Examples Of Individualistic Heroism

Many people have come to America for adventure, opportunity, freedom, and the chance to experience the particular qualities of the American landscape. The American Dream is the idea that every United States citizen, including immigrants and residents, should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. America somewhat provides access to the American dream, it is more so the citizen who provides access to the dream for themselves. Even though they encountered many trials and tribulations, with persistence, people such as Langston Hughes in “I Too Sing America and Anzia Yezierska in “America and I” they were able to achieve their individual American Dream.

America still to this day holds on to the idea of the “American Dream”. This is rather surprising in today’s society and the ups and downs that the nation is facing. The dream in the past was more about freedom and equality. Moving through the decades, this dream has morphed into something quite different. Instead of what America means for all of its inhabitants, the nation has become more individualized. Society has moved to interpret the dream of what America can do for the one. Instead of the unified nation, America has been known for in the past, a shift has started creating an inconsistency in who can realize the dream. The myth of the “American Dream” has been hugely affected by increased materialism, the gap in economic status, and the fantasy of “rags to riches” idea.

American Heroes were inspired by Greek Tragic Heroes, yet both are very different from each other, but American Heroes have very similar traits to those who are Contemporary Heroes.  An American Hero is a person who seeks justice and always defeats the enemy which results in all people having the justice they deserve.  American Heroes also tends to protect all and has the tendency to fall in love with the “ damsel in distress”.  This type of hero goes about his daily life, just like anyone else would, until it is time to fight, and at that time, their “supernatural” powers shine through in their fighting techniques.  On the other side, all Tragic Heroes possess a flaw that will change their life from a life of happiness to a life of pain and despair.   Ordinarily, Contemporary Heroes have nearly the same traits as American Heroes.  Contemporary Heroes save and protect many individuals from violence and harm and lives a normal life until they have to face another obstacle.  Both American and Contemporary Heroes are able to celebrate their victories, while Tragic Heroes can not do so because they are not victorious.

When the phrase “American Dream” is uttered, it is typically associated with having money or striving to have money. The dream of much of the public is to have money and to be able to purchase anything they desire whenever they want. For some, this dream is not about money, but it is about having the opportunity to better his or herself and his or her loved ones. In either case, there are certain circumstances and obstacles that make this dream increasingly difficult to attain. Some would even be willing to argue, the American dream is unattainable. “American Dream” is defined as the concept of every citizen of the United States having an equal opportunity to achieve success and happiness through hard work, sacrifices, and risk-taking (Fontinelle);

Heroes have achieved many feats that support the belief of a greater good and expressing valor and selflessness through the ages. There are fictional or real life accounts that have recognized these men and women for their vigor and marked them as heroes due to their events of success and motives of committing the heroic deeds. Yet there are copious amounts of people who have sacrifice themselves for a greater good but they have been lost through time even if their actions were prosperous or doomed in the end with a valiant purpose. They are unsung heroes who committed the actions based on their inner fire of what is right or honorable or rather than the fame they hope to achieve from those acts. The world or a populous may not know of their actions, but the actions and beliefs of an individual or group can entitle them of being hero-like without the necessity of recognition and success. They have lost their lives or a part of themselves to a cause based on righteousness rather than self-gain. They presented selfless heroism rather than the the intention to receive praise from the victories. Sacrifice contributes more to Heroism because the individual invested his or her own determination, valor and accepting the opportunity to risk their self-health (physical or psychological) based on great intentions rather than reaping the accolades of committing good deeds.

The term “American Dream” is defined as an idea which believes that all people have the possibility of prosperity and success. The idea first came from James Adams, a noted American writer and historian. He claimed, “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.” Therefore, the core concepts of the American Dream were closely linked to hard work and opportunity.

