The Influence of Heroes on Personhood
There are two reading articles, so please read them carefully. You will need to cite the citations from both assigned readings to prove your point. The citations must be complete and cannot be modified. The Essay requirements and assigned readings are in the attachment.
HSU (contributed by Noelle Darling)
Alva Noë argues that pop music is an art, but not necessarily or primarily a musical one. Rather, he suggests that “pop music is an art of personal style, that with pop, the music is a vehicle for work done in a different medium, the medium of style” (180). With pop music, “the artist stands between us and anything musical,” such that it becomes about “the person, or…an artistic model of the person” (172). The performance of pop music, in this view, is about a particular kind of display (a stylized one) of an individual personality. While Hsu writes about a different topic – the contemporary debate around monuments and statues, particularly statues of Confederate generals – he, too, is interested in the concept of individualism and, equally, of display and performance. Throughout his argument, Hsu raises the question of why and how we turn individuals into heroes and incorporate them into our collective historical consciousness.
In your first paper of the semester, I invite you to consider how these authors approach the question of individualism in overlapping and/or contradictory ways. Citing textual evidence from Hsu and Noëto substantiate your synthetic analysis, compose an original essay in response to the following question:
How do the heroes we choose, whether from pop culture or from history, contribute to the personhood we perform?
THOUGHT-PROVOKERS
Below are some further questions that may be useful to consider in generating your argument. Remember that you only need to address the above prompt in bold:
- What is individualism? Does it mean different things for each of these authors? Do they see it as a positive thing? A problem? An inevitability? Something we can work to change?
- What is “performance” or what does it mean for our behaviors to be performative? How might Hsu and Noë differ in their assessments of performance? What does this reveal about the existence (or lack) of an “essential” self or “soul”?
- How is a statue memorializing/monumentalizing a historical figure similar to or different from being a fan of a pop star? Or from the way we model ourselves on others, in terms of beauty/style/etc.?
What are the stakes of originality or individuality, in relation to our positions in social systems and communities?
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The Influence of Heroes on Personhood
Unlike in the past, when there were no social media, news about heroes and celebrities has become readily accessible these days. In the past, people learned about heroes by reading history books, newspapers, and magazines or watching television. With the advent of social media, the situation has dramatically changed, and with the click of a button, people can learn as much as they wish about their preferred heroes. Contemporary heroes have completely dislodged historical and iconic heroes in all aspects, including cultural and religious inclinations. As a matter of fact, the lives of modern heroes and celebrities have become more of an open book. Their followers can access information concerning every aspect of their lives. Subsequently, this has impacted people’s lives in several dimensions, including their attitudes, expenditure, and relationships.
Many followers undoubtedly view their heroes or celebrities as their role models. This, sometimes, ends up changing their mentality and attitudes. Noë notes that “The music is, at most, a way of directing your attention to him; he captures your attention and your fascination” (172). In this sense, the followers of the artist endeavor to emulate everything they do, brazenly ignoring the consequences. This often leads to obsession among followers. Conventionally, heroes represent an easy way of living. They don't seem to struggle to achieve the glamorous and enviable lifestyles they lead. On the contrary, most of their followers have to toil and moil to eke out a living, yet they want to be like their heroes. This inevitably changes their mentality and attitudes. It makes them believe that life must be easy and devoid of struggles. To achieve such glamorous lives as their heroes, many followers involve themselves in unscrupulous engagements to make quick money. When their fantasies fail to materialize, they lose the meaning of life.
Heroes also impact heavily on the expenditure of their followers. As noted above, followers set out to live as their heroes do. This is because their fascination and attention are under the stranglehold of their heroes. Since the followers need to gather as much information about their heroes as possible, they are constrained to buy expensive journals and magazines. In some instances, they pay exorbitantly to attend their performances and have a glimpse of the people they adore. In addition, their followers, especially the young generation, want to dress and ea...