Lee, Allison Frances C.S.

I.

Main Idea
The reading material entitled Hero and Hera talked about the meaning of the
word hero and how its meaning has changed through the years in literature and
in reality. These are shown through the citation of different literary works of
different authors. The authors works and depiction of a hero is also shown to be
dependent upon the culture and the era of which the author belongs to which
makes the meaning of the word hero varies. An example of the variety is when a
hero is a divine being in other works of literature, an animal in another, a normal
human in another and so on.
The very first place that was said to use the word hero was supposedly Ancient
Greece where it was said to be combined in the name of Heracles. The name
Heracles translates to Heras Glory wherein Hera is said to be in charge of the
changing of the seasons. Using the understanding that Hera is in charge of the
changes in the season we could then say that during Ancient Greece a hero
signifies change. From the story of Heracles we could also see that a hero must
not only signify change but a hero must also risk their very being for the sake of
others rather than for their own glory and the hero must also be a victim.
As time passes the meaning of a hero are more diverse. At first, a hero only
shows physical prowess of which normal people are capable of but as time
passes a hero may also show other type prowess such as through miracles as
done by Jesus. It is also said that at first only males are depicted as a hero but
soon after women also had the chance to be a hero. In modern times, another
type of hero is also made which is an anti-hero, which is a person who acts only
for their sake and does not have the typical heroic attitude such as righteousness
and so on.

II.

Supporting Details

religion and life were more often than not oneand-the-same

We use religion as the basis of what we think is right and
wrong, and what we think should be done. In other words
we use this as a philosophy for our life and thus religion
and life can be likened to each other.

 kinds of heroes actions symbolize changes in the

ideas and social conditions of the societies they
belong to
A hero is a person who acts for what he thinks is rights.
He is the type of person who doesnt let society bind him
and stop him from doing what should be done which
influences us and our society which creates change.
There are real, historical heroes, who have
actually lived as such; there are mythical heroes
who have been nothing but symbols; and there are
clearly fictional heroes who feature only in
literature of later days.
There are different types of heroes and it depends upon
the author on which type of hero they want to write
about. It may be about real events, or they may use
symbolism to further explain a deeper story, or simply a
write about a fictional person whose lives are crafted
through the imagination of the writer.
Is a hero, then, always made, not born?
A hero is someone forged out of the experiences he has
while growing up. A hero isnt born to be a hero but is
made through his situation and the teachings taught to
him. A hero is made through the actions done to him and
by him. A hero is made but not born.
Many times we call a hero a person who is known
to have done some exceptional deeds while
showing physical prowess, great courage,
overcoming enormous obstacles and saving
peoples lives
This line explains the most basic description of what a
hero is. It shows a hero as someone who is powerful and
courageous person who protects the weak. It shows us
that a hero may fall but will never break for the people he
wants to save.
The Hero, then, is characterized not only as a brave
fighter but also as a victim.

A hero is not just a protagonist who is all-powerful but is

also a victim from his fate. A hero is someone who fights
for other people which in turn is antagonized by other
people, who does not agree with the ideals of the hero,
which will make the hero becomes a victim to their anger
and dissatisfaction which leads to the heros death.
Non-living heroes also appear in later literature,
in the form of dolls or robots.
As time passes by, the type of hero has also evolved.
Today, it is not limited to the hero being a person or even
a living being. It has now evolved to being an individual
who naturally is not alive but is given life through
literature.
One kind of hero does not exist in ancient
mythology, and that is a female one.
Before, though a female is given importance they are
never a used to project a hero. That is because a female
is a source of life and for the tribe to live on the tribe
would need females.
Writers of a later, futuristic literature, have seen a
future of social equality between the genders, and
in their works they tend to use both genders in the
role of heroes.
Due to the trend of women empowerment, women are
now appearing more frequently as a hero in literature.
In the 1950s, a new genre of literature appeared,
where the protagonist is the opposite of the
hero; in fact, he is called the anti-hero.
An anti-hero is a new type of hero wherein he lacks the usual attitude of a
hero such as righteousness. An anti-hero is also egoistic and does things
only if it suits him.

III.

Implications

Politics
In politics a hero would be someone who would fix the problem in the
government where there are too many underhanded tricks done by

IV.

people. A hero would be a person would change the current ways and is
not someone who will be scared of the wrath to be directed to him.
Economics
A hero in terms of economics is someone who will improve our economy
and change it for the better. It would be someone who can solve the
economic issues being currently faced by the country.

Church
For the church a hero is someone who would spread the religion and save
the people from their sins and bring them to heaven so that they could be
next to God.
Society
A hero in a society would be someone who brings about a change that
would benefit the people. A figure that would give hope and strength to the
people.
School
A hero in as school might be someone who defends the students from the
unfairness in a school. It might be someone who goes against bullies or
someone who would stand up against the teacher when the teacher is
wrong.
Family
A hero in a family might be someone who keeps the family going. It may
be someone who supports the family financially and/or emotionally. It can
be someone who gives the family hope so that they could go against any
type of problems they may face.
Media
For the media, a hero might be someone who goes after the truth no
matter the cost. Someone who is righteous and doesnt back down to any
adversity just so that light will shine upon the truth.

Reflection
Personally, I never really thought about what the meaning of a hero is. I just
thought of it as a title given to anyone the people think of as worthy to receive it.
But I never really thought about the criteria the people use so that they could say
someone is a hero. At most I have vague ideas on what a hero might do such as
protect the weak, help the poor, go against a type of evil. But I never really had a
concrete thought on what a hero might be.
After reading the paper given I started to think about what a hero might actually
be. Does it have to be someone who dies for the sake of others? Does the hero

have to be someone who is strong or can it be someone who is weak? In the

paper given to us, it states that there are three main characteristic of a hero:
performed outstanding deeds, risked their very being for the sake of others and is
a victim. The paper also shows that a hero is also used as a symbol in other
stories. It also shows that a hero may also be an inanimate object or even an
animal. After reading the paper I felt even more confused, it feels as if there are
too many variations to what a hero is. But the one thing that does not change is
that a hero should fit the three criteria stated above. So does that mean that a
hero must fit the criteria before one could be a hero, maybe, Im still not sure on
what a hero really is. But one thing is for sure, I will be thinking more deeply on
what a hero is, and should be from now on.