Preview

Heroes

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
512 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Heroes
Heroes today are merely media creations rather than truly admirable people.
The question of what makes a hero is one that has been debated upon for ages. There has never really been any consensus on what makes a person a hero or what attributes a hero must necessarily have. There are silent heroes who receive no honor, recognition or glory but move about their daily lives without even a news article written about them On the hand, there are the heroes who are larger than life and whose pictures are shown everywhere . Yet the question on whether or not these people are actually heroes remain. It must be remembered that in coming to terms with the concept of being a hero the attributes of both these types of heroes must be examined
The first and most commonly known hero is the person who is glorified and immortalized by the media. These are heroes because they are glorified and portrayed by the media as such. While their deeds may not seem as heroic as some, with enough media exposure they seem to be the godsend of humanity. This is not, of course, to discount the fact that they have in fact contributed some good to their community or society
The pattern that can be seen among these types of heroes is the fact that they are selected by the media. It seems therefore these days that every act of generosity when magnified through media exposure seems to actually larger than it actually is. While it is argued that their heroism comes from the fact that no matter how small the magnanimous act is it has served to inspire the rest of mankind, it still does not suffice to count as something truly heroic
A perfect example of this would be the so called charity and generosity of media icons such as the celebrities and athletes who endorse products but are also spokespersons for the human race. While it is not to say that some of them possess truly heroic attributes, one must also examine the circumstances surrounding their so called heroic deeds. Battling adversity and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    People read and watch things about heroes all the time because in the deepest reaches of their mind they aspire to be among their ranks. The problem with the average person’s desire to be a hero is that they don’t truly know what a hero is. A hero is able to bounce back from a defeat that would stop any normal man in their tracks, they are inspirational, they gain followers and believers just by doing what they think is right, and they don’t have to be strong, but have to be able to take mental punishment like no other.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    These actions of heroism don't just occur in literature. Many people have shown acts of heroism. For example Robin Emmons, a woman who had the desire to help bring healthy foods to low income communities, to improve the health of the people in those areas. After experiencing her brother grow borderline diabetic, due to a lack of accessible healthy foods in his transitional homing, she became inspired to help others in need (Geil 1). What she did next was unthinkably selfless; she quit her job and dug up one-fourth of her backyard. She started growing healthy, easily accessible food for people in need. Eventually, she started a non profit organization that delivers healthy foods to people in need, called “Sow much Grod” (Geil 2). Her organization…

    • 216 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Countless forms of storytelling make us question what a hero is. Films, video games, novels, and other modes of writing, let us answer for ourselves; every hero in every story is varied and can make us realize the answers lie within a gray area. Often heroes are quintessential saviors, while in other instances they take the form of the ever popular antihero with questionable motivations. Those motivations greatly inform and alter the hero’s narrative. Infamous psychologist Philip Zimbardo has done extensive research on heroism and he wrote an article that aims to answer the question its title asks - “What Makes a Hero?” In the article, Zimbardo claims, “The key to heroism is a concern for other people in…

    • 1524 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Corrie Ten Boom Analysis

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Even after all of her experiences in the concentration camps, she still had faith in God. She said, "God does not have problems — only plans." Without her faith in God, she wouldn’t have been able to be as resilient as she was during the Holocaust, and she wouldn’t have been able to minister to all of the people she did. All through history, society has reflected on what accurately defines a hero. More recently, individuals have considered Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone, and Anthony Sadler - three American friends who helped thwart what could have been a mass shooting on a packed high-speed train bound for Paris – as the chief example of a hero. They cared not for themselves, but for the individuals aboard the train, and although they have resisted the designation of a hero with vengeance and vigor, people around the world continue to think of these three men as heroes. It, in a way, makes individuals wonder, what can they do for other people, whether it’s giving their lunch to the woman down the street or giving up their seat on the bus for an elderly man? This all may…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    we have learned that the definition of a hero can mean many things but one common thing amongst the different interpretations is that a hero must have courage , bravery , and a cause to fight for. Whether it be…