The term “American Dream” is one of the triggers that lead to the shores of the USA many thousands of immigrants, it had a deep meaning for them, and it was first introduced to us by an American writer and historian James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book called “The Epic of America”, where he gives the definition of the term how he said “The American Dream”, by saying

Throughout history America has been the arriving place of immigrants searching for a better life. America is perceived as the land were endless opportunities are available. The greatest explanation of the American dream is Martin Luther King, Jr. speech; I Have a Dream. Dr. King speech is more like a testimony of truth, rather than a speech. At the time of his speech African Americans were not free, while the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. Dr. King’s movement established the way for the idea that there is an American dream. The idea that somebody can be anything they would like to be. This idea is still relevant now in America. Americans pursue their dream everyday by having the opportunity to attend

A perfect example that would correlate directly with this notion of heroicness would be Phillip Bullard, a 13-year-old boy, living in the town of Biloxi. Bullard, was much younger then Zeitoun, but possessed the same courageousness and caring as him, when acting at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Now, just like Zeitoun's circumstances, Bullard also had certain obstacles to make matters even tougher for him. First off, his mother, grandmother, and his brother couldn't swim, so naturally Bullard knew that he needed to take quick action in order to help save them. On top of that, the last of his family members were a young infant, who would surely not be able to be directed to safety on its own. Now, after taking a quick moment to scout out the seemingly impossible odds of this situation, Bullard instilled sheer confidence that was unlike anything he'd even imagined he had the potential to unleash, and that was "pure heroism unlike anything you'd see in a 13 year old boy his age"(Carnes 74). This confidence that Bullard had instilled in him, was of the same heroicness and resilience that Zeitoun had shown when he was trying that save the old woman from drowning. Bullard didn’t show any sign of giving up, regardless of how the odds were stacked against him. Instead, he rose up to the challenge, and used his intelligence in order to figure out the

Over time, Americans have proved that the American dream is resilient and a very unique concept. It is not defined or rooted in religion, lineage, or even history. It is shaped and defined by the collective values of Americans themselves. The values consists of being individual, preserving life and

The American Dream is a concept that is essentially older than the United States, dating back to the seventeenth century. It was then when people began to come up with hopes and aspirations for the newly discovered, unexplored continent. The “American Dream” is in essence the idea in that puts forward the notion that all people can succeed through hard work, that all people have the right to the pursuit of happiness, and be successful. The definition of the American Dream has been expanded upon and redefined over time. The concept of the American Dream has always been debated and put under criticism. There are many that believe the structure of American Society belies the idealistic goal of the American Dream. It points out examples of

The American Dream is a countrywide beliefs of America, the collection of principles which are privileges, liberty, and equivalence also liberty consist of the chance for wealth. Person name, James Truslow Adams states, "Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" nonetheless of environments of birth. The word, declaration of independence is originated and rooted from American Dream, which claims that all the men from this earth are created and gain their right through physically and spiritually. Also all human has right or chance to pursuit their happiness by working

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Independence Hall Association, 2011).” This exert from The Declaration of Independence provides a look on America and how life is meant to be lived; with all individuals having an equal right to exist. This existence includes life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This beacons to one vital idea, one main vision, which creates a fundamental dream. This dream is the American Dream, and is the ideology that life should be richer, fuller, and more sustainable for the common man. The idea influences viewpoints that anything can be

The American Dream is the result of possibilities and success. The term “American Dream” was been invented by James Truslow Adams in 1931: “That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” Another reference to the American Dream appears in the Declaration of Independence (1776). The author wrote that people are “endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The question of the debate was: “Is the American Dream Still Alive and Well?”

The quality of heroism can be shown in the everyday life and people. George Bernard Shaw a playwright and a public figure said,“Every reasonable man (and woman) is a potential scoundrel and a potential good citizen. What a man is depends upon his character; what a man does, and what we think of what he does, depends upon his circumstances” (Shaw). When you see your peers they might not look special or have superpowers that can save the whole galaxy from an evil demon. Although they can still show heroism that you might not see or notice. In addition to heroism being in most people it can also be faint. Arthur Ashe who was a inspiration to many from being the first black player selected to the United States Davis Cup team states,“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost” (Ashe). This quote displays that heroism can be a subtle act that doesn't have to expressed greatly but puts others before yourself. This also shows that heroism does not have to be publicly announced. This quality