Heroism is not about being the bravest. It is not about being the strongest. It is not about being the fastest, or the boldest, or even the most compassionate. Heroism is having a single, fearless act of courage. Heroism can mean so many different things to many different people. Everyone has had his or her own experience with heroism. Though some think one has to die in order to be a hero, expressing heroism is having the ability to save a life no matter the circumstance.
For Australian resident Don Ritchie, heroism means talking to people. Ritchie live across the street from “The Gap,” a famous suicide cliff. When he witnesses someone about to jump, he walks over and strikes a conversation. He will sometimes invite them to his house for
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A personal experience can be far more interesting or life changing than just hearing about heroism. This is what I experienced four years ago while at Santa Rosa beach. As a seven-year-old girl I never imagined having to be saved by my brother, to me it was just a normal vacation to the beach. The weather was awesome for swimming and just playing in the water. We were on a private beach with no overcrowds. As my brother and got knee deep in the water, I got more and more excited. Little did we know there was a double red flag. Two minutes later I could not touch the bottom so I turned to the shore to see how far away I was. There were miles of water between my mom and me and my brother. I started to panic. I cried out as hard and as loud as I could, “MOM, MOM, MOM.” I knew she couldn’t hear me because I could barely hear my brother who was arms reach from me. I didn’t know what to do. The waves were crashing over our heads and I couldn’t breathe. With waves in every direction we turned my brother reached out and lifted me above the water so I could breath. He is six foot two and two hundred forty pounds. There is no doubt he has the physical ability to lift me but when a person is fighting to breathe and trying to save their sister, that’s when the heroism comes in. In one moment I start to float away, being taken by
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.
George Orwell once offered this definition of heroism: ordinary people doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they can’t possibly succeed.
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” Being a hero doesn’t mean your invincible. It just means you’re brave enough to stand up and do what’s needed. In the historical fiction novel, “Crispin: The Cross of Lead” by Avi, 13 year old Crispin who is now an orphan after the death of his mother is forced to flee his village after being accused of stealing and is to be killed. He comes across a man who helps him along his quest and faces many overwhelming challenges. Its not until he made the decision to risk his own life to benefit the life of another that he then shows an act of true heroism.
It was a warm rainy June night the humidity was high which made it even harder to breathe on the crammed boat. My family was asleep on the constantly rocking boat suddenly the boat shook, but my family was still fast asleep. I couldn’t seem to fall asleep so I got up and stepped out on the cold wet steel boats upper deck to get some air. When I got outside I realized that it was pouring bucket sized rain. I saw increasingly large waves crash furiously against the lower deck. Hard water droplets pelted my face, I could taste the salt water in my mouth from the spray of the ocean. Suddenly A massive wave slammed hard against the ship and almost swallowed the boat. Wind gusts started kicking up. I held onto the rail grasping it as if it were my prized possession. Suddenly I was blown
All in all, heroism is a vague word that could be defined as many of things. Such as bravery, courage, honesty, morality, trusts...etc. If Beowulf was defined as a hero then the knight should be defined as one also seeing as he gave the old women the choice to be old and good or pretty and bad. Or if the Author of The Art of Courtly love cannot be heroic and then write in a way of being heroic how can one decide what heroism is. All three of these studies show different forms and fashions of heroic people, feelings, and attitudes. Overall heroism is and always will be based on personal opinion, what one person defines as a hero can be completely different from what another person sees it as.
What does it mean to be a hero? Heroism can’t be confined to one set defined definition. Instead is a forever evolving term that change as society changes. Since it seems it isn’t the actual individuals that are labeled as the hero that are setting the standards to what it means to be a hero. Instead, society deems itself
...trength completely fails and he lets go and starts to drown and sink. to not save him but to continue to paddle and get to safety. I hold back tears with fire and brimstone and I start to paddle as if the devil were behind us even though I am feeling drained as well. After about another hour or so it seems we start closing in and my father feels sand brush his feet. We both let out a huge sigh of relief as my father finally touches the bottom. still being about a quarter mile from the shore we do sort of a “Island hop” with the sand patches and we make our way back from where we came. Once we get back we decide thats enough beach for the day and go home. Feeling victorious and defeated at the same time I still hold a scar within me. and within that scar there is a small dark hole within me that is afraid of the ocean. And to this day I fear I will forever be afraid.
To the world today, a hero is someone distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility, or strength; but really, anyone can be a hero. A hero can vary from someone as well-known as George Washington to someone as unheard of as anyone’s very own mother. Someone who has done a good deed for someone else is hero. The biggest heroes are the ones in well-known books and plays, such as Odysseus from The Odyssey, or have made a huge difference in the history of this world, like Mahatma Gandhi. Siddhartha Gautama is a hero, but not in the same way Odysseus or Gandhi are. Although these three influential people went through different journeys in order to accomplish different things, they are all heroes in their own way and have been through the same cycle of the road of trials and crisis/salvation.
In today's modern times we hear the word hero all of the time. The news media throws the term around as if it is an everyday word. What exactly is a hero? Who, or what, can be classified as heroic? The correct definition of the word hero is: One invested with heroic qualities in the opinions of others. That is a fine definition for books and intellectual minds. To the average person, however, a hero is much more.
Heroism entails several things; a selfless act, courage, or the accomplishments of bold and daring expeditions. A hero can also mean courage in the face of death. Others may view this type of hero as stupid, or a martyr. Every hero has faults and these faults along with heroic deeds make the man or woman; a hero, heroine.
Heroism has been a great theme in the literature throughout the decades. Many have differing, or different ways of expressing what a hero actually is. Ernest Gaines, the author of A Lesson Before Dying has a very accurate definition of heroism. Ernest Gaines views heroism as the act of sacrifice one makes for the interest of others’, as an innate illogical desire in all humans, and that, as humans, we all have the capability to be heroes.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘Heroism’ as ‘great bravery.’ As soon as we read it, we visualize a large, bearded man in a suit of armour, holding a shield in one hand and a shiny, long-bladed sword in the other. However, is that really and truly the only apt description of it? True, there are many ways in which bravery may be expressed, and that is what we take into account here. From a single mother bringing up her brood of children, trying to give them the very best she can while constantly battling financial issues, to the handicapped man who did not let his circumstances defeat him, right up to the great and well-known entities of the world who fought for freedom of any kind, heroes are existent everywhere, at any given point of
There are many types of heroes (such as the ones in comic books, myths, movies, or even just everyday life heroes) but all of them have perseverance when they’re going through a conflict. Heroes are role models and they’re people that we look up too. They all have unique and special qualities that make one another different from each other. For example policemen battle crime everyday and when they’re overcoming a conflict they have determination, courage and other traits that people admire them for and that make them as a hero. Typically a hero is admired for their achievement/actions and qualities.
When I think of a hero I immediately think of someone who is strong, intelligent, handsome, and daring. Upon closer examination, many different qualities than these become apparent. Courage, honesty, bravery, selflessness, and the will to try are just a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero. The definition of heroism changes with the context and time. Heroes of the past are not necessarily heroes of present time and vise versa.
Heroism is defined as an act of courage and an act of selflessness. They reflect the highest levels of morality in society. Heroes have embodied the morality codes of civilizations throughout the ages. When heroes display courage, observers often identify with that courage. The refusal to take the easy way out and the ability to act in spite of fear, is what makes a person a hero. This is the way everyone wishes to react in the midst of a crisis. As witnessed in literature and real life, mankind needs heroes to provide an inspirational role model, an escape from the mundane, and a guide for morality.