Joan of Arc

"This evolutionary only spent an estimated 19 years on this Earth, but during her short life, her rebelliousness was such that it established a legacy that will likely never be forgotten. A heroine of the Hundred Years' War, Joan was born a peasant in medieval France, but despite her tender age and humble beginnings "The Maid of Orléans" would rise to become a military leader and respected warrior. Though many surely called her crazy during her lifetime, Joan seemingly never faltered, maintaining her faith in what she believed to be her mission from god. Though she was burned at the stake, she is remembered as a saint, martyr, and powerful female rebel and icon." 

Martin Luther King Jr.

"As arguably the single most famous Civil Rights leader in world history and easily one of the greatest orators to ever step up to a podium, this rebel requires very little introduction. Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1929, this Reverend's son would go on to become a Baptist minister in his own right, an activist and one of the most inspirational figures of the century. From 1954 until the time of his assassination in 1968, he was the voice and face of the American Civil Rights movement, leading a campaign of equality built upon a platform of equality, nonviolent action and civil disobedience. Though hatred and fear led to his murder, no amount of it could kill his dream." 

Harriet Tubman

"The fight for racial equality in America is one that spans centuries and has been championed by countless heroic rebels. In 1955, Rosa Parks took a stand by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus and in doing so, she began her journey to become "the mother of the freedom movement". Years before that, Harriet Tubman similarly struck a massive blow in the name of equality. Born a slave, Tubman escaped and then proceeded to help many others do the same. During her lifetime, she was also a Civil War spy and scout for the United States and later championed the women's suffrage movement. A rebel if there ever was one."

The symbol of rebellion that is associated with Harriet Tubman is the Underground railroad. 

Nelson Mandela

"A hero of the anti-apartheid movement, Nelson Mandela is a man who truly suffered for his cause. But even faced with great adversity, he refused to accept the status quo that was the racial division of South Africa. Born into the Thembu royal family, Mandela became concerned with anti-colonial politics during university, joining the African National Congress in 1943. His efforts in the fight against apartheid would lead to his eventual arrest and imprisonment in 1962. The next 27 years of his life would be spent behind bars, where he continued to serve as an inspiration, thought leader and hero. In 1994, just four years after his release, this rebel became President of South Africa."

Margaret Sanger

"The reproductive rights of women is a battle still being fought today, but we might not even have the term "birth control" were it not for this pioneering nurse, writer and activist. Sanger, born in 1879, first came to the public's attention when she began penning sex education columns; some readers were scandalized, while others praised her straightforward manner. This was an age when abstinence was the only method being taught, and Sanger, often called to help women suffering after poorly-performed home abortions, became a vocal champion for better knowledge of birth control. She believed that women should be "the absolute mistress of her own body" and was both arrested and exiled for her efforts."

Spartacus

"Our greatest rebel from history is also our oldest. A Thracian gladiator and slave, Spartacus not only managed to escape his captors but went on to become one of the leaders of an entire rebel army. Though the initial group he escaped alongside counted only roughly 70 people, his forces would eventually grow to be an estimated 70,000 strong. What the Roman Republic initially dismissed as a minor group of outlaws became a bonafide military force, and under the leadership of Spartacus, they became a tactically remarkable one. Spartacus would eventually fall alongside his forces, his story of rebellion has never been forgotten."  

Mocking Jay 

One of the most recognized symbols of rebellion in modern young adult fiction is the Mocking Jay pin, sign, and song. In the hunger games series, a young Katniss Everdeen, finds herself bearing a pin of a mocking jay when she enters her first games, which she volunteered for to protect her younger sister Prim. This symbol becomes the first symbol of the resistance against the games, the mistreatment of the districts, and the capital, who is controlling it all from a comfortable and luxurious distance. During the games, Katniss and Rue use the mocking jays in the arena to communicate. When Rue is killed in the games the Mockingjay serves as a reminder for Katniss of all the terrible things the capital is doing. Through Katniss' continuous use of the symbol when she barries Rue, and when other factions use it to memorialize Rue during Katniss and Peta's victory tour the Mocking Jay grows into a sign of defiance against the capital and its cruelty against the districts. Eventually, the symbol of the Mocking Jay transforms into the symbols of the rebellion against the rules, regulations, and mistreatment done of the districts for the benefit of a thankless capital. This symbol is ultimately used to start a rebellion within the districts against the capital.     