    • 886 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What makes a hero an influential figure? Heroism is not an unattainable quality in America. From the assiduous hospitals employees to the common cashiers of chain-restaurants, everyday, average people can be deemed as heroes for performing under pressure of their lives. However for a hero to have an influential significance, the hero must giver “his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Joseph Campbell) –not only must they be able to endure hardships, but also be able to ace selflessly for the greater cause. These heroes are the ones that not only affect history but the future of America as well.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Doctors, firefighters, policemen, Mother Theresa, and the Pope are just a few of the things that come to mind when we think of the word hero. What we don’t think about are the everyday hero’s that go unrecognized. These are the individuals who make a change not only in our lives but in the lives of those around us.…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Pride In Beowulf

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary. No matter what culture or era, heroes are celebrated because of the paths they chose and the responsibilities they took. However, the virtues and the values that they reflect might be different depending on where they are from or what era they are in. Humility and fate are valued dissimilarly, whereas selflessness is admired constantly across the globe.…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Heroes are the game changers in society, who create the misfortune and accomplishment through their efforts. Throughout time, heroes have been represented in a variety of different ways. The Canterbury Tales and the Odyssey both portray their heroes far different than the other. In addition, heroes from the fifteenth century may be considered villains in today’s society. In conclusion, heroes are viewed in different ways because of perspective, the time period, and their self morals.…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hero's Heart

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples of heroism are when people, whether they are real people in movies or characters out of books dedicate their lives to a quest. In the Odyssey, Odysseus goes on the quest of killing the Cyclops. He has to go on this quest so that he can protect the people in his…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Heroes

    • 266 Words
    • 1 Page

    knowing that poor Joey LeBlanc who died on Iwo beach in the south pacific had been right all along…

    • 266 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever met an unjust hero? Our heroes are not selfish nor do they put themselves first. We as a society are their priority. Heroes are not cowards, they do not shy away from a challenge or someone in need. Never do the heroes push you to the sidelines. Unlike braggarts heroes are humble. “I’m not interested in the Heroes or the Villains. I’m interested in playing the people” (Anson Mount). The most crucial roles in society are played by ordinary people.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A hero never does heroic actions just so people recognize and praise them. Many heroes are not even recognized for their actions, but that doesn’t stop them from continuing and doing the right things. For example, soldiers who are constantly fighting for our country. Not every single one of them end up on the news, or trend on twitter, but they don’t stop fighting for our country because of that. They know it is the right thing so therefore they will continue doing it, praised or not. As Tom Hanks said, “A hero is somebody who voluntarily walks into the unknown.” Also a hero is not someone who gives up because of one obstacle. A hero is an individual who keeps going even in spite of the immense obstacle. For instance, in the poem, ‘A Man’, the poet describes a soldier who loses his arm while fighting for his country. In the beginning of her poem, she describes the soldier’s physical limitations from losing his arm, yet the soldier speaks of compensating for his physical disability with enthusiasm, “He set himself to do everything with twice as much enthusiasm. And where the arm had been torn away a wing grew” (Line 15). The first part dwells on the thought he can only do half of everything, such as a harvest, either tune or play an accompaniment on a piano, banging on a door, and holding his…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Things that heroes do are their decision. They can save someone from a burning building, they could save someone from a car crash, they could even give someone food. The little things people do is important to someone else. Firefighters save people everyday in their home. Police officers can arrest the people who want to injure people. And Soldiers, they fight for our country, even if it means dying. Everyone's a hero, in everyone's opinion.…

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A hero can make a difference in a small, medium, or large way. Some say that you can’t be a hero until you do a difficult or large task to prove that you are one. The truth is, the world is filled with heroes who became one by one simple task. Like your parents, city workers, or many other citizens. People aren’t doing the good to help themselves, there doing it for the person they are helping. Heroes aren’t heroes because they want to be, but because they choose to be kind and they go out of their way…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics