The+Underdog


 * Hephaestus. The only God to be considered visually flawed. So much so that his own family tried to discard him, he would end up living a decent lifeas a blacksmith making armor.**
 * David and Goliath. A biblical character, David beats the giant Phylistine warrior with nothing but a slingshot and a stone.**
 * Mel Gibson in //Braveheart// as William Wallace. A motivational speech was given by William Wallace to recruit his men, and to get their hearts into the battle in which they would later be victorious.**[[image:rocky06.jpg width="544" height="254" link="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chucksconnection.com/rocky/rocky05.jpg&imgrefurl=http://chucksconnection.com/rocky.html&h=300&w=554&sz=18&hl=en&start=20&um=1&tbnid=enOFBEY0dCzObM:&tbnh=72&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Drocky%2Bat%2Bthe%2Bmuseum%2Bsteps%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26ie%3DUTF-8"]]
 * Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa in //Rocky.// The morning run of Rocky Balboa proves that he has what it takes to take a better trained boxer. This is the part of the movie where you can start to realize Rocky has it going on.**

The underdog archetype was a character that was utilized in many different cultures in mythology. One of which was Hephaestus, the Greek god of Blacksmithing and fire. Hephaestus, being the only ugly god was frowned upon and even discarded by his family at a young age by an attempted murder, where his mother Hera threw him off Mt. Olympus. This attempt failed to be successful and Hephaestus lived suffering only two broken legs. He would eventually end up fully recovering and lived a normal life for a human, but not for a god or goddess. He sought revenge on his mother by creating a golden throne in which when she sat upon it would remain stuck to it unless he would tell the secret to the throne that would release her from its grasps. Hephaestus would eventually give in and let his mother free, but only when given Aphrodite, the goddess of love to be his wife. Another mythological or Biblical character that I have chosen is David from the story of //David and Goliath.// David who is the underdog is a shepherd boy ventures to take on Goliath who was a giant Philistine warrior. Not only is David less that one half the size of the beast, his only form of weaponry was a slingshot with only five stones taken from a stream. After seeing one another for the first time Goliath feels as though he is already victorious. But with one well placed stone from the slingshot Goliath is struck in the head. While on the ground and some what conscience David seizes the chance and utilizes Goliaths own sword to behead the beast. Once successful David parades the head of the beast around Jerusalem, where he is then awarded the armor and weapons once used by Goliath due to his conquering of the beast. The underdog in modern day film has a part in most any movie made. In today’s films an underdog character is usually a favorite character, especially when they are victorious against an overmatched opponent. Most every person loves to see an victorious underdog because they would like to think of themselves as being able to overcome difficult obstacles even when the odds are stacked against them. This idea is portrayed in many recent day films and television and sitcoms as well. This just goes to show how the underdog is beloved by viewers in any media, and most likely will be a character to be portrayed in film for years to come. The underdog draws a large crowd and it’s just nice to see the little guy win in any story, it makes for a happy ending which most love. A personal opinion about the underdog character would be a positive one. I like the underdog myself because I feel as though I can use that character to better myself. This character tells us less about the human race more so than it does tell us about different peoples preferances. As a whole the human race has a liking for the underdog because they can see a little bit of themselves through the character and can make a connection. Most if not all movies have a underdog character in them and usually has one of the major roles in the plot. This feature to me is what can sell out a movie theater on an opening night and for weeks to follow. And speaking for the other millions of people, the underdog character is one in which should never be left out of the media. Be it a movie, book, or television all should have an Underdog**
 * An underdog’s definition is “a person who is expected to lose in a contest or conflict.” The underdog character is someone who is looked at by others to be almost foolish in ways where he or she is greatly outmatched yet still takes challenges that are rarely beatable. The characteristics of an underdog are those of perseverance, bravery, and in many cases stupidity. An underdog is not necessarily someone who is arrogant and thinks they can take on the world, but rather someone with enough courage to stand up for what they believe in and are willing to put enough effort into something to be victorious. When an underdog is victorious it makes for good stories, because for the most part the Underdog is hardly ever victorious, but for the seldom times that they are it is looked at as a great achievement.