The End of Heroism

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One can easily be caught up in high action movies, such as Batman, Avatar, or Iron Man. Many children want to be like the heroes in these movies. They dress up to look like them on Halloween. Some even sleep in their favorite hero’s outfit. Unfortunately, today's society has lost the actual meaning of heroism. In an essay titled Hollywood’s Hero Deficit, by James Bowman, the author laments over the loss of genuine heroism. Bowman states that: “Heroism can continue to exist only on a plane far removed from the daily lives of the audience.” True heroes are not violent warriors. They try to do what is right. Heroes, like Odysseus, have a noble quest: to get home. Heroes are clever, not contentious. Today’s view of ‘Heroism’ can only exist in fairy tales, for todays heroes only show bravery through violence. Even worse, these acts of bravery bring happiness to the hero. The pure heroism that comes from moral victories has been missing in today's society for several decades, and has impoverished our society..

Odysseus exemplifies aspects of true heroism, namely his cunning, witty, and shrewd mind. He also portrays a brilliant leader. Of the many adventures Odysseus endures, his encounter with the cyclopes embodies his heroism best. Odysseus landed on the island and lead his men into the cyclops’s cave. When Polyphemus the giant returned, Odysseus took the lead and spoke to the cyclops. When the cyclops asked where Odysseus's boat was, he wittily answered, “My Ship? Poseidon god of the earthquake smashed my ship, he drove it against the rocks at your island's far cape, he dashed it against a cliff as the winds rode us in”(Homer 220). This brilliant response later saved the men on the boat from being captured and eaten by the cyclops....

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...n the idea of heroism in 20th and 21st century only exist as a fantasy, separated from real life?” If we accept the current “idea of heroism” to be a blissful brutal battler, then we can conclude that this can only exist far away from our lives, for that type of a hero doesn’t exist. Sadly, we must answer yes.

Works cited

Homer. The Odyssey. Robert Fagles edition. New York, New York: The Penguin Group. 1977. Print.

Monson, Thomas S. “True happiness is found at home.” 8 October 1988.

Thomas, Liz. " 'Violent movies are to blame for knife crime wave,' blasts Sir Richard Attenborough." Daily Mail. 2 September 2008. Mail On-line, Web. 30 Jan 2010.
knife-crime-wave-blasts-Sir-Richard-Attenborough.html>.

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