Heroism: Hero and Ar Te

Heroes are not only the people flying around but can also be the everyday man with a good heart. An everyday man like a firefighter and policemen can be a hero. Firefighters and policemen are strong and courageous. They risk their lives just to save and protect an everyday stranger. That is what a hero does. Being a hero does not require having super strength or need to read minds, but being a hero does require certain qualities that make a hero. One of those qualities is being a leader and also being courageous. Since leadership and courage are two necessary traits of a hero, heroes are usually not weak but strong.

“Heroes are everyday, common people. Most of what they do goes unheralded, unappreciated. And that, ironically, is heroism: not to be recognized” (Oliver Stone pg. 73). Heroism doesn’t offer recognition or rewards, in fact, most heroes go unnoticed by the public. People are heroes because they care about problems that might not affect them, but may affect other people in a harmful way. Heroes can be afraid, but over time they have to overcome their fears and achieve what they are shooting for. They are never selfish, and are always looking out for others, even if that means they have to go out of their way to help someone. Heroism always means determination, and always continuing to push through the hard obstacles in life that they might

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure, in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” This quote, stated by Christopher Reed, best defines a hero in the simplest terms. A hero is someone whose job is to put others safety before their own and show perseverance in tough situations, even if they do not always get the recognition for it.

Heroes play a significant role in modern day society, as well as throughout history. Heroes are portrayed in many different forms. A hero can be anyone that has committed an act of heroism, by completing a task for the benefit of others instead of oneself. Our first heroes as children tend to be our parents. Society sets a standard, or guideline that determines if a person is correctly defined by the term heroism. A hero’s cause or morals also can evolve as society changes. Heroism throughout the course of history has changed as society has evolved.

The word hero holds significance for many. A hero is usually someone who is idolized or admired for the brave and courageous things that they have accomplished. Roland was a very brave and skillful individual who accomplished many heroic tasks in his life including his loyalty to King Charlemagne, but his bold personality also got him into trouble and ultimately led him to death. He maintained an honor and loyalty that led him to a martyr’s death, though. Although he was disliked by many, including Ganelon who was his own father, he came to be known as a great man in history and he played a major role that helped shaped medieval times. His temper and bold attitude are just a few attributes that helped propel him forward in his successful, heroic lifestyle.

Throughout history, heroism and the idea of heroic imagination has shifted in ideals. “Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story”(John Barth). Everyone can be a hero by today’s ideology. History shows that heroes show up in the most unlikely of places. Today however, “heroes” are everywhere. Although true heroes do exist in contemporary society, heroic imagination and heroic standards are slowly dying, perhaps past salvageability. Many however, do believe it can be saved and are taking actions to do so.

What does the word heroic mean to you? What pops into your mind? For me when I think of the word heroic, I think of my dad. My dad has always supported me on all my decisions and he is alway reliable. Not only does my dad supports me on everything, he is also very understanding and humble. He has always been loving and patient, not only with me, but with the small town of Manton. He also goes out of his way to make others feel good before himself.

According to Christopher Reeve, "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." This is a simple, yet effective definition of what a hero is. Being a hero, however, requires heroism. Heroism is putting people's lives before your own, having the determination, courage, and willpower to do so.

In the Iliad, men seem to have an advantage in the setting of war and power. Unlike in the mortal world, the female gods are much more in control and demanding than the male gods. By comparing and contrasting the differences of female mortals and female gods in The Iliad, we can improve an idea of what Homer considers the proper place for women during a time of war. In the Iliad women have played an important role in the development within the poem. The way men treat women in this poem reflect the beliefs of Homer.

I think heroism means when somebody or multiple people do something beyond for a person or multiple people. For example service men and women who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Police force, and Firefighters they all risk their own lives for others. They defend our country, they go to countries far away to fight, they catch the bad guys and enforce the laws and they save people and fight fires. That is what I think heroism is.

Aristophanes’s play Lysistrata is about a sex strike and describes women working around their inferior status in society to fulfill their primary duty to their country by putting other duties to the side to persuade men to end the war. This illustrates the duties of both women and men with an emphasis on the duties of the woman while also detailing a few key differences between genders. While these duties and differences are described throughout the entirety of the play, the interactions of Lysistrata, Myrrhine, and Kinesias in scene five illustrate them with clearer detail. This implies that while women may be inferior citizens in a society, they have loyalties and responsibilities, and they prove to be intellectual, rational equals to male citizens.

A key element of the heroic ideal in a society is attitude and mentality. In The Iliad, Achilles is widely known for his brute force and rash actions. Homer establishes the importance of this trait to Achilles’ character by opening the epic with a description of Achilles’ anger: “Achilles’ rage, / Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks / Incalculable pain…” (The Iliad I.1-3). The heroic ideal exhibited in The Odyssey is different because of Odysseus’ deviation from the use of brute force. The epic opens the same way as The Iliad, with a description of its hero: “Speak Memory—Of the cunning hero… After he plundered Troy’s sacred heights” (The Odyssey I.1, I.3). While Achilles key traits are his rage and violent tendencies, Odysseus’ most significant characteristic his mind and his ability to think his way out of a

“Concern yourself with accepting responsibility than with assigning blame. Let the possibilities inspire you more than the obstacles discourage you.”(Ralph Marston) A hero doesn’t let the fall get to them, they also don’t give up and assign the blame or responsibility onto another. The truth is while heroism does not always mean gaining a happy ending, heroes face challenges with a smile and fight even when the odds are stacked against them.

The term ‘twisted hero’ does not exist. At first glance, to most people, a twisted hero is believed to be a conservator, a simulacrum of a deity, to its dependents and followers, but nevertheless at times has iniquitous actions or a disturbed mindset. However, the meat and potatoes is that all heroes have effectuated immoral acts numerous times in their lives in some form, so according to the denotation above all heros are twisted. As a result of this, the concept of a ‘twisted hero’ simply does not exist because people who are heroes are just heroes, not twisted heros. They cannot be both; either they are heros, people who do good deeds but sometimes do bad things, or twisted, people who have immoralistic mindsets and commit bad deeds. Heros are not as the media portrays them, glorifying their every action and then pointing fingers at them like five-year-olds when they have committed misdeeds, they make mistakes and sometimes not-so-moral actions.Hero's actions of good trump the bad ones.

What comes across our minds when we think of a hero? A man with incredible physical strength? We often have a misconception of heroism from fictional characters with supernatural powers. But a hero is highly more than these qualities. I used to believe that heroes did not exist in reality because mankind was made to be ordinary. As I began to realize, heroes are surrounding in our daily lives and have the same objectives in those in my fantasy. Without heroes in this world, it would be filled with darkness and evil, without a light of hope. Heroes are anyone who chooses the road of evolving for greater, helping others, and overcoming challenges despite fears.