Has one ever wondered what a true hero might be? The dictionary definition describes a hero as a person who is typically a man that is idolized for special qualities or things he might have done. Is this all completely true? Can anyone truly be a hero without any of this? A true hero is defined by his/her ability to break laws when need be, not have all the knowledge in the world but is able to apply what has been learnt when needed, and noticing differences in different cultures and accepting them.
Anyone can truly be a hero, even in real life. Heroes can be people who simply have an idea and decide to grow onto that idea and have it done. For example, Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were real life heroes who started out as ordinary people but had a dream and made a huge difference in the end. Nelson Mandela, a Civil Rights activists, once said, “We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference” (Lazaro). Nelson Mandela was trying to say that anybody can make a difference, but it is up to that person or people to make that change. One simple change could cause any simple person to have a major change in lifestyle just because they decided to step up and do something. Furthermore, anyone can be a hero, it doesn’t matter what one’s background is, one can make even the simplest of changes and become a hero to oneself and the people around them.
Enrique’s Journey was a book that focused on many different characters as heroes throughout the stories progression. Within the story, there were many minor characters that played more of a hero than the actual main character did. In the story, there was a character named, Olga. She was a Mexican woman who was sick and injured herself...
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... is not simply defined by his/her strength or looks; it is also their inner strength and beauty that is truly important. A hero can have many qualities but when they show true understanding for something even without proper education, they are accepting of those around them, and breaking rules when the time is at its most important. While there are true heroes, there are also anti-heroes which have the opposite qualities that of the true hero. Furthermore, there are many kinds of heroes but a true hero is defined by inner qualities that of outer qualities.
Work Cited Page
Lazaro, Auj. Latinpost.com. N.p., 6 Dec. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. .
Nazario, Sonia. Enrique's Journey. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2002 . N. pag. Print.
"Enrique's Journey - The Book by Sonia Nazario." Enrique's Journey - The Book by Sonia Nazario. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .
In “Enrique’s Journey”, by Sonia Nazario a young boy from Honduras, sets out to reunite with his mother, Lourdes, that abandoned him when he was just five years old. Lourdes leaves to the United States, in hopes to find a better job as an immigrant and to better provide for her family. After many years of suffering without his mom, he travels through Central America to the United States in order to finally reunite with her. He finds his mother beginning to move on as she has a little daughter, named Diana. They run into problems of resentment. Will they be able to finally be a family? Sonia develops this theme of family by using specific facts and characterization. Importance
The push-and-pull factors in Enrique’s yearn for the U.S not only allows him to rediscover himself as an individual in a world of uncertainty, it also eliminates his constant fear of failing as a promising human being; in addition exhibits the undying hope of a desperate man found in hopeful migrants. In Sonia Nazario’s “Enrique’s Journey,” his mother’s trip streamed “emptiness” into the heart of a once comfortable child and left him to “struggle” to hold memories they shared. Enrique’s life after Lourdes’ departure triggered the traumatizing demise of his identity. He threw this broken identity away while facing many obstacles, nevertheless each endea...
The term “Hero” has been in our civilization for centuries. On the surface, a hero is a person of honor, integrity, and the will to fight for what he or she believes in. Nearly every story that is told is centered around a character who in one way or another is a hero. They are a person whom the common people are supposed to strive to be; but does this icon truly exist?
