English Literature

Heroes and heroines serve as leaders and models of nations and people. This is because they reflect dreams, feelings, needs and fantasies of people and of the community itself (Childress, 2000). In our society there is a constant yearning for heroes and heroines, and a need for the power they offer us. This is so because we realize that we have limitations and understand that we could die without fulfilling our hopes and aspirations. A hero is a believer in the value and dignity of human life. Many people would agree that risking own life to save another is a heroic act. Many myths and fairytales are full of stories on people whose life would have been lost were it not for intervention of heroes (Browne, 1990).

Putting value to human life can also be taken to mean preserving dignity to life. A lot of women are heroes when it comes to this aspect. Many of the acts that women have quietly but heroically done have been the service that support the dignity and welfare of human life under their care, be it adults or young ones. Feeding, clothing and other tasks done by women and mothers might seem simple but life would deteriorate very fast if these tasks were unattended. Women have suffered a lot in the endeavors to preserve human dignity (Polster, 2001). In our health care facilities and schools in the slums, in hospitals during wartime, gathering and distributing food to the homeless, among other acts are examples of activities that preserve human life (Childress, 2000).

Every hero possesses profound faith in himherself as a significant influential force. Any unhappy situation is not just to be endured. In such a situation action is called for, and a hero will always choose to act, balances energy against the opposition and moves to create changes.

Heroes and heroines have original perspective that sets them apart from others who settle for agreement and conformity or get too pressed to ask necessary questions. The link between a hero and the conventional order of things is fluid. The hero will always insist on the freedom to perceive, in the context of he things just the way they are and not the way they are meant to be (Tollefson, 1993).

One example of a hero who went beyond resignation is Betty Washington. She motivated others to work toward their common goal. Single-handedly, she recruited and organized individuals for a citizens watch program to get rid of drug dealing and crime in her Boston neighborhood. Drug dealing and crime had become so rampant in the neighborhood and was threatening to take over. This caused Betty to be a publicly marked target and vulnerable to retaliation. The heroic woman has a belief and reminds others, that the common experience and conventional opinion can be changed. She is always willing to be a catalyst to that change even if she might be faced by opposition and criticism (Browne, 1990).  

Heroes and heroines are capable of concentrating the power of a society or a nation and operate as a driving force for development of individuals and the society.  In an uncomplicated society like the Greeks of three thousand years ago, the world of heroes and heroines was straightforward and uncomplicated. It consisted of simple goals and definite and precise purposes (Polster, 2001). The heroes and heroines of that period spoke for and perpetuated peoples goals and purposes. In more complicated society, like the one we are living in now, they wear many faces because they have to respond to numerous needs and purposes of individuals groups of people and nations. As the needs of a society get more complicated, so do heroes and heroines. As people get more sophisticated, the heroes and heroines get less modeled on the conservative demi-gods of the past society (Childress, 2000).

Martin Luther King Jr. stood up not only for United States but for the whole world. He was a believer in equality, and also that love, not violence, was the most powerful weapon. He also urged people not to obey unjust laws (Carson, 1998).  This hero was not afraid of fighting for what he believed in even until the point that he was arrested. Although he did not like violence, he fought for what he believed to be the rights of the blacks, until his death at the age of 39. His courage was so great that he stood against powerful people in a society where no one else could have dared to. Martin Luther King Jr. dreaded the fact that other children would have to grow up in the same world like he had. Challenging racial segregation and inequality was not an easy task in the United States at the time of Martin Luther King Jr. (Carson, 1998).

Martin Luther King Jr. brought together nations and helped people to see things in someone elses eyes. This is one hero that cannot be forgotten even in the contemporary society because his heroic acts brought changes that are still felt in the world today. His actions are published and passed from generation to another even through word of mouth because his deeds will always remain in the memories of many (Carson, 1998).  He dedicated and sacrificed his life for the sake of the society. His dream that is shared by many continues to endure as legacy. He was looked up as a role model during his time and even posthumously. People still wonder what could have happened if Martin Luther King Jr. did not speak up and say what he believed in. One wonders whether segregation and inequality would have persisted (Carson, 1998).

In a rapidly moving society like the United States, heroes and heroines undergo rapid changes in response to the changes. They frequently transform in ways and for purposes that are not apparently clear. The 20th century United States heroes and heroines, operating in a highly technological society and propelled by electronic mass communication, transform very fast. They are honored as heroic to today and forgotten by the next day. But although they are forgotten very fast, they serve their purpose while they endure (Polster, 2001).

In the past, people did not demand a lot of information about the reality of heroes and heroines and their acts of heroism (Tollefson, 1993). This is because the acceptance of the importance of the hero or heroin by those societies was by faith. The people of that time were less critical and analytical about the precise accomplishments of those individuals. The current civilization has very little patience for the hazy semi-divine heroes and heroines who had popularity in the past. The kind that is appreciated in the current society are the down-to-earth, real role models that exhibit how an individual can develop all of his or her potential (Polster, 2001).

All heroes and heroines are motivated by a deep respect to life. They possess a strong sense of personal choice and efficiency. They have an original perspective on the world that goes beyond what other people think is possible. They possess great mental and physical courage. They are not gauged by publicity. Whether hisher action receives world wide attention or happens in a murky setting with only one witness, a heroic act remains as such (Childress, 2000).

Conclusion
There are still many heroes in our society whose memories and acts will always be embedded in our minds. They have done so much for the society and created a lot of changes that could never have taken place without them. Heroes are still very many, more that we think. Although all heroes and heroines might not receive public acclaim, the value of private heroism is greater because we see them up closer every day. They are so near and so intimately connected with us. They are family, neighbors, co-workers and their heroic acts takes place in the commonplace setup and every day life challenges.