“Your determination, selflessness and courage have brought the freedom struggle towards its fulfilment.” -Gerry Adams Logically thinking, this quote is intended towards a freedom fighter, who was willing to risk his life for others, and didn’t give up until he accomplished his goal. In other words, the quote was intended to Gandhi. So, what do selflessness, bravery and determination mean? Selflessness means to give or do something without any concern or hesitation about how your actions might affect you. Bravery means to face your fears. Determination means that nothing can stop you. The one thing all of these have in common, is that they all are ordinary acts of extraordinary. Since heroism involves selflessness, bravery and determination, …show more content…
Overall, in order to be selfless, you need to be brave and in order to be brave you need to be determined.
Anyone is and should be considered heroic when they show selflessness. Selflessness requires one to do something for others, without thinking about how it might affect themselves. For instance, Tris Prior showed selflessness throughout the book Divergent. She was willing to stand in front of a target and get knives thrown at her just so that she could save a friend. Tris claims herself to be selfish, but she really is not selfish, which makes her a real hero. Additionally, in Tobias’s Landscape, when marcus was hitting Tobias with a belt, Tris was willing to take the pain and stood in front of Tobias. "It's when you're acting selflessly that you are at your bravest." -Veronica Roth (divergent) Another huge example would be Frederick Douglass. He was a very bold and selfless person. He was an American Slave. “It was life and death.But I remained firm, and, according to my resolution, on the third day of September, 1838, I left my chains, and succeeded in reaching New York without the slightest interruption of any kind.”(-Frederick Douglass) When he
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But determination does not mean to try for a bit and then just give, it means to keep trying until you accomplish your goal. For example, Carey M. Thomas worked very hard to create a fantastic college. First of all, she worked very hard to pass tests, however she failed MANY of them, but she did not give. She kept trying until she finally passed, and not only did she pass, but she got high score! After years of hard work she became a dean of college.Even though many people made negative comments about her for failing many times, she didn’t mind their comments and kept moving. She was able to confidently tell others that they were wrong. Another example would be, Walt Disney. Walt Disney once said “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Walt Disney decided to drop out of MIlitary school and join the military, but he got rejected because he was underage (16 years old). Then he went overseas to join the red cross, and after a year or so he returned from France and pursued a career in commercial arts. Walt then started a small company called “Laugh-o-Grams” which fell bankrupt. Additionally, during World War 2, the United States Army took over Walt’s Studio. After World War 2, his company had more than $4 million in debts. But, he soon made a profit from television shows and built Disneyland, however forged tickets bought too many people to the opening and
courage as manifested in ways others act; and (4) respect for individuality of the human
Frederick Douglass was an enslaved person and was born in Talbot County, Maryland. He had no knowledge of his accurate age like most of the enslaved people. He believed that his father was a white man, and he grew up with his grandmother. Douglass and his mother were separated when he was young, which was also common in the lives of the enslaved people. This concept of separation was used as a weapon to gain control of the enslaved people. In short, despite the obstacles he had to endure, he was able to gain an education and fight for his freedom in any means necessary.
..., and continued to fight for what he wanted in life; which was his freedom. As the narrator of the story, he presents himself as a very reasonable man. He allows himself to see both sides to any issue throughout his story, and he was always able to share his thoughts and deep feeling. I believe that with the more hardships that Douglass was faced with, the stronger he became as a man. Douglass stated, “Sincerely and earnestly hoping that this little book may do something toward throwing light on the American slave system, and hastening the glad day of deliverance to the millions of my brethren in bonds- faithfully relying upon the power of truth, love, and justice, for success in my humble efforts- and solemnly pledging my self anew to the sacred cause, - I subscribe myself” (Douglass). There was no better person to tell his story, then Frederick Douglass himself.
Frederick Douglass was an incredibly influential part of the abolitionist movement. He has seen the harshest acts induced by slavery, even in the kindest of people. Douglass worked his entire life to get away from slavery and secure his freedom. With this new found freedom, he chose to speak out against the institution of slavery and inform the public of the evil truths that lay within slavery. He used wit, humor, pathos, ridicule, satire, mimicry, intellectual and emotional appeal to reach out to his audience in hopes of enlightening them (Douglass, July 146). On July 5th, 1852, he gave a speech to whites in New York about the injustices of slavery and how inhumane it was. He did this to open the eyes of Americans who had not been fully exposed
During the captivity of Frederik Douglass he was very limited with the experiences in his life and wa...
“Courage - a perfect sensibility of the measure of danger, and a mental willingness to endure it.” Courageous people understand the danger that they face when they act how they do. That is what courage is all about. Many historical events occur due to people having the courage to do what they think is right, or because of those who use their courage to do what they want. Having the courage to stand alone in one’s beliefs may be one of the hardest thing a person can do.