The main events of the story occur in Honduras and Mexico. Tegucigalpa, Honduras is where Enrique was born and raised by several family members. In Tegucigalpa, Enrique is shuffled from house to house simply because he is unable to control his emotions. This makes Enrique angry and he begins to rebel against the people he lives with. At the age of 17, Enrique decides to leave his family in Honduras and travel to the United States in hopes that he will reunite with his mother. His journey will take him through Chiapas, Mexico, the most hostile city at the point of his travel. In Chiapas, corrupt Mexican police officers and gangs stop migrants and order them to give up anything in their possession. Enrique was beaten and thrown off a train in Chiapas by gang members who raiding the train. After being thrown off of the train Enrique realizes that the journey is not going to be as easy as he dreamed it was. The second most hostile city of the trip, Oaxaca is where many migrants are deported. The people of Oaxaca have a very distinct way of speaking and behaving. In Oaxaca Enrique is kept on toes, wondering if he will be deported because of his awkward dress and dialect. The last important place in the story is Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Nuevo Laredo is last stop for immigrants travelling to the United States. From Nuevo Laredo immigrants will illegally enter Texas and begin their struggle for financial success in America. Enrique does finally enter Texas after being pushed on a boat from Nuevo Laredo. Once he entered Texas, Enrique takes a cab to North Carolina hoping to find his mother. Sonia Nazario begins the story by describing Enrique’s confusion as to why his mother has left him. He doesn’t understand that she can’t afford food and ...
Throughout Enrique’s many attempts at successfully making his way by train to the border between the United States and Mexico, he has encountered people who were more concerned with stopping and harming the travelers rather than ensuring their wellbeing. Therefore this imagery during the journey part of the novel helps to provide the reader with the sense that not everyone in Mexico is out to get the people who are trying to obtain a better
On his eighth attempt, Enrique finally makes it to a camp by the Rio Grande. His mother pays a smuggler to bring him safely across the river without being caught by the U.S. border patrol. Finally, he is reunited with his mother whom he hasn't seen in over a decade. His expectation that being with his mother would solve all his problems was soon shattered. Lourdes expects respect for everything she has done for him but is met with only Enriques resentment for leaving him. They fight constantly. Enrique returns to using
So what defines one as a hero? Well, a definition of what a hero is “A person noted for special achievement in a particular field” (hero, n.d). Our concept of a hero alters drastically from person to
4. Sonia Nazario herself tackles the journey that Enrique did, on top of the trains. She still had the luxury of staying in a hotel and coming home to the U.S., but do you think that that helped her tell the story
Author’s Techniques: Rudolfo Anaya uses many Spanish terms in this book. The reason for this is to show the culture of the characters in the novel. Also he uses imagery to explain the beauty of the llano the Spanish America. By using both these techniques in his writing, Anaya bring s the true culture of
The narrative Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario, tells the true story of a young boy’s dangerous path from Mexico to the United States, in hopes of reuniting with his mother. Along Enrique’s trek he sacrifices his safety, well-being, and even the possibility of his life to be with his mother once again. Lourdes, Enrique’s mother, gives up the ultimate sacrifice of missing her children grow up, causing their love and affection they once held for their dear mother to dwindle, all of which so she can provide money and security for her family. Sacrifice is a key theme in this narrative because without the difficult decisions made and the loss the characters so tragically endured, then they would not have been able to reap the reward of a reunited,
Nazario begins her literacy non-fiction by describing the journey of Enrique through Tegucigalpa, Honduras to Laredo, Texas. He faces lots of obstacles throughout the journey like getting robbed by bandits, beaten up by gangs, running away
When we are young we imagine a hero the same way we imagine superheroes. In capes, with superhuman abilities protecting the universe. We then eventually imagine them as athletes, singers/rock stars, actors, authors etc. Once we recognize the true definition of a hero do we realize who the real heroes are. For some the service men and women become true heroes, or possibly our parents, teachers, human rights activist, or someone who made a great impact in our or societies life. For example, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. bettered the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to the minorities. Gandhi, a hero too many people, led a nonviolent revolution to free his country. A hero is a person as average as you and I, yet they rise to the occasion and do exemplary things to fix a problem and better their
When I think of a hero I immediately think of someone who is strong, intelligent, handsome, and daring. Upon closer examination, many different qualities than these become apparent. Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. Heroes of the past are not necessarily heroes of present time and vise versa.
...Halevi-Wise, Yael (1997). Story-telling in Laura Esquivel's Como Agua Para Chocolate. The Other Mirror: Women’s Narrative in Mexico, 1980-1995. Ed. Kristine Ibsen. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997. 123-131.