In a society of protagonist superheroes within books and televisions all across the world, what makes a real hero? Is it leadership, determination, courage, dedication, or conviction? To all, Dorothy Day is all of the above. To many, she is a saint; a woman of true selflessness, who compassionately put the lives of the broken before her own. She is the icon of the kind of leader that everyone else, anyone else, can be, not by changing other people but by changing themselves (Chittister). Throughout her life, Dorothy Day was a herald to the church, a leader to the state, and an advocate for the poor.
Dorothy Day entered the world in Brooklyn, New York on November 8th, 1897. Born to Grace and John Day, she was the third of five children. Although both her parents were baptized Christians, she did not grow up with a familiarity to religion’s mysteries. Her parents preferred practicing a strict philosophy to parenting; Newspapers were not allowed in the house and light reading was forbidden. Despite the limitations to only Charles Dickens and Edgar Allen Poe, Dorothy and her brothers would smuggle in ten cent novels of romance and adventure.
When Dorothy was six years old, the Day family packed up for a long journey from New York City to the west coast. Her father’s job as a sports writer settled the family in Berkeley, California at first, and then in Oakland. Just as the children were starting to call California home, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck this new home, striking their hearts as well. This life-changing disaster was the first experience Dorothy had of people really getting involved with helping strangers. Unfortunately the help from neighbors was not enough to fix the permanent damage within the Days’ Californ...
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...ver believed she was a saint, but if the world sat down for a cup of coffee with Dorothy, it would tell her that she was one of the most incredible heroins the world has ever known. Not only was she a saint and a hero, she was an angel to the hopeless.
Works Cited
Forest, Jim. "A Biography of Dorothy Day." The Catholic Worker Movement. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. .
Church, Carol Bauer. Dorothy Day: Friend of the Poor. Minneapolis: Greenhaven, 1976.
Bruner, Jerome. Spartacus Educational. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.
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“Her Life." Dorothy Day: Dorothy Day Guild - The Cause for Canonization. Dorothy Day Guild, 2008. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. .
Chittister, Joan. A Passion for Life: Fragments of the Face of God. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2000.
Although not every hero shouts “Avengers Assemble” before a worthy deed, heroism is shown in all aspects of the everyday world. Webster Dictionary has exactly 5 definitions under the word hero and still no two people explain heroism the same. Superman and Captain America are a glimpse of the fictional characters society titles a hero. Firefighters and Military portray heroism each day in the lives of every civilian. As Sullivan and Venter stated “individuals are referred to as ‘heroes’ for seemingly different reasons” and even through endless studies the adjectives referring heroes is ever changing. Among the various ideas of what it means to be a hero, boldness and valiance capture the essence of heroism.
http://www.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/dorotheadix.html. This site gives another overview of Dorothea Dix’s early life and career highlights, but does so with an emphasis on her finding her religious home among ...
The western style 2013 Australian feature film Mystery Road centres around indigenous detective Jay Swan as he investigates the murder of indigenous teenager Julie Mason. Swan’s continued struggles to convince the rest of the local police – who all happen to be white males – to help him to solve the case lead him to find a drug ring. Sen represents the idea that indigenous people do not receive justice through the construction of Jay Swan and the unjust way the rest of the Indigenous community are treated by the white community and predominately white police force, encouraging my empathetic response. Sen also explores the police as corrupt and apathetic. In recent years, all over the world, but particularly in Australia in the 1980’s onwards,
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.
Once in a while a truly exceptional person has made a mark on the growth of mankind. Dorothea Dix was an exceptional woman. She wrote children’s books, she was a school teacher, and she helped reform in prisons. Some of her most notable work was in the field of making mental health institutions a better place for the patients that lived in them. Dorothea Dix gave a great deal to humanity and her achievements are still being felt today, especially in the treatment of those with mental disabilities. Dix started out though with very humble beginnings.
Dorothy Day was strong with her beliefs and stuck to them. She worked with social issues, such as pacifism and women's suffrage. In the movie, Entertaining Angels, Day is portrayed as a character against the church but later converts to Catholicism. The movie shows Day's journey throughout this special time in her life as she goes through a process to love an abundant life full of justice.
...Her feats were truly remarkable; most would not be willing to try any given the chance. Many looked up to Harriet, as countless still do. Her name will live on for many, many years to come.
Garrow, David J. "Modest Hero, Civil Rights Icon." Christian Science Monitor. Oct. 26 2005: N.P. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
turn the light of truth upon,”10 which is something she truly fought for and succeeded
In the 1890s, American women emerged as a major force for social reform. Millions joined civic organizations and extended their roles from domestic duties to concerns about their communities and environments. These years, between 1890 and 1920, were a time of many social changes that later became known as the Progressive Era. In this time era, millions of Americans organized associations to come up with solutions to the many problems that society was facing, and many of these problems were staring American women right in the face.
Wilson, Dorothy Clarke. Stranger and Traveler: The Story of Dorothea Dix, American Reformer. Boston: Little, Brown and Company , Print.
In order to further discuss her main points and views, a summary of her story
Lev, Michael A. "The Entire World Says 'Goodbye' and 'Godspeed' to Mother Teresa". Chicago Tribune, reprinted by The Providence Sunday Journal, September 14, 1997,
Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, was born in Brooklyn, New York, November 8, 1897. After surviving the San Francisco earthquake in 1906, the Day family moved into a house in Chicago. It was a big step down in the world because John Day was out of work. Day's understanding of the shame people feel when they fail in their efforts dated from this time.
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