Nearly all cultures in the world have heroes. A hero is a person who in his/her exceptional character does deeds mostly geared towards saving others. His/her selfless nature, great courage, determination and brevity are the major traits that enhance the success of his/her deeds. The memories of heroes remain in communities’ cultures. Constant reminders of heroic deeds in most communities include monuments, statues, paper bills, coinages, tributes and memorials.
Others include names of streets, towns, states, institutions and buildings. These reminders help to put the heroes as pillars the society. There are two types of heroes, the mythological heroes and the modern-day heroes. The major distinction between these two types of heroes is that the modern-day heroes mainly depend on their intelligence and wit while the mythological heroes depended on their endurance, courage and strength.
A mythological hero
A mythological hero, also referred to as a supernatural hero, is a hero whose deeds were extraordinary and lived during the primordial age. This is the period before the world’s industrial revolution. Myths and other forms of literature were the tools that the community used to pass the deeds of the heroes from one generation to the other.
Difficult moments in a community defined the moments when a hero would come forth in his/her attempt to bring a solution to the situation and salvation to many. It is thus evident that not everyone could stand out in his/her deeds to rescue the people from their difficulties. This is the basis of not only a mythological hero but also modern-day heroes.
Mythological heroes performed extraordinary deeds, risked their lives for the sake of others, and fell victims to a given difficult situation and managed to come out of it successfully. Most cultures believed that mythological heroes had supernatural aspects within themselves because their deeds usually lacked concrete human explanation. It is important to mention that all generations of a given community had to know about them.
This was a sign that the communities highly valued the contribution of the heroes to the success of the entire community. The word mythological hero has his origin in ancient Greece. This is to say that the Greeks were the first people in history to have mythological heroes. One of such heroes is Achilles.
How Achilles exemplifies a mythological hero
Achilles is one of the mythological heroes in Greece. Historians consider him as one of the mightiest Greeks. He became a hero during the Trojan War. Her mother abandoned him when he was still a young boy leaving him under the custody of his father. According to Edwards (1985), when Achilles was a boy, the seer Calchas prophesied that the city of Troy needed help in order to take the city (p.217).
When his mother heard this prophecy she took the boy and went into hiding. She not only hid the boy but also disguised him as a young girl that people would not notice him. It did not take long before he was recognised. In the company of his friend and tutor, Achilles went to Troy to fight.
During the war, he distinguished himself as a great and an inexorable warrior. He proved this by his ability to capture twenty–three towns in the Trojan territory. He took a woman, Briseis, from Troy to his homeland. He also performed many other exploits. It is also important to mention that Achilles killed the Trojan hero and this was a great achievement to the Greeks. Achilles’ deeds were indeed heroic.
The purpose of mythological quest to the society
Mythological quest is an important aspect in myths just like in other forms of literature. It refers to a journey towards a goal (Auden, 2001, p. 35). For a mythological hero, it served as a symbol that he came out successfully. To the community, it properly brought out the hero’s determination to emerge victorious through his deeds.
To the would-be heroes, it helped to inspire them to become brave and to be selfless whenever it came to bringing solutions to problems facing the society. It also helped people to develop the aspect of setting goals in their lives. Mythological quest brought a revelation to most people in the society about dedication to ones decisions.
Conclusion
Every culture valued their heroes. It did not matter the situation that led to the rise of a certain hero if his deeds were selfless and geared towards saving a particular group of people or even the entire community. Many communities have improvised different types of objects to act as constant reminders of their mythological heroes. Mythological heroes on the other hand act as role models to the rest of the society. This greatly helps in bringing up generations with good traits and helpful to the wellbeing of the entire society.
Reference List
Auden, H. (2001). The Quest Hero. Understanding the Lord of Rings: The Best of Tolkeim Criticism, 35-40.
Edwards, A. (1985). Achilles in the Underworld. Iliad, Odyssey, and Æthiopis, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies, 26, 215–227.
