My definition of a hero - Extra Credit

[cathysjun]

My definition of heroes is those who persistently use their powers for altruistic matters. Those who can use their powers for others without expecting any rewards are true heroes. To me a hero is a soldier who takes a bullet for a little kid. A hero is someone who can run in front of a bus for his friends.

I disagree with the first video. I don¡¯t think it is wrong to call someone a hero for a heroic moment. And I don¡¯t think we misused the word hero. I do agree with the video that people have heroic moments and it is wrong to call a person a hero for one heroic moment. However I believe if a person continues to have a series of heroic moments then a person deserves to be called a hero.

For example in our contemporary society, Batman, Spiderman, Superman etc. are commonly depicted as heroes. I do believe they are heroes because all of them continue to use their powers for others. They do not perform a heroic moment and continue to live but they continue to perform heroic moments. This continuation of altruistic actions makes me believe that they are true heroes.

In that sense I believe that Gilgamesh was not a hero in the beginning. In the beginning of the story Gilgamesh used his super powers for his own good: to find eternal life. However in the end he uses the lessons he learns from his journey. He decides to become a good king and be good for his people. Hence in the end of the story I believe he was hero of the kingdom. I believe the Mesopotamian society had a different point of view of heroes with me in the beginning but the same in the end.

Thus I believe a hero is someone who helps others with his or her powers. I do agree with the video that heroes need to continue to be heroic. Also I agree that in the end Gilgamesh was a hero. However in the beginning he wasn¡¯t since he didn¡¯t use his powers for his own good. I don¡¯t think the powers are what make a person a hero but their actions.

[alexkoo]

When people hear the word “hero”, they often think of figures with supernatural powers that are depicted in the movie such as Spiderman, Batman, Superman and Iron man. Some of them might say those supernatural figures are heroes, however, they are not “true heroes”. I believe that true heroes are people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for other people.


It was shocking to hear first video saying every soldier, civil service and athletes are considered as a hero. Soldiers, civil service and athletes are jobs that people have to live their daily lives. None of them are doing so for other people or society. It was even funny to see Alex Rodriguez in the interview. Alex Rodriguez has nothing to do with hero, because all he did was playing baseball for himself.


According to the first video, I have to say that Gilgamesh can be considered as a hero. If Alex Rodriguez can be considered as a hero just for playing baseball so well, Gilgamesh can be hero by being so strong. Both Alex Rodriguez and Gilgamesh aren’t heroes, but they can be someone’s role model. I think modern day people and Mesopotamian people have similar point of view on heroes. If there are people who consider Gilgamesh or Alex Rodriguez as heroes, they need to start thinking about what “true heroes” are.


In my opinion, as mentioned above, true heroes are people who are willing to sacrifice themselves for other people. I personally have two people who I call as true hero, Emil Zola and Oskar Schindler. Emil Zola was a notable French writer who proved innocence of French general Alfred Dreyfus. Other general who committed treason put false charge on Alfred Dreyfus. Emil Zola, who was a notable writer at the time wrote the truth and published in his newspaper. Public started to pay attention to the issue and eventually Dreyfus went through another trial and proved to be innocent. Oskar Schindler is a German industrialist who is credited of saving thousands of Jews during the holocaust. Schindler did not ask anything for Jews in return, but he sacrificed himself and did his best to save Jews by employing them in his factory.


Having super power or dominant ability does not make someone a hero. Gilgamesh and other heroes that are shown in the second video aren’t true heroes. Having granted super power does not have anything to do with being a true hero. True heroes are people take others as priority and people who know how to sacrifice them for the others.

[sammy576]

To me the definition of a hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves to save or help others. Just like the aformentioned video stated that the term "hero" is becoming too cliche in the sense. However, I believe that this term can never become too trite because we all need a hero.

The heroes portrayed in the video are heroes who are actually doing it for the good of the people. All those heroes weren't heroes to begin with; they all acted on their egos. Gilgamesh was not a hero to begin with either; he pursued only his own interests. However, just like all heroes, Gilgamesh started to care about the people around him in the end.

Heroes in most movies have an internal conflict. Some try to find themselves as they feel lost, others feel powerless even with their supernatural powers. Gilgamesh faces those same internal conflicts just like those young heroes. Gilgamesh has an internal conflict where he is in fear of dying despite the fact he is half god. He however overcomes his fear, just like all heroes portrayed in the video.

Mesopotamian society, just like our society today, adamantly believed in super heroes. They believed that heroes were those who sacrificed their life and time to help those in need. Their views of a hero were very similar to our's in that sense. Although the Mesopotamian "hero" did not have all the qualities our perceptions of a her had, our views were still very alike.

We should consider a hero, someone who is willing to sacrifice themselve for the sake of others. Whether or not they have supernatural powers, it is the heart that matters most. All heroes super or a normal citizen have one thing in common: they all have people they care about.