Heroic Acts of Courage: Defining a Hero - Essay Sample

Introduction

A hero is defined according to the dictionary.com as somebody who has done great things for either a community, society, or a nation. Heroes play significant roles, as shown in legendary stories or myths that depict them as the sole protectors who do grand acts of courage. According to dictionary.com, a hero is a person who draws admiration according to his noble qualities, outstanding achievements, and courage. The term has a different meaning in North America means a submarine. It stems from the word heroes, which is a Greek word that means defender or protector. Secure is the Latin form that further means to defend. Mostly it means a person who has excellent strength or a demigod in the Latin form. A hero, in this case, takes on supernatural attributes associated with gods. The term hero in this regard arises from the various forms that take on different languages like Greek, Latin, and French languages making different meanings contextually. The purpose of the word has developed dramatically due to the change of protection to a specific part of the society like the military. The evolution has mostly taken the form of the difference in the meaning of safeguarding, notably since it is used more in films. As a result, the word hero has changed meaning by being attached to heroes in entertainment films together with where it is least used among people with exceptional efforts. For example, Doc Hendley is a modern-day person who has engaged in selfless acts of bravery concerning the provision of clean water, which is an excellent problem mainly in developing economies.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Hero, in this sense, means a person who has exceptional achievements or shows great bravery. Looking at classical mythology, the term hero stems from the birth of a person between a mortal and a god. The word hero in the most original form is that of a person with exceptional qualities and bravery together with achievement and courage. Heroic deeds are outstanding and selfless deeds as a result. People can be regarded as heroes if they perform such acts, whether singly or in a group. At present, the word hero is applied mostly to the entertainment field in characters that mostly show the protective nature. At present, the heroes may be those that may even turn to evil and, in the end, change for the better. Heroes in the present are mostly male, while in the past, they were predominantly men. Apart from the entertainment industry, most heroes today are those referred to as causing significant change, like championing for the rights of the less fortunate to matters of environmental issues like global warming. The term hero has dramatically changed in terms of the strength of people to strength of groups and even companies where deeds are deemed heroic.

Moreover, a similar word is a star. According to Branchik and Chowdhury (2017), the word star further has various meanings where it means either celestial bodies or people. According to Merriam Webster, the word means a luminous body mostly beyond the earth in space. The word star can take on that of a superstar. A superstar, in this case, has wide acclaim. It further takes son a connotation of affecting the destiny of a person, mostly in the area of astrology. A star, in this case, maybe regarding as somebody shining in the society to many people. It also means waning or waxing fortune-moreover, the person in this case who is renowned in the community.

Moreover, a start has the meaning of the lead person in an opera or theatre that takes on significant roles. The film or movie performers are regarded as starts in society, particularly those in big films shown around the world. Besides, the word refers to those people with exceptional talents in the community, like athletes or musicians, or people who have outstanding performance in their various studies. A star, in this case, has excellent unique abilities that usually catch the attention of people while they perform or do different activities like music and acting or other activities. Stars include Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, and Sylvester Stallone, who is in the film industry and who people follow after in their lives.

In the military, such a word has a significant meaning. People do heroic acts, like saving the lives of people. The word hero greatly attunes to the military due to the protection it offers to a nation or nations. The military, in this case, strains and provide sacrificial service to citizens. Armies, in this case, take on a dangerous expedition that, without courage, cannot take place. Such undertakings greatly attune to the word hero. Mostly the heroes, in this case, deal with great missions that may be associated with reducing terrorism or fighting militant organizations. Various people in the army that commandeered armies like George Washington before becoming the president of America fought and won. At present, they are not just regarded as founding fathers but as war heroes. In this case, even though the armies are not recognized or should not call attention to their deeds, they still have to undertake their duties under their oath of service as serving the country. Moreover, some people have exceptional qualities in following up on issues like philanthropists for their generous effort. Martin Luther King, for example, can be regarded as a hero in terms of attaining freedom from oppression.

Even though people use the words hero and star interchangeably, they have different meanings also though they are quite similar. The start mostly dwells on the popularity of a person by the talent he or she has. Moreover, the entertainment industry substantially exhibits the show of starts who are mostly referred to as heroes, particularly in the film industry. At present, there are still people who do many heroic acts, which, when shown in the media, maybe confused for stars instead of considering their heroic deeds and referring to them correctly. Moreover, most people regard people, particularly in showbiz, as being starts due to their presence globally.

Furthermore, a community can see a person as a hero, mostly in areas where there is not much entertainment. In the society at present, the media, as evidenced above, has portrayed many people as either stars or heroes who buy the parts they undertake or the roles they act. Acting has thus brought about a change in definition concerning the correct meaning. Kinsella, English, and McMahon, (2020)) notes on the description of heroes at present. She brings in the aspect of the heroes affecting behavior in adolescents, mainly according to their different roles. She importantly notes on their various roles, particularly in exploration and formation of identity. At present, a hero does not refer to one who protects in real life but mostly action figures associated with the film industry. Therefore, stars in action become heroes to the people watching them. The two words act interchangeably as a result and change meaning according to whether there is the action or there is performance. Stars further take on the meaning of celebrities, particularly in the entertainment industry.

Conclusion

More people at present much misunderstand the word hero according to the modern-day definition. The definition, in this case, changes according to the changing in cultures, particularly urban ones and the development of stars or celebrities. Even though a star exhibits excellent talent, a hero in the process exhibits great courage and does exceptionally well in helping society. The term hero, as a result, has not significantly changed but has been attached to characters in the past or those made up in the process of writing or change in nature. A star, in this case, is not a hero, and a hero as a rest should not be a star.

Moreover, the changing attachment of people to the television screens further feeds them with talented performers in both the music and movie industry, with the entertainment industry interchanging the two terms. Thus, a star is mostly a person in the limelight while a hero is a person how does exceptional deeds for the benefit of a community or society. The evolution of meaning in this regard comes about due to changes that arise. The word is a result gets interchangeably used because of changing trends and definitions of protection and achievements in society in association with the happenings in the community. Therefore, the change in society has brought about a ripple effect in dealing with the definitions of a hero and stars who are mostly differentiation by their exceptional talents and courage, respectively.

Works Cited

Branchik, B. J., & Chowdhury, T. G. (2017). Men seeing stars: Celebrity endorsers, race, and the male consumer. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 25(3), 305-322.

Kinsella, E. L., English, A., & McMahon, J. (2020). Zeroing in on Heroes: Adolescents' Perceptions of Hero Features and Functions. Heroism Science, 5(2), 2.

"hero." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2020. Web. 18 March 2020.

"star." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2020. Web. 18 March 2020.