Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essay about heroism
There is a hero in us all. A hero is someone who risks their own life to save or do good for others. Ponyboy is a hero because he risked his life to save children from a burning church. Johnny is a hero even though he killed someone it was to save his friend’s life but he also saved children from a burning church. Dally has been arrested, picks fights, and drinks, but when it comes to the people he is close with he has his soft spots for them. All bad boys have a good side.
Ponyboy doesn’t act like any regular greaser who is tough and likes to pick fights. Ponyboy cares about other people and will do things to benefit others. “I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I just went on picking up the glass from the bottle end and put it in the trash can. I didn’t want anyone to get a flat tire.” (pg. 172) Instead of leaving the
…show more content…
glass on the floor Ponyboy picked it up because he didn’t want anyone to get a flat tire. This shows that Ponyboy cares about other people and he helped for the better so nobody would get a flat tire. Ponyboy will do anything in order to protect his close friends. “ ‘I had it.’ I stopped him. He was looking at me strangely. ‘I had the knife. I killed Bob.’ “ (pg. 165) Ponyboy wanted to take the blame away from Johnny so he would get in trouble and not Johnny. It shows that Ponyboy really protects his friends. Johnny may have killed somebody, but it was to protect his friend, Ponyboy.
If Johnny would’ve never killed Bob, Ponyboy would’ve died from drowning. Johnny will put others before him. “Johnny shoved me toward the window ‘Get out!’ “ (pg. 93) Johnny could’ve taken that time to get himself out instead of telling Ponyboy to get out. What resulted from this was Johnny got third-degree burns and his back was broken from the piece of timber that fell upon him. He could’ve let Ponyboy get severely hurt and saved himself, but no he didn’t he let himself get hurt which shows he will put others before him. Johnny will risk his life to save friends or people he doesn’t even know. “It was a wonder I didn’t cut myself to death, now that I think about it. ‘Hey Ponyboy.’ I looked around, startled. I hadn’t realized Johnny had been right behind me all the way.” (pg 91) Johnny followed Ponyboy inside the burning church just to save a couple of children. He risked his life to save children he didn’t even know and after the saving the children he got injured which followed up to death. This shows that Johnny will put his life at risk and will save
anybody. Dally may have been arrested and stole from stores, but he will always help his fellow gang members when they are in need. Dally was the typical mean greaser for all his life. “He had been arrested, he got drunk, he rode in rodeos, lied, cheated, stole, rolled drunks, jumped small kids-he did everything.” (pg. 11) He was arrested for stealing things, he jumped small kids, he drank a lot, and he only cared about himself and not for others feelings. Dally may be selfish and cold, but to his gang members he was more caring and loyal. “ ‘Dallas hit me how come?’ ‘Because your back was in flames, that’s why.’ “ (pg. 94) He was mean, but was good to his gang members. He saved Ponyboy from getting burned on his back. Dallas could’ve let Ponyboy get burned but instead he took the injury away from Ponyboy. A hero puts their own selves in danger to help others in need. Ponyboy could’ve left the glass on the floor and not care if anybody got a flat tire, but he didn’t. Johnny did kill a Soc but it was to protect his friend. Dally did every bad thing you can do but saved Ponyboy from getting bad burns on his back. Every bad boy will always have a soft side to them. And not every hero is born good.
Johnny stabbed Bob in self defense. One quote that supports this is when Ponyboy thought to himself, “I’m dying.” and, “I’m drowning.” One other quote to support this is when Johnny said, “I had to. They were drowning you, Pony. They might have killed you.” This quote means that Ponyboy was going to die unless the Socs stopped holding him underwater. Johnny was able to see that Bob was killing his friend so in defense he stabbed him to make him stop. One more detail that supports this is that Johnny was a good kid that would not kill someone unless he had to. One quote that supports this is when Ponyboy described him. He said, “Johnny Cade was last and least.” and when he said, “Smaller than the rest, with a slight build.” Johnny was also described
He is smart, and gets good grades in school. This is purposefully mentioned several times within the story, and people tend to be surprised to learn that he is a Greaser. In addition, some Greasers are nicer than people tend to think. When the church burned down, Ponyboy and Johnny run in to save the children without a second thought. They acted with selflessness, putting the safety of the children above their own. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Ponyboy is asked if he and Johnny are "professional heroes". He responds by telling the entire story of how they're Greasers and Johnny is wanted for murder, shocking the man in the ambulance. It is difficult for him to believe that a group of Greasers would do something so heroic. Johnny dies as a direct result of their actions, but neither Ponyboy nor Johnny regretted what they
Many heroes appear in the book The Outsiders. The characters that I think are heroes are Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally. The definition of a hero for me is a person who is brave enough to do things to help someone even if it is a dangerous thing to do.A hero also cares for others and people can rely on them. Ponyboy was a hero because he saved peoples’ lives. Johnny died as a hero because he also saved the kids from the burning church and he was also relied on by his gang members. Dally was hero mainly because he cared for his gang and people relied on him. These three characters were heroes in this book according to my definition of a hero.
