Defining Heroes

8/14/2019 Defining Heroes

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Defining Heroism

"Heroism is doing something ofoutstanding benefit to one's society

that most would find impossible toperform," says Hobbs, who is

researching a book on heroism,

courage, fame, and the role of sportsin creating heroes. Angie Hobbs,PhD, professor of philosophy at the

University of Warwick in England.


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Defining Heroism

Throughout history, Hobbs says heroesemerged from war and gained their title of heroby sacrificing themselves or risking their livesto save others. But sports allow heroes to

emerge in times of peace. However, in order to be truly heroic, she says

athletes have to do more than just showphysical prowess on the playing field.

"Only if you have those two componentstogether -- that your society thinks you're doingsomething of outstanding benefit, plus whatyou're doing is something most people couldn't

offer either through mental ability, physicalskill or ualit of character-- then ou've ot


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Defining heroism

In addition, Hobbs says many of theathletic traits revered most in sportsheroes such as speed, strength, and

endurance were traits that werenecessary for success in battle andfound in traditional wartime heroes.

An example of a sports hero who fits

that bill in her mind is Jesse Owens.Owens displayed not only greatphysical strength and endurance, butalso mental determination and courage

in defiantly winning four medals before


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Why Do We NeedHeroes?

Psychologists say people grow upwith a need for heroes, and themedia constantly pumps up andpublicizes candidates for thechoosing. But whom someone looksto as a hero has more to do withtheir own needs than the

accomplishments of the hero.


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Thinking back to our pre test for thisunit and the question where you wereasked to write down the first name

that came to mind when you thoughtof the word Hero

Why Do We NeedHeroes?

Have a go at making a listof things that you like bestabout your chosen hero.


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Defining

heroism "There is no universal hero," says

sports psychologist Richard

Lustberg, PhD. "Subjectively, thehero is created within you. Heroesare created as a great way to

escape from whatever you needto escape from, and they cansupply for you whatever you

need."


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Why do we need heroes

Experts say the number of sportsheroes has also increased in recentyears due to psychological factors.

"More and more people are growing upwithout fathers in the home, soincreasingly they turn to other figures --particularly sports figures -- as a father

replacement and as a hero they canidentify with, especially in absence of afather figure," says sports psychologistStanley Teitelbaum, PhD.


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"Second, whether we grow up in a one-or two-parent family, we start out with

an ideal attachment to our parents,and ultimately along the way they failus in some way and we experience

some disappointment in them,"Teitelbaum tells WebMD. "As adultswhen we find heroes, it's a way oftrying to recapture that earlier timewhen we had this exquisite connection



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Lets take a look back at a couple ofcartoon characters that depict heroismthat might have been shown on T.V

when you where young.

Roger Ramjet

Homer and Bart Simpson

After watching these clips take a look back atyour list of desirable attributes for your heroand tick off those that appear in the story line

of these dvd clips.


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Why do we needheroes

Now add to that list any

attributes that you noted inthe hero actions from the dvdclips and think are worthy of

inclusion on your list.Then compare your list with

your neighbour.


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Lets look at

some heroescloser tohome


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Corporal Willie Apiata - I was doing what I am trained for It was just after 3am when the blast of

the enemy rocket propelled grenades

and machines gun fire ripped into theinky darkness of an Afghanistan hillside. With his upper right arm shredded by

shrapnel, and bleeding profusely, theyoung SAS soldier lapsed in and out ofconsciousness. He and his mates,including Willie Apiata, were caught in

crossfire in the undulating starkness ofthe surrounding countryside.

Apiata, unhurt but stunned, was joltedoff his vehicle. His critically injuredmate at first told Apiata he could makethe 70 metre run back to the safety of

the main Kiwi group and to the medicalassistance he so desperately needed.The men were no longer in darknesshowever. One of their vehicles wasimmobilised, and the other was on fire,illuminating the only pathway the menhad to safety.

