Our world is filled with great heroes. Unfortunately, in our society, people misconstrue personalities. We tend to think that a person who wears a mask and a cape and has superpowers is a real hero. We forget to recognize regular individuals who put themselves in danger to help others and fight for their rights. The qualities that make a person be a hero are not fame or aptitude. It is how they help their society. Their actions could be as small as standing up against bullying or as big as saving someone’s life. Our world would be nowhere without these heroes who are always helping others and dedicating their lives to make others lives better. In King’s point of view, a true hero does not wear a mask and he is not afraid to stand out. King’s …show more content…
A true hero should keep on persevering even when things seem hopeless because a real hero does not give up. Charlayne Hunter-Gault applied for the University of Georgia many times but did not get accepted because she was African American. Instead of giving in, she decided to put the decision of Brown vs. Board of Education to test and challenged the admissions decision. Gault states, “It would take two and half years of fighting our way through the system and the courts, but finally with the help of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., and with the support of our family and friends, we won the right that should have been ours all along.(Gault, 18)” This reveals that due to her dedication towards her goal she was able to desegregate the University of Georgia. Although Charlayne got into the …show more content…
An individual should go through the process of self-purification to have control over his or her emotions and feeling while making a direct action. King asserts “Mindful of the difficulties involved, we decided to undertake a process of self-purification. We began a series of workshops on nonviolence, and we repeatedly asked ourselves: ‘Are you able to accept blows without retaliating?’(King, 26)” King is trying to explain that a person should be mentally prepared of things he or she will be facing. So when they actually face it, they are able to comprehend the situation and restrain their actions. This way they would not use violence to answer back. Charlayne Gault had to face a lot of hatred, once she got accepted into the college, but she never retaliated using violence and never lost control of her mind. Instead of being greeted happily, she was “...greeted by mobs of white students who within forty-eight hours would hurl epithets, burn crosses and black effigies, and finally stage a riot outside my dormitory while, nearby, state patrolman ignored the call from university officials to come and intervene.(Gault, 18)” This portrays that she had to deal with a lot of prejudice and loathing. However, this strong girl was able to stay calm and use nonviolence to keep on fighting for her rights. This is very important because a hero should have
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.
In the book Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, the author describes what her reactions and feelings are to the racial hatred and discrimination she and eight other African-American teenagers received in Little Rock, Arkansas during the desegregation period in 1957. She tells the story of the nine students from the time she turned sixteen years old and began keeping a diary until her final days at Central High School in Little Rock. The story begins by Melba talking about the anger, hatred, and sadness that is brought up upon her first return to Central High for a reunion with her eight other classmates. As she walks through the halls and rooms of the old school, she recalls the horrible acts of violence that were committed by the white students against her and her friends.
The history of The Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States is a fascinating account of a group of human beings, forcibly taken from their homeland, brought to a strange new continent, and forced to endure countless inhuman atrocities. Forced into a life of involuntary servitude to white slave owners, African Americans were to face an uphill battle for many years to come. Who would face that battle? To say the fight for black civil rights "was a grassroots movement of ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things" would be an understatement. Countless people made it their life's work to see the progression of civil rights in America. People like W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, A Phillip Randolph, Eleanor Roosevelt, and many others contributed to the fight although it would take ordinary people as well to lead the way in the fight for civil rights. This paper will focus on two people whose intelligence and bravery influenced future generations of civil rights organizers and crusaders. Ida B.Wells and Mary Mcleod Bethune were two African American women whose tenacity and influence would define the term "ordinary to extraordinary".
Racism is an attribute that has often plagued all of American society’s existence. Whether it be the earliest examples of slavery that occurred in America, or the cases of racism that happens today, it has always been a problem. However, this does not mean that people’s overall opinions on racial topics have always stayed the same as prior years. This is especially notable in the 1994 memoir Warriors Don’t Cry. The memoir occurred in 1957 Little Rock, Arkansas and discusses the Melba Pattillo Beals attempt to integrate after the Brown vs. Board of Education court case. Finally, in Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Pattillo Beals discusses the idea that freedom is achievable through conflicts involving her family, school life, and friends.
People can be heros to Dr. King if they believe in themselves. According to Dr.King all heros need to be brave. “...with the noble sense of purpose that enables them to face jeering,and hostile mobs,and with agonizing loneliness that characterizes the life of the pioneer.”(30) In this quote Dr.King explains that a hero faces many obstacles on their journey. But heroes face their journey with courage and bravery. Rosa Parks was a woman that had enough of segregation. “I was forty-two. No,the only tired I was,was tired of giving in…. He asked was I going to stand up. I said No.”(6-7) This quote from Rosa Parks explained that she wasn’t afraid to say no. Dr. King calls Rosa Parks a hero for her courage in the fight against segregation. For Dr.King heroes face their obstacles with confidence and courage.
