新編大學(xué)英語第三冊(cè)u(píng)nit11 Text A: Heroes

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UNIT 11 IN-CLASS READING; New College English (III)

Heroes

1 Okay, the following thirty seconds are going to be a test. Don't get nervous. Just tell me what the following three people have in common. Ready? Okay.

2 Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr., Clark Gable. They are all men, true; they are all famous. What, besides their fame, do all these people have in common?

3 These men are all the people cited by my mother and father as their heroes when they were growing up. Sadly, the youth of today aren't so sure about their idols. When most American teens are asked who they admire, they have either no idea, or they admire a character in a movie or a cartoon. Where are the Winston Churchills and Clark Gables of the modern age? Where have all the heroes gone? Heroes have had a profound impact on our past and should continue to do so in the future.

4 History itself is meaningless without heroes. You can tell the values of a society by the people they choose to follow. For example, the first President of the United States, George Washington, fought in some of the famous battles of the Revolutionary War and risked his life and reputation for the values he believed in. He was a hero to the people of colonial America because he had qualities important to them; qualities such as bravery and statesmanship.

5 Some of the more memorable heroes are those of the recent past. John F. Kennedy, Florence Nightingale, and John Wayne are some common heroes. John F. Kennedy, a former president, was admired for his youthfulness, personality, and speaking ability. Florence Nightingale, a nurse during the Crimean War, was loved for her bravery and kindness in caring for the wounded. And, yes, even John Wayne, a movie cowboy, was admired for his ability to get the bad guy 'without stooping to his level. All of these are people we have heard of if not idolized at one time or another. They were all nationally known and were all good role models for our youth to follow. But, most importantly, America was not afraid to trust them. They pulled the nation together with their greatness.

6 This unifying force of the hero, something so commonplace in our past, is something sorely lacking in today' society. There are few people who are admired by the entire nation. Perhaps we are afraid to trust. Sociologists have noted an absence of heroes since the late 1960s and early 1970s, around the time of such scandals as Watergate and the Vietnam War. Polls have shown that now people have a hard time finding anyone they admire, let alone find heroic. In our desire to know the absolute truth about people, we have killed off all our heroes. Whether on purpose or by accident, both religion and the media have taken part in the slaughter. Few people are allowed to survive as heroes in the church and worthy people are picked apart and scrutinized by the media until their heroic pedestal comes crashing to the ground. The heroes of the past have left, taking with them the unity they brought to the nation.

7 Perhaps the worst part of this new lack of heroes is that we have replaced formerly good role models with bad ones. Some of the people most admired by Americans today are hardly people for us to follow. Start with television. Many of the favorite stars are shown waving their guns around shooting at people. They make violence seem acceptable.

8 Not only is TV a major influence, but consider rock music. Some of the people most seen and heard by Americans today are rock stars. For example, Ozzy Ozzbourne is known for eating live bats on stage and throwing puppies in the audience to be trampled to death. His actions also make violence seem acceptable. And yet his records are bought and listened to by people across the nation.

9 A third area of misplaced idolatry is in sports figures. Most generally, children and adults admire baseball players. However, these athletes are in the news almost as much for drug use as they are for their sports achievements. College football players are notorious for breaking academic rules.

10 The people most admired by Americans today are bad role models for us to follow, leading us in the wrong direction. If heroes are a mirror of the times, then perhaps our society is in a sorry state. Perhaps we no longer admire unifying qualities like bravery and intelligence. The heroes of today would lead us to believe that America admires only wealth, no matter how it is obtained.

11 Our lack of modern heroes would also lead us to believe that we no longer need heroes. However, our confused nation occasionally stumbles onto a good idol, reminding us that these leaders will always be necessary. For example, the crew of the space shuttle, Challenger. Truly brave, intelligent people willing to risk their lives and reputations for the good of the nation and of scientific advancement. They were good role models for the nation, young and old alike, and with their great achievements, and their tragic deaths, they pulled the nation together for a short while. The unity they brought to us reminded us that heroes will always be vital, even in this era of modern mechanization. Why? Well, we as humans need a path to follow. And this path cannot be provided by computers or robotics. We, individually, need other persons to guide our actions. On the national scale, we need heroes to give the nation unity.

12 Not only do we need heroes to guide us and give us unity, but we need them to help us become great. If we are to succeed, we need those who are successful to lead the path to greatness.

13 We need to begin to rediscover achievement for America. Each of us can take steps toward reinstating the hero to his or her position of leadership. First, we should assess our own heroes, think of whom we truly admire, and why. And if we find them to be good role models, we should allow them to be our heroes. Secondly, we should tell our children that a hero is a good thing to have. We, as parents, teachers and friends, should help our children choose and admire the good qualities of their own heroes. If we begin to accept heroes for today, and help our children accept them for tomorrow, then, perhaps, with time, we can reinstate the glory and pride that the heroes of the past have brought to the people. Even in this age of independence, a good role model may be hard to come by, and should not be let go. It is as simple as being willing to admire those who excel in their field.

14 Perhaps with actions like those I have suggested, the next time you are asked who your heroes are, or the next time I am asked who I truly admire, we won't have to stop and think. We will be sure.