“Hero” is a word that many people use to describe an idol. In this essay I will be surveying the word “hero,” from a more abstract view of the word, and looking at when the word is over used in our society. Hero is a title that many people aspire to have. It shows worth and success in our culture. Dictionary.com defines it as, “A man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” Merriamdictionary.com defines a hero as, “an object of extreme admiration and devotion.“ Both sources say that a hero is someone that is admired. Hero comes from Greek, meaning to protect, and started being used in conversation around 1605. There are 34 different synonyms of hero, but the words that stand out the most  are celebrity, martyr, and saint. These words all have different meanings but are still synonyms of hero. Celebrity is just a person a lot of people know which is the opposite of a loser or someone who is unknown. A martyr sacrifices something for what he believes is right, and a saint is a good person that does no evil which a saints opposite is a villain since they do only bad. Even though all these words correlate to the word hero, they are different than how we use hero.

The word hero is kind of a controversial word in our society.  When someone thinks of hero they either  think of fictional characters with powers, or a person that’s fought in a war, but is there more to this word? To me, a hero is someone that does good for other people while accepting risks. This means that a CEO of a company or a homeless man could be a hero just because they wanted to help someone.  There is no social requirement as long as the hero person is helping someone without expecting a reward or praise by doing it. This is the big point in being a hero. A hero isn’t selfish and expect profit from their deeds. Even though praise and gifts might come, it’s not their intent when they are helping someone. A hero is a word we throw around a lot. So are the right people being called a hero or is our media just handing the title to any person?

In the article, “Taking Back the Word Heroes for the Heroes,” Matt Langdon, founder of the Hero Construction Company, talks about the improper use of hero. He talks about how the media gives the title to the wrong people and that we need to congratulate real heroes instead of idols. Langdon defines a hero as, “Someone who takes action for the greater good, and accepts any risk involved.” He then gives examples of where hero is misused. For example, “Our aunt who inspired us by surviving cancer is an inspiration, not a hero. The majority of the people who died on 9/11 were victims, not heroes. Our favorite singer or athlete is talented, not heroic.” This shows how we throw the word around and use it instead of what we should be calling people to sometimes glorify the person. Langdon ends the article with, “So let’s take the word back from the news channels, newspapers, and magazines. Let’s bestow it on those that deserve it, whether big or small. Let’s make them feel proud and when we find ourselves in a situation that needs a hero, maybe we’ll be ready to act for the good of others despite the risk. “ I agree with this, because the media uses the word a lot where it shouldn’t and he says we should be congratulating the real heroes.

Hero is a word with more meanings than you think. To some it’s an idol, to others it’s a courageous person, and to some other people, a sandwich. Most definitions seem to have something in common though: a person that someone looks up to. In some ways, they are an inspiration for people to better themselves and help other people. 

Sources “Hero.” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 18 Jan. 2010. <Dictionary.comhttp://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Hero>.

“Hero.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2010. Merriam-Webster Online. 18 January 2010<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hero>

Langdon, Matt. “Taking Back the Word Hero for the Heroes.” Nate Ritter – web chef – blogging about entrepreneurship, business, and technology. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. <http://blog.perfectspace.com/2009/08/10/hero-for-the-heroes/>. 

“Hero.” Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 21 Jan. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero>.