比較中美電影中的英雄主義

北京理工大學(xué)珠海學(xué)院2020屆本科生畢業(yè)論文ComparisonofHeroisminChineseandAmericanFilms:TakingTheAvengersandOperationRedSeaasExamplesDefinitionofHeroismWhenitcomestotheword“heroism”,quiteafewheroesmayflashintoourmind.Theword

“heroism”

comesfromtheGreek

hērōs,whichreferredtoademigod.Assomeonewhoshowsgreatcourageandvalorisreferredtoasa

hero,theiractionsareconsideredtobeactsof

heroism.Heroismistheperformanceofactionsthatareexceptionalintheirsocialsignificance,correspondtotheinterestsofthemassofthepeopleotherwisetothoseofprogressiveclasses,andrequirepersonalcourage,firmness,andreadinessforself-sacrifice.(L.F.Denisova,1979)Heroismwillbechangedthroughouttimesanddifferentpeopleordictionariesmayhaveotherideaaboutit,whatImentionaboveisoneofthecommonrealizationaboutheroism.However,thoughthereisnotaclearexplanationofit,heroesareallhavethesamebehaviorsthatmakeupheroism.Accordingtocommunicationofresearchers,someonewhocanbecalledasheroesusuallydoservicesofwhatotherinneed,performvoluntary,recognizepotentialrisksandstillwillingtohelppeople,daretosacrificeanddojobswithoutexpectationofreward.(KendraCherry,2018)Inadditiontobraveheartsandsuperhumanability,heroeshavegoodmoralcharactersthatencouragethemtogothroughrisksandseduction.Onestudypublishedinthe

JournalofPersonalityandSocialPsychology

including11centraltraitsofheroes’characteristics:moralintegrity,bravery,conviction,courage,self-sacrifice,selflessness,determination,inspirational,helpful,protective,honesty.(KendraCherry,2019)whenreadingorseeingmovies,alargenumberofheroesarenotallcreatedorbehavedcompletelylikewhatarementionedbeforethe“11centraltraits”,becausetheyhavetheirindividualhighlightsandtheyarenotassemblylinemodels.Nevertheless,allofthemtrytoperfectthemselvestowardthesemoralcharactersanddevotethemselvestohelpingpeople,whicharegoodexamplesinoursociety.2OriginofHeroism2.1ChineseOriginofHeroismInthelongrunofChinesehistory,heroismhighlightsandenrichesitsvalueasabrightstarinthedarksky.Infact,heroismisacarrierforbelieforinotherwordsheroismoriginatesfrombelief.TheChinesenationhasahistoryofmorethan5000years,andtherewerelotsofheroeswhoexpresseduniquespiritinvariouskindsoffields.Forexample,intermsofloyaltyandtalent,YueFeiinSongDynastydevotedhimselftodefendingthecountryandcameupwithideasthathelpedmilitarygothroughdanger.Whenitcomestobraveryandchallenges,ChenShengandWuGuanginlateQingDynastydaredtofightasleadersofpeasantrevoltagainsttyranny.InTangDynasty,XuanZangandHajjiMahmudShamsuddinintroducedpricelessdoctrinesofBuddhismtothecountry,makinggreatcontributiontothehumancivilization.ThoseheroesshoneinancientChina,peopleatthattimerespectedthemandfollowedtheirsteps.Asweallknown,beforethefoundingofthePeople’sRepublicofChina,Chinesepeoplehadexperiencedagloomyperiod.FromtheFirstOpiumWartotheWarofResistanceagainstJapan,Chinaonceunderwentadifficult,painful,evenhopelesstime.Chinagraduallybecameasemi-colonialandsemi-feudalsocietywherethemasseshadnomeansoflivelihood.Atthatmoment,peoplewereindesperateneedofencouragementtostimulatetheirfightingwill.Therefore,heroismaroseinresponsetothepropertimeandsocialbackground.Atthatroughtime,heroism,thesymbolofbravery,empoweredpeoplestrongfaithandfightingspirittoovercomerisks,asareassuringinjectioninfusedmentallyandphysically.Sincethen,heroismhasbecomeincreasinglyimportant.What’smore,ConfucianismcallsforbenevolencewhichisthedominantideologyinChineseculture.Underthatculture,peoplebeinglookedasagroupandanorganization,monarchandrulershouldconcernallcitizensasawhole.Therefore,collectivismbecomesthe“mainmelody”inheroism.Evenintoday’smodernsociety,collectivismisalsovaluedandplaysanincreasinglyimportantrolebecauseitisapowerfulforceinconstructingsocialismwithChinesecharacteristics.2.2AmericanOriginofHeroismAmericaisanimmigrantcountrywithDutch,Spanish,Britishandsoon.Inthemiddleofthe18thcentury,theBritishcolonialshadacontradictionwithUnitedKingdomfortheywantedfreedomanddecision-making,whicheventuallytriggeredtheWarofIndependence.Asweallknown,colonialssuccessfullybuiltuptheirowncountrywhichisthepowerfulstate“America”.Inpursuitoffreedom,colonials,whowereconfrontedwithahostileenvironmentandpulledthroughahardtimewiththeirroughhands,hadundergoneaprocess

fromniltoexistence.Fromthenon,theimagesofheroeshadgraduallybecomeclear.Afterwards,inthebeginningofthe19thcentury,thousandsofpeoplecrossedovertheAppalachianMountaintomovewestward.SomeevensteppedacrosstheboundaryofMexico.DuetoColonials’greed,WestwardMovementbegan.Atthattime,WestCowboysbecamefashionableandpopularbecauseoftheiraggression,braveryandhardship.Theywerecalled“theheroesonhorseback”.Sincethen,theybuiltupheroismofAmerica.DifferentfromChina,Americaisacountryofimmigrantswithoutgoingthroughtheperiodofmonarchywhichwascharacterizedbyfeudalculture.MostAmericansfoughtforequality,pursuitfreedomandtheirowninterests.ThereforeinAmericanculture,individualismisexactlywhattheywant.Uptonow,freedomandindependencestillstandintheirmind.Forexample,inNBA,therearemanysuperstarslikeJordan,KobeorLeBronwhoarefamousfortheiruniqueisolationskillsandcharacteristics.ThepresidentofNationalBasketballAssociationhighlightsoneindividualtostimulateotherplayersinsteadofpraisingawholeteam,whichisthebestexampleofindividualismintoday’sAmericansociety.3RelationBetweenHeroismandFilmsWhatisfilm?Leninoncecommentedthatinallformsofartthemostimportantoneforusisfilm.Beforetheinventionoffilm,peoplewantedtoknowsomeheroicfiguresordeliverconceptsonlybyreading,listeningtotheradioorothertraditionalwayswhichlackedvisualperception.However,afterfilmscomingintopeople’slife,peoplehaveonemoreentertainmentandfancytooltogetclosetotheworld.Whyfilmispopularwithpeople?Firstly,lengthandshootingmethodsoffilmsmakeitspopularity.DifferenttotheTVserieswhichrequirespeopletospendfixedandlongtimewatching,filmsexpressmainconceptinashorttimewithspecialshootingmethodandaconcisenarration.Secondly,extremelycomprehensiveconclusionofthetimesisintuitivelyshowninthefilm.Bothfromtheblack-and-whitetothe3Dorfromthesilenttothesurroundsound,filmsarealwaysasymbolofthecurrentsociety.Throughstoriesdescribedinthefilm,wecanclearlyandquicklyrealizewhatitwantstoexpress,whatvalueitwantstodeliver,andwhatkindofcharacteristicitwantstoeulogize.Whatisheroism?Infact,asavalueembodimentofacountry,filmhasvariousexpressionsindifferentcultures.Inacertainextent,heroismisattachedtoculture.Theworshipofheroesisacommonculturalmentalityandaculturalsynthesis,whichisakindofrespectandanticipationofthewholesociety.Aswhathasbeenmentionedabove,bothChineseheroesandAmericanheroesareborninatoughperiodwhenpeopleneedencouragementtostandup,sodoestoday’ssociety.PresidentXioncesaidthemotherlandisthepeople’smostsoliddependence,whiletheheroisthenation’smostshiningcoordinates.