Similarities Between Past And Present Heroes

A hero's place in society has remained relatively consistent since the very beginning of time. Throughout the years, people have seen many different versions of larger-than-life heroes, who have completed seemingly impossible tasks and persevered through immense adversity. The common denominator between all of these heroes has always been that each and every one of these beings has put his/her own life in danger and fought great battles in the pursuit of a better life for mankind as a whole.

The modern day hero contributes positively to the society; he or she is a role model to different race, age and gender. In Beowulf, the king was in charge of the kingdom and he was obligated to fight with his warriors while the modern day, the President is in charge of the people but he does not fight with them in battle, he sends his soldiers off. Modern day heroes are not out looking for fame or fortune, they operate with great passion and drive to fulfill their dreams; if they get recognized for their great work, it is not publicized, it is done within the confines of the work environment. Modern day heroes do not depend on physical strength, they think of other ways to positively impact the society for example, Philanthropy is a great way to impact change in the community and philanthropist are seen as heroes in the eyes of the people they help. A person who donates his kidney to save

Today in society there are many individuals who can be described as heroic because of their courageous actions towards helping others. People who do not believe in heroes today do not see the change happening around the world for the benefits of future generations. However, in reality many individuals are risking their own lives to fight for what they believe in and for the change they wish to see in this world. Alfred de Vigny asserts that there are no heroes in this world, but even ancient stories like Beowulf provide examples of heroes who risk their lives to save others while we do still have heroes during modern-day times.

Heroes are selfless and put others before themselves in dangerous situations. Such as on 9/11, when a call was given out for boats to come rescue people off the island of Manhattan, where the terror attacks happened, as pictured in “Boatlift” Vincent Ardillo after hearing the news told his wife, “I gotta do something.” This represents heroism because Ardillo is not thinking of how he will be impacted, but rather of the people who need help, as many other people with access to a boat did as well. Also, Ardillo could have stayed home and been safe, but chose to sacrifice his well being and comfort for others. Another hero would be Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross, as Barton declared in a Civil War speech “I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them.” Barton distinguishes she could be hurt while helping the soldiers, however she does not dwell on the fact, deciding instead to carry on and make a difference despite the threat to health. This is heroic because Barton is putting others who cannot care for themselves and acknowledges she could be hurt, but does not let that get in the way of her reaching her goals. To sum up, heroes are everyday people who go out of their way to help others in need without the thought of payment.

Anyone who influences anyone else by saving or helping save his or her lives can be a hero. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to minorities. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest heroes, led a nonviolent revolution to free his country. Even a parent can be a hero to his or her child by leading them in the right direction. All teachers are heroes when they make it their job to teach a child anything that will help them in life. You don’t have to go to great lengths by risking your life to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Heroes care not only for themselves, but for others. In the White House Funeral Sermon for Abraham Lincoln, “...not for himself only, not for us only, but for all people in all their coming generations till time shall be no more…” This means that President Lincoln took risks not to ensure his safety but to make sure that he would be known as a doer. Lincoln knew that what he was doing would revolutionize the way not only the way his generation would live but all future ones. This showed that he cared not only for himself but for people he would never get the pleasure of meeting. Back in World War II a true hero was born. One of the bloodiest battles of WWII, Hacksaw Ridge, was lucky to have Desmond Doss as a part of their medical team. He saved 75 people. Most in which others had left behind, for they thought that they weren’t saving. He cared about every single one making it back to base to be helped despite who was after him. Or even in the 9/11 boatlift many heroes stepped up to the plate. Vincent Ardolino, Captain of the Amberjack V,

A black conservative, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, renowned globally for his groundbreaking surgery to separate the Siamese twins, is a former left-wing Democrat currently running for the Republican presidential election. His conservative stand on race relations in the United States has played a key role in his current surge to the top of Republican Party race. Ben Carson holds that all races are discriminated against while the quest to change race relations in the country is hinged on efforts by individuals and not large-scale institutional reforms (Rigueur, 2015). That is, successful fight against racism depends on self-sufficiency and a great measure of patriotism that appreciates capitalism

