Selflessness: What Makes A Hero

Throughout time, the meaning of the word “hero” has changed throughout the world. Everyone has their own perspective of what qualities and characteristics “heroes” should have. In today’s modern world, we hear the word “hero” used constantly in tabloids, on the news, or in plain conversation. What exactly is a hero? Who, or what, can be classified as heroic? Many people would give an example of a super hero. Super heroes are different; a “super hero” is a “benevolent fictional character with superhuman powers, such as Superman”. I always preferred Batman and Iron Man over the rest of the superheroes due to the fact that they are regular people. They don’t need any special powers to fit into the same category as the super heroes that do. A hero by definition is “a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” That is a great definition for books and intellectual minds, but to the average person, a hero is much more.

In the book To Kill A Mockingbird Jeremy Atticus Finch shows that he is heroic. There are numerous ways he shows this. He keeps calm when in a dangerous situation. Jem also is brave and courageous. Jem puts other first and he protects others. Those are some ways Jem is a hero. There are a lot of definitions of a hero. Jem’s characteristics are similar to the characteristics of a hero. Jem is a hero but he is a different hero then most would expect. Jem is not your normal hero. He is not like Superman or Batman. He is different he does not going around stopping bad guys. He does other stuff such as protect people from dangerous situations.

Heroes put others before themselves and will do anything to ensure that thing’s safety. Many people have either risked their lives or have loss their lives due to trying to save others. An example of this would be the man in the red bandana or Welles Crowther. Crowther was working in the twin towers as planes were crashing into them. Crowther could have ran away from the other people when the planes hit, but he chose not to spare himself, but to save others and sacrifice his own life. In the documentary, The Man in the Red Bandana, which talks about a common hero who gave up his life to save others, it states,” Instinct grabbed him and he immediately tried to save lives.’’ This quote shows how Crowther, by nature, helps people. Also how he

Scientists who spend years of their lives trying to find cures for diseases. The teenager who says no to crack. The inner-city kid who works at McDonald’s instead of selling drugs.” This shows that heroes are people who care for other people and does what is necessary to make everyone well, if it means not making much money. A hero does not care for only them-self. They aren’t greedy or ignorant. Heroes take problems in a rational way and deal with their problems calmly and usually without violence. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. was just a normal man, like you or me, but he led violence free protests and eventually got equal rights for blacks. That is what being a hero is about. It isn’t about knowing how to fight, or being very smart, it’s about doing what you can to help people who can’t help themselves. As you can see, heroes aren’t greedy, spiteful, or careless, they care for people to the greatest ability that they can, and that is what makes them a

Anyone can be a hero. For instance, Robert Bentz was being selfless when he put himself between a driver of a stolen car and Bentz’ son. “In the split second of seeing the car coming straight at [his son] Roudy, Bentz cranked his steering wheel as hard as possible. That put him between the oncoming car and his son.” Though Bentz is a normal person, he was still able to save his son from injury. In addition, David Ho saved many lives and was heroic, even though he wasn’t equipped with superpowers. Through his dedication, he saved lives by finding the cure to AIDS. “...saw some of the first documented cases of AIDS. He dedicated himself to combating the mysterious killer...He devised the ‘cocktail’ of protease inhibitors and other antiviral drugs which have brought about remarkable recoveries in many cases.” Though David Ho is an average person, he helped rescue many patients with AIDS. In summary, everyday heroes are ordinary people who do not need fame or superpowers to take the actions that define a

The epic poem written by Homer, The Odyssey, is about Odysseus who is a well soldier and commander in the Trojan War. The war lasted for ten years. Odysseus is ready to go home to his wife, Penelope and son, Telemachus, but many obstacles come his way. Odysseus exemplifies being a hero through the acts of leadership, being strategic, and being intelligent on his journey home to Ithaca.

However, heroism can take place in our everyday lives by simple brave actions. A hero has many noble qualities such as courage, humility, patience, being selfless and caring. They will put other people before themselves and make sure others are content. Heros are also intelligent and like to think ahead to plan on a good result.

