Welcome to Early English Literature!
Greetings and welcome to your EEL blog. The purpose of this blog is to create a community of online writers (and readers) who share their thoughts and ideas about the texts studied in class.
Each week I will post a question(s) on the blog for you to answer. After you have answered the question thoroughly, using complete sentences, choose another classmate's response and comment on their answer. Do you agree or disagree? Have they made a valid point? Did they notice something you did not? What?
Remember: If you are the FIRST to answer the question you need NOT respond to a classmate. Each well written response is worth a total of 20 points. (See EEL course expectations for more information.)
Question of the Week (9/3/10)
What is your definition of the word "hero"? Elaborate on your description in terms of personal and societal beliefs. Your post is due Tuesday, 9/7.
I define hero as a person who really stands out from the rest of the society s/he lives in; someone who is not necessarily well known by the community they are "heroic" in, but have done things that COULD be notable. Someone who puts other people's feeling, lives, and/or emotions before their own, and can be there, physically or mentally, as a protector or a protector figure, for anyone, even people they've never met in their lives. A firefighter is a hero, because they feel unknown peoples' lives are more important than their own. But also, a psychiatrist is a hero, for they step out of the crowd to help people who really need help.
ReplyDelete-Cas Stone
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ReplyDeleteA hero is one who demonstrates outstanding altruism in his or her relations to society and who goes above and beyond the average man in philanthropy. I agree that the firefighter, who risks his life in order to save others, can be counted as a hero. I think one could say the same of people like Martin Luther King Jr, who fought the battle for a race of people at risk of his freedom and his life. However, I doubt that the same can be said of the psychiatrist, any more than it could be of Joe the Plumber; while both provide an essential service to the community, they neither go to extraordinary risk of life and limb in order to help others, as firefighters do, nor do they provide a contribution to humanity as universal and profound as that of Martin Luther King Jr, who led a whole Civil Rights movement. No- these people can be considered as "average;" they may be an integral part of the community; they may be the kindest of spouses, parents, siblings; they may provide a necessary service to others-but nonetheless, their impact to society is comparable to that of most working people. A hero is not that average man; a hero is larger-than-life, and demonstrates traits very seldom found in others, such as extreme philanthropy, perseverance under trying circumstances, and courage in the face of mortality.
ReplyDeleteObviously, any blanket definition of the word "hero" is questionable. The word has so many different connotations and can apply to a sizably wide array of people. For me, a hero is someone who acts selflessly and always considers the interests of others before his/her own.
ReplyDeleteWhile some heroes may be larger-than-life or extremely courageous, there is also an abundance of unsung heroes among us who dwell not in the spotlight but in the shadows. I doubt anyone will contest the claim that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a hero, who changed the course of this country and the world for the better; however, a parent can also be a hero to his/her child, and a brother or sister can be a hero to and a role model for a younger sibling. Being an integral part of a family or community and being a hero are not mutually exclusive. Community service by seemingly-average people is what moves this society forward and makes it a better place. To affect even one life in a positive manner can and, in many cases, should be construed as heroism.
I play allot of video games and also listen to allot of world war 2 inspired music. I also read allot and write as much, and I create hero's for my own stories. However, my deffinition of hero is questionable. I think that hero really depends on the society.
ReplyDeleteThe heros from greek stories tend to not exactly be kind and sharing, such as Achilles and Hercules, the second who we tend to forget killed his entire own family. The tend to be defined by great feats of courage and legend. The traditial heros from comics, seem to be determined by the fact that they have super powers, but use them for the good of the public. In video games, the hero is often one with a great destiny, and who rises from whatever lackadaisical past they had.
I think that hero is really deterred by culture. They really only share one thing which is preforming great feats of superhuman quality. But now in a more skeptical age we tend to think of heros as people who work to improve the quality of others.
Personally, I think there are places where the line blurs between these two types of heros, such as a soldier who throws himself onto a grenade to save his fellow soldiers, demonstrating the ultimate sacrifice and at the same time working to save others.
Personally if I had to pick someone to qualify as a hero, I would pick two, one of the classical heroic type and the other of the modern day qualifications. Simo Häyhä, or the "White Death" who was finish sniper, is my definition of a more classical hero, yet in modern times. Serving in the polish army, he had 505 confirmed kills with a sniper riffle, in 100 days. Like the traditional hero's, he was very skilled in combat and very clever. He also was very skilled at not dying, avoiding artillery strikes and teams of counter snipers.