Throughout my life, I have always looked up to individuals in society distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility, and strength for inspiration. I define a hero as a person who embraces courage in order to achieve tough exploits that influence society in a positive manner. One of the people I consider as a personal hero is Bob Marley. He was born Robert Nesta Marley on 6th February 1945 in Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica. He died on 11th May 1981 in Miami, Florida, United States (Jeffrey 8).
The Jamaican singer is one of the most celebrated musical legends who influenced many people and brought change to society. He was popularly referred to as Bob. Through reggae, a popular music genre that originated in the West Indies, Marley played a crucial role in changing people’s perceptions about the structure of music and its role in society. My life has revolved around music since I was a child.
In that regard, Marley is one of the few highly dedicated artists who made me fall in love with music. Marley used music to bring feelings of optimism, love, conviction, and potency to millions of listeners across the world (Jeffrey 14). He used music to encourage positive change in numerous societies across the world. Many people have developed strong relationships between their lives and Marley’s music.
Discussion
One of the most inspirational aspects of Marley was the touching nature of the words he shared through music. There are many aspects of my life that are linked to various songs that he composed and sang. Many people argue that he was a musical psychic because his music provided divine inspiration to many across the world (Jaffe & Steffens 30). Every time I listen to Marley’s music, I develop a positive attitude towards life due to the manner in which he talks about the numerous struggles that people go through in their lives.
He sang about various life challenges such as human rights, the fight for freedom, bad governance, oppression, and gender disparities (Jeffrey 21). I was constantly bullied by other children in school because I was weak and had no one to protect me. This experience had negative implications on my self-esteem, a phenomenon that made it hard for me to develop and maintain reliable interpersonal relationships. Marley always encouraged people to surmount such challenges through his music, which promoted peace, love, and unity in the world. Music is a very powerful tool for change if used by people who understand the needs of society. Marley understood the complexities of life owing to the recurrent realities that characterized his childhood (Jaffe & Steffens 33).
Marley is my hero because he used his singing talent to initiate positive change. One of the things I admire the most about him is the possession of skills and the right attitude to influence positive change in society. He had a rough and challenging childhood in Jamaica that helped to mold an attitude that encouraged him to make the world a better place (Jeffrey 23). He always did his best to make a positive impact in places where he went and lived.
The biggest lesson embodied in the life of Marley is that the best way to ensure a better future is to work towards eliminating the challenges of life (Jeffrey 23). He used his talent to escape poverty and promote peace and positive change in the world (Toynbee 100). Marley’s childhood was characterized by an environment where the crime was considered the only way to succeed in life. He used his skills to avoid the trap of gang violence, which had already compromised the future of his childhood friends (Toynbee 109).
I also consider Marley as my hero because he was always true to himself and the world. Since his childhood, Marley had vowed to bring change to his community and ensure that everyone had a promising future. He always practiced the things he articulated in his songs (Toynbee 109). Although many people thought that Marley’s intention was to influence change through singing, he did more than that as he was actively involved in programs that promoted peace (Jeffrey 29).
Marley used art to express his thoughts and feelings with regard to the various issues that affected society. I am very passionate about social and political change because they have a positive influence on the quality of life. Marley was very vocal about such changes in his music, which focused on bringing a revolution, providing justice for everyone, and promoting the protection of human dignity (Toynbee 122).
I am passionate about the role of women in society and the way they should be treated. For example, I grew up in a neighborhood where cases of domestic violence against women were common. This made me realize that women are not accorded sufficient respect despite the crucial role they play in society. I have developed a passion for fighting gender-based violence and promoting the need to respect women. This zeal was motivated by the realization that Marley was also passionate about the same cause, as he produced the song that praised women, their influence in society, and the way they should be treated (Jeffrey 33).
An ideal hero should have the ability to evoke a revolution in the world, an accomplishment that Marley achieved with ease. He brought a drastic and far-reaching change in regard to thought and behavior among millions of people across the world (Jaffe & Steffens 39). I believe that Marley was a musical healer who made people forget their problems through inspirational words shared through music. His lifestyle was inspirational and integral to my personal growth and development. He maintained peace with everyone, especially in his childhood neighborhood. He played a crucial role in influencing revolutions in different parts of the world through music (Jeffrey 41).
