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No one can be a hero without others believing they are-- it is a status granted to the hero by the collective, a recognition of their good deeds and actions. According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, the definition of a hero is “a person admired for courage or noble qualities.” The word “admiration” suggests that society as a whole agrees about the hero’s status. Today, we view firefighters, police officers, military personnel, and emergency responders are heroes because they are courageous and selfless, qualities that society esteems. We also view bus drivers, rappers, and drag queens as heroes. Courage has been an admirable characteristic throughout all of history. 

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There are certain qualities that make a person heroic which evolve over time, to fit the characteristics most admired by a particular culture at that moment in history. In order to be considered a hero, a person must meet all the criteria of his or her society. Sometimes a shift in societal ideals facilitates the rise of a hero, rather than causing the downfall of a current one. Heroes who have a great impact on their society are still influenced, to a certain degree, by the populace and social conditions around them.

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Heroes such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Lincoln have had a great impact on culture and society. These are people we look up to and individuals whose values we admire. Yet, society simultaneously shapes and impacts their cause and their course. If an individual’s actions of beliefs coincide with or exemplify, the values of a given time, society will champion that person as a hero. In this way, changes in social, political, and economic conditions, and a shift in societal views, such as those at the time of the Vietnam War, can facilitate the rise or downfall of a hero.

 

Cultures and societies essentially determine what is heroic, and who is a hero, and thus have a profound impact on those they elevate to that status.