them and, although their achievements remain undiminished, the people themselves often emerge without nobility. Therefore it is necessary once again to consider how exactly we define ‘hero’ today and whether we have moved beyond the stage of idealised characters that served as virtuous paragons of courage and ensured the triumph of good over evil? Thankfully we haven’t entirely relinquished these ideals - many of these qualities are still present in heroes of today, evident in the fact that we still recognise some heroes whom epitomise these original qualities such as Gandhi, Mandela and Martin Luther King. To conclude, throughout history, the heroes of the past were an inspiration for many people, they broadened our horizons by giving us an example of a course of action that could be considered noble. Celebrities, on the other hand, with the string of stories about their hardships and their lucky breaks, their affairs and their break-ups, prove to be nothing out of the ordinary. Reading about their lives does not inspire us or fill us with purpose and it is therefore essential to avoid conflating the title hero with the word celebrity.
Martin Luther King
Oliver Daniel
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker