The True Heroes are Firefighters

The True Heroes are Firefighters

In today's superficial society, there are many stereotypes and groups into which people are categorized. There are also many people that are celebrities, who many ordinary citizens see as leaders in life. Many high-end sports figures such as Michael Jordan or Ray Lewis are seen as heroes and idols to many youths in America and around the globe. However, what they do is not really heroic; rather it is merely grown men playing a game. After the tragic events or September 11th, another type of hero, a true hero, has come to be heralded in America. The courageous men in this group are called firefighters, and protect citizens twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. They sacrifice their lives for anyone, no matter what danger to their own being. They have not been appreciated the way they deserve to be for one reason, a term called hero worship in society.

Hero worship is a theory first brought to light in the publication in 1841 of Heroes, lectures that were given by Thomas Carlyle, a Renaissance man of sorts, who lived in nineteenth century England. Carlyle did many things, from math tutor, to schoolmaster, to a law student; he did many things to pass his time. His theories on heroes and hero worship, are the basis of long studies conducted by himself on how society views certain people as heroes. Many of the people who he studied are still well known today, such as William Shakespeare and Jacques Rousseau. When describing Shakespeare, Carlyle stated " Who is there, that in logical words, can express the effect that music has on us? A kind of inarticulate unfathomable speech, which leads us to the edge of Infinite, and let...

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...erious consequences to the actions of a firefighter.

In summary, society in the United States is in a downfall. The hero is no longer a "model citizen", but had turned into someone with a record and an attitude. Now that the true nature of a firefighter has been seen throughout the world, especially with the picture of them raising the tattered flag, they need the respect they deserve. Firefighters do the job that not many people could do, and receive it with a passion that not many people are lucky enough to have when doing their job. They are the true men, the true heroes of our day.

Bibliography:

Bentley, Eric. A Century of Hero Worship. Boston: Beacon, 1957

Carlyle, Thomas. On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History. Lincoln: U

of Nebraska Press, 1966

Wecter, Dixon. The Hero in America. Ann Arbor, MI: Ann Arbor Paperbacks,

1941