Controversy: The Role Of A Hero In Society

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.

In our society, everyone desires a heroic reputation. Whether it brought an inward joy, or a reputable outward facade, exemplifying a hero developed into something everyone longed to do. This ambition remains today. However, obtaining a hero-like persona constitutes much more than saving a cat from a tree or helping an elderly woman cross the street. A hero not only affects the direct person in need of help, but the many around as well. In order to have the classification of a hero, one must adopt a courageous, determined, selfless, and inspiring attitude while also attaining an opportunity to show heroism.

“I wish I could be a hero!” Many adults in today’s society hear small children wishing they could become heroes. Children wish to be more like heroes for the reason that heroes are the type of people who risk their lives to help others. Throughout history, children have had a positive connotation with the word “hero.” The heroes many small children talk about are the fictional ones who protect cities from villains: Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and others. However, these are not the only types of heroes in today’s world. Firefighters and policemen are also considered heroes because they save the lives of those in danger. Many adults consider their inspirations to be heroes, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin

Throughout the history of literature the story and essence of the “hero” has been the subject of countless texts. Who and what a hero is and what he or she is supposed to be and represent has been examined and reimagined; altered and deconstructed thousands of times. One of the most notable reimagining of the hero archetype in relatively modern history is the development of the superhero subgenre and its many literary implications on the common social consciousness. In their 75 year history of publication, superheroes themselves have seen their own archetypes develop and have added a lengthy chapter to the ongoing story of the hero in literature. These heroes are defined by their larger than life exploits and their seemingly unwavering moral

There are many types of heroes (such as the ones in comic books, myths, movies, or even just everyday life heroes) but all of them have perseverance when they’re going through a conflict. Heroes are role models and they’re people that we look up too. They all have unique and special qualities that make one another different from each other. For example policemen battle crime everyday and when they’re overcoming a conflict they have determination, courage and other traits that people admire them for and that make them as a hero. Typically a hero is admired for their achievement/actions and qualities.

Do you know what a tragic hero is? If not, a tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic qualities. They also have a tragic flaw that leads to their downfall. Do you believe tragic heroes are good for the society? That’s wrong if anyone does believe that. Tragic heroes are bad for the society. Even though they try to make things right, they always find some way to ruin the society. Tragic heroes aren’t needed in modern society because they bring tragedy, and have a negative impact on the society, even though they bring a new perspective to people.

     Some wonder if or why it is important to be a hero. Others don’t think that heroes are important at all. Why would it be important to be a hero? A hero, in today’s society, is someone that simply saves another person’s life. The “hero” doesn’t have to have an enormous amount of strength or ability. When a situation occurs where a life needs to be saved, there isn’t always an enormous amount of danger involved. Heroes show the rest of the world how to help others. Heroes also display what can be done in an emergency situation. Heroes are important because they provide everyone with good examples of morals that are lacked in present day society. Each minute of everyday, the morality of our country is reduced. Heroes show us all that there are still good people

Heroes are important in literature because their stories apply to contemporary society. While tragic heroes tell stories of pride generated downfalls, epic heroes tell of journeys of self discovery. In modern society either story could reasonably relate to the average person. Society’s mind set could be altered by the story of an epic hero, thus providing opportunities to solve problems from a new perspective. This is an attainable feat because epic heroes are often more relatable to ordinary people than one may think. Not all heroes have superhuman power. In fact, many are simple people with just one special trait that sets them apart. Epic heroes can also shape the future of a society, questioning and changing current morals society strives

The word hero is Greek, from a root that means “to protect and serve”. A hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice his own needs on behalf of others, like a Sheppard who will sacrifice to protect and serve his flock. At the root, the idea of hero is connected with self sacrifice” (Vogler, pg. 29). A hero represents an ego which distinct them from the rest of the human race. The journey of many heroes separates them from a family or tribe. They begin a long journey of only wisdom and power which keeps them distant from their home. According to Christopher Vogler, the author of The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for writers, a hero’s journey requires many inner strength and functions. One of these functions is growth. Growth meaning growing from a young man into an older one. When you go from you acquire knowledge and that is what happened to these heroes. This growth occasionally shows through the collection of the hero’s knowledge and wisdom which helps the hero gain strength while conquering obstacles on his journey. The obstacle tests the hero’s power to determine if the hero will die or survive. In every heroes story there is a confrontation with death. If the hero doesn’t actually face death then he is threatened with death which will show if the hero may succeed-live or fail-die. “The heart of many stories is the learning that goes on between a hero and a mentor, or a hero and a lover, or even between a hero and a villain (Vogler, pg.31).”

The authors purpose/message of this article is to show that the definition of hero is different for everyone, based on their own culture. This message is shown many times throughout the article. For example, the author states ¨a classic definition--to hero: someone who voluntarily leaves a point of safety to assume life risk to save or attempt to save the life of another.¨ This quote explains the message because that is the classic definition, but based on peoples cultures, they may not agree and change around the definition. Also the author states ¨That didn't quite fit my situation, which was thrust upon me suddenly...But sometimes in our culture we overuse the word, and by overusing it we diminish it.¨ This shows that even though people change the definition to fit them, the word becomes overused, because then basically everyone is a hero if they want to be.

It is no secret that the idea of the hero has perpetuated itself throughout the ages in stories told by word of tongue and by written language-- even today they dominate the written word as well as popular culture. There has been a considerable amount of growth and evolution in the societies cultivating such heroic stories over the course of early British literature. From the early renowned hero of Beowulf to the cynical satire of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver, the idea of heroism has been a transformative growth that has helped develop the circulation of modern day hero culture. Ideas and beliefs of heroism, as well as its evolution, have carried into today’s culture, literature, and fiction to create the present vast diversity

In the genre of western films, the hero plays a key role. Humanity portrays civilization overcoming the hostile country (Miller 66). In many films the American civil war is over, and people have turned their attention to more constructive pursuits. Battling nature to progress America's future, rather than each other. In between this wild country, fraught with danger and corruption lies the role of the hero. A hero is an individual with exceptional skills and through his abilities is able to rid a stricken town of the corrupt elements within. In many cases however, the hero's skills are not enough. His relationship with the community can define how successful his help can be.

A hero is someone that has a sense of responsibility to protect the ones that they care about. With a true hero they will go to any length that’s possible to make sure their love ones are protected from harm and well taken care of. As a mom of two boys I go to any length that is possible to make sure that they are well taken care of and safe of any harm that is might come to them. There are some people that will get called a hero when they have done some things that are or can be referred as to be commendable for their actions. There was a critical moment in 3:10 to Yuma when Dan Evens was overpower dang got pinned to the floor and struggled to stay alive, he was nearly breathless from the outlaw Ben Wade gave

We have different takes on who is a hero. Each and every one of us could give different definitions and even debate unto whom among the heroes we idolize did a more heroic act than the other. And that debate could go on until one gives up and just let the other win. We have different values which were thought to us and different principles we keep. This article made me realize the importance of going deeper and searching deeper into a person or a character to better understand underlying reasons of one’s actions due to one’s principles and values. It made me not to look unto the façade that people are wearing but to search in deeper such as to where is that person coming from, where he grew up, and then from there, understand his

It has been said that the best way to understand the character of a society is to examine the character of the men and women whom the society chooses as its heroes or its role models. The reality of that statement can be felt throughout society as it clamors to see justice, courage, and honor in the lives of its citizens. Society needs its heroes to help define itself among a sea of different societies. Next, as society shifts, these ideals remain the same but the way they are expressed in our heroes will naturally shift. Finally, society is left to determine if this new expression of its core beliefs is acceptable.