...heroism?

In every book you read or movie you see, there is always a protagonist. And, normally, this person must face evil and defeat the odds to protect others around, save the world, or just make it make home alive. How each of these people do it however, varies; whether they kill anything and everything perceived to be against them or defy the rules society puts out in order to make life better. They are always seen in the end as someone who was fearless, courageous, and working towards bettering humanity. However, are all these characters heroes? And if so, what makes them a hero? And why do they all seem to be men? Why not a woman heroine? Is there even a point to having a hero?

To be a hero, you must accomplish some sort of goal, whether it be the one that you originally set out to complete or some other one created along the way. A hero is someone that doesn't just follow a specific road to reach his or her goal. A real hero learns along the way and grows as a person. In reality, a hero isn't perfect. They do make mistakes because they are human. However, a real hero is someone that takes those mistakes and uses them to make their future and possibly the future of others better. When asked, many people say that to be a hero you need to have good morals and do the right thing, but I don't believe that this is always the case. Sure it great to know the difference between right and wrong and to always strive to be a better person, but that doesn't mean that those people who don't always do the right thing aren't heroes. One of my very good friends can most likely be classified as an uneducated, wild, and rebellious person. However, he is someone that I consider to be a hero. Granted, he hasn't always made the best decisions in life and never completed his education, but he is still someone that I look up to because he takes all those mistakes he has made in life and makes sure that those he cares about don't make the same ones. His life was never very easy for him growing up in a broken family, but he always made the best of it and is one of the most optimistic people I know. I have always admired him and have always wanted to have his outlook on life. He is the kind of person that I want to be when I grow up, he is one of my heroes.

I truly believe that anyone can be a hero. To be a hero to someone, you just need someone to look up to you. I know when I was younger, I thought my parents knew everything and could do no wrong. To me, they were heroes. Now, I'm sure if you took my parents and made them characters in a movie, it would probably be very boring for most people. However, because they were there for me as role models they became my heroes. You don't need to save the world from total destruction or lead an army into a great victory during a war to be a hero. All you need is someone that believe in you to be the best you can be.

According to most books, heroes are almost always male. Very rarely do you ever see a woman triumph over the great perils and mythical creatures brought to life by creative minds of writers. But, men do not always have to be the hero of every tale. Back in the early centuries, and even in the earlier years of this century, women were always perceived as the caretakers of the house and children. They didn't, commonly, have jobs or were very well educated. It is only very recently in our country that women were granted equal rights and suffrage. And, in some parts of the world, women are still treated with disrespect and considered the mans' property. It is because of this dominance that men always seemed to claim over women that makes them the natural hero of every story. When you go to the movies, its always a guy that saves the day and ends up with that hapless girl that he saved somewhere in the middle of the movie. But this idea of males as the natural heroes was onyl created becaue society made everyone believe that males were stonger, smarter, and the all around more superior race.


Bertold Brecht once said "Unhappy is the land that need heroes." and I completely disgree with this statement. I believe that everyone needs a hero no matter what age, gender, or nationality you are. Having a hero gives you a sense of purpose in your life and a vote of self confidence in a way. When you are able to see someone accomplishing their goals it motivates you to do the same. Even though the goal of a fictional hero may be trying to save the world and your goal is to graduate from high school and get into college, its always relieving to know that there is someone out there working to help otheres and stand up for what they believe in. Having a hero in your life, whether it be fictional or from reality, gives you someone to look up too, admire, and strive to be like. Eventually everyone will choose their own path in life, and, most likely it will be different than you originally thought it would be, but that orginal boost to start paving your path was given to you by your hero.