The Paper Bag Princess: "Paper Bag"

"The Paper Bag Princess" was a book found on many children's literature shelves when I was a child. It is harder to find today. The story starts out like many other princes novels with a young Princess Elizabeth betrothed to Prince Ronald. After a dragon destroyed their castle and stole Prince Ronald, Princess Elizabeth was furious and wanted to chase after the dragon. The only thing Princess Elizabeth could find to wear was a paper bag. The Princess didn't give wearing the paper bag a second thought, she wanted her prince Ronald back and would do whatever she needed to do to find him. The princess was smart and followed the Dragons path of destruction. When Elizabeth finally found the dragon cave, she again, used her mind and found a way to trick the dragon. She baited him by complementing and asking him to show off his skills to her. The dragon couldn't resist showing off. 

After the dragon completed all of the 'challenges' that princess Elizabeth tricked him into doing he was too tired and fell asleep. Elizabeth finally could save her prince! Her prince was not grateful, he judged her for her appearance and refused to leave until she came back dressed like a princess. Princess Elizabeth was furious, she expressed that although prince Ronald might LOOK like a prince, on the inside he was judgmental, ungrated, and petty. Elizabeth left, and to this day, we do not know what became of Prince Ronald. Elizabeth is a rebel for many reasons. She was not taken prisoner, her prince was. Despite not having anything to bring excepts her makeshift dress out of a paper bag, Elizabeth never once considered leaving her Prince with the dragon. She was determined to save him. Using her intelligence, wit, determination, and bravery, all attributes that are often not associated with female characters in 'damsel-in-distress dragon prisoner' stories she saved her prince.  In a simple, hilarious, and matter-a-fact-way this book portrays that females can do anything, and they shouldn't base their decisions on what they think the males or anyone else in their life will door think about their decisions. Not only can princesses and females fend for themselves they are also extremely capable of saving others and defeating the dragons. It is not about how they dress, it is about what they possess within. Do not underestimate them, especially because they use their brain, heart, and body instead of simply muscle to get the job done. 

Divergent 

 In the Divergent series, we follow a teenage girl, Beatrice Prior who is living in a dystopian Chicago. We find out that she is Divergent and that she must not let anyone find out what she is. We are unsure what a divergent is and why is it dangerous to be one until later in the book. Divergents are considered dangerous because they do not have a natural allegiance or conform to any one of the factions, they have attributes of a mixture of or all of the factions. Having many attributes is considered dangerous. But why, and who is labeling divergence as dangerous. The leaders of Chicago label divergence as a threat that must be exterminated, because they are unable to be labeled, grouped, or have a fixed identity. They are harder to control, therefore they are a threat to the 'powers at be.' In this series Tris and the other divergent thought to be what is wrong and a threat to society. It becomes clear that Divergents were labeled as dangerous and as rebels out of fear and a lack of understanding of what they are. At the end of the first novel, we discover Chicago is an experiment and divergence are individuals that embody the complexities, multi-leveled nature, and uniqueness that being human is. What makes being divergent, a rebel in this society is that they don't naturally fit into one category and they possess the ability to belong and think like many factions, naturally and at the same time. 

Rapunzel from 'Tangled'

Rapunzel has been stuck inside a tower all her life. She is curious about the world outside of the tower and wants to go see the lanterns that float in the sky on her birthday every year. Her mother never allows her to leave the tower and portrays the outside world as a scary, dangerous place that Repunzel should never go to. Repunzel believes her mother is trying to protect her but her interest and longing to see the lanterns up close are stronger than her desire to obey her mother's rules. Rapunzel fights an internal battle for most of the movie with her desire to explore and see the world and her guilt about disobeying her mother. Rapunzel does rebel against her mother, as well as shifting between thinking this is the best decision she has ever made and thinking that she is a horrible daughter and that her mother does not deserve Rapunzel to rebel the way she is.  Her companion, Flynn tries to explain that rebellion is just part of growing up, that it is a right of passage when you are becoming your own person. Many other forms of rebellion are portrayed in this movie. Flynn rebels against the government by stealing, and doing what he wants regardless if it is against the law or not. Many other characters rebel against the guards by assisting Flynn and Rapunzel in escaping from countless situations where the guards almost catch them. None of these instances are portrayed as "the wrong thing to do" simply as helping others achieve their goal. Not until Flynn is put in prison and almost executed do we see the real danger and negative side of breaking the law or not following the rules. Rapunzel is also a rebel character because of her 'weapon of choice'. She has never been trained to use weapons so she ops for the use of a frying pan, which turns out to be very effective in many situations throughout the movie.