(J.P.Xi,2016)InbuildingthesocialismwithChinesecharacteristicsandamoderatelyprosperoussocietyinallrespects,thewholecountryneedsspiritofheroismsuchaspatience,industry,braveryandsoon,whichareinstructionsinpursuitoftheChineseDream.Thesamenessisthetruthofothercountries.TheChinesefamousdirectorKarwaiWongsaidthatthesignificanceofthemovieistobreakthemirroroflifeandthencollagesfragmentsagainintoanewmirror.Indeed,filmlikesasharpknife,cuttingbigthingsintopieces,likesabinder,stickingpiecesintoone.Toacertaindegree,heroismisregardedbothasabstractionandmaterialization.Therefore,filmandheroismisaperfectmatch.Heroismisanabstractnounwhichcan’tbeintuitivelyunderstoodbypeople.Nevertheless,filmexpressesitwithclearstory,vividcharactersandusuallyusesintriguingendingtoarouseaudience’sresonanceandthinking.Heroismisaninclusivenoun,includingrevolutionism,individualism,collectivismandthelike.Underthedescriptionofamovie,heroismbecomesmoresubstantiveandeasierforpeopletounderstand.Forexample,wecanknowwhocanbelookedasaherothroughstoriesinthemovie,whichkindofheroesrepresentstheircountries’concept,orwhatisheroisminlife.Besides,filmisabeltthatconveysourcultureallaroundtheworld,deliversourconceptfromcitytovillage.Thestatusofthefilmisuntouchableforalongtimeduetoitslong-existingandplanet-spanningnatures,culturebeinginheritedgenerationtogeneration,thoughitcannotrecordalldetailsofhistory.Generallyspeaking,filmisacarrierofheroismasreindeerandSanta,bringingabstractionintoreality,transformingunattainableintoeasy-going.4DifferentInterpretationofHeroisminAmericanandChineseFilms4.1AmericanFilms——TheAvengers4.1.1SynopsisandMainHeroicCharactersinTheAvengersTheAvengers,whichispopularamongtheaudienceallovertheworld,consistsofaseriesoffourfilms.ThereleaseofeveryTheAvengersfilmalwaysbreakstherecordofboxofficeandbecomesahit.Firstly,thename“TheAvengers”,whichseemedanegativenoun,however,expressedthatoneavengedforothersufferersratherthanrevengingforthem.Secondly,TheAvengersisamovieseriesaboutheroismwhichnearlyassembleallheroesinMarveluniverse.TheAvengersfilmshavefourpartswiththreebigenemies:Loki,UltronandThanoswhobreakthepeaceandwanttocontroltheworld.Thesethreebigvillainshavegreatpowerandaretoostrongtobekilled.Therefore,anysingleheroinMarvelcan’tchallengethem.Atthattime,Fury,thedirectorofSHIELDwhichworkstoprotectthepeaceoftheworld,assemblescharismaticheroestofightagainstThanos.Atfirst,theteamissmallincludingonlysixheroes,butlatertheteambecomesstrongandmoreheroesjoin.TheAvengerssparenoeffortstoprotecttheEarth.Inthismovie,therearemanyvariouskindsofheroeswhoownuniquestylesandcamefromdifferentplanets.Inthisway,quarrelsandconflictsalwaysoccurintheircommunication.ThemostremarkablethingisawarbetweenCaptainAmericaandIronMan.ThroughoutTheAvengers,Americanheroismofindividualismisexpressedincisivelyandvividly.Besides,thedevelopmentofTheAvengersalsoshowchangesthataredifferenttoourtraditionalconceptofheroisminAmerica.TheAvengersfilmsareaproductionofMarvelmovieofheroes.TherearefoursetsofTheAvengers;eachonehasanenemywhoistoopowerfultobedefeatedbysinglehero.Therefore,heroesrequireassemblingtofightagainst.InMarveluniverse,TheAvengersteamincludehundredsofheroes,headedbyCaptainAmerica,IronMan,Thor,Hulk.Inthefirstplace,CaptainAmericaisasupersoldierwhosespeed,fightingcapacityandendurancearedifferenttoothers.Indeed,hewasaweakguybeforetransforming,buthestilldarestocoverdynamiteswithhisbody,whichshowsthepricelesssacrificedheartandbravery.ThatisthereasonwhyheistheonlyoneamonghundredsofsuperheroeswhocantakeThor’shammerwhichisonlytakenupbydefinitelyjustman.However,hisstubborntrapshimintodifficulty.Forexample,hesticktohisownidearatherthanobeyingorder.Hewholeheartedlypursuitwhathewants,justiceandfreedom,insteadofcontrollingbythestate,whichcausesthewarbetweenheandotherheroes.RefertotheCivilWarbetweenMarvelheroes,onemustbementioned——IronManwhofightswithstubbornCaptainAmerica.IronManisacoalmerchantwithlargeamountofmoneyandisawomanizer.Owetotopfightingcapacityandasetofpremiumequipment,IronManisawardedasoneofthemostcombativeheroes,butherankslowinthelistofpersonality.Herunsforhimself,makesfunofotherheroesandispronetoimpatience,havingbeenadoredinhischildhood.Additionally,intheTheAvengers4herefusestojointhewarthatfightsagainstThanosduetofearofdefeatandself-doubt.Nevertheless,althoughheisfullofshortages,heisstillwillingtosacrificeforpeaceoftheworldattheend.Thorisagodwithstrongmuscleandadistinctskillofcontrollingthunderwholikestousehisfistsbutnothistongue,beingpronetoangerandimpulsion.Althoughheisastrongmanandisgoodatfighting,heisalsoasoftman.FacinghisevilbrotherLokiwhoalwaysconfrontsThor,hestillshowsmercyinthefightandrepeatedlyforgiveshimforconcerningbrotherhood.Facingfamilybreakdown,hecan’tstandupbravelyagain.WhataboutHulk?Heisamutantwhocanbecomeagreengiantwiththestrongestpowerwhenheisangry.HecanberegardedasthemainstayofTheAvengers,butheisalsothemostdestructiveonebecausehecannotcontrolhimselfaftertransfiguration.IntheAvengersfilms,heoncehasgoneawayfromtheteam,whichistheresultofboththeguiltythathehurtmanyinnocentpeoplewhilesavingtheworldandthefearofbeingdefeated.Exceptthoseheroesmentionedabove,therearealotofotherskillfulmeninMarveluniverse.Theyallhavetheiruniquepersonalitiesandcommonshortages.CaptainAmerica,IronMan,ThorandHulk,havingmoreorlessfears,arestrongandbraveenoughtohelppeoplewhentheworldfacesdisaster.4.1.2AmericanInterpretationofHeroismTheAvengersassembleheroeswhocomefromdifferentfields.InMarvelCompany,itproducedmorethantenpersonalfilmsofheroes.Aseachoneoftheheroesisgeniusintheirregion,theyarepride,self-centeredandevenarrogant.Therefore,intheirpersonalfilms,individualismisthekeyfeatureofheroisminAmericanculture.InTheAvengers1,whendirectorofSHIELDwantstobuilduparesponseteamthatincaseofemergency,onemansays,“thosemaybeisolatedandareoutofcontrol”.Thoseheroesareindependentandhardtosubmittosomeone.Also,ineverysinglefilmofTheAvengers,beforereachinganagreement,almosteverytimetheyhaveaquarrel,especiallybetweenCaptainandIronMan.Forexample,inTheAvengers1,IronManridiculedthefightingskillofCaptain.InTheAvengers3,HulkwantsIronMantofindCaptainforhelp,butherefusesduetotheircontradictions.Moreover,theyevenhaveaCivilWar,whichcausesseparationofheroes.Inaddition,beforetheendgameoffightingThanos,IronMandoesn’twanttofightduetofearofleavingfamily,ThorbecomesdegenerateandunwillingtojointhewarduetolackofhopeandHawkeyekillsmanypeopleinJapanduetothedisappearanceoffamilies.Theirfeelingsandreasonsaretheresultofconcerningpersonalinterests.Intheotherside,thoughTheAvengersisafilmthatassemblesheroesandworkstogether,itstillexpressesuniqueindividuals.Forexample,itshouldhaveemphasizedunityandcooperationbetweenthem,butinTheAvengers3,directormakesagreatdealofspacetodescribeeachheroandusesdifferentplotstoadvance,whichexpresseseachhero’spersonalityandcreatesacompletecharacterimage.Thatistheperfectexpressionofindividualism.4.2ChineseFilms——OperationRedSea4.2.1SynopsisandMainHeroicCharactersinOperationRedSeaOperationRedSeaisadaptedfromtheevacuationoftheethnicChineseinYemenin2015.Inthefilm,thepoliticalconditionofNorthAfricaRepublicofSyviaisviolated.Terroristorganizationsandbetrayersinvadethecapital,whichmakelocalChinesecitizensindanger.Therefore,theChinesewarshipacceptsanorderthatimmediatelychangescoursetorescuepeoplefromsupervisor.Inthedangerousevacuationandharshenvironment,Jiaolongcommandounit,includingeightpeople,overcomesmountainsofdifficultiesandfinallyrescuestheChinesesuccessfully.However,inthebreathtakingbattlefieldthatisfullofgunfire,commandosfightbravelywithoutfearofdeathtoprotectandrescuepeople,duringtheirretreat,twocommandossacrificegloriously.Undertheauthenticshootingmethodofthemovieandthetechnologyof3D,audiencesvividlyfeelthedangerousandnervoussituationswhicharousepeople’srespectandpatrioticemotion,thelong-lastingbloodysceneswhichgivesympathytoaudiences,asifweareexperiencingthewar,asifChineseheroesarereallystandinginfrontofthescreen.Infact,intherealwar,therearemorethanhundredtimesbloodysituationsthanthoseinthefilm.DifferentfromTheAvengers,recomposedaccordingtoarealevent,heroesinthismovieareveritablewithoutsuperpowers.Thosecommandosactuallycanberegardedassuperheroesforundergoingseveretrialswithoutanyhesitation.FullyexplainingChinesecollectivism,outof138minutes,thereare120minutesusedtoshowushowtheyworktogether,howtheybelievecommanderandhowtheysacrificethemselvesforcitizens.AccordingtoBaidu,theboxofficeofOperationRedSeawas3.651billion,arousingaheateddiscussionaboutChineseheroes.ThefilmOperationRedSeastartsaroundeightcommandos:CaptainYang,Vice-CaptainXu,sniperGu,shockworkerZhang,medicLu,dogrobberZhuang,observerLiandtheonlyfemalesoldierTong.Firstly,CaptainYangisacool-headedpersonwhocommandsthewholeteaminanextremelydangeroussituation.Whentheteamiscaughtintheenemycamp,theircommunicationsignalsarecutoff,whichtrapsthemindilemmawithoutbackupsfromChinawarship.Oneteamwithoutconstructionmustbringabouttroublesinfightinglikesachickenwithitsheadcutoff.Atthatmoment,CaptainYangshoulderstheresponsibilityofcommandwithoutanyhesitationandgivesacorrectordertomemberswithhisrichexperiencesandcalmmind,whichperfectlyexpressesthedecisivecharacterofChinesehero.Also,theyhavereceivedthemostsignificanttaskinthewarthatmustrescuetheChinesewomanDengmei,butCaptainYangchoosestosaveallofthevictims.Heexplaineshisplan:Iwanttosaveallofthem,buttheprimarygoalistosaveDengmeitosafetyzonethenwegobacktofight.Theteam,withoutanybackups,withonlyeightpeople,needstofightagainstabout150enemies,asaneggagainsttherockbyitself,whichsoundsimpossible.Inaddition,hedecidestosolvetheYellowcakeCrisis(Yellowcakeisanimportantingredientofnuclearindustrythatisusedbyterroriststomakeweapons,threateningpeaceoftheworld)thatwillsuffermoreandmorepeopleindisaster.Hefinishestoughlyandsuccessfully,representingthedauntlessspiritofprotectingpeaceoftheworld.Moreover,thevice-Captainalmostloseshislifeinordertodefusebooms.Sniperandobserverrisktheirlivestocoverteammates.TheonlyfemalesoldierTongevenneedstobeexchangedashostage.Eachsteptheywalkedisfullofunknownandknown.Theydoesn’tknowhowseverewill,butknowitmustbesevere.Exceptthetough-guyimageinthewar,thefilmalsoshowswarm-heartedmomenttous.Forexample,confrontingguns,boomsandevendeathhehasnohesitationanddefendswithastraightface,thistime,afterseeingthebodiesofZhuangandZhang,hecouldn’tbearhisemotionandcriesout.WhenZhangfeelspain,heofteneatscandiestocomforthimself.SniperGuexecutingtask,heneedstochewgumtorelax.Thesedetailstellusthatheroesarealsonormalpeople,havingnosuperpowersbutsuperwills.4.2.2ChineseInterpretationofHeroismAtthebeginningofthefilm,onesentencearousesaudiences’senseofpride——“ThisisChineseNavy,stoptheshipimmediately”.Inthisfilm,thedirectorseldomusesanametointroducecommandos.Onthecontrary,theyintroducethemselvesasanentireteam.ComparedwithotherfilmsthatoneherocansavetheEarth,OperationRedSeashapesacooperativeandimpartibleteam.CaptainYanghasacalmmindandrichexperiencesthatenablehimtosanelycommandtheteam.Vice-CaptainXuhasgoodskillofdefusingbooms.SniperGuneedsobserverLitohelphisshootingwhileLineedsGutohelphimovercomefearandpressureinwar.Also,whenZhuanglosesconfidenceandsuspectshimself,facingbloodybodieseverywhere,Xugiveshimencouragement.AlthoughtheyareChineseNavyandChineseheroes,theyarestillordinarypeoplewhohavedifferentkindsofshortages.Therefore,inthisfilm,heroeshavenosuperpowercansaveeverything.Theyneedhelp,theyneedcooperation,andtheyneedworktogether.Additionally,oneofthebestthingstomentionisthatthelengthofthefilmisevenlydistributedamongeachpeople,bothCaptainandteammate.Everyoneistheprotagonist,havingauniquestoryandspecialskill.Infrontofmortar,bombshell,snipingandnakedfight,theysummitthemselvestodirection,collaboratingandunifying,neverpracticingindividualheroism.Inaddition,therescueofDengmeiwhoisthelasthostageofhundred,rescuedsafelybycommandos,isthebestdescriptionofcollectivism.Agroupwillnevergiveupanindividualanditwillbetheonlyaffiliationforeachsingleperson.(He,2019)4.3DifferencesofAmericanHeroesandChineseHeroesinFilms4.3.1DifferentSourceofHero’sPowerMostChineseheroesacquireskillsafterlearning.Theyusuallypracticefromchildhoodinordertoreachahighdegreeofprofessionalproficiency.Forexample,inmovieOperationRedSea,thetalentedcommandos’teamistrainedeverydayinastrictorganizationwithoutexception.Also,asfortheshockworkerZhanginthemovie,althoughhavingsufferedfromaseverefacialinjury,heisstillonthetriggerandkillsenemiestillhislastbreath.Heisthemomentumoftoughcharacter.However,mostAmericanheroesseemtohaveinborntalents.InAmericanmovies,heroeshaveoutstandingsuperpowerorsufficientconfidencetofight.Forexample,inTheAvengers,Captainhasthestrongestbodyandamazinglyindomitablespiritthatnoonecouldcompare.ThorcancontrolthethunderwhileHulkcantransformtoagreengiantwiththebiggestpower.4.3.2DifferentCharacteristicsofHeroAsweknow,Chineseheroesarefamousfortheirtoughwillandpatientcharacter.Theyhavemodestattitudeandspiritofhardshipduetolong-termtrainingunderstrictlymilitarizedenvironment.MostChineseheroesareindeedthenormalone,whichisthereasonwhytheyshouldstudyunpretentiouslyandkeepanopenmindtowardtheworld,practicingmuchmorethanotherstoimproveability,tocatchopportunityandtobewhatheroesshouldbe.Nevertheless,AmericanheroeswhoseemtobeGod’sfavoredoneshaveunusualnatureofsuperheroes.AsinthecaseofTheAvengers,confidence,arroganceandbraveryimagesgiveadeepimpressiontoaudiences.However,pridedoesn’timplyselfishnessandignorance.UnlikeChina’straditionalvirus,theselflessservicetothegreatergoodoftheAmericanheroes,whichisaby-productratherthananaimoftheiractions.Withstrongpowerandenoughconfidence,theyarepronetoboastabouttheirindividualcapacityandareaccustomedtopursuingfreedombybreakingrules,increasingtheanticipationoflibertyandstrengtheningtheconceptofindividualism.4.3.3DifferentPursuitofHeroInChina,collectivismisthemainstayinsociety.Collectivismmeansthatonebelongstoasocietyoracountry.AsChineseheroes,theygiveprioritytocountry’sinterestswhentheyexecuteatask.Aheroisnosupernaturalbeingwhofearsnothing.AstheobserverLiinOperationRedSea,heisafraidoffacingbulletandcannotgiveacorrectlocationtohispartnerduetonervousandself-doubt.Buthestillcannotflinch,concerningcountry’saffairastheprimaryone.TherewasanancientChinesesaying:Asolutionforthecountrytodieinbattle,alsodied,whichisafamoussentenceinaChinesepoemaboutwar.(Q.L.XU,QingDynasty)Chineseheroesareafraidoftheircountrybeingdestroyedratherthanscaringdeath.Therefore,mosttonesofChinesefilmsarereunificationandterritorialintegrity.However,Americanheroesaremorelikelytosearchforfreedom,peaceandlove.Theyalsofightforthecountry,buttheyarenotputitinthefirstplace.Forexample,inTheAvengers4,IronManisafraidoflosinghisfamilyagain,sohechoosestobeaquitterinthewaratfirst.Thor,losinghisfamilybefore,alsorefusestofightandevenlostcontrolofhim.Hawkeye,hekillsmanypeoplebecauseofthedisappearanceofhisfamily.Theyarepronetofocusontheirownfeelings.TheendgameinTheAvengers4attachesimportancetokeepingtheworldinbalanceandpeacebecausesuperheroes’familyandthenormalorderoflifearebrokenbyThanos,sodoAmericanpeople.Therefore,mostendingsofAmericanfilmsarekeepingbalanceoftheworldandpursuingpeace.Inaddition,Americanheroesrefusetobecontrolled.CaptainAmericaisthebestexample.4.4CausesofDifferentHeroism4.4.1CultureBackgroundChinaisanancientcivilizationwithmorethan2000yearshistory.Contentionofahundredschoolsofthoughthadflourishedsincewarringstateperiod,however,oneofthemostinfluentialtheorieswasConfucianismwhichstoodforbenevolenceandimpressedpeopleforalongperiodevenintoday’ssociety.Confuciusbelievedgovernorshouldshowsolicitudeandhumanismtopeople,opposedtyrannicalrulesandadvocatedunderstandingintheground.(Yan,2015)Whathecalled“benevolence”wasakindofunderstandingfromthetoptotheground,whichgavegreatconfidencetoeveryoneinorganizationthenachievedthemutuallybeneficialcooperation,opposingtheeffectonindividuals.FromConfuciustoDr.SunYat-sen,thetraditionalChineseculturepresentedmanypreciousideasandqualities,whichareessentiallypopulistanddemocratic,havingaprofoundanddeepinfluenceonheroeswhochoosetosafeguardnation’sinterestsinfrontofindividualinterests.ExactlytheimpressionofConfucianism,wearewalkingo