Friday, September 5, 2008

Definition of Hero

We can often hear this line which a woman says to the leading actor in a movie, and that is “You are my hero!” Simultaneously, we can take an easy guess that the man must have done some special things which can touch the woman very much.
However, let us trace back to the history to find out the meanings and the usages of hero. In the very beginning, hero means a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability. They have marvelous power to complete a thing that most people couldn’t do. Besides, they are as great as gods, and gods are considered to be venerable and have high moralities. Therefore, hero is regarded to be brave and well-conducted, and he has to be a good model to people and be worthy to be admired by people.
In ancient time, if a soldier who showed great courage in a war, then people would call him a hero. That’s because he already achieved the standards to be a hero I mentioned above, he deserved to get the honor. There are so many examples in the mythology can prove that, such as Hector and Achilles in Troy, and Oedipus in Oedipus the King. We all can’t deny they are absolutely heroes, for they are the men admired for not only their achievement but also noble qualities.
Time faded away, and the meaning of hero changed as well. Human beings are such smart animals that we have enough intelligence to develop advanced civilization to make our lives more colorful, such as dramas, poetry and novels. For that reason, at this time, hero could be thought as the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work. In addition, extending the meaning, a hero could also mean the central figure in an event, period or movement. All in all, at this age, hero was the one who was capable of catching people’s eyes and always being the spotlight.
Nowadays, in modern language today we use, the new meaning of hero is a little different from the old time. Now, we consider hero more like an idol, a representation or symbol of an object of worship. In this interpretation, hero is a pronoun for someone who finishes a great work or does an earth-shattering achievement that ordinary people can not do; he is so excellent and ideal that everyone can help but adore him.
But, have you ever wonder how a hero is able to get this kind of honor from people? It’s easy! Just work as harder as you can, and try your best to be an object of extreme admiration and devotion. By doing so, and soon you will make all eyes on you, just a hero!

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