Definition Essay: Do Heroes Really Exist?

Everyone has their own idea of what a hero is and what a hero does. Most people think that guys like superman and batman are heroes because they have incredible superpowers and they are famous people who receive glory. Many people describe heroes as strong and indestructible people, however, heroes are actually not always famous and they are not always the way that society portrays them. In fact, most heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary things and have notable traits for society to follow. Although heroes are mostly overlooked or misinterpreted by many people, a hero is always a courageous, selfless, and persistent person who has the determination to create change for the better.

“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man,but he is brave five minutes longer”.(Ralph waldo Emerson)Some people might think being a hero is all about flying,super strength,and just having special abilities,when it really isn't. Being a hero is all about helping people when being bullied or standing up for your rights and having bravery in your mind and courage. Hero’s take risk, they aren't cowards,and they show lots of bravery. Heros put other people's feelings into to their shoes and show their empathy towards they.They don't let the go through things alone.

Heroes do what's right, even if they put themselves in danger. For example, in everyday life, people like firemen, paramedics and soldiers risk their lives for the common people every day. Heroes are willing to give something up for the greater good of others.

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.

When people think of a hero, they do not understand you don't need to be just like superman, you don't need to be able to fly, or be immortal and never die. There is no need to wear a mask, save the world, or have special powers. To me, any regular person can become a hero in their own way. I believe a hero can be found in any piece of literature, most main characters are all heroes, but they are all heroes in a different way. To me, in order to be a hero, all you need to do is put someone else's life in front of your own, if you can change someone else's life you can then call yourself a hero. Aristotle once said that a tragic hero is "one who does not fall into misfortune though vice or depravity, but falls because of some mistake".

A multitude of people think of a person with superpowers when they think of a hero. However, a hero can be a regular person with a completely normal life. And while the definition for the word hero in the dictionary is someone who’s admired for their great deeds, bravery, or noble qualities; a hero is any person that do those things without being admired or even thanked.

Everyone has the potential to be a real life hero. You might ask yourself, What is a hero? And how does a hero act? Well, to be a hero you need to be selfless and be willing to sacrifice what you have for the greater good and never give up even though success or trials seem to hard.

“I think we all do heroic things, but hero is not a noun, it’s a verb.” Said Robert Downey Jr. If people saved the day with superpowers and knew how to fly then yes that’s a hero. But we don’t live in a comic book or fairy tale. Heroism is about everyday people who are helpful, caring, and never cowardly.

There are many variations when definitions what is a hero. Some people think of a hero as being someone who is strong, intelligent, attractive, and daring others think of capes and superhuman powers. Typically our perception of a hero changes with maturity and life experiences. Heroes have many different qualities that can be overlooked such as honesty, patience, compassion, and forgiveness. Merriam Webster’s simple definition of a hero is a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities (cited).

Joseph Campbell once said: "A hero has found or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and experience. A hero is someone who has given his life to something bigger than oneself." Typically in literature heroes are seen as people with super-powers that dedicate their life to saving people. In order to be the ultimate hero it takes more traits than having super powers. In fact, having super powers isn’t particularly necessary.

To be a hero doesn't mean to wear a cape and a mask and have supernatural powers. Real heroes don't have to be superheroes. Most heroes are just average people looking to do right in the world. A hero also has many qualities among other things that help and let them be heroes.

What is a hero? A hero is not somebody with the ability to fly, run really fast, or control other people's minds,... A hero is a random person that rises to the occasion and performs the action(s) of superhero proportions. “The only use of an obstacle is to be overcome. All that an obstacle does with brave men is, not to frighten them, but to challenge them.” (Woodrow Wilson). I agree with Woodrow that to be truly heroic, one must have leaderships, bravery, intelligence,... to solve common problems in our society. There are many examples of heroes in our modern day world as well as fictional characters. For instances, Odysseus in the Odyssey, Bilbo Baggins in the Hobbit and my mom have those characteristics of heroism.

All heroes are not fictional characters that have extraordinary or superhuman powers. A hero to me is a skillful or successful person who can motivate me and bring my confidence to the next level even through my down falls. A super hero in my eyes does not have any powers although you might think they do but it’s always their determination and focus that makes me believe heroes have super powers. Now that I have given you an idea of a hero to me, I can now move on to explain different types of heroes.

Heroes are not always people who lead marches or do things for their country. For example policemen, firefighters, nurses, lifeguards etc. are heroes everyday because they take the time to save lives. When they’re going through a challenge or trying to overcome a conflict they always have courage. These people risk their own life to save someone else’s. To be more specific Dr. Ginger Holt from Dallas had saved a little boy’s leg. She was confident and determined to finding out what went wrong in the boy’s leg and went through many procedures looking at the tests.

In our life we always need someone super hero to help us in difficult situations but this is not just happened in fairy tales also in real life. We have seen ,listened and read a lot of heroes and their stories such as in television, radio and books. According to Oxford Dictionary, hero is defined as" a person who has good act, noble achievements and great qualities."This word comes from Latin . Oprah Winfrey and Angelina Jolie who believed in their duty to help poor people underprivileged, and sick people .The hero demonstrates humanitarian and giving generosity without waiting a give back from others.