Many would say that the character Ponyboy should be the main hero of our story, but that’s just not the case. Ponyboy was easily pushed down, letting things get to him and letting his emotions take complete control. One push or slap from his brother and he runs away, like a cowardly lion scrambling into the tall grass of the savannah. Johnny, on the other hand, is forced against abuse that no one should be able to put through. Yet he stands on his ground.
Johnny and Ponyboy are good friends and this friendship really shined when Johnny saved Ponyboy by killing Bob. They were jumped by 5 Socs and Ponyboy spat in Bob’s face and one of the Socs stuck his face in the fountain. He would’ve drowned if Johnny had not done what he did. Before all this happened, we must talk about when Johnny agreed to run away with Pony without hesitation. Darry had slapped Pony for coming home late and the pair ran away shortly after. Johnny and Ponyboy ran away with the help of Dally, which we will get into later, and got to an abandoned church that caught fire by one of their cigarettes. There were kids inside the church and they jumped inside to save them. Johnny told Pony to jump out before him and in the process Johnny broke his back and got severally burned. To cut things short I think Johnny is a real hero and I hope he does not die from his injuries from the
One reason is that he fought against the socs in the rumble (big fight between the socs and greasers). “I have been. a rumble. I’m okay”. (83) This quote means that Ponyboy was in the rumble he got hurt, and is okay. Another reason that Ponyboy accepts being a greaser is that he looks like one. For example, the key aspects of being a greaser are having long greasy hair, getting drunk, smoke a lot, and jump socs. Ponyboy does pretty much all of this. The last reason that proves that Ponyboy accepts being a greaser is that is supports the other greasers. “Don’t remember how Johnny was your buddy, don’t remember that he didn’t want to die. Don’t think of Dally breaking up in the hospital, crumpling under the streetlight ” (81). This quote means that Johnny was Ponyboy’s best buddy and he never wanted to die but he did. Dally breaking up in the hospital and crumbling in the streets is almost meaning how Dally reacted to Johnny dying and that led up to him dying. The parts where Ponyboy says, “Don’t think of” means to take it off his mind and try to feel better about the two deaths. The greasers also respect Ponyboy, for example, during an argument towards the end of the book Darry said to Ponyboy “Sure, little buddy” (84). Another example of the greasers respecting Ponyboy is how Johnny helps Ponyboy feel better a lot of in a lot of conflicts. For instance, getting hit or getting almost drowned. Ponyboy positively accepted
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.
He knows that Ponyboy has a chance because he is very smart. How they both reacted to not having parents shaped and effected who they are. “Johnny was high-strung anyway, a nervous wreck from getting belted every time he turned around and from hearing his parents fight all the time(2).” This explains how Johnny was effected by his parents. His parents constantly fighting and beating him made him who he was. A part of him was effected by all the chaos and pain he had to go through every day. “We're poorer than the Socs and the middle class. I reckon we're wilder, too. Not like the Socs, who jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks, and get editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next. Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while. I don't mean I do things like that. Darry would kill me if I got into trouble with the police.” Social roles are a part of self-image that makes a person who they are. In the novel Ponyboy explains the groups that the Greasers and Sochs were split into. This
What comes to your mind when you hear the term hero? Is being a hero preventing villains from corrupting the universe? Yes, a hero is someone that stands up and tries to protect others from being harmed. In the book, The Outsiders, the Greasers proved to be the heroes of the story. It shows that no matter what your background is, you could always turn into a hero. They also showed that no matter how poor you are, you can still be a hero.The Greasers that I think showed bravery and fearlessness were: Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally.
