A Classification of Heroes
Growing up, I would always look towards the brilliant musicians of my childhood for moral support: Brittany Spears, Christina Aguilera, and The Backstreet Boys. Their masterful lyrics and catchy melodies filled my head, and when I was angry or upset their words provided comfort. They were my heroes. The dictionary defines a hero as, “a person admired for his or her achievements and noble qualities; one that shows great courage.” Now, I don’t know if one can use words like “noble” and “courage” when describing Brittany Spears, but is that the only definition of a hero?
One questions, who are these undefined heroes? Well, all heroes can be placed into two major categories: real and unreal. The heroes distinguished as real, are those who commit acts that affect the lives of the people around them. They play a part in one’s life. Their decisions somehow influence the way one chooses to live. In contrast, an unreal hero (still a hero no doubt) is one whose decisions are not detrimental to a person’s way of life. An example of these categories would be a doctor versus an actor or actress. A doctor assists in the health of people around them, in turn, affecting their everyday life. While an actor or actress may be someone a person looks up to, they do not affect one’s day to day routine. Though there are two major categories of heroes, it is those that are real that can be broken down into the smaller sub-categories of the unsung and reactive. I choose to focus on the real only because they are the people who make a change for others around them, and it is those people that deserve the recognition.
Recognizing a hero is a pretty simple task. It is the matter of deciding what type of hero they are that is the hard part. For the individual who is outwardly brave and always stands up for the greater good, they are a reactive hero. Based on an event or occurrence that took place, a person will react in a certain way. The difference between...