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Erika N. Castillo
English 1102
Instructor Betts
10 September 2010
Who is a Real Hero?
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines the term hero as “one that is much admired or
shows great courage.” Nowadays, people still keep that definition in mind while thinking “hero”
but they also add a physical aspect to that image. The media’s image influences our thought
process and makes us see a handsome, tall, muscular man. The real American hero may not be
muscular or handsome as portrayed by the media. A hero can be a grumpy neighbor, a chubby
police officer, or a mean school teacher.
The image of a hero that the media gives the public is one that is strong, handsome, tall
and with great hair. For example, Clark Kent, in the television series “Smallville”, is all of the
previously mentioned adjectives. He is handsome but shy, and since he worked on his father’s
farm since he was young he is very muscular, and being that he is from another planet makes
him extremely strong. Since most of society’s image of a hero comes from the television, we
now believe that that is how a hero looks. Media is not completely responsible for giving us this
image of a hero. The public is partially at fault because if movie and television directors were to
cast an unattractive person to play the protagonist in their showcasing’s no one would want to
see it. Society has started to look at the physical appearance of a person and judging them by that
instead of the person’s beliefs.
The media should not only cover the handsome heroes. They should also cover the
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regular looking heroes. The media should recognize that they greatly influence the way people
think so they should stop being so concerned about physical appearances of who does and does
not appear on their show. People should not be so closed off. They should learn to accept new
things and people. They should not just care about appearances; they should care more about
what the right thing to do is.
The real heroes of our world are always around and many times they are not seen as what
they really are. There are many heroes in society. Some examples of heroes that are many times
never noticed are teachers who keep their students on track and do not let them join gangs or
drop out, a police officer who keeps a person from killing people, a fireman who saves a
grandma from a burning building. They might not always be handsome and with great hair but
they are heroes. A lot of the time they are average just like the rest of us.
An example of a regular hero is a teacher who puts himself in the way of a school shooter
in order to stop him from shooting his students. A person who is willing to sacrifice his or her
own life in order for the young pupils to be able to live a full life is a hero. A soldier who fights
for his country even though when he comes back home many believe that the war is pointless
and should not even is happening. A middle class family offering a shelter for a family who has
lost their own in a natural disaster just out of their own kindness. A suicide hotline operator who
keeps teens and adults from taking their lives on a daily basis is a hero.
There are many heroes who have been ugly at first but have turned out to be handsome or
kindhearted at the end. Also, many times the actual handsome character in a movie is narcissistic
and villainous. In all of these tales, the human population is always scared of them and judges
them based on their physical appearance. The only examples of these happenings are in Disney
movies. Some examples are Shrek, Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
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another that is not part of the Disney productions is Hellboy.
In Shrek, the villagers are scared of him simply because he is an ogre. Shrek did not want
to be noticed in the movie, all he wanted was to keep his home. He becomes a hero when he
saves the princess in a tower from a fire breathing dragon who does not let leave. In later movies
Shrek saves the princess, and ultimately, the kingdom from marrying Prince Charming, who only
wants to marry the princess because he wants to become King.
Quasimodo, in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is also an unrecognized hero. He never
left his home. The one day Quasimodo did leave his home he was ridiculed when people
discovered that his face was not a mask, it was the real thing. He has to almost die and save the
gypsies in the end so he can finally be recognized as a hero.
Hellboy is a misunderstood red demon. At first sight, people are terrified and stunned
because of his looks. Even though he is always saving the world from doom he has to be kept
hidden. Society is so judgmental if a person that they do not even care if they are helping keep
our world safe .If a person were to actually talk to him they would see his love for cats and
television, and how he loves a girl that does not even know him. The people who are part of
Hellboy’s team that are also alien are weird, yet they save so many lives.
There are heroes that society recognizes like firefighters and soldiers, but people should
also think of the people who help the community and the world in whole on a daily basis. When
thinking hero, one should remember the quote “never judge a book by its cover.” Many times the
heroes are not always the beautiful ones. And many times the handsome person is not as nice as
they seem to be. Most of the time the real heroes are overlooked, and society should try and find
a way to correct that. A hero is a small child defending another child from being bullied by a
group of older children.