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The journey of a hero
What is a hero and what are their jobs
What is a hero and what are their jobs
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Recommended: The journey of a hero
In the midst of a burning building stands a hero. Not wearing a cape nor armed with a super power, but instead armed with the will and bravery to save the lives of others. Anyone can shrug their shoulders and ignore the challenges in front of them. But a true hero would take risks no matter the circumstance. Heros don’t support their community in order to benefit themselves, but instead works for the sake of everyone else. A hero can derive from anyone willing to benefit those around them, even an ordinary person can be heroic, however they don’t work for the spotlight or the recognition and instead are strictly focused on serving those around them.
The people who are willing to benefit any individual no matter the circumstance are heroes. For instance Welles Crowther, commonly known as the red bandana, saved the lives of many citizens, in the twin towers incident. One lady he saved, Judy Wein, told
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Instead, a heroic character has a goal to serve others, not themselves. Someone who, in an instance, would break free from an self concerning thought and immediately help another citizen. One example of this took place during 9/11 when boat owners began hauling people onto their boats to rescue them from the hazardous city. In a moments time, these people threw out any thought of themselves and fled to save the lives of many others. Chris Kyle was yet another great image of how a hero is supposed to be. Not working for the fame nor the fortune, Kyle had gave up his own life to provide for others. “He had more willpower than anyone I’ve ever met… he just wouldn’t ever quit” said his wife Taya Kyle. One final illustration was Frederick Douglas who spoke out despite the fact that his views weren’t popular. He mentioned this in one thing he said, “speaking to white people weighed me down… when I felt a degree of freedom” Just an average human eager to impact society is considered a
Although not every hero shouts “Avengers Assemble” before a worthy deed, heroism is shown in all aspects of the everyday world. Webster Dictionary has exactly 5 definitions under the word hero and still no two people explain heroism the same. Superman and Captain America are a glimpse of the fictional characters society titles a hero. Firefighters and Military portray heroism each day in the lives of every civilian. As Sullivan and Venter stated “individuals are referred to as ‘heroes’ for seemingly different reasons” and even through endless studies the adjectives referring heroes is ever changing. Among the various ideas of what it means to be a hero, boldness and valiance capture the essence of heroism.
Who is a hero? In contemporary times, usage of the term has become somewhat of a cliché. Over the years, the term “hero” has become representative of a wide variety of individuals, each possessing differing traits. Some of the answers put forth by my colleagues (during our in-class discussion on heroism) as to whom they consider heroes pointed to celebrities, athletes, teachers and family members. Although the occupations differed, each of their heroes bore qualities that my classmates perceived as extraordinary, whether morally or physically. Nonetheless, Webster’s defines “hero” as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” Thus, it is worth considering that individuals become heroes relative to the situation with which they’re faced.
What is a hero? A hero can be classified as a number of things. A hero can be a person who in the opinions of others has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal. Ervin Staub, a holocaust survivor from Hungary and as scholar on altruistic behavior, has written, "Goodness like evil often begins in small steps. Heroes evolve; they aren't born. Very often the rescuers make only a small commitment at the start, to hide someone for a day or two. But once they had taken that step, they begin to see themselves differently, as someone who helps. What starts as mere willingness becomes intense involvement." The business man, Oskar Schindler, demonstrated a powerful example
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.
For example, Abraham Lincoln was a great leader, he was honest and brave. From the White House Funeral Sermon for Abraham Lincoln, “He is dead; but the cause he so ardently loved, so ably, patiently, faithfully represented and defended--not for himself only, not for us only, but for all people in all their coming generations.” (SB pg 68). Abraham Lincoln was courageous and brave, for not only defending and representing his generation but for many more to come, even still today. In a similar way Frederick Douglass was brave. In the narrative of Frederick Douglass, “I could not hope to get off with anything less than the severest punishment and being placed upon the means of escape.”(SB pg 71). Frederick Douglass knew the consequences of running away to be a free man, and yet he still showed his braveness and ran away anyway. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are brave people, if others had the same job/opportunity it would be unlikely they would do
Joseph Campbell once said “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” This quotes talks about how in order to be a hero, you have to care about other people. It really emphasizes that you cannot be a true hero if you only care about yourself. All traits and functions that people would consider heroic involve others, not just themselves. There are so many heroic traits out there, but 3 are very important. A true hero is courageous, will rescue others in need, and does not look down on people who are not privileged.
