The Hero Essay -- essays research papers

The HeroA hero is not just the title of an action-packed kung-fu flick with subtitles. A hero these days has many meanings depending on the time and creator that person is c altogethered a hero.According to Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, the interpretation becomes very broad. It starts as being a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability and becomes a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities. The last definition listed is probably the most modern of the many, being an object of extreme admiration and devotion. These definitions are in the same order as listed in the dictionary, but alike seem to be chronologically listed as well, because overtime the meaning of the word hero adjust its self to the people using it. Thus, the definition of a hero changes parallel to the evolution of society, religion, and politics, in order to placate the desires of the people involved.If we look back, over a thousand yea rs ago before Christianity became the almighty religion of the West, we hear of stories of heroes being passed down orally from generation to generation. In Beowulf we construct this invincible brute tearing the limbs off of hideous friend Grendel, all in the name of fame and glory. A few hundred years later, when Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was jotted down, we still have people being dismembered, but our character traits have changed a little. Sir Gawain is not the c...