Ponyboy Curtis struggles growing up as a poor youth with his two brothers. One night while he is out with Johnny, Ponyboy is attacked by the Socs. Johnny ends up killing one of the Socs. They both flee from the scene before the news gets out. They are caught in a fire and Johnny and Ponyboy become heroes for saving some children. The story has a tragic end for Johnny but Ponyboy realises that he is fortunate, having family and friends that love him
Typically, greasers are depicted as people similar to hoods, as Ponyboy states, "Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while" (Hinton 4). Yet, even though Ponyboy is a greaser, he avoids getting into trouble for the sake of staying together with his family. He explains that, "I don't mean I do things like that... Since Mom and Dad were killed in an auto wreck, the three of us get to stay together only as long as we behave. So Soda and I stay out of trouble as much as we can, and we're careful not to get caught when we can't" (Hinton 4). Alternatively, Pony also enjoys activities such as reading and watching movies. Even simpler things, such as sunsets and clouds, are something he found beauty and enjoyment in. This sets him apart from the greasers because according to Pony, he states that, "And nobody in our gang digs movies and books the way I do" (Hinton 3). Since nobody other than Ponyboy himself shares the enjoyment of these particular pastimes, which is drastically different from pursuits such as shoplifting and fighting in rumbles, Ponyboy is divergent from the standard attributes of the greasers. Therefore, Ponyboy is a thoughtful and dreamy individual who holds different interests and aspirations than the
This started to happen when he was in the church trying to hide away from the police because of the murder of one of the Soc’s. “I was trembling, and it wasn’t all from cold” (Hilton p.57). This shows that Ponyboy was scared, starting to break, and noticed that maybe this “hard bad boy” life isn't for him. Ponyboy put more and more thought about what it takes to be a greaser, which made him realize that maybe the gang life wasn’t good for him. “We were good fighters and could play cool, but we were sensitive and that isn’t a good way to be when you’re a greaser” (Hinton, p.88). Ponyboy is expressing that it is hard to be as strong as the other boys and sometimes he just couldn't or he couldn't be ok with what they were doing. “It drives my brother Darry nuts when I do stuff like that, ‘cause I’m supposed to be smart’ I make good grades and have a high IQ and everything, but I don't use my head” (Hinton, p.4). Ponyboy knows he has the potential to be something else and while being in hiding in the church it helps him realize that if he really wanted to he could be whatever he puts his mind
He realizes that he had an identity that he can communicate and be like a greaser, but doesn’t devote to the greaser way of life. In the scene, Ponyboy has an advanced way of life that includes both the Soc and greaser style, “Socs are just guys after all...Thing are rough all over.” Ponyboy at this time, understands how a Soc and a Greaser are similar and are of the same kind, human, yet are also different. He establishes an idea that the identity of a person is important because it describes who you are. As a result, Pony learns to look between the lines of people, not just at the extremes. The evidence that supports this is also “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” as I stated before. Andy says, “I’m Andy, he screamed wordlessly, I’m Andy.” When Andy’s death was coming close, the only thing we wanted in the end, was an identity. Similar to Ponyboy who is different from the gang and has a distinct personality. He is disparate because in the gang, Pony was the only one who ever thought about the sky, clouds, and books, which proves him exclusively in the group. This proves that Andy and Ponyboy are different from their gang and have a personality different from the group, and they both actually want to be different and be known not as a Royal or a Greaser, but as Andy and
An English proverb states, “ A hero is a man who is afraid to run away”. I agree with this proverb, because when you see a hero in a comic book, they have super cool back stories, are not afraid to fight, and stare danger in the face and not blink. They are not afraid of anything. That’s nice to look up to, but they are not real. Our definition of a hero is too much for one man to become, you can do something honorable, heroic, but you will never actually be a hero because it's too much, in real life. Heroes don’t just do it so they can get paid, or respect. What really determines whether someone is a hero is if they choose to do something about it in a bad situation. We have people that do heroic acts, for example, people putting their lives before others. Those people cannot be heroes because they get paid to do it, they are, firefighters, cops, and military, they get paid to help people, so they aren't considered a hero.
Heroism is defined as an act of courage and an act of selflessness. They reflect the highest levels of morality in society. Heroes have embodied the morality codes of civilizations throughout the ages. When heroes display courage, observers often identify with that courage. The refusal to take the easy way out and the ability to act in spite of fear, is what makes a person a hero. This is the way everyone wishes to react in the midst of a crisis. As witnessed in literature and real life, mankind needs heroes to provide an inspirational role model, an escape from the mundane, and a guide for morality.