Analysis Of The End Of Admiration: The Loss Of Heroes

     “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men,” was written by James Agee and Walker Evans. The story is about three white families of tenant farmers in rural Alabama. The photographs in the beginning have no captions or quotations. They are just images of three tenant farming families, their houses, and possessions. “The photographs are not illustrative. They, and the text, are coequal, mutually independent, and fully collaborative.” (87) The story and the photographs contain relationships between them; in the essay I am going to inform you about the interpretations of the relationships between the readings of James Agee and some of the pictures by Walker Evans.

As time goes on and new generations come about, many of the ideals of former generations seem to become irrelevant. Scott LaBarge, a professor of philosophy, elaborates on this idea and others in his essay. “Why Heroes Are Important” is LaBarge’s pursuit to persuade others of his idea of heroes in today’s society. He claims that many of our youth do not know what a proper hero is and that former generations should be educating them. LaBarge begins his persuasion by describing his personal experience and credibility; then, he briefly describes the history of heroes to tie in his opinion on the definition; finally, he uses Aristotle’s idea of Kairos to explain how his opinion proves true according to current events.

The Thematic Paradigm, written by Robert Ray, shows that throughout America’s history, people are often attracted to heroes whose traits reflect those of the society at the time. Ray writes about how many American heroes are valued for their strong leadership and sense of community, but there are other heroes who are celebrated for their individuality and their ability to form their own moral laws. In The Thematic Paradigm, Robert Ray shows that the American people are drawn to those who embody traits of both good and bad values. By comparing common values and laws, showing a strong sense of individualism, and contradicting opposite views on America’s historical heroes, Ray is able to give a strong argument as to why Americans are drawn to certain characters in cinema and history.

The concept of a hero has been around for many generations, and the meaning of a hero is defined in ways people grasp its idea. A hero can be a person who has a superpower and is willing to make a personal sacrifice for the benefit of others or can be an ordinary everyday person who just wants to help people out of his or her own heart. Linda Seger’s article, “Creating the Myth,” tackles the idea of a “Hero 's Myth,” and shows the ten steps of how heroes are transformed from an ordinary person to the Savior. On the other hand, Robert B. Ray piece titled, “The Thematic Paradigm,” emphasizes that in modern films, it is either having an “Outlaw Hero or an Official Hero,” which he uses three stages to demonstrates how they are different each other in the way they perform in the society. Further, the article, “Out of Character: Wonder Woman’s Strength Is Her Compassion - What Happened?” by Stevie St. John, explains how Wonder Woman was viewed as a compassionate woman in the 1940s and 1950s, and in the 2000s she changes into a more violent person. In this essay, I argue that a hero is subjective, and is defined by the villain or event that they had to adapt to suddenly.

In today’s society, media is a part of everyone’s lives, whether people want it to be or not. One of the most openly disliked components of the media is the thin, ideal, hour-glass figure that is

Now I realise it seems a bit hypocritical of me to attack the media’s representation of a news event when I myself am a part of the hype-generating circus we call mass media. However, the voice of my wise, high-school English teacher echoes in my subconscious that we should always be critical of the texts we consume and conscious of the

All throughout history, whether present or past, books are filled page to page with people we consider heroes, as well as villans. Some quick people that come to mind when thinking of the fall of their legacy lead me to people like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Andrew Jackson and Napoleon Bonaparte. No matter what the subject; whether it be considered history of a sport, US history or even some celebrities lives, there will always be the one who was a hero in the spotlight and then the real truth comes out. Herofication dates back to the times of the beginning of America where Christopher Columbus, the man who we celebrate on Columbus Day to the public eye today is seen in a positive light. Contrary to popular belief, Columbus wasn't the nicest

The media has a powerful impact on how society views history in both positive and negative ways. Mass media is used to provide information, entertain, or educate, but the way that the media presents the information has a way to manipulate public perception. Based on the context and content used, media can sway public opinions on events or the people involved. The first event in which I chose to research was the Brock Turner Case.

Modern culture does not love only the anti-hero; modern culture loves nearly anything it finds praiseworthy. This encompasses a

For many years, heroes have been seen as people such as Hercules or Superman, men who have supernatural abilities and the power to overcome obstacles the common man could not. People crave these stories, as though hoping to live vicariously through these heroes’ feats. They develop a love, or rather obsession, with them. They dream of becoming like them and place them on a pedestal as some sort of unobtainable standard in which to mimic within their own life. This practice of idolization has continued for centuries.

Today a lot of individuals are praised for their bravery and their heroism. A lot of

The media influence has glorified and immortalized these heroes. We have relied on the media to portray as such. Do not get me wrong, their good deeds do not go unnoticed but because of the media’s stance on our heroes, these have become more important. The patterns of these heroes are media made and not a result of true heroic

Media plays an enormous role on people’s lives. For the good or for the bad, people tend to believe what they constantly see on the internet, television, newspapers and magazines. What the media wants to do is to make an affect on someone. It can literally be anything. As long as something that is said in the media creates or makes an impact on that particular person, the media has done

In the article “Heroes and Celebrities”, Davidson (2014) wrote that being a hero has been equated with being a celebrity. According to the author, the main causes of the disappearance of heroism from modern-day society includes the influence of mass media, the culture of democracy, and also the gaining popularity of critical view of psychologists. The psychologists view that the great individuals in the past have emerged only due to their difficulties and are not noble enough for their achievements. He also discussed an important difference between heroes and celebrities that heroes have the potential to inspire us with their great achievements and nobility, unlike the celebrities who just want some exposure to increase their status in the society and serves no purpose or fill us with any sense of inspiration. The capability of the heroes to inspire us with their courage, ideals and spirit are very strong and also the quality of being noble in character is an important trait of all heroes in

At the beginning of television news an arrangement existed between television journalists and the public. It was look at as that in modern times promotion journalism was normal. The United States was the modern, broadminded leader of the free world. When Walter Cronkite reported on the daily count of deaths of American soldiers in Vietnam, in lead to the antiwar disapprovals of the 1960s. One man changed how the United States look at the war with his power and influence to change people opinions. (Mann)