The hero that I would mention for the more modern times as a hero, is obviously Martin Luther King Jr, a man who fought for the rights of all, and payed the ultimate sacrifice in the end.
Though I agree with the other posters, I feel that they have missed the other deffiniton of hero, a more brutal and less caring deffiniton, but still one of great importance.
The term "hero" can be applied to many different people for an array of reasons due to mixed ideals and values within our society. In general, a hero is someone who displays courage an tenacity in the face of an arduous situation to promote a selfless cause to others, usually in the form of aiding a specific person in need, a group of people, or to better a community. A hero does not entail many followers, an someone does not need a large group of people to decree them as heroic; Someone can be a hero to one person or perhaps to the world. A hero does not need to complete heroic deeds continually to stay a hero, either; One selfless or brave deed can entrust one with the title "hero". The interesting aspect of heroism is that these qualities (such as courageous,selfless, etc) mean a variety of things to different people. This gives us a wide scope of heros in our world. I have both societal and personal heroes, ranging from my parents all the way to the Dalai Lama. In general, a hero demonstrates bravery and determination in a dangerous or rather difficult situation, and promotes selflessness by doing good for another or for their community.
ReplyDeleteSaying this, I agree with some of my other classmates that an average person who contributes to their society or helps someone in need can be considered heroic. I believe that since someone can be considered a hero to one and not to another, it is hard to put an enduring definition; If the average joe helped someone or contributes positively to their community, why not consider them a hero? They act above the standard of society and set a wonderful example. I do not believe someone needs to be larger-than-life or have unique qualities to be heroic. I consider people who many would call "ordinary" to actually be heroes, and vice versa. Overall, I believe that a hero can be ordinary or extraordinary. If they aid their community, contribute to society, and set a positive, selfless example for others, then I believe they can be considered a hero.
I think a hero is someone who is selfless, someone who will put themselves at stake to protect, help, or influence others in a positive way. A hero can be someone that I look up to; in that they have influenced me to act like them when I encounter similar situations of my own. In the super hero way, heroes are always those who have abilities beyond the norm that they use to help others without them in need. This can be applied to real life, such as someone who has the means to help others without those means. Bill Gates donates millions of dollars to organizations to help people in need who don't have what he has. Yet back to the selfless part, a hero is more than just a charitable person or spider man; what I think ultimately defines a hero is how they will risk their lives to help/save others. Firemen and police do this constantly, and I personally view them as heroes. Overall I think we can find heroes easily in reality or in comic books.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Gabe, and I like how he said, "To affect even one life in a positive manner can and, in many cases, should be construed as heroism." I also liked how he said that heroes can be found in our own homes, and that they are not always out and about in the spotlight, but act anonymously to make the world a better place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Matt, a psychiatrist may well have been a bad example. But I still think perhaps someone who risks their lives or well-being for the sake of someone else's EMOTIONAL care should be included somewhere in the definition...
ReplyDeleteThe term "hero" is open to many different interpretations. Although hero's are often altruistic and philanthropic like Matt said, a hero can really be anyone who does just one good deed. To be a hero doesn't mean you have to be a hero all the time; in fact, I don't think anyone is a hero all the time. I also think of an altruistic person as being self less by nature, when a hero could become a hero by being in the right place at the right time.
ReplyDeleteOne quote I like is, "Less than a foot made the difference between a hero and a bum."
-- Grover Alexander
Because it shows that becoming a hero might have been a matter of luck. For example, a bank robber is not typically a connotation of a hero, but if said robber saved some one's life on the way to a bank, suddenly he or she would be deemed a hero.
I agree with Gabe that a hero could be a very well known person as well as someone "in the shadows" like a parent (or even a robber).
Let's face the facts; the hero can't be simply anyone who does "just one good deed" for society (Emaj), or "person who contributes to their society or helps someone in need" (Sarah); nearly everyone has done a good deed in their lives at some point, and nearly everyone has made a positive contribution to the society. And if nearly everyone's a hero, then it is a worthless title; by most, if not all, of your definitions, one would be hard pressed NOT to find a hero. Being a hero is a distinction, and thus, by the very definition of the word distinction, the holder of the title must display oustanding, very rare qualities that set him or her above the common person.