War HeroA Humble Hero -CPL Willie Apiata

VC


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As his mate lapsed into unconsciousnessand machine gun fire crackled aroundhim, Apiata made a decision. Fullyexposed in the glare of battle to heavyenemy fire and into the face of returning

fire from the main troop position, heheaved the injured man onto his back andcarried him uphill back to his base. Thathe was not injured, nor his mate furtherinjured, remains one of lifes mysteries.

There was, in the words of an eyewitness.

a shitload of stuff coming towards them -rocket propelled grenades, machinegunfire, small arms fire. There wereexplosions everywhere, and they werecaught in the middle how they gotthrough we will never know.

With the injured man out of further harmsway, Apiata rearmed himself and returnedto join the skirmish. The troop could nowconcentrate entirely on winning the firefight. After an engagement lasting abouttwenty minutes, the assault was brokenup and the attackers - there were more

than 20 of them, and about 12 NewZealanders - were routed with significant

A Humble Hero- CPL WillieApiata VC


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War HeroSir Keith

Park

A decorated fighterpilot in World War

One, Sir Keith Parkwas Commander ofthe RAF during the

Allied evacuationfrom Dunkirk(France) in the early

part of World WarTwo, and in chargeof defendingLondon andsouthern En land


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"If any one man won theBattle of Britain, he did.I do not believe it is

realised how much thatone man, with hisleadership, his calm

judgement and his skill,

did to save, not only thiscountry, but the world."Lord Tedder Chief of

the Royal Air Force,Februar 1947.

Sir Keith

Park


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Susan Devoy is one of New Zealand'smost successful sporting championsever. For nine years Susan was almostunbeatable on the world squash courts.Former New Zealand squash player, DameSusan Devoy, was ranked Number One in theworld continuously from 1983 until herretirement in October 1992, when sheachieved her fourth World Women's Squash

Championship. She has, remarkably, won theBritish Open Squash Championship eighttimes, the last in April 1992 when she wasdelighted to regain that title having lost it theprevious year.

Susan was named New ZealandSportswoman of the Year in 1985, 1987 and1988. A Member of the British Empire andCommander of the Most Excellent Order ofthe British Empire for her achievements in

squash, in 1998 Susan became a DameCompanion of the New Zealand Order of Merit

SportsHeroDame SusanDevoy


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Born May 12, 1975) is a New Zealandrugby union footballer. He had sixty-

three caps as an All Black afterdebuting in 1994. He is generallyregarded as the first true globalsuperstar of rugby union. One of thesport's most intimidating players onthe field,[1] he has had a huge impacton the game.[2] He was inducted tothe International Rugby Hall of Fameon 9 October 2007.[3]

Lomu burst onto the internationalrugby scene during the 1995 WorldCup in South Africa. At one timeLomu was considered 'rugby union's

biggest drawcard',[4]

swellingattendances at an match where he

SportsHeroJonah TaliLomu,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_12http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_(sport)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Blackshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Rugby_World_Cuphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Rugby_World_Cuphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Rugby_Hall_of_Famehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Blackshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cap_(sport)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_12


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National organiser of Halt AllRacist Tours (HART)'I think the most important impact of

the tour in New Zealand was tostimulate the whole debate aboutracism and about the place of Maori inour community.'In South Africa the tour helped tobring, I think, a quicker end to theapartheid regime, along with all theother pressures from all around theworld.

'The huge disappointment for me,though, is the fact that while blackSouth Africans have gained politicalrights in South Africa, their economic

positions, their social position is inmany cases worse than it was than

PoliticalHero

JohnMinto


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Hone Heke and hismen first chopped

down the flagpole thatstood on the hill behindRussell (Kororareka) in

July 1844. It was

repaired but Heke cutit down a further 2times before thegovernment set up aguard post to protectthe flagpole. On March10 1845, Heke first

attacked and killed the

PoliticalHeroHone Heke:


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Time to Research

What you need to do

2.Find two people you consider heroesfrom each of the three categories wehave looked at so far:

Wartime

PoliticsSport


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Draw up a table like this to writeyour research result into.

This is a homework task.Hero Achievement Impact on the

Community

Defining Heroes

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