will achieve their goal. Today, Mona Patel has made a difference by starting a nonprofit amputee organisation the goal being to rebuild the amputee’s life. Hercules is the son of Zeus and Alcmene, Hera gets jealous of Zeus and takes it out on Hercules by making him kill his family in a fit of madness, Hercules now has to complete twelve trials to redeem himself. Mona Patel is a person who was hit by a car when she was seventeen, Mona had to be amputated, but she had no organisation to join to help her with her amputated leg. Hercules and Mona Patel both share common traits that deem them heroic such as intelligence, selflessness, and a strong-will.

Both Hercules and Patel share the common heroic trait of being intelligent and it shows during both their stories. An example being, when Atlas does not want to take the sky back after retrieving the apple for Hercules, so “Hercules asks to take the world back for a moment… Atlas takes the world back, and Hercules walks away”(COTG). This is a good example of Hercules intelligence because he was able to trick a god and get his reward as well. Without Hercule’s intelligence, he would be stuck holding up the sky. The importance of intelligence is shown through Patel’s story. An example of Patel’s intelligence is after her years of surgery “Patel went on to earn a bachelor’s and two master’s degrees, and became a social worker” (Torgan 1). This is relevant because she uses her skills as a social worker to help other amputees. Without this skill she would not be able to help many people with their disability. Both Hercules and Patel use their intelligence to achieve their goals.

Another heroic trait that Hercules and Patel share throughout their stories is their

selflessness. Hercules shows his selflessness when “he is going to try to get rid of the stain of

blood guilt” (COTG) even though it was not his fault. His willingness to fix problems he did not commit is a gigantic example of his selflessness. Without this trait he would not be able to become a god because he would not complete any of Hera’s quests. A demonstration of Patel’s selflessness is when she struggled with finding an organisation for amputees, Patel vows, “once I got back on my feet I would start one”(Torgan 1). This is an example of Patels selflessness because she decides to help others with their disability. Without this trait Patel would have not started the organisation in the first place. Hercules and Patel’s selflessness allowed the two to begin their adventure.

Last heroic trait that Hercules and Patel share is their strong-will that they use to complete their goal. Hercules shows his strong-will when “Eurystheus assigns Hercules twelve challenges, all of which were designed by Hera” (COTG). Hercules shows off his strong-will when he accepts the challenges Eurystheus assigned him. Without Hercules strong-will he would not have redeemed his blood guilt. Patel’s strong-will is shown throughout her story. Patel shows her strong-will when “she continued to struggle physically with her disability” (Torgan 1). Patel creating the amputee organization when no one else wanted to. Without her strong-will she would not have had the determination to go through with the project. Hercules and Patel’s strong-will allowed them to continue with their journey.

The heroic qualities of intelligence, selflessness, strong-willed are observed in Hercule’s and Patel’s stories. Hercule’s shows his heroic qualities throughout his story such as his intelligence when he tricked Atlas, his selflessness when he redeemed himself for a crime that was not his fault, and strong-will when he took on the twelve challenges of Hera. Patel shows her intelligence with her bachelor’s and two master’s, she shows her selflessness when she starts an

organization for amputees, and strong-will when she survived after the accident she was in. One

can plainly see that heroes then and now are very similar.

Works Cited:

1. “Hercules”. Clash of the Gods. History. 9 Aug. 2009. Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 29

   April. 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2017.