Marley is my hero because of the way he strongly held his religious beliefs. He was a Rastafarian, a religion that advocates for revolutionary changes geared towards improving the quality of life. He was a strong believer who did not fear to tell the world the things he believed in and the way they affected his life (Toynbee 137). For example, when he was diagnosed with cancer, he fought hard not to have his legs amputated because his religion taught him to never give in to life-threatening illnesses due to the fact that the human body should be whole (Jeffrey 44). The beliefs of Rastafarians have influenced my attitude towards life.
Marley always said that he believed in eternal life, a factor that made him die without writing a will (Toynbee 159). Although death is inevitable, the lifestyle of Marley and the beliefs of the Rastafarian religion have influenced my life in significant ways. Another reason why I love Marley is his legendary status (Jaffe & Steffens 45). I like being associated with people who pushed against all odds to make their lives and that of others better. More than three decades after his death, Marley is still a very influential figure in the world of music and the global revolution. The world recognizes his efforts towards influencing change.
For instance, in 2001, he was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Grammy awards in the United States (Jeffrey 47). In addition, he has been voted as one of the best music writers of all time in the world by several organizations.
Conclusion
A hero is someone who uses their influential position in society to bring positive change and improve the quality of people’s lives. Heroes are people who do great, exceptional, unique, and special things that are deemed difficult or even impossible by others. I believe that a hero should possess the essential qualities and a positive attitude to talk about the challenges facing people, as well as provide the most effective ways of addressing them.
I believe that Marley is a hero owing to the fact that he influenced positive change and inspire millions of people across the world through music. He had the ability to bring feelings of hope, love, and belief in the lives of people who hardly had a reason to smile. His music has initiated several positive changes in various societies across the world. He is a musical legend who will still have a huge following and influence in the world over the next couple of decades. Marley is a true icon and a hero to many people across the world.
Works Cited
Jaffe, Lee, & Roger Steffens. One Love: Life with Bob Marley and the Wailers. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc, 2003. Print.
Jeffrey, Gary. Bob Marley: The Life of a Musical Legend. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2007. Print.
Toynbee, Jason. Bob Marley: Herald of a Postcolonial World. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print.
Representation can be defined as the action of speaking on behalf of someone else or the use of signs to stand for something else. It involves construction that occurs in the mass media to change aspects of reality, including the people being represented, places, and even cultural identities. Using mass media, representation has witnessed changes over time despite appearing natural (Behm-Morawitz and Mastro, 2008).
In most cases, representation depends on an individual’s interpretation, since it usually involves selective aspects. In mass media, representation usually involves the use of art and signs to change the concept of concrete reality, hence leading to stereotyping of characters and heroes in movies and other non-fiction programs from a specific point of view.
In this view, representation provides a means and way through which ideologies and concepts of reality are created in such a way that the texts or movies characters including the heroes resembles something else (Martinec and Salway, 2005).
This paper will discuss how movies and cinemas usually use representation to stereotype heroes represented in the movies. Again, the paper will discuss representation theory of Barthes in explaining these stereotypes of characters, such as heroes in movies and films (Murray, 2013a).
Barthes Theory of Representation
To begin with, Barthes representation theory talks about denotation and connotation (Flynn, 2011), and argues that photography connotation, which involves the socio cultural and ideological and emotional personal associations of signs, can be distinguished from aspect of denotation. The aspect of denotation usually involves the literal meaning of signs.
Therefore, he argued that these connotations and denotations are usually related to the individuals’ gender, class, age, cultural beliefs, and even ethnicity in their interpretation (Hartman, 2006). Again, signs are more easily interpreted through their connotation than through the use of their denotation.
