The Way Superstitions Changed Us

        There are many ways in where we show how the supernatural play a role in our everyday lives, like in literature and television. We like to use the unknown in ways that can lead us to believe that they do exist, even though most things like witches and werewolves really don't. That's how its so easy for us to create a world in where they do exist due to all the superstitions we have created over the years.

        For example, the author of the Vampire Academy series Richelle Mead was able to create novels in where vampires can coexist with humans without ever having to hurt them. This is a good example in how we use those ideas to create stories that we can read all the time off of our fascination that the supernatural might actually exist.

        That's why American culture is different from most cultures due to the fact that America is very multicultural, but that doesn't mean its a bad thing. We are able to write stories that is completely out there through a basis that we already have. For that reason, we have so many great novels and TV shows from ideas like those and that's how we set ourselves to be completely different from other cultures.

Anti-Heroes: People with Double Personalities

        Anti-heroes are usually the protagonists of a story that have some kind of flaw to them, but at the same time, they can have some heroic qualities as well. Washington Irving's Ichabod Crane in Sleepy Hollow, is a well-known anti-hero that is famous in literature. In the show of Once Upon A Time, the character of Regina Mills, known as the Evil Queen, is another perfect example of an anti-hero. Both Ichabod and Regina have the qualities of being narcissistic, greedy, and manipulative in which are completely different from the usual hero character.

        Ichabod Crane from the beginning had wanted Katrina Van Tassel for the wealth and land that belongs to her father and with an extra bonus, she was beautiful. With that kind of benefits, he would be able to be fully supported by her father without having to work ever again. Regina on the other hand, just wanted to be superior over all the other people in the town of Storybrooke and she never cared about how she would get there. The people would suffer if anyone got in her way, proving that she was too self-absorbed to even notice the kind of pain that she created. That is why Ichabod and Regina can be so selfish as to getting what they want making them all the more narcissistic.


        Another thing that they have in common is the greed that can sometimes over take them both. Regina's main purpose in life was to take down Snow White and Prince Charming in every way possible. Although it might not seem so greedy, the way she is dedicated to taking them down, can even be looked as an obsession in making their lives miserable, can lead to a hunger of greed that can never be fully obtained until they're completely destroyed. For that reason, Regina never took a chance with either of Snow and Charming when fighting with them. Ichabod is a different story. He just wanted money, but isn't that what most people want? Having some sort of security when it comes to financially. That's why Ichabod's kind of greed is different from Regina's greed, but its still greed after all.

        Being manipulative is the other characteristic that make Ichabod and Regina the anti-heroes that they are. Ichabod uses his charm on his students and their families to gain something like food for example. By using his charming quality, he is able to easily manipulate whoever he wants. Regina just fully manipulates everyone to get what she wants. She basically blackmails anyone to do her bidding or changes the situation to go in her favor. With that sort of power over any person, she's able to manipulate things to the point in where she would end up on top. For that reason, manipulation was such a big quality in where both characters were one and the same.


        The characteristics of being narcissistic, greedy, and manipulative is what makes Ichabod Crane from Sleepy Hollow and Regina Mills from Once Upon A Time great examples of anti-heroes in literature and on television.