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Characteristics that make a person a hero
Characteristics that make a person a hero
Qualities that make a hero
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Throughout history there have been countless examples of people and actions that society deemed heroic. These heroes were not defined by age, gender, or race but by the traits they share. The three qualities that best demonstrate heroism and inspire others to make a difference are selflessness, determination, and courage. Selflessness is a key ingredient for a hero because putting someone else in front of their interests is the only way to do make a change for the better in this world. Meghan Vogel is prime example of this. She was a state champion runner who, in the middle of a race, stopped to help a fellow runner cross the finish line. Giving up a spot is heroic because she cared more about someone else’s wellbeing than her place in a
Every generation has its own heroes that display, what they believe to be, ideal characteristics. While each is different in their own way, many of these role models share similar qualities. Most tend to have courage, strength, compassion, or another respected trait, but this is not necessarily why they win the adoration of their followers.
Most of the heroes today encompass at least these three qualities. Many movie characters will have one or two of these characteristics but may not have all three. If the character does have the three, they are usually not simultaneous. These qualities are hard to embrace in the world today. Anyone that can integrate compassion, courage, and loyalty in one personality is a true hero.
Loewen defines heroification as “a degenerative process (much like calcification) that makes people over into heroes” (Loewen 11). During this process, negative or controversial facts are often ignored or altered in regards to these heroes, which create “perfect creatures without conflicts, pain, credibility, or human interest (Loewen 11). When one changes or omits facts concerning figures in history for this type of glorification, we are left with an invented story of the event or person; in other words, history has become a myth. History textbooks are filled with these types of glorifications, especially older texts. The purpose of heroification is to present events or people in a favorable light and to give ideal role models in which to follow. In my own words, I call Loewen’s heroification an effective form of brainwashing. For example, I was always taught that the Civil War was fought to free slaves, but later learned this war was about states succeeding from the Union. Many people still believe the Emancipation Proclamation’s purpose was to free the slaves; however, it was actually the last resort Lincoln used to win the Civil War. Of course, this is not how these events were portrayed to most of us in History class. Heroification alters the purpose of these events so that we, as citizens, can feel proud that America did away with slavery because our forefathers felt it was morally wrong. Loewen also points out how heroification can lead to role models in the case of Helen Keller, “the blind and deaf girl who overcame her physical handicaps, as an inspiration to generations of schoolchildren” (Loewen 12). The problem with Keller being used as an exemplary model for American schoolchildren is that only her early life is portr...
Over the course of history the definition of what makes a hero has made many changes. Beowulf, Superman, and firefighters are all examples of heroes, but they are very different when broken down. Today’s society defines a hero by his values, his strength, and his journey.
Many people take the word honor very lightly and believe that it is incredibly easy to be defined as a person who shows their honor for the people around them, and that may be true for some people but not for others. Three people who easily fall into the group of being an honorable person includes, William Wallace from the Mel Gibson film Braveheart, Sir Gawain, and Beowulf. Honor may be mistaken for many different things, but the word honor easily falls into the category of being a hero. In order to be a hero someone has to be honorable, and being honorable includes the same characteristics of being considered a hero. There are specifically two different types of heroes including, an Anglo-Saxon Hero and Epic Hero. There are four very strict
The Hero's Journey is a theory created by Joseph Campbell and expresses the idea that most heroes are essentially the same person embodied in different ways. Lawrence C. Rubin describes the monomyth as, “The hero, or mythic protagonist, from birth to death is on a journey, replete with demons, both inner and outer, challenges both great and small, and a cast of characters, some enemies, others allies and companions” (265). The 2001 animation Osmosis Jones is no exception to this assumption. In the film, a white blood cell named Osmosis Jones goes on an epic adventure to save the life of Frank and prove himself to the people of his community. In the beginning of the movie, Osmosis starts off as an egotistical jerk who believes he can do everything on his own; however, as the film progresses, Osmosis realizes that sometimes two brains are better than one. Jones finds out the hard way that without a helping hand, there is little he can achieve alone. Osmosis’s journey through the monomyth develops the theme of teamwork because help from others proves to be essential to Osmosis’s triumph.
