Heroism Definition

Anyone can be a hero. A hero is someone who saves lives, speaks up, and supports others no matter what. Acts of heroism can range from a dog helping a drowning child, to a person saving an entire town. A hero doesn’t have to be someone that is famous or strong, making it difficult to identify what a true hero is. Many people are heroes, yet only a few get credit for it. Several acts of heroism can be found throughout “The Outsiders” by S.

E Hinton, “The Odyssey” by Homer, and “Finding Your Everest” by Robert Medina. Heroism is when a person is courageous, charitable, and understanding of others.

To begin with, an act of heroism involves a person to be courageous. To be courageous means to be brave and to stand up for others. An example of this can be found in “The Outsiders,” by S.E Hinton. When arriving back at the church, Johnny, Ponyboy, and Dally arrive to see the church in flames and willingly go inside to help the children trapped inside (78). All three boys showed courage as they entered the burning church, knowing that it was the right thing to do, even though it wasn’t a common thing for people like them. In the story “The Odyssey,” Odysseus showed courage when he blinded the cyclops to save him and his crew(360). To save his crew, Odysseus had to be brave enough to take on the cyclops. Odysseus had shown courage while blinding the cyclops, despite knowing that the cyclops was double his size. Someone that only helps or saves others for attention or fame isn’t a hero. To be a hero, courage is one of the many necessary qualities to have.

However, a hero must be charitable because without it, a hero wouldn’t save others unless they got something in return. Being charitable means that you willingly help others, such as giving to the poor. For instance, many people will often donate items including food, clothes and shoes to those in need. In the article “Parents of Rescued Teenager Sailor Abby Sunderland Accused of Risking Her Life,” rescuers willingly went to look for Abby Sunderland who was stranded at sea (20). These rescuers were not forced to look for her, yet they risked their lives to find her. In the article “Finding Your Everest,” after Jordan Romero reached his goal, he set out to encourage young people to be active and healthy and to pursue their own adventures (16). When Jordan wanted to spread that message to others, he showed charitability. Someone that is charitable puts others before themselves. Being charitable allows people to be generous, one of the many important aspects of heroism.

Another important quality of being a hero is to be able to understand others in any situation. This means you want to help others in any situation or prevent the situation from becoming worse. In the poem “Moco Limping” by David Nava Monreal, the author explains how even though the dog may be abnormal, clumsy, and stupid, his love for the dog doesn’t change (lines 19-28). This shows how even though the dog has imperfections, the author still understands the dog and loves it anyway. Another example of understanding others can be found in the short story “Rogue Wave” by Theodore Taylor. While Scoot was trapped in the ship, Sully was able to understand that Scoot was locked in one of the cabins and was able to communicate with Scoot through knocking on the deck (8). This shows how in even the most difficult situations, heroes will always find a way to understand. If someone can’t understand another person in a situation, then they simply can’t help them. When people can understand the situation, it allows them to have empathy for others.

In conclusion, a hero can be anyone. Standing up for others and being brave describes courage, one of the many important qualities of a hero. The ability to be charitable is also a needed trait of a hero, meaning that others are put before themselves. When people understand one another, they will most likely have empathy. Whether someone is saving a dog from a fire, donating five dollars to a charity, or helping a friend through a difficult time, they are defining a true hero. Therefore, a hero is someone who is courageous, charitable, and understanding of others.  

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