Heroes Throughout History and Popular Culture

1862 Words4 Pages

Heroes

A hero is defined as a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities (Hero, n.p.). Through the passage of time in history, the perceptions and characteristics of what makes a hero have changed. While some characteristics have remained constant, others have evolved and developed as society has changed. One thing that is certain is that most people have their own individual descriptions and ideas that define a hero. Heroes have high standards to meet. Thousands of people do heroic deeds every day, does doing one heroic deed make one a hero?

The values of a hero have evolved over time. The Renaissance Era introduced many of the common characteristics seen in heroes today, such as strength, intelligence, and courage. In the Romantic Era, these characteristics changed into a value of the arts. Being a hero was to trust one’s feelings and value them. Heroes loved art, literature, and music, and had a natural goodness. The heroes of the Romantic Era were poets, dreamers, and philosophers. The Victorian Era established the belief that heroism was a gift and wasn’t something that could be taught like it was suggested in the previous eras. The people of the Victorian Era believed that heroes had a greater power and were demigods. By the nineteenth century heroism was considered to be able to help others when needed, without any expectations of indebting the person that was helped. Heroes were generally good people who were helpful when needed. The twentieth century valued all people as heroes. The people of the century believed that simply living was a biographic legend to pass on for centuries. The twentieth century belittled the hero and disconnected him from military greatness. Small deeds became heroic (Wi...

... middle of paper ...

...orld have diverse heroes. A hero is truly defined as someone who makes a difference and a hero can be any person who is willing to do so.

Works Cited

"Adolf Hitler." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 28 May 2014.

"Biography for Superman." IMDb. IMDb.com, 2011. Web. 28 May 2014.

Fleisher, Michael L. "Superman's Super-Powers." Superman's Super-Powers. Superman Through the Ages, n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.

"Hero." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster. Web. 19 May 2014.

History.com Staff. "9/11 Attacks." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 26 May 2014.

"Martin Luther King Jr." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 28 May 2014.

"Nazi Beliefs." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.

“Quick Guide: Al Qaeda." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 28 May 2014.

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. Glencoe Literature. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

Open Document