Cue for Treason Peter is a Hero free essay sample

Peter is a Hero A hero is a person who is admired and idealized for their outstanding courage, achievements, or noble qualities. Everybody’s perception of a hero is different, when asked, some might suggest a superhero that wears capes and solves crimes. Others might think of a soldier who fights for their country. In the book Cue for Treason by Geoffrey Trease, fourteen year-old Cumberland man Peter Brownrigg, is the protagonist. His perseverance, allegiance, and compassionate personality traits exemplify his heroism. Peter’s perseverance throughout the book led him to defeat Sir Phillip Morton and his conspirators. Peter was put in very difficult circumstances, such as when he snuck into the â€Å"Yellow Gentleman’s† house and got his stolen play back. Perhaps the author wanted to portray a different type of hero, but when Peter was climbing up the side of the house and-although it was a tough situation-kept going, it showed Peter’s heroic qualities. Peter’s state of mind at the time is unimaginable, he said this as he was climbing â€Å"Each time I put my weight on a fresh dagger, my heart went into my mouth and I heaved myself for the splash below. † (p.  132) Taking on such a job to begin with, is an enormous responsibility, but to do it alone, takes bravery and devotion. Peter displayed his endurance when he was held captive on an island for questioning and said â€Å"I knew I had to fight on. This was no sunny bathing trip. † (p. 201) Despite suffering, Peter was devoted to his mission and had the temerity to carry on. Although Peter’s life was at risk many times in the book Cue for Treason, he was able to endure the struggle. Allegiance-noun: The loyalty of a citizen to his or her government or of a subject to his or sovereign. This perfectly describes Peter’s character and his faithfulness. The first event in the book introduced the reader to the allegiant character, Peter. From then on, he was perceived as a heroic figure. Peter was involved in community outbreaks at a young age, therefore understanding the meaning of loyalty and being faithful to his country. At the age of fourteen, Peter was a part of a night protest against Sir Phillip Morton and ended up throwing a stone at him. Peter had proved that he understood about the malpractice of Sir Phillip Morton that night, ergo the mainstream childhood or background of a hero. When discussing Peter’s escape, this is what his father said â€Å"You dont know the law,†¦ No, they mustnt get hold of him now, while Sir Philips in his mad mood. Besides, we owe it to our neighbours to get him away. If the court lays hands on him, theyll question him about his companions at the time. †Ã‚   (p. 30) When Peter was at risk, the Brownriggs thought not just about themselves and the danger they were in, but also everyone involved in the night protest. Peter was obligated to run away in order to protect them. He demonstrates his loyalty to the queen when he escapes the island where he is held captive to stop the assassination of the sovereign. He swims to get away, in order to reveal what he knew about the conspirators. â€Å"I mustn’t give up, I mustn’t give up. I think I panted the words aloud, above the roaring in my ears. Everything depended on my reaching that thin line of grey shingle, that fringe of oaks and pine. If I give up now, and let myself slip down into the sweet peace of green water the queen would be murdered and the kingdom thrown into anarchy. † (p. 201) A common hero in any fictional story always possesses the traits of a â€Å"perfect human†, such as being loyal, kind, truthful, etc. Throughout the duration of the story, Peter did not just swallow the grief, he remained humane and sympathetic. He won the battle he was personally facing and accomplished what no average boy at his age would. Peter was given many opportunities to become hostile and malevolent but remained gnostic overall, a hero requires these traits. What was astonishing was when Peter was held hostage by Anthony Duncan, one of the conspirators, on an island and was able to escape. Peter had the chance to kill the man but instead just made sure he would not escape. â€Å"I didn’t want to hurt Duncan. He’d been as kind to me as a man could, considering that we were enemies. If he’d been crueler, more ruthless, he would never have given me the chance to hurt him. † (p. 197) Peter realised that he was only as good as his actions. If Peter had killed Duncan, he would not have been as heroic as he appears to be. Peter seems to be obnoxious at the beginning of the book Cue for Treason, especially when the character Kit was introduced and Peter saw her as a threat at the company. As soon as Kit exposed that she was a girl, the unenvious, remorseful side of Peter started to become visible. Kit had run away from home and found herself in theatre, even though women acting was not acceptable at the time. Once Peter knew this, he was empathetic and began to respect Kit very much. He proved the solicitous side of him when the two snuck into the â€Å"Yellow Gentleman’s† house. â€Å"Kit volunteered to look after them. I didn’t like dragging her into danger, but she went haughty at once. † (p. 129) Peter didn’t feel comfortable involving Kit in risky situations and for that reason his character became a good-hearted one. The â€Å"good-guy† of the book Cue for Treason is understood to be Peter Brownrigg. Throughout the book, Peter demonstrated the traits of a typical, fictional hero. He showed endurance, loyalty, and empathy during the book and led the reader to always be supporting him and his motives. Peter had two sides to him that led him to be recognized as the protagonist. He had the persistent, strong side to him that allowed him to win and beat the â€Å"bad-guy† or the antagonist of the story, but he also had the sympathetic, understanding side that tied up the â€Å"hero† package. If Peter was not consistently compassionate he would just be â€Å"Sir Phillip Morton’s enemy† or the book would be about a rivalry. Due to his soft side, the story became a â€Å"good-guy vs. bad-guy† type of novel, Peter evidently being the good-guy.