ReplyDeleteIf you all still think that a hero is everyone who makes a positive contribution to the society, I will expect you to extol Ms. Piro as one in class, starting tomorrow, as she is "living" in room 202 for most days of the year in order to enrich your minds with learning and in order to prepare you to be good citizens in society (undoubtedly a very positive contribution that "moves this society forward and makes it a better place" [Gabe]).
I think that we now live in a society that views anyone who helps their community or is even a sound, moral human being as a hero. The so-called "unsung hero's" that Gabe mentioned. While I agree that the moral individuals in our society that "move [us] forward and make [the world] a better place" (Gabe), I don't think that they necessarily deserve to be called a hero. I must stand strongly behind Matt's point that, if nearly everyone is construed as a hero, the concept of being heroic is common place, and we shouldn't be blogging about this.
ReplyDeleteMatt's point that being heroic is to be an individual who demonstrated/demonstrates incredible qualities that set them apart from everyone else. The individual who I see in history that truly fills this definition--and who everyone else seems to be in agreement about--would be Martin Luther King, Jr. There is no question that he demonstrated "outstanding, very rare qualities that set him or her above the common person" (Matt).
For some reason my above comment did not post my name...so, I wrote that.
ReplyDeleteI do agree somewhat with Matt and Meg that a hero should have some quality of characteristic that sets them apart from the standard. It is true that "nearly everyone has made a positive contribution to society" (Matt), but I believe that it is also true that almost everyone is considered a hero by another person (or people). If we are talking about large-scale, societal heroes, then I do agree they need to have special qualities or need to accomplish something spectacular to be heroic.
ReplyDeleteSarah raises a good point. I think that its important to determine what kind of hero you are describing--one in society or in your community. I'm really focusing on the concept of a societal hero.
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ReplyDeleteWe must be careful not to pervert the meaning of the term, "hero." It has a very rich history originating in the epics of ancient literature and extending up until the present time; its birth in the classic epics most likely lends to it its connotation of superhuman quality. So, why use the term to describe average people, when it is a term historically used to refer to the superhuman? Why call the person who has raised me up through infancy a hero, when he is merely my parent, and only had superhuman qualities when I was 2 years old and knew no better? A parent is a parent, a mentor is a mentor, a wise old man is a wise old man. This has always been so; why suddenly lend to them superhuman qualities which they lack?
ReplyDeletePerhaps I should clarify my position. While the word hero may be derived from ancient roots, it does not always refer to what it once did. MLK, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa are almost-universally considered to have been heroes (or a heroine, in the case of Mother Teresa). However, not one of them was a Greek demigod, as the word hero originally signified. Matt says that "we must be careful not to pervert the meaning of the term, hero." Yet, we must also be careful to differentiate between recognizing the gradual evolution of the term and arbitrarily redefining, or perverting, it. The term did initially refer to those with superhuman abilities and/or characteristics, but surely you'd agree that Martin Luther King did not possess any form of superhuman ability. Rather, he made a difference in the world with his uniquely human acts, visions, and oratory. I guess my point is that the word hero and the vast majority of other words in the English language is not static; words change, evolve, and come to mean new things. That's one of the reasons why dictionaries are so frequently updated.
ReplyDeleteI'll grant you that the word hero signifies someone who is noted or distinguished in some regard, and that not everyone can be or is a hero. However, I wasn't suggesting that to be the case. As some others have posted, there are people who serve as heroes to great swaths of the populace, like the figures I mentioned before. Still, each individual person has his/her own personal heroes. My parents are certainly heroes of mine, as are a small number of other persons who aren't acknowledged or thanked by society for their deeds but have had a great impact on my life. I stand firmly behind my earlier comments and see no reasonable reason why I should change my position.
First, I do wholeheartedly agree that MLK had superhuman qualities, or (according to The Oxford Paperback Dictionary) qualities "beyond ordinary human capacity or power." He stood firm, where the ordinary shied away; he faced opposition, where the ordinary submitted; he fought for liberty, where the ordinary accepted slavery. It is nothing less than ludicrous to assert that the actions of MLK are anything less than superhuman.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I never denied that language is perpetually in flux; I assert that to call those who have merely impacted or helped you a hero is a trivial and naive use of the term: there is a myriad of other words which are infinitely more appropriate. Only on Saturday Night Live dedications do actors reverently refer to their benefactor as "their hero." Well, at least it does elicit the roar of laughter from the audience.