What is a modern day hero, and what do they do that makes them a hero? Modern day heroes slay racism and biased opinions. Someone known for being a modern day hero is Pauli Murray. She was an activist for all things humanity. Pauli Murray was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 20, 1910 (Kathryn Schulz). Murray very much believed in equality for all humans no matter their skin color, sexual orientation, or gender. Having grandparents that were former slaves put a bitter taste of human mistreatment in her mouth. When she was 4 years old her mother, Agnes Murray, died of a cerebral hemorrhage, and just a few years later in 1923 her father was murdered by a hospital guard (Kathryn Schulz). Murray’s decision to go to college and study law was all on her. Being a time of severe segregation, college was not a familiar option for most African Americans, and women going to college was practically unheard of, but Pauli was determined that she was going to college to study law no matter her race or her gender. William Murray, Pauli Murray’s father, attended Howard University, which put the fire in Pauli to get accepted there. After a failed attempt to get into the college once, Murray finally got accepted and graduated

Oliver Stone once wrote, who he saw his heroes as“ Sciences who spend years of their lives trying to find cures...The inner-city kid who works at McDonald’s instead of selling drugs. The kid who stands alone instead of joining a gang, which would give him instant identity...People who take risks despite fears. People in wheelchairs who don't give up…”. (SB, pg.64) Heroes are people who choose the right no matter the situation. Making sacrifices for others benefit, being determined to rise over challenges, and not being perfect instead making mistakes are just some of the traits that make a hero.

Alex Lickerman,a psychologist, gives a very detailed description of how he portrays a hero. Many people are considered heroes for minor things. A hero is not about giving money to charities or visiting people in need. Although these deeds are productive, it does not make people a hero for doing these actions. A genuine hero will risk their life or try to save a life.Heros, are not looking to be rewarded for their actions. People simply do these deeds,because they want to make a difference in helping others. They should support people in time of need. The person I chose that qualifies as a hero is Richard Nares. He has started a program to help children receive chemo, who are unable to transport themselves. Nares travels around the country for children, he hopes to give hope and he has a major support system supporting him.

Heroes can do the right thing, however, occasionally the right thing isn’t the same to everybody. Frederick Douglass is a good example because he had never pleased everyone when campaigning or helping other African Americans, many people referred to him as a hero and others as criminal. Douglass was a leader, he still helped others, even while people pushed hate towards him and discouraged his work. He had stood in front of the people he couldn’t please and led the others with his speeches “I remained firm, and, according to my resolution” said Douglass himself in his autobiography. Another example would be

“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

Heroes are those who have gone above what the average person would do to ensure the welfare of others. Natural disasters, terrorism, poverty, and war are some of the many things that destroy and end people’s lives. Throughout history, many people have made a difference. However, as history progresses, what we consider to be socially normal changes along with our definition of a hero. In Ancient Greece, Theseus, Hercules, and Perseus were considered heroes, but today only Theseus and Perseus would be considered heroes because Hercules would be shunned by society.

Heroes are not always people who lead marches or do things for their country. For example policemen, firefighters, nurses, lifeguards etc. are heroes everyday because they take the time to save lives. When they’re going through a challenge or trying to overcome a conflict they always have courage. These people risk their own life to save someone else’s. To be more specific Dr. Ginger Holt from Dallas had saved a little boy’s leg. She was confident and determined to finding out what went wrong in the boy’s leg and went through many procedures looking at the tests.

Heroes are prevalent in everyone’s life. Whether someone’s hero is a living person or a fabled character from a movie, everybody has come into contact with some sort of hero. In fact, the concept of heroes has existed for hundreds of years, dating all the way back to Ancient Greece. Over time, heroes have drastically changed. As society has evolved, our heroes have evolved with it. Their goals and motivations have changed to coincide with the views of modern society. Modern day heroes have less selfish motives, better qualities, and are portrayed differently than ancient heroes.