John Wayne as an American Icon Essay

Not only is he the most nominated living individual in the history of the Academy Awards (with 49 nominations), but he is also the third most-nominated person in Hollywood History, second only to Metro Goldwyn Mayer (62) Walt Disney (59). In his credentials he holds five Academy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, 22 Grammy Awards, and 4 Golden Globe Awards. Considering that obtaining a single nomination for any of the aforementioned awards is remarkable in itself, this astounding number is truly

In this society there are many people who suffer from mental illness and others who are deviants. Although many confuse mental illness with deviance they are both very different things that can be related with each other due to the fact that having a mental illness is not normal and being deviant is also not normal. There are many criminals who would be considered deviants. Several theories of deviance seem to describe these types of people. There is the control, differential-association, labeling, psychological and strain theories that may determine why criminals chose to act in deviant ways. Serial killers such as John Wayne Gacy fall into some of the theories of deviance. The theories John Wayne Gacy falls into are the control theory

In Didion’s essay “John Wayne: A Love Song” she argues that John Wayne influenced her dreams and shaped her by playing the character of an ideal man. In this essay Didion brings two different personalities of John Wayne: John Wayne the Character and John Wayne the the human. Starting from the beginning of her essay, Didion talks about his good character and how that influenced the dreams of America. Didion writes “… when John Wayne rode through my childhood, and perhaps through yours, he determined forever the shape of certain of our dreams”(Didion 30). Here, Didion is reinforces the existence of this admirable character and has already defined him as an ideal man.

Joan Didion heard John Wayne “tell the girl in a picture called War of the Wildcats that he would build her a house, 'at the bend in the river where the cottonwoods grow’” and she writes about how much it influenced her. She continued to have the image of a dream place in her mind, and this dream place defined her perceptions of real places. Throughout John Wayne: A Love Story she uses location to define her subjects’ perceptions of reality and dreams.

The American realists of the late 19th century were notably adept at creating deep, memorable characters --whether virtuous or villainous-- who are continuously developed throughout the tales in which they exist. These authors often used their protagonists for a higher purpose than mere storytelling, endeavoring to construct a critique of the times by placing the characters in opposition to their respective societies. As a result, the protagonist often becomes an unassuming type of hero to the reader, by courageously (or obtusely) defying convention, and doubting the ignorant assumptions of society. Three such characters that were born of American realism are found in the novels The Adventures of

Every year on November 30th, I celebrate his memories. I watch all the Fast and Furious movies. I will never forget my favorite Paul Walker quote that follows me in my personal life. He said “there’s a lot of guys that just get comfortable with their position and rest on their laurels. I had to earn my way” Paul Walker is my favorite actor of all time. Gone but never

“Heroes and victims are the product of the mood they were in when opportunity came or when circumstances were at their worst” said Orson Scott Card. In every movie or television show has a hero and victim but which one is going to have the fans and watchers vote? A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. As an anti-heroic is one who doesn 't act like a typical hero but often is a little villainous. Heroes are from many different cultures for example superman and batman. Chuck Bass is an anti-heroic main character, from the novel and television show Gossip Girls, where he is noted for his financial ambition, hedonism, and personal style. Bass is a huge

James Earl Jones was born on January 17 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi USA. He is a renowned actor, basing his career not only on screen, but as well in theater, taking part in countless successful film and theater productions such as “Conan the Barbarian”, “Dr. Strangelove”, “Great White Hope” and “Otello”.

Didion establishes the prevalence Wayne and his on-screen persona. Didion states that even in her small town she still saw Wayne’s movies, emphasizing Wayne’s reach of influence. Didion admits to romanticizing Wayne’s perfect persona. She explains this “to demonstrate that… he determined forever the shape of… our dreams” (30). However, when Wayne is dying of cancer, Didion and the audience are forced to reevaluate the basis of their dreams. Didion states,

Furthermore, the obituary discusses Walker’s major achievements in his acting career. He appeared in TV shows in the 90’s, but the wildly popular Fast and Furious movies are what launched his career. As the obituary states, “Though he had shown promise in his early film roles, he could easily have become just another piece of well-dressed eye candy had it not been for his involvement in the colossally successful Fast and Furious franchise, which has grossed $2.38bn worldwide to date” (Gilbey

Robert Downey Jr. is one of the most gifted actors of his generation, but he had a tough time finding stability in his personal life. According to Biography.com, Downey was born in New York City on April 4, 1965, and began is acting career as a young boy. Born into the business, his father was a filmmaker and his mother was an actress, he appeared in his first role when he was five years old. Downey appeared in several popular films throughout the 80's and 90's, and during this period, he was also well known in the media for his substance abuse problems. Downey received critical acclaim for his many of his performances, but at the sometime earned the reputation as a disturbed and controversial figure. Many of the stories in the media focused on Downey's personal issues and less on his acting performances. The following quote appeared in the Los

Clint Eastwood is a star whether he is directing a movie or playing in the movie. Clint Eastwood started out as an actor before becoming a director too. He has multiple movies that are famous worldwide. The many awards he has received are examples of his amazing work. Clint Eastwood starred in movies, as well as directing them, and won a lot of awards for this.

As the twentieth century approached, America was experiencing a time of considerable expansion. All eyes were looking for ways to make the United States a larger, more powerful, and more efficient country. Because of this wave in American society, there was no movement given more devotion than the settling of the West. The range-cattle industry in its various aspects, and in its importance to the United States and particularly to the Great Plains, has been a subject of focus to Americans since its origin in the mid 1800's. This industry was rendered possible by such factors as vast sections of fertile land, the rise of heavy industry involving the great demand for beef, and

1. Walt Disney was an American motion-picture and television producer and showman, famous as a pioneer of cartoon films and as the creator of Disneyland and Disney World theme parks (“Walter”, Paragraph 1).

Whether you call him Kal-El, Clark Joseph Kent or the Man of Steel, fans and non-alike know him the world over as Superman. Recently, this iconoclastic character was reintroduced to a new generation with the film Man of Steel and so began for some a look back to another era where a bold new dawn of superhero action movies was born with Superman The Movie. An inevitable debate ensued about whether a modern, technologically advanced and possibly more faithful adaptation could outshine the original, with all its nostalgia, including an inimitable portrayal of Superman given by the late Christopher Reeve. My aim is to find out whether I still believe a man can truly fly or if he is just simply wearing a costume.