Similarly, I am in no more position to travel around lauding my parents as my heroes than I am to scream after a person who has insulted me, "you villain;" to do so would only elicit thinly veiled mockery from the public. Oddly enough, no one else makes such comic usage of the term either. There is clearly great truth in E.B. White's statement, "Youths invariably speak to other youths in a tongue of their own devising; they renovate the language with a wild vigor, as they would a basement apartment."
For me a hero is someone who goes above and beyond and the average acts of human decency. A hero is someone one can look up to and respect. This can be anyone from a loving parent to an admired public figure. Heroism (is that a word?) can come from a small personal gesture of kindness, for example, protecting a kid from a playground bully, to a more courageous act like saving someone from oncoming traffic. Either way I think a hero is someone who embodies primarily courage and empathy, and can put thought into action in order to improve an arbitrary persons, (or peoples,) live.
ReplyDeleteI liked what Katherine had to say about Bill Gates using his wealth in ways that helps people who have less than him and how that makes him a hero. I totally agree, if a person who has had as much success in his or her life as Bill Gates has; it is a complete act of heroism for them to take that success and use it to make the world a better place.
While I agree with Emma and Katherine that Bill Gates is using his wealth in a beneficial and helpful way, I don't think it's right to label him a hero. Simply because he has money, he's able to donate huge amounts to charities and people think that's admirable. However, I personally think it's more admirable to donate to charities when you AREN'T rich. You've worked hard to make a living, get a good house, provide for your family, etc, and instead of redecorating your kitchen, you give money to charity. Bill Gates has enough wealth to both give an enormous amount to charity and redecorate the kitchen. Essentially, he's been labeled a hero because he's wealthy...yes, he does give to charity but it's not more heroic or selfless than an average person giving to charity.
ReplyDeleteTo me, a hero is someone who distinguishes themselves by going above an beyond the ordinary. They embody many excellent qualities including strength, leadership, bravery, and compassion. Many historical heroes possess these qualities. This definition, however, is more of a "traditional" one. I think that there can be more that one definition of a hero. For example, soldiers returning from war are often hailed as heroes because they were willing to risk their lives. However, how is someone who survived a concentration camp or another aspect of the Holocaust any less brave, any less heroic? These people had to be heroes of a different sort, encompassing different qualities than a "traditional" hero. The simple act of moving on from such a terrifying experience is, in my opinion, heroic. Overall, becoming a hero just depends on the situation and context of events.
First: while Katherine's statement, "heroes are always those who have abilities beyond the norm that they use to help others without them in need," appears to qualify Bill Gates as a hero, she does state later, "a hero is more than just a charitable person," which most likely indicates that she doesn't truly view Bill Gates as a hero.
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"if a person who has had as much success in his or her life as Bill Gates has; it is a complete act of heroism for them to take that success and use it to make the world a better place." -Emma
By no means is Bill Gates's donation an "act of heroism," as Bill Gates is hardly even inconvenienced by his donation; I'm sure he still enjoys his villas around the world and his entourage of butlers and maids. By his action he displays only that he is not an incorrigibly selfish miser. To call him a hero is an insult to people such as Oskar Schindler, who risked life and limb, and spent his great fortune in order to save over a thousand Jews from death camps. He ended the war powerless and virtually destitute, a complete failure; he ended his life penniless, unable to pay for his hospital expenses.
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"how is someone who survived a concentration camp or another aspect of the Holocaust any less brave, any less heroic?"-Michaela
We must keep in mind that the survivors of the death camps came out alive ONLY because of good fortune, and not due to any personal merit. Why is Bob considered a hero for being lucky enough to live until liberation day, and not his best friend, who, to his great misfortune, ended up being shot to suit a Nazi officer's personal amusement? If all extremely fortunate people were considered heroes, then the next lottery winner should be crowned as such.
I agree with Matt and Michaela that Bill Gates' donations are not acts of heroism. Giving money does not require any effort. He is not like MLK who led people in the fight against racism, or Ghandi who led non-violent organized protests and spent years in jail for pursuing his beliefs.
ReplyDeleteA hero, whether in a community or in society, is someone who makes a great effort to better the lives of those around them. Just donating money does not constitute a hero. They have to be passionate and ambitious, believing in the cause they are fighting for.
