My Favourite Heroes In History and Fiction

Categories: Heroism My Favourite Hero In History My heroes

Essay, Pages 4 (913 words)

Views

816

When we hear the word “hero” we all have different thoughts. Some may think of a hero as having super powers like flying through the sky or walking up walls or even picking up huge buildings to save people from villains. Others may think of a hero as a specific person that has impacted their life or has heard of a person who have done something to make a difference in the lives of others. But what really is a hero? Does heroism always require the physical strength, or are there other important qualities that define a hero? According to the online dictionary, a hero is “ a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities.

Don't use plagiarized sources. Get your custom essay on

“ My Favourite Heroes In History and Fiction ”

Get custom paper

NEW! smart matching with writer

” A hero can be anyone we look up to, whether they are real or fictional. Bottom line, a hero is someone who is selflessness, has courage and bravery, and is willing to sacrifice themselves for others.

Notably, a hero always puts others first.

The great Nelson Mandela was a selfless leader who lived his life for his people, and has be recognized as one of the greatest leaders in the world. His willingness and enthusiasm to sacrifice for others headed a movement to unite a divided nation and bring together periods of pain and racism. Mandela spent 27 years in prison fighting for what he believe in. His selflessness actions make him the hero he is known today. Just like Nelson Mandela, in the series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Giles plays a huge part of selflessness when he decided to tell Buffy about the test a vampire slayer has to take when they

turn 18. He cared more about her knowing what was happening to her regardless of the consequences he had to face with the Watchers Council when telling her. Selflessness actions happen in our everyday lives like giving a homeless person a meal to enjoy, donating blood to people who are in need of it, or simply helping an elderly person walk down the street. Heroes become heroes when they are selfless.

Furthermore, what is a hero without courage or bravery? An anonymous writer stated that, “ There is a hero inside all of us, we just need the courage to put on the cape.” This is a very powerful quote because it doesn’t talk about a well known heroic person but instead it shows that anyone can be a hero, if you just take risks. For example, the firefighters from 9/11 showed signs of courage and strength to help people out of the building. Lieutenant Joe Torrillo, an active firefighter then, was on his way to a press conference that day when he got the call that the twin towers were hit. He didn’t think twice in ditching the conference to help his fellow firefighters in rescuing people out of the burning buildings, but rather than worrying about his own safety he was thinking about saving other people’s lives regardless of the consequences. The firefighters who sacrifice themselves on 9/11 will be forever remembered for their selflessness and heroism act. Another example of courage and bravery is when buffy had to defeat Khalik in order to still be a vampire slayer. Even though she was weak and losing her powers, that didn’t stop her from defeating him to regain her powers to continue slaying vampires, to protect the world.

Aside from selflessness, courage and bravery a hero must be also willing to sacrifice themselves for others. In this case, Buffy sacrifice her feelings by killing the man she loved to save the world. Buffy had to kill Angel because he was trying to open a portal to hell. With blood still flowing through his veins, the portal would be open. Buffy set aside her personal interest to think about others safety. In addition to this, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to fight for what she believed in. She was humiliated, treated poorly, and arrested for standing up for herself and others. After her arrest African Americans began a boycott of the Montgomery buses that ended 381 days later, and the law requiring segregation ended. Rosa Parks quotes “ I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.” Rosa Parks is a perfect example of having selflessness, courage,bravery, but most of all she sacrificed her freedom for the rights of others.

A hero does astonishing things in there day to day life; they do not strive for recognition, nor do they seek chances to become a “Hero”. Rosa Parks is a perfect example of having selflessness, courage, bravery, but most of all she sacrificed her freedom for the rights of others.

Clearly, no one can be called a true hero without selflessness, courage, bravery, and sacrificing themselves for the good of others. These characteristics are the true meaning of what it takes to be a hero. Whether it’s slaying vampires, to leading a nation to change, or standing up for what you and others believe in, you have to have the heroism to accomplish your goal. Ultimately, people who manifest these qualities do more than rescue others; they teach us the true meaning of what being a human is all about. More importantly, being a hero bring light when in a dark world. Look around you, you may just find yourself a hero.