Dr. Martin Luther King: Modern Hero And Its Impact On Our Society

"I think a hero is really any person intent on making this a better place for all people," said Maya Angelou. This is

one of the many definitions of what heroes are. It is implied that a hero, such as Christopher Columbus, must be admired by their society, as a whole. At the time of his life, Columbus was revered as a hero who brought wealth and claimed land for Spain. However, he is now a very controversial subject, as in doing those things, he murdered and treated Native Americans horrifically. Due to this, society influences our heroes. However, some may say that our modern heroes are stronger than even the hardest of diamonds. But, in reality, the eye of society influences and molds them more than we think. Society affects heroes because

they must evolve in order to fit our definition of what they must be, no matter how much influence the role-model may wield.

To be a hero, he must mature to fit the current views of our society. One person who believes this is Adam
West, an actor who once portrayed Batman. "West has found that superheroes never grow old. They just change with the times" (Wright, 24). This is because cultures decide what is a hero and what counts as heroic, therefore have immense influence over our heroes. An example of a group of heroes that did not change when public opinion did are the Vietnam veterans. "While the courage of our soldiers was much admired in World War I and II, towards the later years of the Vietnam War, the public held a negative opinion of soldiers fighting that war" (Husain, 5). These warriors were shunned and their courage spit upon by the general populace due to the unpopularity of the war. Some reasons for this dislike was a high casualty rate and the military draft, and the veterans were not accepted as heroes until a decade later. These forsaken soldiers are just one example of how an unchanging hero can easily fall out of favor after they have fought gruelingly for their title.

There are a great variety of heroes, and an example of an everyday hero is Martin Luther King, Jr. Some
mistakenly believe that MLK independently impacted our society when he fought for equality, forever changing it for the better.

They claim "Martin Luther King, Jr., is a hero we consider to have greatly influenced society rather than society having influenced him. Through his leadership in the civil rights movement and through his political protests, he forever altered American society" (Husain, 8). He did not change us on his own. He was first a victim of cruel injustices and this effect from society motivated him to try and change it." Dr. King was not immune to the influences of society around him, as he, and the civil rights movement he led, were affected by the racism and prejudice that was endemic in America at the time…His ability to motivate people to embrace the ideals he preached, and to transform society, was dictated and provided by the specific conditions of the society around him"(Husain, 8). This illustrates that Martin Luther King was first inspired by the animosity and racism ever-so-present in current times to protest and fight against it. King acted upon this influence, changing the culture in turn, and becoming one of our most pivotal heroes. He was created by this society, like many others, and only altered the culture after this

experience.

A hero must mutate to fit what their society believes is good and right, because otherwise their culture will not
see them as a hero any longer. Thus falling out of their state of respect and reverence. Because of this fact, the society is stronger than heroes, and shapes them to fit our ideas and needs. Superman, who was used as a metaphor for the Jewish immigrant experience, was intent on making this world a better place. His existence depended on the quality of the world that needed him. Ultimately, to be a hero, they must have the respect of the population as a whole, and to do this, they must act in what is classified as ethical and right for their culture.