The Cunning Hero Archetype is more important in today’s world than it ever was in the past because nowadays most problems cannot be solved by punching them; people need to out think their problems. People should learn to use their intelligence to make money in order to survive in this modern world.  Using their intellect is why cunning business people thrive by making as much money as they possibly can, like Henry Ford, for example. He was a smart businessman who managed to earn millions before he died.

In this modern world, brilliant intelligence and the mastery to out think opponents–whether they are in business or political–is critical and a crucial skill. Politicians need this ability too if they want to win elections and to get into powerful positions. This also goes to the average people as well.  We live in the age of information when intelligence and knowledge is king, and people need to learn everything they can, so they can get the best occupations that provide the best pay and the best perks. In this modern world, people can no longer rely on their strength like people needed to a thousand years ago. Only the most intelligent will become the new kings of this world.

The historical figure who is often known as one of the most famous and smartest businessmen is history, and who fits the cunning archetype, is Henry Ford. Henry Ford is famously called the “father” of the car, which implies that he is the one who invented it. However, he actually did not do invent the car; rather, Ford is the person that made that car affordable so that a greater number of people could buy it. One way he accomplished this affordability aspect was that he made the parts interchangeable, because it is a lot easier to mass produce cars if replacement parts could simply be ordered and put in the vehicle. Henry Ford also created many useful business strategies that many companies in the world still use today. Those lessons include: know your market, focus on efficiency, and always make sure the products are in high quality, along with many other lessons.

Henry Ford was known as a very curious being, and who one who cherished quality and things done right (Singh).  He was a very important figure for the development of the modern world because he made cars affordable, so the masses can afford to buy one of their very own, and as the result of this, it changed the world.  He founded the Ford Motor Co., and the company is still known for its quality and brand today.  Affordable personal transportation served to make the U.S. much smaller, in terms that places that were once out of range for most people became a driving trip away. The car had changed everything and thanks to Henry Ford’s cunning, business strategies and his engineering knowledge, and desire to continue to invent things and improve on products, this was made possible.

Source:

Singh, Rashi. “11 Personality Traits of Henry Ford.” Business Alligators, 2 Aug. 2017, www.businessalligators.com/henry-ford-personality-traits/. Accessed 7 November 2018. Web.

One of the best examples of the cunning hero archetype is the doctor from the famous show that is called Doctor Who. This sci-fi TV show is about an alien from a species called the time lords and that he is also the last one of his kind; he also goes on all kinds of science fiction adventures with a human. One of the weird things that he can is that he can regenerate, which means he give himself a new body which makes this character pretty unique among the other protagonists in other television shows and movies. No matter which new body he or she has during the time, the doctor always using reason and logic to win.

The Doctor never relies on brute strength or violence to get the job done; he always uses his intelligence and his own cunningness to defeat his enemies and to get out of tough and dangerous situations. This quality is one of the many other qualities that makes Doctor Who unique. You can see a lot of protagonists just punching or shooting problems, but Doctor Who tends to create a new device or invention rather than a physical weapon or simply talks and negotiates to solve his problems.

Even though Doctor Who is an alien, and seen somewhat as a superpower, a particular episode showcases his humanity. In “the Girl in the Fireplace,” the episode shows his feelings and a truer glimpse of him in this episode set in 18^th century France. It is often considered by critics and fans alike as one of the best episodes of the series.

Source

“The Girl in the Fireplace.” Doctor Who: The Complete Second Series. Writ. Steven Moffat. Dir. Euros Lyn. Perf. David Tennant. BBC Home Entertainment, 2012. DVD.

I have chosen the archetype that is called “Cunning.” This certain archetype uses his/her own intelligence, speech, and meticulous careful planning to get out of difficult situations and to defeat enemies that may be way tougher and stronger than the archetype. However, they are not smarter, and the cunning archetype uses this fact to his advantage. I chose this archetype because I personally value brilliant intelligence more than raw brute strength.

This archetype prefers to outwit their enemies. Examples of this can include creating better strategies and plans, gathering vital information and then using it against their foes, or even just talking it out with their opponents, so they can solve their problems peacefully. People often seem like to see this kind of archetype in movies and books and in other forms of entertainment because they have more of a complex personality than the characters that just use their brute strength, and as a result they just more likable.

I find that heroes who use their intelligence as a tool tend to be more interesting than the heroes who follow the cliché revenge story.