Being determined has a big impact on courage because you need that drive like Rosa Parks did to make a difference. In 1955, Rosa Parks did not give up her seat to a white man. This is courageous because at the time African Americans were treated poorly and she decided to take a stand even though the consequences were harsh. The passage indicates in paragraph one that Rosa Parks was a part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and organized social justice campaigns. I mentioned this because after she
Determination is “The act or an instance of making an important decision and not giving up” (“Determination”). In The Great Gatsby, the main character Jay Gatsby is a succesful business man who will go to extremes to win the heart of the woman of his dreams, Daisy, hoping she would leave her husband for him. Gatsby threw extravagant parties with an abundance of alcohol and a variety of people. People would drive hundreds of miles to attend one of Jay Gatsby’s parties. He would never participate in any of his parties, however, so no one knew him. One may ask: Why would he spend so much money on parties he did not even participate in? The answer is that he would stand on the balcony looking over his unknown party guests hoping Daisy would show up one evening. Gatsby was very determined to get the attention of Daisy, and he believed by throwing these parties he would do so. He was so anxious to see her; he had his neighbor Nick invite her over one afternoon. He had been very nervous and wanted eve...
Selflessness is thinking of others lives and safety before what is to come upon yourself. It is hard to achieve because it means putting someone 's life on the line for other people 's.There are so many book characters out there, many are selfless in some way. However, a few stand out in the books Code Orange, Uprising and Of Mice and Men. The following characters all share the drive to save other people 's lives. In Code Orange, the character Mitty Blake is willing to kill himself to save his city from smallpox. George Milton in Of Mice and Men shows he is selfless by taking in a mentally ill man who can 't care for himself. George opens his life Lennie knowing it will change his life by not allowing him to achieve his dreams, because he has
The first reason why Frederick Douglass was a prominent abolitionist was because of his experiences in his life. He was born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey in 1817 in Tuckahoe, Maryland (“Douglass, Frederick”). He was born as a slave and was raised by his grandmother because his mother was sold when he was an infant, as was a common occurrence in the American South (“Frederick Douglass”). When he was old enough, Douglass was put to work by Edward Lloyd. This is when he experienced the hardships of slavery (“Frederick Douglass”). In 1825, he was transferred to the household of Hugh Auld (“Frederick Douglass”). He learned to read and write from Auld’s wife (“Frederick Douglass”). When Auld found out that his wife was educating Douglass, he put a stop to it. However, Douglass continued to read and write secretly (“Frederick Douglass”). In 1838, Douglass managed to escape to freedom in New York (“Frederick Douglass”). However, he was forced to move to Great Britain in 1845 because of Fugitive Slave laws (“Frederick Douglass”). He returned in 1847 (“Frederick Douglass”). He received enough money in Britain to publi...
Frederick was born in Maryland and early in his life he lived on the outskirts of the plantation where his Grandmother took care of him and the little children. Frederick was quite young and during this stage of Frederick’s life he did not understand slavery. He was not tainted by the gross evil that it entailed. He had not had the humiliating and dehumanizing experience while being an African American that worked the plantations. Nor had he witnessed the violent overseers beat their slaves till they drew blood or take a slave’s life without repercussion. Although Frederick was kept abreast of these things for a time, it was not long until he was introduced to everything that was slavery. It took one event for him to realize that he was a slave and that he was to walk that path for the remainder of his time there. Despite being born a slave he did not begin the life of a slave until he witnessed the beating of Aunt Hester.
Selflessness is a quality that isn’t a natural human characteristic. Being able to put others before yourself is noble. Most would say that they would put themselves in danger to save another but acting in that position is a heroic act. The sacrifices that our military service
Determination is a quality that makes a person continue to try, to do, or to achieve something that is difficult. It is a person’s overall drive to never give up and continue striving towards a desired goal. If I was asked to describe myself in one word, I would choose determined. Throughout my life I have had many experiences where my determination has helped me fight through tough times. By having this quality it has helped me to win a girls bowling IHSA state title, be an all-state athlete, and also continue my goals for my education. Determination is important to me because I need it to achieve my goals and reach my highest potential. Determination starts with the decision to go for the goal and to make the commitment to attain the goal. Determination is also the continuous driving force to overcome the obstacles on the way to the destination. It focuses the mind on the end result. It strengthens the will to carry on, to arrive at the destination.
There is no measurement of selfless service. No matter what the scenario or who is involved, everyone who is involved benefits from one’s selfless acts. The one who shows selflessness may benefit by receiving a “thank you,” or even just a good feeling of helping others. Of course, the ones who receive the selfless acts benefit from obvious reasons. Selfless service can be shown by anyone and everyone, including a soldier putting his/her life on the line to save a fallen comrade, a husband and father protecting and spending time with his wife and children, someone donating his/her time by volunteering as a tutor or with the American Red Cross or some other goodwill charity, and the teamwork of two or more athletes.
The acts of heroism are considered as an inspiration to others and a reference but, it takes certain attributes such as courage and selflessness. Acts of heroism done by heroes demonstrate leadership and make our society a better place. For instance, Mohandas K. Gandhi helped gain freedom for the people without violence but giving speeches. This demonstrates that Gandhi showed heroism because he inspired many of his people to not use violence to solve a conflict and that takes courage. Mohandas Gandhi was the leader of the protest and he sacrificed many things just to get freedom.