Intrepidity, An Independent Essay
Christopher Reeve pointed out, “A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” A name given to someone who displays valiant attributes is a hero, they deserve such a title because of their current actions as well as prior. They would be extolled and respected for those actions yet, does that mean the hero hasn’t felt anything. Society thinks that a hero wouldn’t show cowardice, although there is an exception, they would never be the noble and brave person without persisting fear. Fear gives a hero their determination to be brave, to overcome the state of being afraid. So if a hero is dauntless but still in a sense, fearful, then how would
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Then again, if a hero is an outlier, how in the world are they common? It’s rare to find a hero, selfless and frank with no flaws, those outliers are a large group of people who are heroes, rare and always there. Heroism is more than just a category, painting a brightly colored superhero and their traits, it’s an act of someone who puts someone’s life before theirs, an ordinary event that occurs frequently. There is something you can see in a hero and that is their personality, not their superpowers. “I'm saying to be a hero is means you step across the line and are willing to make a sacrifice, so heroes always are making a sacrifice. Heroes always take a risk. Heroes always deviant. Heroes always doing something that most people don't and we want to change - I want to democratize heroism to say any of us can be a hero.” Philip Zimbardo gives a detailed quote telling us how heroes are everywhere, to repeat, in a harsh world it sounds hard to find such people. Heros are constantly around you, after all, many people take that step no matter the …show more content…
Being bold is something a hero has to master, they can’t just timidly hide and wait for the storm to pass. They must stand tall and face whatever is ahead, despite the danger. The hero must use one of their most known attributes, gallancy, to confront the peril. They need to have their brave side out on display. It’s no lie that heroes are known for their strength and daring attitude because we see this side of them a lot more than we think. “Heroes are never perfect, but they're brave, they're authentic, they're courageous, determined, discreet, and they've got grit.” Wade Davis’s quote elucidates how heroes are much more than just brave, they are defined in many ways. It’s obligatory for a hero to show their steadfast and brave side, because they’ll never know when they will need it
People look up to men who have courage because they can rely on them to stay strong and brave in spite of danger or difficulty. “We felt pressure on our hearts, in dread of that deep rumble and that mighty man, but all the same I spoke up in reply.” Odysseus in the Odyssey expresses courage by answering to the enormous, frightening cyclops even when he and his men knew that they were caught up in a dangerous situation.
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.
Christopher Reeve once said, “ A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” The difference between a hero and an average person is that, one will give up and the other will keep fighting. Heroes are willing to sacrifice themselves for others, they are brave when other others cower, and do not run away from the terror.
With fear comes courage, with experience comes bravery, and with pain comes strength. One may assume that these traits are the exact characteristics a hero. However, heroism can come in many different forms. Victor Frankenstein, from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Beowulf exemplify many different traits of heroism.
An English proverb states, “ A hero is a man who is afraid to run away”. I agree with this proverb, because when you see a hero in a comic book, they have super cool back stories, are not afraid to fight, and stare danger in the face and not blink. They are not afraid of anything. That’s nice to look up to, but they are not real. Our definition of a hero is too much for one man to become, you can do something honorable, heroic, but you will never actually be a hero because it's too much, in real life. Heroes don’t just do it so they can get paid, or respect. What really determines whether someone is a hero is if they choose to do something about it in a bad situation. We have people that do heroic acts, for example, people putting their lives before others. Those people cannot be heroes because they get paid to do it, they are, firefighters, cops, and military, they get paid to help people, so they aren't considered a hero.
Heroes are found everywhere. They are seen in movies, on television, in books, and in reality. A hero can be anyone from a friend to a fictional character. To be considered a hero, one must make selfless sacrifices, develop and learn, overcome challenges and temptations, and ultimately present their known world with a gift of any kind. Homer’s The Odyssey paints a picture of the supposed savior Odysseus. The irony of Odysseus’ situation is that he really is not the marvelous hero that many who read The Odyssey see him to be. When imagining a great hero, the words of cruel, unfaithful, selfish, or careless never come to mind, but the son of Laertes sets examples for each attribute. Odysseus makes many poor decisions that cause his dislikable traits to highly outweigh his few better ones. Several of his more prominent characteristics are exhibited on numerous accounts. Odysseus cannot possibly earn the title of being a hero because he harbors hubris, he displays a lack of faith, and his self-centeredness causes unfortunate events.
Boldness lives within everyone, yet it is up to each individual to harness this power. Some choose to use it while others do not. Boldness is the ability of not hesitating to break the rules of propriety. Forbes Magazine says, "These are times that call for bold, confident, courageous, leadership." Where do we better see these qualities than in character Beowulf, in the land of Herot; or in the house of Paul, when teaching about God and Jesus was frowned upon. Today it is up to the average individual to show boldness in the face of terror.
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.
And a great warrior is somebody who is brave enough to face their fears that no one else is willing to face by themselves, someone who is willing to take the biggest risks. ¨He saw the townlands and learned the minds of many distant men and weathered many bitter nights and days in his deep heart at sea. While he fought to save his life, to bring his shipmates home¨. (Homer 757) To be a bold hero, it should mean more than just having a well known famous name. It means being brave when no one else is willing to step up, not doing it for fame and legacy. Doing it because it is the right thing to
When you think about heroism, who comes to mind? Did you think of someone such as Superman, Sherlock Holmes, or your parents? Regardless of whom you choose, what characteristics of this hero embody your ideology of heroism? Historically, heroes were bronzy men with bulging muscles who slew villainous oppressors. Yet to my own belief, modern-day heroes are not required to be physically adept, but rather, heroes need to be authentically driven to overcoming oppression to fortify strength.
There are many qualities that people think a hero should have. To name a few of those qualities there is; courage, determination, focus, compassion, dedication, honesty, loyalty, responsibility, and wisdom. (http://www.personalitytutor.com/qualities-of-a-hero.html). Most people believe these are very important qualities to have, probably because they themselves wish they had more of those traits. Most people believe that these traits are not just traits of “superheroes”; they are also the traits of everyday heroes, or real heroes-not super heroes- throughout history.
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.
Heroes can be can be anyone; they can be everywhere. But every society needs heroes (The Making of a Hero). Surprisingly every society has one; we just don't see them because we don't bother to open our eyes. But if you open them you shall see, they can be anyone, and that's why you must look carefully.
The Lone Ranger, Zorro, Batman, Superman are some of the characters that we stereotypically constitute as heroes. They are known to fight with courage without fear of death. They destroy the enemy within a blink of an eye. They fight using their own body strength, superpower, or some kind of weapon. They come to the rescue miraculously and leave without a trace. They are mysterious. We are unable to identify who they are underneath the masks and disguises. Yet, we praise them and ignore the real heroes that surround us regularly, ordinarily. “All of us …like to believe that in a moral emergency we will behave like the heroes of our youth, bravely and forthrightly, without thought of personal loss or discredit” (O’Brien 39). In other words, we are quite oblivious to the ordinary people of the world that are, in fact, the true heroes.