Another aspect of heroism we should explore is martyrdom: Suffering death for religion or political beliefs. One example is John Brown, who attempted to start a slave uprising against southerners in 1859 by arming slaves and attacking and killing the white slave owners. He was prosecuted and hanged in Virginia. Some consider him a hero for taking a stand against slavery, but others consider him a fanatic who committed murder and treason. Heroism depends on ones point of view and beliefs. Take September 11, for example. The people who crashed the plane into the Twin Towers believed they were heroes, dying for their beliefs. But we see them as terrorists and murderers.
My definition of a hero is someone who helps others at the cost of his or her own convenience or even well-being. Based on this definition, Bill Gates would not be a hero contrary to what Katherine and Emma believe. While it is somewhat admirable that he is donating money to good causes instead of buying perhaps a fourth plane, he has so much money that donating what seems to be a large sum of money to the average person is really an irrelevant sum to Gates.
ReplyDeleteA good example of a hero is a soldier. The soldier risks his/her life everyday while on tour for his or her country to some extent, but especially for his/her fellow soldiers.
Real heroes don't do heroic things for the sake of being hailed as heroes. They act because it's the moral/just thing to do (for the right reasons). Even if a person does something especially heroic, but did so thinking to get media attention or a boost in the political polls should not be labeled as heroes.
I believe that there is a preconcieved - and true -notion of what a hero is: someone who acts selflessly with no regard for his/her own person, and usually does something of epic proportions, like MLK jr leading the civil rights movement, or Perseus slaying Cetus to save Andromeda and her city. I agree with Matt when he said, heros "go to extraordinary risk of life and limb in in order to help others," or that they provide a great and profound contribution to humanity. However, I feel that his definition defines the more generic hero that is looked up to by the majority of society, like Martin Luther King Jr, Hector of Troy, the soldiers in Iraq, or Abraham Lincoln. A hero is also someone that inspires people, and is someone who people look up to, and hope to emulate. The young teacher who ran in the Chad half marathon this year for his kindergarten student with leukemia is a hero - the look on his students face as he crossed the finish line was enough to verify that. I have to say, I disagree with Matt when he said that he believed " that to call those who have merely impacted or helped you a hero is a trivial and naive use of the term." The word hero can be interpreted in many ways. Some synonyms of the word hero in a thesaurus are: victor, defender, champion, inspiration, ideal, model, idol. These words clearly fit the heros best known in society, but they could also be used to describe unknown or personal heros. I have to say, I disagree with Matt when he said that he believed " that to call those who have merely impacted or helped you a hero is a trivial and naive use of the term." People have their own individual heros. A hero could be a parent who loves, educates, and guides you. It could be your grandparents who have lived through wars and have taught you life lessons from that, or even a sports star who inspires you to follow your dreams. Your parents, grandparents or a sports star probably haven't impacted the world in a major way, but they might have impacted you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lucy when she said: "Heroism depends on ones point of view and beliefs." She talked about the September 11 attacks and I definitely feel like this is a good example. America considered the bombers terrorists, but some people in the Middle East probably considered them heros. We consider the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan heros, but I'm sure there are citizens of those countries who most definitely don't consider them to be such.
ReplyDeleteI'll preface my rejoinder to Matt by pointing out that the dictionary I own, Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, defines superhuman as: "supernatural, divine, or exceeding human capacity or strength." Therefore, running with the definition given, Martin Luther King was not superhuman because he was not capable of being superhuman. Matt, I do not deny your subsequent points that he stood firm and fought for liberty. In fact, I couldn't agree more with them. However, to refer to my words as ludicrous is laughable in itself. In a discussion over the meaning of a term, there is no need or place for such a harsh word.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I never "call those who have merely impacted or helped [me] a hero". If you go back and look at what I wrote, you'll see that I said "Each individual person has his/her own personal heroes. My parents are certainly heroes of mine, as are a small number of other persons who aren't acknowledged or thanked by society for their deeds but have had a great impact on my life." Even if I didn't take issue with your comments, our two points would not even be in a state of contradiction. That said, I do not go traveling around lauding my parents or any other heroes of mine as you claim you wouldn't be caught dead doing; I tacitly respect and admire their contributions.
Because of all the talk about Bill Gates and his philanthropic efforts, or lack thereof, I thought this info. might be pertinent: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Giving_Pledge. While he'll always be one of the richest men alive, Bill Gates' contributions to charity are at least somewhat commendable. In addition, half of his entire $50 billion fortune is hardly irrelevant or negligible, as Bei suggests. I think what it all boils down to is percentages; it's like taxes. Bill Gates donating $100,000, or 10% of his annual income, should be likened to a middle-class family donating $10,000 if its annual income is around $100,000.