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes with many different capabilities, values and attributes. We see heroes every day; firefighters, police officers, and even one’s parents. Heroes have been around for a long time displaying similar skills and abilities, but as time has gone on heroes have started to present different values of their society. But what truly makes a hero? What values does the hero portray about society? Heroes such as Odysseus from Ancient Greece and Kyle Carpenter from our time help us better understand the traits of a true hero. Ancient Greek society valued pride, bravery and selfish behavior as shown by Odysseus. However, heroes today show more humility and selflessness as our society has changed from the Ancient Greek society.
Heroism, like many other topics, can be defined from many different angles and perspectives based on who is defining it. My definition of heroism revolves around sacrifice, belief, and support. Each description is a key component to the overall image of heroism. The first component is sacrifice. A true hero must be willing to give up certain attributes for the sake of others, being physical or emotional. A hero must also
An English proverb states, “ A hero is a man who is afraid to run away”. I agree with this proverb, because when you see a hero in a comic book, they have super cool back stories, are not afraid to fight, and stare danger in the face and not blink. They are not afraid of anything. That’s nice to look up to, but they are not real. Our definition of a hero is too much for one man to become, you can do something honorable, heroic, but you will never actually be a hero because it's too much, in real life. Heroes don’t just do it so they can get paid, or respect. What really determines whether someone is a hero is if they choose to do something about it in a bad situation. We have people that do heroic acts, for example, people putting their lives before others. Those people cannot be heroes because they get paid to do it, they are, firefighters, cops, and military, they get paid to help people, so they aren't considered a hero.
In life, there could be multiple ideas on what heroism really mean. Many people would be curious about what it would take for them to become a hero. In the short story “The Mystery of Heroism” by Stephen Crane, a young union soldier’s name Fred Collins, who is engaging in a devastated war, decided to take a risk of running across a raging battlefield in order to retrieve water from a well for his fellow soldiers. Collins reveal the essence of bravery and courage by endangering his life to retrieve water for his fellow soldiers but at the same time he also did it to assist himself. Collins wants to prove to all of his company that he is brave enough to take risks. As a result, Collins demonstrates that his heroic actions is based on whether
Holzer, Harold (2004). Heroes of History Lecture: Abraham Lincoln, American Hero. National Endowment for the Humanities. Retrieved from We the People.gov.
When I think of a hero I immediately think of someone who is strong, intelligent, handsome, and daring. Upon closer examination, many different qualities than these become apparent. Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. Heroes of the past are not necessarily heroes of present time and vise versa.
Heroism is defined as an act of courage and an act of selflessness. They reflect the highest levels of morality in society. Heroes have embodied the morality codes of civilizations throughout the ages. When heroes display courage, observers often identify with that courage. The refusal to take the easy way out and the ability to act in spite of fear, is what makes a person a hero. This is the way everyone wishes to react in the midst of a crisis. As witnessed in literature and real life, mankind needs heroes to provide an inspirational role model, an escape from the mundane, and a guide for morality.
From a philosophy perspective crowds have always been a topic of interest. One man in particular is seen as the father of the psychological study of the crowd this is noted to Gustave Le Bon. The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, an influential work which he wrote to give the readers a proper understanding of crowd psychology. Le Bon believed there were several influences among an induvial while present in a crowd. There were religious, emotional, physiological, and many more characteristics that are indicative of individual joining a crowd.
The acts of heroism are considered as an inspiration to others and a reference but, it takes certain attributes such as courage and selflessness. Acts of heroism done by heroes demonstrate leadership and make our society a better place. For instance, Mohandas K. Gandhi helped gain freedom for the people without violence but giving speeches. This demonstrates that Gandhi showed heroism because he inspired many of his people to not use violence to solve a conflict and that takes courage. Mohandas Gandhi was the leader of the protest and he sacrificed many things just to get freedom.