The Hero

A man who is tough, courageous, strong, and selfless. This is what most use to define a hero. However, a hero is rarely ever given a concrete definition. Heroes can change according to those who see them as heroes. My hero may be strong and smart, while someone else’s hero may be giving, and wise. A hero is created by our minds. We can turn any form of character into a hero, if they are what we would consider one. For example, if I see someone who is courageous, I may see them as being a hero. However, other people may not see them as being a hero, but rather just a very brave person. That is exactly why heroes are merely undefined.

A hero is usually one who endures. The perseverance is shown in almost all heroes. Even modern day people can be considered heroes for their perseverance, like Cal Ripken Jr. for example. Though he is no super human with incredible strength, many little kids and baseball fans look up to him like a hero for what he endured, and his perseverance, through thousands of baseball games played over his years in the big leagues. Therefore, a hero is only what you make of it.

For generations nearly beyond recorded history, these heroic figures have shown up. Whether it be in a book or just a tale told around a campfire, heroes have existed wherever creative and imaginative humans have. These heroes are so unique that we pass down there tales throughout the centuries, for our posterity to adore and idolize. These heroes have been created because of human demand. People, and even society need a hero. With no hero to turn to, society would be a mess and people would lose their morals and confidence. As Bertold Brecht said "Unhappy the land that needs heroes." He literally means that any society without heroes to guide it's people and show them the way to conquer will not be successful. The people in these societies will not be happy, and the society will not flourish. The hero has appeared in times of duress, to show us how to get out of the trouble, and conquer "evil." The enemies that the hero faces are even created but what we see as being the evil figure. Many times the arche nemesis stands for what we fear or oppose in our lives.

Since heroes began, the hero has always been a masculine figure. This is most likely due to the fact that for most of our past the woman figure has never had such control or power. In addition, the woman's role in life has been to take care of children, and feed the family. This, however, does not mean that women have not played the role of a heroine in our literature.

Throughout time the hero has appeared as we have created it: a strong, enduring and courageous figure who overcomes all odds and defeats evil as we see it in our lives. The support of the hero will last through eternities, leading those to conquer their insecurities and difficulties in the road that they call life.