Also, in response to Elizabeth's point, I just want to say that it's really not right to suggest that some people in the Middle East consider the 9/11 attackers heroes. While it is true to an extent, an overwhelming majority of Middle Easterners and Arabs don't carry that belief at all. Contrary to what you might gather from American media coverage of the attacks and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, peace and charity are as big a part of the Islamic faith as they are the Christian and Jewish faiths. Unfortunately, a small number of extremists, well-removed from the mainstream Muslim community, have done an exceptional disservice to the other 1.5 billion actively-practicing Muslims in the world by carrying out these vicious attacks. Just some food for thought.
Okay, so this is specifically in response to Gabe's post. When I said that SOME people PROBABLY consider them heros, by no means was I insinuating that the majority of Middle Easterners and Arabs believe that to be so. You yourself point out that there are a small number of extremists. Who do you think they consider heros? The only point I was trying to make was that heroism can mean different things depending on a person's perspective. The some referred to the very few extremists. As Lucy pointed out: "Heroism depends on ones point of view and beliefs."
ReplyDeleteI figured that's what you were saying, but I just wanted to elucidate the fact that those responsible for the 9/11 attacks were and are in the minority. I'm very sorry if I offended you, and I wholly agree with your premise that heroism can represent different things for different people.
ReplyDeleteWhoaaaaa Lucy and I posted 5 minutes apart.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I have to say that I consider Bill Gates a hero, in a sense, not for the use of his money but for being clever enough to get all that money.
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ReplyDeleteFritz, I disagree with your point about Bill Gates being a hero simply because he was "clever enough to get all that money". Being clever or smart doesn't mean you are a hero. "All that money" was probably not made for the specific purpose of helping anyone in particular except for himself, no matter how he may have used his money further down the road. That being said, I do think Bill Gates is a hero for other reasons. Initially, when he was just starting out, Bill Gates was all about inventing an incredible new product, Microsoft, which has greatly impacted and changed the world for the better, which was part of Gabe's description of why MLK, Jr. was a hero. Though I don't deny that later on Microsoft may have done things just to make money and not for the benefit of the greater good.
ReplyDeleteYour action(s) must benefit someone else, if you are to be called a hero. I don't think it makes a difference whether you helped a very small or a very large group of people. The most popular uncontested hero in this discussion seems to be Martin Luther King, Jr. I aggree with this, but I also believe one does not have to affect such a large scale of people to be labled a hero. Something as small as a child standing up for another on a playground is an act of heroism. Though to others in a community it may not be, even to witnesses of the said event. All one needs is a single other person to be thought of as heroic.
My last comment is to Matt, who says that ordinary people aren't heros. Pretty much every single hero in history has had a flaw. For example, Superman and kryptonite, or more real people, like JFK and MLK, Jr., who both had tendencies for extramarital affairs. Could being ordinary be the average person's flaw? If so this makes all people even more qualified for the honor of being called a hero.
To me a hero is someone who puts others before themselves often at the risk of their own lives. The origin of the word hero sprouted from mythology and legends where people men or women usually gods, or descendants of gods were celebrated for their unusual braveness and sheer heart. Their ability to put anyone even someone they don't know at all before themselves. As history progressed the basis of the definition stayed generally the same but is now in constant flux. People like Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman, People in the time of Hitler housing Jews at the risk of their families and their own lives. These are all heroes in my mind. A word often teamed with hero is the word courage. Some say courage is sheer power of will and to be fearless. In my mind though courage means being able to make the right decision in the face of fear. To be terrified and do what you need to do to keep others safe. I think whenever a person is labeled hero it is because they share this common ability almost like a super power.
ReplyDeleteThe word "hero" has many definitions. When I think of a hero, the first thing that comes to mind is 6 foot 5, Spartan warrior, dressed in battle attire, ready to annihilate any freak of nature (Cyclopes, dragons, giant spiders, krakens, etc.) with his 5 foot sword. Kind of like this dude: http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kvy55720251qafl6jo1_400.jpg . He risks his life not because he can, or because of the adrenaline rush, but because these beasts constantly pillage neighboring villages, killing everyone and destroying everything in their paths. He does it to help others, even if it could cost him his life.
ReplyDeleteIn modern times, even though there are no more krakens left to slay, one can still be a hero by doing the same thing that our 6 foot 5 warrior did several thousand years ago: help others, not because you have to, but because you want to. From helping your buddy with his homework, to distributing HIV medicine in the uncivilized Sahara desert, you're being a hero.