Heroism is sometimes an essential part of humanity, though those who possess it are rare. How can we have heros if every individual is capable of exceptional leadership and skill? The story The Odyssey, written by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald, is a tale of wandering for a character named Odysseus. Throughout his journey he begins to understand the meaning of sacrifice, learn the characteristics of wisdom, and truly discover what it means to be relentlessly determined. He often comes face to face with the wrath of Greek Gods, but always discovers a way in which he can return home as well as protect his beloved crewmates. Any reader should be able to take away the lessons being taught, as well as received, by a brave leader like

In today’s society, it is rare to find a person who possesses even a few qualities of a true hero. The definition of a true hero is a person who is admired for their courage, achievements, or noble qualities. Having people in the world that are willingly prepared to be a hero in any situation is crucial to society. Imagine what 9/11 would have been like without average everyday people who chose to take heroic actions and save other lives while risking their own. Many people think that acting heroically comes naturally and can not be taught, on contrary others think that acting heroically is a quality that can be acquired. As for one man named Martin Luther King Jr., it came naturally. Martin Luther King Jr. is considered to be a hero by many

One example of a hero was Beowulf, he was generous, strong, loyal, brave, and honorable till the end. So, as Sir Gawain shared many of these qualities, it is concluded that the ones they do share, are the qualities that a hero must possess. A hero could be many things, however he has some specific qualities. First comes bravery, because a hero must not be cowardly. Second is loyalty, heros must never stab partners in the back, or abandon them when things are difficult. The last virtue, is honor. Even villains could have courage, and be loyal to their cause. But what sets them apart from heroes is their lack of honor.

These traits are shown by Genghis Khan, Choi Yuna, my brother, and Odysseus. The fact that Odysseus and heroes in the modern age share the same traits proves how important they are for being a hero. In addition, every hero should be able to protect others out of kindness and for a cause they believe in. Without heroes, society would continue to make the same mistakes. As role models, they push society in the right direction and assist people in decision

Many people regularly ask why we need heroes. Simply the answer is that heroes give us hope, solve problems, and pick us up when we are down. They prove to us that no matter how bad the society is, there are good people around us that can know the right from the wrong. Heroes are just

A hero exhibits many qualities. Responsibility, bravery, and loyalty are just a few on many qualities that can be found in heroes. But to me, some of the most important qualities a hero needs are recognizing one's flaws and weaknesses, listening to others, and selflessness. With recognizing one's flaws and weaknesses, a person, a hero, can learn what they need to do to better themselves. They know the limit of their abilities and can work to improve themselves. Or, they can rely on people who can make up for their own weaknesses. It shows growth when a hero can do this. By overcoming such things, the hero can grow in their abilities and can become better at helping others. Listening to others is being able to take on note other's opinions and be willing to act on them. In doing this, a hero could achieve more as sometimes, other people do have better ideas or know what to do or just have a better overall grasp of a situation. A  hero needs to know when to

My heroes are no exclusion to this truth. Many years ago when I was younger, my heroes were more inclined to super heroes. If a hero didn’t wear a tight and a cape and was not able to fly he was not considered a hero for me. As I grew up and matured, my vison of a hero also matured at the same time. My views now turn out to be more complex and I can gage intangible matters, which does allows me to subordinate these values of what a hero is indeed. Anyone who possesses any of the above mentioned assets is a hero in my mind since they tend to look past the consequences and accomplish what they think their aim is. Before, my heroes contained of Batman, Hulk, Spiderman and Superman. What came across to my mind is that throughout my awareness a hero helps people, and this was what super heroes ever did. Well obviously, yes, this is what heroes do, he or she helps when in need, but what I could not understand was that they don’t need super powers to be heroes. I wasn’t able realize how somebody can help a soul spiritually, all I ever saw was the physical help similar to comics or cartoons that I read or watched. This wall was crossed over when I realized concepts such as integrity, loyalty and