In addition, in most cases, connotation deals with how images and signs are photographed while denotation involves what is photographed (Behm-Morawitz and Mastro, 2008). Furthermore, connotation is more related to myths that are usually associated with classical stories about heroes.
Indeed, myths can be used in making sense of the cultural experiences in most cases, especially considering that they are just the most dominant ideologies and values of our time. Moreover, most media representation usually associates our experiences to cultural myths and beliefs that reflect our true realities, including values, attitudes, and beliefs (Felton, Dimnik, and Bay, 2008).
Stuart Hall representation theory
In terms of non-fiction, Stuart Hall argued that there are three ways of understanding reading texts, which involve encoding and decoding a text. Firstly, texts can be read through the reader’s own values and experiences, hence allowing a chance to recognize and interpret the text according to the writer’s intended purpose.
Secondly, there is the use of negotiated reading, which involves decoding the text in a different way from what the writer encoded in the text. Lastly, there is the oppositional reading where the reader interprets a text in far much different way from which the writer intended (Martin, 2012).
There are various ways through which stereotyping of heroes is used in the movies. For example, although movies are meant to enhance communication, in most cases, the communication process becomes more complex, leading to meanings that are contradictory and inaccurately represented, hence stereotypes is seen (Murray, 2013a).
Heroes’ Stereotypes in Movies and Cinemas
According to Barthes theory of representation, there are signs and images that usually function in relation to the society’s cultural beliefs. Therefore, in these movies, meanings are expressed in terms of myths, rituals, and even one’s social class in the society (Behm-Morawitz and Mastro, 2008).
For example, in movies, prominent heroes like Billy Blank and the late Paul Walker, among many other heroes in movies are usually represented as having good and extra ordinary qualities and characteristics such as, physical strength, through the use of connotation and denotation (Murray, 2013b).
Even though these stereotypes depend on the societal beliefs, their meaning changes when denotation and connotation are added (Shaffer and Casey, 2013).
Furthermore, Barthes argued that the way black people are represented in the mass media might be due to stereotypes that create the blacks as being more associated with crimes and criminal activities. This usually makes the viewers of movies and cinemas to associate the blacks with violent criminals and associate the whites with characters involved in restoring peace and solving conflicts and disputes (Atilola and Olayiwola, 2013).
In addition, most heroes in movies and films are usually associated with good qualities such as great physical strength, ability to fight many people and even ability to use knowledge to challenge tricky situations.
From this perspective, the social media such as movies create stereotypes by providing information and images that viewers, readers and audiences usually interprets and recall mostly with association to the existing beliefs and experiences that they have found from the movies.
This implies that association involves connotation, while denotation provides and produces long-lasting meanings that install stereotypes in the minds of viewers and readers (Barthes, 1977).
This idea of connotation and denotation can also be used in politics where opponents associate their rivals with criminal activities and lack of ideologies. Again, it can be used in texts and newspaper captions to provide conflicting meanings and qualities of others, hence providing stereotypes on other rivals (Mircea, 2013).
Perception can also be a form of connotation where an individual only categorizes and classifies things depending on his or her existing knowledge. Ideological and ethical form of connotation can also be used in movies where individuals recognize values according to their cultural beliefs (Cardon, 2010).
Other examples of this theory include some African leadership that have been associated with dictatorship and abuse of power. Therefore, most African leadership movies also are represented through dictatorship and abuse of power.
Again, in most movies and cinemas, women are stereotyped as weak characters; however, women who are heroes are usually given strong qualities including physical strength (Martinec and Salway, 2005).
Therefore, Roland Barthes theory of representation is important in analysing heroes stereotyping in movies since it give various myths about people and places. This theory talks about how the media represents people and heroes in movies using myths.
For example, in various Hollywood movies, heroes are usually unrealistically represented with extra-ordinary qualities, leading to stereotypes in the mainstream societal view. Specifically, in the White House Down movie, we see the white guy being the one who ends up being the hero at the end of the movie while Jamie Foxx could not save himself (Behm-Morawitz and Mastro, 2008).