Some definitions of heroes are people, who have noble qualities, and put the lives of others before their own life. They are expected to be reasonable and calm, during scary times, like when a shooting is going on, looking out for
According to google.com a hero is someone who “is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievments, or noble equalities.” (google.com). For example, superman , superman is an all time american classic modern hero who is admired for his courage and for saving earth multiple times from super villains. Another example of a hero is Beowulf. Beowulf was created around 1000 AD and was known far and wide throughout the lands for his selflessness,bravery, and courage .
Weber, Ann. "WHAT MAKES A HERO? Ordinary People Put Their Lives on the Line to Help Others." The Blade [Toledo] 19 Apr. 2009, City Final ed., Toledo Magazine sec. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Oct. 2010.
A hero could be anyone. A hero could be an ordinary person who has impacted someone or has inspired a change toward greatness in their life. A hero can be passive or active, famous or ordinary, rich or poor. What gives a hero a distinct similarities to other heroes and distinguish them from non heroes is their ability to influence others that they are extraordinary because of their means to overcome obstacles, defeated adversities, and still manage to be a leader, role model, or an admirable person within society.
A hero is a person who cedes to benefit others. Through many complications that were faced they stood up with the greatest bravery. Welles Crowther is a great example of a hero who sought to help the other people in the World Trade Center during 9/11. Though he could’ve saved himself he tried to save others. Though he lost his life he inspired others to help others in need. Ling Young says,”He said,”I’m going back up again.” Cause he knows that there were a lot of people still up there on the 78th floor that needed help (“The Man in the Red Bandana”). Though he could have saved
A hero is anybody that shows courage, great bravery. A hero is someone that stands up for what they believe in, they stand up for others who can’t, who don’t have the power to help or save themselves. In everyday life people show great bravery, and they are ordinary people with ordinary life’s. They know they have the power to help others and they do. As a few firefighter quotes say "People always ask how is it that firefighters run into a burning building when everyone is running out. Courage is the answer. (http://www.firstcovers.com/users/15/firefighter.html)” and “Courage is not living without fear, courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway (http://imgarcade.com/1/firefighter-quotes-tumblr/)”. What those two quotes are saying is that courage is the thing that pushes heroes forward. It is the thing that keeps heroes saving people’s lives, without it there would be no heroes in the world. Whether it is from cartoon or reality, courage and bravery is needed in each hero. As Stan lee, the American comic book writer, once said “With great power there must also come great responsibility (http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/11/9/5-best-stan-lee-q...
You also don’t have to kill anyone, conquer foreign land, or risk your life to be a hero. Anyone who influences anyone else by saving or helping save his or her lives is a hero. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to minorities. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest heroes, led a nonviolent revolution to free his country.
To better understand what a heroic quality is it may be easier to describe what a hero is not. Nearly everyday on television people talk of athletes and celebrities as being heroes, but are they? To put it mildly, they are not heroes at all. Possibly role models, but for the most part, not in possession of heroic qualities. When Michael Jordan and Bruce Willis, by risking their lives, save an abandoned child from a typhoon they will possess the qualities to be called heroes in my opinion. Policemen and firemen are at times classified as heroes. Until they prove themselves they are just ordinary people. The title heroic is not given by occupation, rather by achievement.
In today’s society, heroes are needed because mankind sees them as inspirational role models. For example, firefighters, police officers, and soldiers, sacrifice themselves everyday in order to protect citizens as well as the country. Firefighters risk their lives in order to save people from burning buildings. During the terrorist attack of 9/11, Mike Kehoe scaled 93 floors to save the people that were trapped in the