Q4.
There
are and have been a lot of people on earth. In fact, that number is in the high
billions. Few of them have achieved fame, but even fewer of them have achieved
the status of iconic. So what does it mean to be an icon, and how does one earn
that status?
According
to dictionary.com, an icon is something or someone that is regarded as a symbol
of something else. I think of an icon as someone who changed society in one way
or another. To me, an icon does not necessarily have to be a good role model.
He or she just has to remind me of something they did or stand for. Take Nelson
Mandela for example. This man spent 27 years of his life in a South African
prison because of his beliefs about human rights. Now go type “human rights”
into Google. I guarantee that you will find either a picture or article about
him. Next type in “space exploration” and you will find something about Lance Armstrong
or Buzz Aldrin. Why? Because they were the very first people to set foot on the
moon. The moon is 238,900 miles away from Earth. Before July 16, 1969, people
would have thought you were crazy if you said that we would put a person on the
moon. These men helped change the way society thinks about space travel.
An icon
is not some over-rated celebrity who starts a dumb trend on Facebook or goes
out and wears an outfit made out of meat because she wants attention (or is
just into that kind of stuff). No, a person becomes iconic through hard work
and action. Is it safe to say that anybody can be an icon? No; but who knows,
maybe you or me could become one.