Another type of hero is someone who achieved something extraordinary in a certain field of work. For example, Beethoven and 2pac would are heroes in the musical world, Jackie Robinson is a hero of both athletics and racial equality, and Einstein is a hero of science and mathematics. All of these people achieved something that world thought was impossible; these people paved the road for many generations to come.
Lastly, I partially disagree with everyone who thinks that Bill Gates isn’t a hero for several reasons. I think that it’s obvious that it’s kind of obvious that when he donates billions of dollars to end world hunger, he is doing for the sake of his image. Sure it’s a great thing to do, but how do you think that press would react if he used that money to start a Lambo collection instead; probably go of the wa-zoo. That said, Bill Gates is a hero because of what he did in the beginning. Do you think that he really cared about making billions of dollars when he was tinkering his garage day and night trying to figure out a how to revolutionize the technological world? Probably not.
In my mind a hero is someone who risks, something or gives something up, to help someone else. This definition is very broad, but I believe that it includes heroes of all types, and from all times.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that heroism is based on point of view, a hero to one person could be just another face in the crowd to another person.
Lastly I would like to say that I don't consider people heroes who also hurt someone else. In my mind these two things cancel out.
I believe there are many different definitions of the word "hero." The classic definition is, as was pointed out earlier, a superhuman being who is there to help and save others and to make the world a better place, such as the Incredibles. This, however, is not a realistic definition; flying and super-strong humans do not exist. To me, the more realistic definition is one who goes above and beyond and puts others before them. There can be different levels of heroism; as Katherine said before, Bill Gates may be considered a hero to many people because of his very generous contributions to charities. However, people who do much less can also be considered heroes – for example, a person who donates a kidney to save someone else's life could be considered a hero for their actions.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Fritz's comment that Bill Gates is a hero because of his cleverness leading to his wealth. I believe that he is a hero for two main reasons. First, he used the great majority of his wealth to help others and encouraged others to do so too, going out of his way to create charities and funds. And, on top of that, he played a large role in revolutionizing and spreading computers and the internet; countless lives have been saved by the advancements made and being made with medical technology, which are mostly made possible by the computer and the immense amount of knowledge available on the internet.
The word "hero" has many definitions. When I think of a hero, the first thing that comes to mind is 6 foot 5, Spartan warrior, dressed in battle attire, ready to annihilate any freak of nature (Cyclopes, dragons, giant spiders, krakens, etc.) with his 5 foot sword. Kind of like this dude: http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kvy55720251qafl6jo1_400.jpg . He risks his life not because he can, or because of the adrenaline rush, but because these beasts constantly pillage neighboring villages, killing everyone and destroying everything in their paths. He does it to help others, even if it could cost him his life.
ReplyDeleteIn modern times, even though there are no more krakens left to slay, one can still be a hero by doing the same thing that our 6 foot 5 warrior did several thousand years ago: help others, not because you have to, but because you want to. From helping your buddy with his homework, to distributing HIV medicine in the uncivilized Sahara desert, you're being a hero.
Another type of hero is someone who achieved something extraordinary in a certain field of work. For example, Beethoven and 2pac would are heroes in the musical world, Jackie Robinson is a hero of both athletics and racial equality, and Einstein is a hero of science and mathematics. All of these people achieved something that world thought was impossible; these people paved the road for many generations to come.
Lastly, I partially disagree with everyone who thinks that Bill Gates isn’t a hero for several reasons. I think that it’s obvious that it’s kind of obvious that when he donates billions of dollars to end world hunger, he is doing for the sake of his image. Sure it’s a great thing to do, but how do you think that press would react if he used that money to start a Lambo collection instead; probably go of the wa-zoo. That said, Bill Gates is a hero because of what he did in the beginning. Do you think that he really cared about making billions of dollars when he was tinkering his garage day and night trying to figure out a how to revolutionize the technological world? Probably not.
In response to Ellen's post: I agree that the scope of a hero's actions don't determine weather or not s/he is a hero.
ReplyDeleteI do however think that the idea of people being ordinary is somewhat strange. I would argue that no one can truly be ordinary, and heroism can be what sets people apart.
First comment to Fritz: I can't quite tell if you are being serious or not; if you are joking, touche, but if you are being serious, consider this: if Bill Gates is a hero for being clever enough to make a fortune, then so is Stalin (or in a very similar sense, Hitler) for being clever enough to hold all of Soviet Russia under his thrall.
ReplyDeleteSecond comment to Ellen. I never asserted that heroes must be "flawless." I define a hero to be one who demonstrates altruism, persistence, and philanthropy to an extent not found in ordinary people (I won't use the word "superhuman," as people seem to ignore that it has a meaning besides divine and godly). The kid in the playground may very well become a hero, but that single action does not make him one, for it changes nothing in itself; it must be followed by other actions which mold the community towards social justice. There are plenty of "kids in the playground" in the world who will do something nice once in a while for another person; the hero among those "kids in the playground" is the one who will demonstrate a persistent philanthropy, the one who will dedicate himself to social change. To lower the bar simply devalues the title.
My perspective on human nature and heroism is largely as those ideas are depicted in The Brothers Karamazov (by Fyodor Dostoevsky). The heroes, like Alyosha and Father Zosima, demonstrate extraordinary philanthropy and selflessness. Due to their outstanding qualities, they implement change, just as Alyosha, by the end of the book, reverses the connotation surrounding the name Karamazov from Fyodor Pavolovitch's lust and selfishness to Alyosha's humble selflessness and philanthropy. The ordinary people are the Dmitri's of the world; while they are inherently good, and may perform some good acts in the world, they live lives torn with vice; these are the people who must change; by their change society progresses.
Gabe: "Bill Gates donating $100,000, or 10% of his annual income," should NOT be likened to "a middle-class family donating $10,000 if its annual income is around $100,000," for the same reason that we have curved income tax percentages in this country. The 10% of the annual income of the middle class family earning $100,000 is what they spend paying off the house, the bills, the groceries each week; the 10% of the middle class family is what they use to keep afloat. The 10% of Bill Gates's annual income is what he spends to fix his yacht; it keeps him afloat in a slightly different sense.
Sorry fellow bloggers and Miss Piro for posting so late. I think a hero can be anyone. Not to diminish the awesomness of the word, but I think that any person CAN be a hero. Really it is other people who decide who a hero is, not the hero themselves. You could go around in underwear and a cape and call yourself a hero but still, you wouldn't be seen as one, unless that is you did something that was seen as "Heroic". If someone were to say the word hero, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Spiderman are a few of the heroes that would immediately come to mind. They are the classics, the heroes everyone calls upon when there's trouble. However there is also a father, who to his eight year old son, is the greatest hero in the world. To go off of what Matt said: "why use the term to describe average people?..." I think that the whole beauty of the hero is that it CAN be an average person and that you don't have to be able to breathe fire to be known as one.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I don't think there can be one definition of what a hero actually is because everyone has different heroes. Maybe, if people had the same heroes we would have one definition, but that's not the way it works. There may be some overlap, for instance, I too think of MLK as a hero like many of my classmates, but in the end we all have different lists. (By the way Fritz I don't think of Bill Gates as a hero).
When I was little, I'd say one of my greatest heroes was Mikey Powell, a syracuse lacrosse player, for one reason...He was filthy. But does that mean my definition of a hero includes "must be good at lacrosse"? I'm gonna say no. At that time he was just who I looked up to.
I guess this means that I don't have a definition for a hero, because even though I'm 100% positive that a hero should be a selfless person, I have no idea if Mike Powell is or not, yet he still was one of my childhood heroes. Well maybe I do have a definition..a hero is anyone? Sounds a little corny.
I think I said hero nineteen times in that post.
Matt Jin...my god you posted a lot.
I agree with those who pointed out that a hero could be anyone; the definition of hero is without a doubt an opinion where we, as people choose the characteristics that distinguish a hero from an everyday person. My own definition of hero is someone who uses the resources and talents they possess in order to go beyond what is expected of themselves and help those in need. In the case of MLK, no one expected anything from an african american at the time but he possessed the talent needed to stand up for not only himself but the black population and was able to persevere under circumstances that put him in danger. Because of him he changed the future of this country forever.Because of MLK's actions he changed a countries fate and because of this "larger-than-life" act he will always be remembered as a hero.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to touch on the Bill Gates example given by Fritz. I do not agree that the way he made money was heroic but because of his ingenious software development he started what we think of as the modern computer. As Shepard pointed out, what Bill Gates developed has led to huge advancements in technology and in turn has led to saving countless lives.