Again, in this movie, we see the policeman struggling to save his daughter, and although there is terrorist attack in the white house, it is only the white guy policeman that manages to save the president. This movie also depicts Cale (white policeman) as the man with ability to save the president from the terrorist attack while Raphelson (who is black) is taken into custody.
This shows us that whites are given qualities that are more heroic in movies, thus providing enough evidence about the use of stereotypes in movies. Here, a mere policeman, Cale, saves not only the president, but also country and the president’s daughter.
On the other hand, in the movie of Hancock, Will Smith (who is black) is depicted as the bad guy in the beginning, and this is even made worse when the white guy comes in and ends up being civilised and the good guy (Murray, 2013b).
Therefore, in these two movies and other movies, the Whites are usually stereotyped as having good qualities while other races, especially the blacks, are associated with bad qualities. In addition, most movies associate women with weak qualities, thereby stereotyping them as weak characters in the society (Oliver and Fonash, 2002).
In most Holly wood movies, black characters are given the roles of athletes, gang members, or police officers. In addition, Arabs are associated with terrorist characters while Asians are given character roles associated with factory workers or physicians.
In contrast, the whites usually take the leadership roles and other good roles in movies (Shaffer and Casey, 2013). These movies and films usually show racial stereotypes, with heroes usually depicted as having good characters. Another good example is in Superman movies, where the Batman is represented with good qualities including extra physical strength and good voice that attract women (Oliver and Fonash, 2002).
Conclusion
This paper has discussed how heroes are mostly stereotypes in movies and other mass media as having good qualities such as physical strength. Again, there are also gender stereotypes where women are usually associated with weak and soft qualities, despite that being not the reality on the ground.
In addition, in most movies and cinemas, we have found out that there are racial stereotypes where whites are usually associated with good qualities while other races are associated with inferior qualities. This is evidenced in some movies like the Hancock, White House Down movie and the Superman where white characters are given the hero roles while other races are given roles that are less glamorous.
Besides, from the paper, it is clear that heroes are usually depicted to have good qualities while other characters may be associated with some abnormally weak qualities. Finally, the paper has discussed how Barthes theory of representation has successful used connotation and denotation to show how the media uses cultural values and myths in order to portray media stereotypes of heroes.
References
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Barthes, R. (1977). The photographic message. In S. Heath (Ed.), Image, music, text (pp. 15-31). New York, USA: Hill and Wang.
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Felton, S., Dimnik, T., & Bay, D. (2008). Perceptions of Accountants’ Ethics: Evidence from Their Portrayal in Cinema. Journal of Business Ethics, 83(2), 217-232.
Flynn, P. (2011). How Bridget Was Framed: The Irish Domestic in Early American Cinema, 1895-1917. Cinema Journal, 50(2), 1-20.
Hartman, K. B. (2006). Television and movie representations of salespeople: beyond Willy Loman. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 26(3), 283-292.
Martin, A. (2012). A theory of agitation, or: Getting off in the cinema. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 26(4), 519-528.
Martinec, R. & Salway, A. (2005). A system for image-text relations in new (and old) media. Visual Communication, 4(3), 337-371.
Mircea, E. (2013). The Postmodern Condition of Cinema in Hollywood Culture. Scientific Journal of Humanistic Studies, 5(9), 106-113.
Murray, J. (2013a). Stereotypes and Subversions: Reading Queer Representations in Two Contemporary South African Novels. English in Africa, 40(1), 119-138.
Murray, J. (2013b). Give a dog a bone: representations of Scotland in the popular genre cinema of Neil Marshall. Visual Studies, 28(3), 227-237
Oliver, M.B. & Fonash, D. (2002). Race and Crime in the news: Whites’ identification and violent and nonviolent criminal suspects. Media Psychology, 4, 137-156.
Shaffer, C., & Casey, O. (2013). Behind the glasses and beneath the bun: portrayals of librarians in popular cinema and a guide for developing a collection. Collection Building, 32(2), 39-45.