Notion - Myths and Heroes : what do we really expect from a hero ?

The notion I am going to present is "Myths and Heroes" which is a pretty vast subject, so I will focus on modern-day heroes. Heroes are everywhere, in comic books, in history, and even in our daily lives. But we tend to overuse the word "hero" to such an extent that it doesn’t mean anything anymore. Today, a lot of people claim to be heroes, especially on the internet or in the media. We generally all agree on one thing: a hero is someone who has performed an outstanding act, something out of the ordinary. But is that enough to call someone a hero? What do we really expect from a hero? I have identified two main expectations from a hero: before all, a hero has to be a role model and secondly a hero has to be involved, dedicated in helping others. I will rely on various documents studied in class.

First of all, heroes are supposed to be role models. We look up to them for their achievements and we envy them for that. Most of the time, heroes weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouth, they had to work their way up. They usually have encountered hardships, even hit rock bottom, but they pulled through and got back on their feet. That's inspiring for the rest of us. One may think of Vince Papale. He was an ordinary man who managed to fulfill his dream, that is to say becoming a professional football player, even though he never had the chance to play football in college. His life wasn’t always easy: he was dumped by his wife, he lost his teaching job and he was diagnosed with colon cancer. Despite all of that, he fought to make his dream come true. Today, he travels around as an inspirational speaker: he encourages people to go for their dreams. That's part of being a hero. A movie, called Invincible, based on his life, was recently made. On the poster, the catchphrase says: "dreams are not lived on the sidelines", which basically means "go for it!" We can easily identify with Vince Papale because he isn't an out-of-reach hero. On the contrary, some heroes don't live up to their status. I particularly think of Charles Lindberg. He was a genius in aviation, as he was the first man ever to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean. However, he held controversial speeches that led him to being accused of anti-Semitism, which doesn't set a good example.

Another aspect of being a hero is involvement. In books, the hero is always the good guy. Well, the same is true in the real life. To me, a hero has to help people in need. Getting to the top requires hard work and determination. So I'm not saying that those people don't deserve to be at the top. However, they now have the means to do great things for humanity. "To whom much is given, much is expected". Let's take the case of Bill Gates. He is currently the richest man alive and yet he remains a true philanthropist. Even though he worked his way up, he considers himself lucky and privileged and wants to do something for the greater good. He has already given more than 27 billion dollars of donation and he has big plans for the future. In the interview we studied, he said that "ten years from now, polio should be gone, malaria deaths should be cut in half and new vaccines should be invented". He also thinks it's a shame that rich people don't get more involved in helping others.

To sum everything up, I think it only takes

...