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The nature of heroism essay
Elements of heroism
The nature of heroism essay
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The Beloved Hero “All the best heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.” This quote by Gerard Way directly describes a little old man. A man who fought to survive and get his withered body moving. A teacher to many, friend to some, and a coach to a very special former student, Mitch. This old man is Morrie Schwartz, a heroic patient of ALS. Loving others no matter what, being ordinary instead of extraordinary, and taking death on straight in the eye makes Morrie a hero. Loving others endlessly and unconditionally made Morrie a hero. No matter how down he was feeling, Morrie still gave his all to everyone else. In the story, the talk show “Nightline” invited him to go back to another interview. During this offer, Morrie …show more content…
He was not part of a rich or well known family, nor was he a famous inventor or actor. Morrie was your average professor who loved to dance. The only people who knew of the little old man were friends and family, which by no means makes him special. Heros also do not have to be titled as “extraordinary”. An example from the story is, “What’s wrong with being number two?” by Morrie found on page 159. This quotes reflects to the idea of the lack of importance the number one position is. Like number two, being ordinary does not matter or change a thing. You can be a hero, like Morrie, whether you are number one, number two, ordinary, or extraordinary. Morrie is an ordinary man to many, but is an extraordinary hero to others.
Morrie Schwartz, the little old man who fought against ALS, is a heroic person. Showing affection towards others, being an average human being, and fighting for his life against a withering body shows the hero in Morrie. No matter the situation or personal problems, Morrie loved everything that could be loved. He was your normal, everyday man who was seen more spectacular in other’s eyes. Morrie “learned to detach”(page 103) and except his decease, but did not let the death consume his caring nature. Morrie lived a successful life, and was considered a heroic figure until the very
A hero can be anyone, short or tall, big or small, and not necessarily empowered with super abilities. Heroes can be someone to look up to for their acts, and personalities, in the case of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel Extremely Loud and Incredible Close Oskar Schell is the unlikely hero. He exemplifies traits associated with the common hero like courage, as he enters into scenarios that under normal circumstances he would never dare confront. While also being slightly untraditional in the sense that he is only nine years old and suffering from depression as result of the loss of his father, and other ailments. Throughout Oskar’s journey he becomes molded into a stronger person as he comes to closure near the end of the novel thanks to those he encounters along his path.
“I felt the seeds of death inside his shriveling frame, and as I laid him in his chair, adjusting his head on the pillow, I had the coldest realization that our time was running out.” (Pg. 59) That is what Mitch, a journal writer for the Detroit Free Press, said as he lifted his old college teacher from his wheelchair to his recliner. His old college teacher is Morrie Schwartz, a man that is dying from ALS otherwise known as Lou Gehrig disease. As the book goes on, Morrie reaches out to people who want to talk and he teaches them about the real lessons of life, while he is lying on his deathbed. Tuesdays With Morrie is an excellent book because Morrie teaches Mitch lessons about marriage, greed, and family that young adults can learn from.
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.
For anger, in the mornings he will say to himself, “what in the hell did I do to deserve this!” He also becomes depressed and cries throughout the nights and into the mornings, but tells himself to stop. Morrie also accepts his death, and says many things such as “fear of death means life without meaning” and that he wants to be a living textbook.
Morrie talks about Erikson’s identity against the stage of role confusion of psychosocial development. The book is a result of partially an endeavor to compensate for the guilt of failing to live up to the perceived responsibility or duty towards families and friends and partially an attempt to look for identity within the ambitious and competitive self. Morrie, the main character is living his last days with integrity. He is dealing with his own anticipated death. Having dealt with his uncle’s death, and near-death of his separated brother because of cancer, Mitch utilizes every opportunity to speak to Morrie concerning life’s
“Challenges is what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” - Joshua J. Marine. Life is difficult and people need to accept it and in someway every thing in life is a challenge and people need to know how overcome and how live life with those challenges. Morrie teaches people to live life by showing how to accept death, that money isn’t everything, and how to accept aging.
Tuesdays With Morrie is written by Mitch Albom for the purpose of spreading the word of and old college professor of his, who is dying of ALS. He comes up with many aphorisms in his dying days. The one aphorism that hits home the most for me is “. . . love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone” This aphorism is one of the more important ones in my eyes. Morrie is basically saying to love everyone and smile at everyone because just one smile can start a friendship or brighten someone’s day.
A majority of people in the 21st century take somethings for granted. In the novel “Tuesdays with Morrie.” One of the main Characters Named Morrie Schwartz, is an extremely lovable college professor, who in his late sixties, finds out that he is diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The story of his last few weeks on earth is told by Mitch Albom, one of Morrie’s former students, who happends to reunite with him during his final days.
To him, “we put our values in the wrong things. And it leads to very disillusioned lives” (Albom 123-124). People are always overestimating the value of one thing, and undervaluing others, when really it should be the other way around. Yet Morrie sees these people as “so hungry for love that they were accepting substitutes…You can’t substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship” (Albom 125). No matter how much money you may have, it can’t make up for a lack of human love in your life. It’s true when people say “money can’t buy happiness” because it can’t buy people, real people who are there for you through thick and thin. It doesn’t what new thing you buy in order to fill the void left in your life, it can never truly fill it even if you convince yourself otherwise. For Morrie, giving others “your time. Your concern. Your storytelling.” (Albom 126), things of that nature are far more valuable than any material possession could ever be. By being in the company of someone who needs it, offering a shoulder to cry on, or lending an ear to someone’s woes, you are showing them you’re there for them, offering yourself and gaining a purpose, along with
He was the son of a Russian immigrant,Charlie Schwartz and his mother died when he was young. Morrie later had a stepmother that took well care of him and his brother, she taught him everything about english and he would become a professor of english because of her. Morrie was a professor at Brandeis University. He taught sociology. He also had a lecture with his students about life. He was diagnosed with ALS in the summer of 1994.
I believe that if Sydney Carton was standing here today, the inspiration in his eyes and the selflessness of his heart would be evident. He would want to reassure us all that although he may be gone, the world will still keep moving as usual. He was only a small part in this great big world and that this funeral is nothing out of the ordinary, and that, in fact, all will be well. Sydney Carton lived a great example of the phrase “Do not judge a book by its cover”. Mr. Carton intelligence was extraordinary and he was always readily available to assist someone else before himself. During the time I have known Carton I have seen his character gradually grow from a disrespectful uncaring man to a hero. He became a hero to me when he answered to
The word "hero" is so often used to describe people who overcome great difficulties and rise to the challenge that is set before them without even considering the overwhelming odds they are up against. In our culture, heroes are glorified in literature and in the media in various shapes and forms. However, I believe that many of the greatest heroes in our society never receive the credit that they deserve, much less fame or publicity. I believe that a hero is simply someone who stands up for what he/she believes in. A person does not have to rush into a burning building and save someone's life to be a hero. Someone who is a true friend can be a hero. A hero is someone who makes a difference in the lives of others simply by his/her presence. In Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, the true heroes stand out in my mind as those who were true friends and fought for what they believed in. These men and women faced the atrocities of war on a daily basis, as explained by critic David R. Jarraway's essay, "'Excremental Assault' in Tim O'Brien: Trauma and Recovery in Vietnam War Literature" and by Vietnam Veteran Jim Carter. Yet these characters became heroes not by going to drastic measures to do something that would draw attention to themselves, but by being true to their own beliefs and by making a difference to the people around them.
Morrie teaches people to live life through accepting death, going against the grain of our society and the realization that money isn't everything.
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.