Hero Essay, Research Paper
Hero: one who goes beyond the call of duty, acts wisely under pressure, risks their life, fortune, or reputation, and champions a good cause. These definitions all fit that of a hero’s. However, in my opinion, a person most definitely does not need to do everything listed above to qualify as a hero. As I see it, the three qualifications of a hero are courage, sacrifice, and leadership.
A definite sign of a hero is courage. One who does not cower in the face of danger is often given this title. Television show, movie, and cartoon-type courage is what many people think of when it comes to courage. However, I realize that true courage does not have to be of epic proportions as actors portray. My ideal hero needs to have the kind of courage to be successful in their life. He or she would make important decisions that affect their personal lives, their family’s, and others’ lives, even when it is an extremely hard decision to make. They would stand up to injustice, even if it only affected a small select number of people. For example, their boss at work has been making inappropriate advances toward several employees. My ideal hero would have the courage to inform their boss that he/she needs to stop or they will report them to a higher ranking executive or the “proper” authorities. Risking one’s career in order to make co-workers discomfort disappear is an example of true courage. This is what my model hero would possess the ability to do.
The willingness to give up something of value for the better of another person is also a quality of a hero. The familiar term for this idea is sacrifice. The type of person whom sacrifices is typically very loving and compassionate. There are those whom make sacrifices completely unwillingly, and end up regretting the deeds they have done. People like this are typically selfish, and do not meet the standards of my idealistic hero. My hero or heroine would be the type of person who sees sacrifce as a good thing. Nuns, monks, and priests are typical examples. They would need to believe in the idea that “to give is better than to receive”. For example, the few men who, on September 11, 2001 caused the high jacked plane heading for the Capitol building to land in a deserted field in Pennsylvania. They sacrificed their lives so that those people in the Capitol would suffer a crude and untimely death. Even though they were going to die either way, they cut their life short by making the daring moves to attempt to retake the plane. Those heroes made the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of the innocent people working in the Capitol building.
Another trait belonging to a hero is that of leadership. The ability to provide guidance and counsel in a time of crisis, whether large or small, is a trait all heroes bear. Whether the person is an armed forces general, commander, etc. or simply a school counselor, they are all heroes in their own respective. Despite their obviously huge differences, they are both championed by communities of all sizes. Personally, I do not care much about the “macho man” war heroes. My variety of hero is more of one whom leads civil rights movements, leads an expedition into the great unknown that is Outer Space, or leads their country in a time of calamity. For instance, our current President, George Bush, Jr., is doing a fabulous job of guiding our country after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Despite that war with the terrorists is inevitable, he has calmed the country and created a sense of unity throughout all fifty states. Under his leadership, the American public has been convinced that everything will be okay. Bush’s management of our country’s disaster, shows how my ideal hero’s leadership qualities could be exercised.
Courage, sacrifice, and leadership are criteria which my superlative hero would possess. Superhero-like attributes and accomplishments are unrealistic. Therefore, I realize that a person who contains all of my idealistic qualities is truly someone special. Despite that they may not act heroic all the time, my hero would act when he or she is needed.