A Hero Can Have a Flaw

According to Joseph Campbell, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself" . This means that a hero is person who is made a sacrifice for the good of others. A Hero is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as "a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities" . This means that a hero is someone people look up to. Anyone can be a hero. Heroes have qualities such as bravery, strength, and selflessness. Mothers, soldiers, and Odysseus are all examples of heroes.

When one thinks of being a hero what comes in mind is a few bold character traits, they must be able to push through the hard times in a situation life, put oneself at risk for other people, and have the will to do things and not be told or asked to do something. Although more times than not heroes go very unrecognized.“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” by Christopher Reeve. I agree with this quote, one can't just do nothing to be a hero they must have the will to go out of their way to be a hero. Even if that means they have to go through some challenging obstacles to get there.

What makes a hero? A hero is a person who cares for others. A person who makes tactical and wise decisions. A person who is selfless, working to help his friends with all his strength. In Homer’s

Heroes are selfless and put others before themselves in dangerous situations. Such as on 9/11, when a call was given out for boats to come rescue people off the island of Manhattan, where the terror attacks happened, as pictured in “Boatlift” Vincent Ardillo after hearing the news told his wife, “I gotta do something.” This represents heroism because Ardillo is not thinking of how he will be impacted, but rather of the people who need help, as many other people with access to a boat did as well. Also, Ardillo could have stayed home and been safe, but chose to sacrifice his well being and comfort for others. Another hero would be Clara Barton, the founder of the Red Cross, as Barton declared in a Civil War speech “I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them.” Barton distinguishes she could be hurt while helping the soldiers, however she does not dwell on the fact, deciding instead to carry on and make a difference despite the threat to health. This is heroic because Barton is putting others who cannot care for themselves and acknowledges she could be hurt, but does not let that get in the way of her reaching her goals. To sum up, heroes are everyday people who go out of their way to help others in need without the thought of payment.

A hero is defined by a person who is admired or idealized for their courage in a certain act, but throughout history and all they way back to Homer’s The Odyssey all heroes have some sort of flaw. People might think that heroes are flawless, but in reality most heroes have some sort of flaw. In Homer’s, The Odyssey, Odysseus’s flaws hurt himself and others, but they also help the hero succeed in what he/ she is trying to succeed.

Arthur Ashe once said, “True heroism is not the urge to surpass others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.” Someone who stays strong in their heart and shows selflessness towards others even though he or she could be in the risk of personal risk and danger is what makes a true hero. Anyone could be recognized and admired as a hero if they could, but there's a big gap in front of that because it adds on with the hero showing compassion in spite of the obstacles that they are faced with. It could make someone more heroic than he or she ever was by just showing selflessness to others. Clara Barton put herself in danger to treat the wounded during the Civil War and not only that, but she founded what is known today the American Red Cross (History.com). Harriet Tubman helped many slaves to freedom in the north, also placing herself in peril. (History.com). Florence Nightingale, who was a nursing innovator did the similar as Clara Barton, but during the Crimean War (History.com & Biography.com). All of these women stressed the idea of helping others before they did so for themselves, but that took bravery to do so. Whether the challenges that a hero has to endure, a true hero puts others before themselves no matter what the position he or she is set in.

Ricky Martin once said, “Heroes represent the best of ourselves, respecting that we are human beings. A hero can be anyone from Ghandi to your classroom teacher, anyone who can show courage when faced with a problem. A hero is someone who is willing to help others in his or her best capacity.” Almost anyone can be a hero, as long as they have the courage and the maturity to understand and respect those who they attempt to help. Despite the fact that a hero cannot save everyone, being heroic is about placing others before oneself and strive to help those who need it the most.

Heroes are people in which others idolize and look up to for their redeeming qualities in which others wish to possess, without flaws these heroes would seem unreachable and in turn uninspiring to the reader. Many people use these heroes as model citizens in which the want to eventually become. These idols need to have flaws because without them the people who look up to the hero have no way of working to become that hero. These characters and real life people could not be relatable without the character flaws in which they have. For these flaws are the greatest reason that they are heroes. Unlike lots of everyday humans the heroes are able to reflect on their flaws and overcome them throughout their lives or stories. The reader is constantly

~ In the article “What is a Hero”  paragraph 4-5 the author states that a what makes a hero is “A heroic act is one performed with recognition of possible risk and cost, be they  to one's physical health or personal reputation, in which the actor is willing to accept anticipated sacrifice. The key to heroism is a concern for other people I need your concern to the find a moral cost knowing there is a personal risk done without expectation of reward.” Basically a hero is someone who helps others not because he is asked or he will receive  a reward but someone who does it to be kind.

“So there you go--heroes are everyday, common people most of what they do goes unheralded, unappreciated. And that, ironically, is heroism: not to be recognized” If someone can go out of their way to help someone in need, not just for s reward, that person is a hero. A hero can sacrifice something for themselves to help others in need. A hero can fix problems, but they do not need super strength or the ability to fly, they can be a normal person. A hero is someone who keeps fighting for what’s right, any ordinary person can be a hero, heroism is not being selfish, it’s being selfless.

“All heroes have dropped tears, not because they are weak, but because they have been strong for too long.” This is the perfect quote to contradict your stereotypical hero like Superman or Captain America. In The Outsiders, the greasers proved to be the heroes of the story, not the snobby Socs. The three greasers that specifically met my standards of a hero were Johnny, Dally, and Ponyboy. All three of these characters show that heroes don’t have to be perfect. My definition of a hero is someone tough, not just physically, but mentally, too. Bravery is also an important factor for being a hero. Another characteristic I see in a hero is the compassion and love someone might show, directly or indirectly, even though they might have a tough life behind what you see.

Anyone who influences anyone else by saving or helping save his or her lives can be a hero. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to minorities. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest heroes, led a nonviolent revolution to free his country. Even a parent can be a hero to his or her child by leading them in the right direction. All teachers are heroes when they make it their job to teach a child anything that will help them in life. You don’t have to go to great lengths by risking your life to make a difference in someone else’s life.

“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Campbell 1). When we think of heroes most of us think of movie stars or professional athletes, but it’s not always about your popularity or talent it can also be about how you help society. What I think make a great hero is someone who is able to overcome his or her obstacles in life, is highly motivated, and has plenty of bravery.

A hero, as defined in Webster’s Online Dictionary, is a person who “a person admired for achievements or noble qualities” or “one who shows great courage.” However, a hero is not just a person with outstanding achievements. A hero is a person who is philanthropic, generous, and kind. Heros fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and do not judge those who they are fighting for. They are charitable in ways other than donating money, they give their time and effort in order to make the lives of others more pleasant. Heros display bravery, as they are willing to go into a dangerous situation to help others that have been aggrieved. Social pressures and judgements do not affect a hero’s willingness to help others, and they are willing to push through what others say

What does make a hero a hero? Is it there looks? Alternatively, maybe is it their personality? However, the question is what are those essential qualities that make one a hero? Different people require different heroes to look up to or try to emulate. However, whoever it may be, they all possess certain qualities. My hero is my mother, for the reason that she is selfless, compassion, and courage. That kind of selflessness can often be premeditated, since concentrating on others' needs often winds up helping one accomplish one’s own goals. However, a heroic leader does so without any anticipation of a return. The display and concern show the care one has for others. This can often apparent itself in strong but gentle actions planned to increase the lives of others. Courage and bravery come to mind first when we think of heroism. However, it is difficult to achieve anything truly heroic unless one is up against overwhelming chances. As Nelson Mandela put it, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." These minor acts of heroism rarely attract any notice. A true hero is always sympathetic, benevolent and shows a great deal of compassion and sympathy to those poorly or in agony. He or she keeps away judgements; that are oriented to the self and embraces an attitude that serves others.