Recently, students of Olympian High School have stumbled upon the question, "What is a hero?" In the school's 2013 Young Minds Essay Contest, students are expected to consider universal concerns and ideas. Many times when people think of a hero, they think of Superman, Batman, and many other Marvel characters who display unattainable superpowers. However, heroes are prevalent throughout the world. A hero can be anyone who has the desire to help others, brave in dangerous situations, and does not look at exterior gain from helping others.
...y shocks most of people who hear and see it, encouraging and moving others who also suffer. In instance, Elena screamed at Longoria to show she would not give them any information about resistances and Antonio when Longoria was about to killing her (Tobar 148). Elena sacrificed her life to protect Antonio and her friends who fought against the Guatemalan government without using any violence when she faced Longoria who tried to kill her. She showed it was important not to be daunted by fear and to keep fighting for justice. Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi advocated nonviolent resistance as a means of seeking peace and gaining independence for the Republic of India from Britain. Justice should be served by means in the name of justice. Nonviolent resistance is a powerful way to fight against the cycle of violence and work towards the realization of a peaceful world.
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.
Heroes are found everywhere in the world. They are seen in movies, on television, in books, and in reality. A hero can be anyone, from a friend to a fictional character. To be considered a hero, one must make selfless sacrifices, develop and learn, overcome challenges and temptations, and ultimately present their known world with a gift of any kind. Homer’s
When contrasting violent and non-violent forms of civil disobedience, one can look at the contrasting doctrines of civil rights activists Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Martin Luther King’s tactics of protest involved non-violent passive resistance to racial injustice. He once said, “unearned suffering is redemptive. Suffering,...
Throughout his education, Martin Luther King Jr. tried to find a way to demonstrate his belief of racial equality with the most effective means possible. He quickly realized that the best strategy to end segregation was to use nonviolent forms of protest. At Crozer, Morehouse and Boston University, he studied the teaching of Mohandas Gandhi, who used nonviolent methods to help India claim its independence from Britain. King read several books on the ideas of Gandhi, and eventually became convinced that his methods could be employed by African Americans to obtain equality in America. King knew that any violence on the part of African Americans would lead to violent responses from segregationists, which would lead to injury or maybe even death for his followers. He had to teach his followers not to respond violently to cruel attacks from segregationists. King decided to sponsor workshops to train African Americans in nonviolent beh...
Most students have to be courageous when they’r stand up for another student that are being mistreated. In Mildred Taylor's book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Stacey has to show courage when faced with discrimination because of his race. Stacey had to show courage when he was making a plan for the bus, and when he was standing up for T.J..
Atticus Finch, from To Kill A Mockingbird, once said, “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting this idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.” History has seen many true heroes --both real and fictional-- such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and Atticus Finch. True heroes appear to have three common attributes: being meticulous, courageous, and having a desire to rectify a society. Among these heroes is Prince Hamlet. While some people may state that Hamlet is a coward because he isn’t rash, he sits in self-pity, and he has murderous tendencies, he is, in fact, a hero due to being meticulous, courageous, and his desire to rectify Denmark.
There is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country, live mostly minorities and other ethic background. All their lives they’ve been expected to work harder and expected not succeed in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a determination to succeed work hard all of their lives to become what everybody doubted they could. Escaping the crime, drugs, and prostitution is enough to escape hell, even if they don’t go to college. Despite of their financial problems, drug and crime surroundings, or difficulties in the language skills, their desire to triumph fuels their persistence. Those who make it to success are the few living examples of the purest form of hero anyone can be. They are not only their own heroes but also the heroes of the poor children who dream of becoming like them someday.
Have you ever known what being heroic is like? Well if you don't, you’ll want to find out, If you’ve ever watched a movie with a hero in it you should have a good idea of what being heroic should be but there are a lot more characteristics to a hero. Superman flies and saves people with his super strength but his weakness is kryptonite, Superman is kind, brave, and fearless. If you know spiderman he is fearless to so it is a thing that is pretty common with heroes and that's why ordinary people are heroes to it's just that they don't get noticed as they should. Although many acts of heroism don’t always have a happy ending and most heroic deeds go unnoticed, a hero is selfless for the protection of others and doesn’t