Cultures change. Big-time. Of course, this isn’t new information
to anybody, but the implications of such a commonplace fact could certainly be
lost on an unobservant audience. However, we, the Uni High Hero’s Journey scholars
are no such audience. In discussing George Saunders’ “Victory Lap,” we quickly identified
that a clear act of heroism for Kyle was simply leaving his yard (well, for
starters). This highlights the clear distinction of Kyle’s family as compared
with a more typical American family; with such overprotective parents, violating
tons of “directives” takes a lot of courage on Kyle’s part, whereas for other
children raised differently it might be second nature to do as Kyle did. So we
have no problem in saying that even in the same broad cultural context, heroism
looks different for all.
So let’s expand the comparison. In The Odyssey, even though we technically haven’t gotten there yet,
we all know that the main hero’s journey is Odysseus’ return home. Now, what
about this journey makes it heroic? First of all, he was a hugely important hero
in the Trojan War, so his homecoming should be a big deal. Second, he has to
overcome all kinds of obstacles on his way home, many of which are supernatural
beings pitted against him in the context of Greek mythology. Few would argue
that Odysseus is a hero. But if someone nowadays were to do as Odysseus did,
would it be heroic?
The short answer is “yes.” If anyone played as important a
role in a war as Odysseus played in his, and faced obstacles comparable to
those which Odysseus faced, the public would be hard-pressed to not consider
that person a hero. But a less extreme version of this return home wouldn’t be
treated in the same way then and now. Like I said, cultures change. With little
knowledge of the culture at the time, I still think it's safe to assume that
any person returning from a cross-ocean voyage would be welcomed home with joy and
celebrations and praise to the gods. That is in stark contrast to present, with
multitudes crossing oceans safely every day and resuming their normal lives
with little to no fuss over their safe return. Naturally, their loved ones are
still thrilled to see them safely at home, but nonetheless do not view them as
any kind of hero for having kept safe on the flight home. The reason for this change
is obvious: the differing states of technological advancement in the two
cultures.
Societal development has killed the heroism of previously
heroic acts. There is something intrinsically brave and daring in crossing the
violent and untamed ocean on a floating construction of wood, and something
intrinsically not brave and daring in being carried over an ocean at hundreds
of miles per hour. By taking so many of the unpredictable factors out of the
equation (or at least vastly reducing the time they have to screw things up),
modern technology has taken the need for bravery and heroism out of tons of
activities.
But on the other hand, modern technology has created a new
kind of heroism. Significant advancements in any field of science are now
awarded with honors and praise – they are heroic achievements. Technology has
taken advanced scientific principles out of the realm of the supernatural, as
they were for ancient cultures, and now hails them as important and heroic advances
for the general good. So, because you asked about the line between heroism and
the humdrum (shout-out to Majerus’ poetry class XD), the determining factor
seems to be technology. (Which seems to be the answer to a lot of questions
about why our culture is how it is, does it not?)
(If heroism lies in technology, I'm tempted to say that Odysseus was his own technology, what with his way with words and social mores.) It's true that it's not so awe-inducing to know someone traveled across the world these days. I think it's not just the difference in technology, but also in the difference in history. In older times, it probably was just unheard of to go to the edge of the world and come back safely. Nobody really knew if it was truly possible. Nowadays, everyone knows it's very possible to travel long distances, having learned about the trips taken in the past. The novelty just wears off after the first dozen or so people do something like that. So yeah, the airplane definitely made travel that much easier and less extraordinary, but even before that, people were already on the slow decline to apathy towards surface travel.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you are trying to say -- modern technology has made past acts of heroism obsolete. While I do agree that there are many things that have changed, specifically what we think of as heroic, it's hard to say that technology is so explicitly tied to heroism. A hero can be made out of anyone and it doesn't always require tech. You mentioned George Saunders' Victory Lap. In this case, there wasn't any technology involved except for the gun which could easily be replaced by a pointy branch and not change the story at all. The girl would still be in danger and Kyle would have to undergo the hero's journey to save her. While you make a great point, I don't think technology is what creates today's heroes.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that what we're talking about is not how/if technology creates heroes, but how it destroys them -- i.e. making previously heroic acts mundane. But this doesn't always hold true. As Timmy mentioned, scientific progress is viewed as heroic. But the age old ordeal of human history, war, remains hallowed and still creates heroes. A recent example is Seal Team 6, who killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011. Clearly there was a lot of tech involved: helicpoters to fly the team, night vision goggles, advanced weaponry. And yet when the news of Osama Bin Laden's death was released, everyone went wild. There was a frezny about Seal Team 6, and multiple interviews of the team were aired. Eventually the story of the hunt for Bin Laden was adapted into Zero Dark Thirty, a widely discussed movie which emphasized Seal Team 6's role. Basically what I'm trying to say is that technology may have reduced the heroic potential of cross continental travel, but it hasn't touched the war hero archetype.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that technology has killed some of the heroism in previous heroic acts, but at the same time I still think that there is a lot of room for heroes to emerge. Although the restrictions and understanding of the world may not be the same, I don't think that this in any way lessens the opportunity for heroic acts. While it is true that technology may kill off some need for past heroic acts, it is also true that technology has increased the possibilities for crime. In the end, I believe that it all balances out despite our modern day technology. But you also made an interesting point when you mentioned that people praise others who advance technology. Does this mean that heroism is now found in the advancement of technology, which seems to be killing off heroism from the past?
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading, I was going to make a comment on exactly what you talked about in your last paragraph. I agree that in the modern day, what may have been seen as heroic acts hundreds of years ago, would be seen very differently now. There are so many things now that can be done safely that we couldn't have done back then. And while this is the case, those people are definitely still considered heroes of their time. And if they were to be put in the modern world, they would have to have done something else or have some other aspect or feature to be able to be seen as a hero in this day. I think technology does play a role, but can't be the full reason why this fact is. But I also can't seem to say EXACTLY why things have changed but it does have to do with what knowledge we have gained since that time.
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