It Hard To Be A Hero Joe Nocera Summary

“The threat of blood on the tracks has become constant as the number of passengers surges to a level unseen since 1948”, Andrea Peyser writes in “Subways are New York’s Biggest Deathtrap”. The New York Post reported several subway incidents happened in the past weeks: a man in a wheelchair fell onto the tracks and was struck by a train in Brooklyn (Moore), a woman was shoved onto the tracks and killed by a train in Times Square (Furfaro), a man was pushed onto the tracks and injured (Moore), and a teenage boy found dead on the tracks in Bronx (Prendergast). These alarming number of incidents raised the public concern for subway safety, which made “MTA board member Charles Moerdler… [to renew] a push to have the doors installed on New York City’s

“Hero.” When many people her this word, they think of people with superpowers and cape like Superman and Batman, who are actually “superheroes”. To be a hero, you don’t have to been gifted with supernatural abilities, or even natural talent; you just need to do right thing and/or help others, whether it be saving them from a burning building or cheering them up in their time of need. Heroes can come from anywhere, and even greasers or hoodlums can be heroes. Despite coming from rough neighborhoods and being shunned by society, not all greasers are law-breaking criminals. Take the greasers from S. E. Hinton’s book The Outsiders for example. Many of them could be considered heroes for their good deeds and heroic personalities. That is why I believe three of the greasers from The Outsiders, Dally, Ponyboy, and Johnny, despite looking like criminals, are actually heroes in many ways.

A hero can teach many life lessons, morals and various other things. A hero is someone who can be seen as a role model or hope to people. A view of a hero is different to everyone. A hero can save someone from a fire, they can be there to give support or even enlighten people. My heroes may differ from another person writing this same paper. The title hero is given to people for multiple reasons.

‘No one in the novel can actually be seen as a hero.’ To what extent do you agree?

In the speech, “Heroes” by Tim O’Brien, he discusses what a true hero is; likewise, he elaborates his story about how he met him. O’Brien’s message on heroism is a true hero is not someone who wins a lot of games; however, it is the ones who sit in silence as we succeed or fail and is always there for us. He advocates this message through his flashback and imagery.

The easiest paper that I have written throughout the semester was the Heroism paper. I believed the Heroism paper was the easiest because I could connect to my topic. I chose to write about Christ's Journey and how it relates to the “Hero’s Journey”. I have a burning passion for studying the bible and learning about how Christ has impacted everyone's life. An example of something I learned is: “Jesus set out to heal the servant and says, “ Let thy be done”, and the man with leprosy was instantly healed (Truesdale 36).” Leprosy is a disease that wasn't curable at the time that they where living in; therefore, knowing that Jesus was able to heal the man and cure his leprosy he gave people hope. In a time of depression God sent his one and only

Hundreds of private boats converged on New York City on the day of September 11th, 2001, most people now know this day as the tragic day of 9/11, the day the Twin Towers fell. This is a great representation of heroism because it shows that people who do not have to go and save the people fleeing Manhattan did. A hero is selfless, a guardian who fights for their people and beliefs, and is not to be confused with someone who uses their abilities to cause harm. Also, a hero is a person who does something more than what they are expected to do. These are the reasons we respect hero’s, because they do more than what we think or believe we would have done in those situations.

Philip Zimbardo states “ 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.” This quote describes what a hero is and what they do. A person who works hard and fights for what they believe is right are heroic. They have to overcome challenges and keep pushing forward. These individuals have to be determined to persevere over these obstacles. A hero must be altruistic, they have to help others without expecting anything in return and risk it all to do what they believe is right. It does not matter who you are but what you do. Heroes are people who stand up for what they believe in when no one else take action. An individual who is defined as hero must be altruistic, be able to persevere over challenges, and have determination to fight for what they believe in.

The train slows then halts to pick up and drop off people at the next stop. While the train is waiting in the station, there is a loud din from all the people talking, but as soon as the cars begin to move the loud rumble of the train drowns out the voices of the people. The train is filled to capacity, so people sit jammed between others and many stand holding poles, so they do not fall from the motion of the train. Finally, the train starts with the inevitable lurch and throws many other standees forward, causing them to fall on the laps of those sitting. The motorman, oblivious to the havoc he wreaked, continues along and the people compose themselves and are content to resume their former activities. The train stops and starts; workers and professionals hurry

There’s a lot bad situations that shouldn’t happen and could of been prevented, and people question how is that in their control. Half of any horrible situation could've been prevented with a phone call to authorities or saving someone when they’re hurt and contacting an ambulance. When someone is in need of assistance physically and can’t get help the most common sensed idea is to help them which in humanity should be an instinct. Yet the more bystanders there is the less likely it is that any one of them help.

Everyone has someone they look up to and want to be just like one day and everyone has different opinions and who a true hero is. According to, Joseph Campbell he defines the characteristics of a hero as someone who has a thousand faces. That a hero has a certain sequence of actions in order to be considered a hero. A hero is someone who has found, achieved or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and/or experiment. Someone who has given it's life to something bigger than itself or other than themselves. Campbell also stated that there are deeds for a everyday hero, which is a hero who has performed a war act or physical act of heroism. Someone who is giving themselves or sacrificing themselves to another. Therefore, my everyday

Christopher Reeve once said that, “a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserver and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” It appears as though the world is constantly in need of saving. In turn, heroes have always been around to inspire, entertain, and protect people from evil. One society that told of heroes was the Anglo-Saxons. They told of wondrous heroes that accomplished glorious feats reflecting the values of their society. However, as time presses forward societies adapt to the advancement and breakthroughs that come with passing time. With that, the definition and characteristics that describe heroes has evolved over time as well. Analyzing what makes a hero, differences and similarities are present pertaining to the definition of heroes among myself, Hollywood, and the Anglo-Saxons, however, aspect of each definition may be applicable to today’s world.

Everyday, society misconceives identities. In the eyes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “A hero is no braver than any ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.” Heroism, in Emerson’s perspective, is the ability to stand out for longer, and to endure hardships for greater durations. The passengers on United Flight 93, which was hijacked by terrorists as part of the September 11 attacks on the U.S demonstrated bravery like few other civilians can measure up to. Although it is not clear whether passengers on the other hijacked flights fought back persistently, it is known that the passengers on Flight 93 attempted to take control of the plane, and were successful. During the 35 minutes the passengers spent attempting to get into the

James Bradley, the son of a World War II navy veteran, said, “Today the word ‘hero’ has been diminished, confused with ‘celebrity.’ But in my father's generation the word meant something. Celebrities seek fame. They take actions to get attention. Most often, the actions they take have no particular moral content. Heroes are heroes because they have risked something to help others. Their actions involve courage” (Flags of our Fathers). Celebrities don’t do things for others, just for themselves. Heroes aren’t like that. Heroes exist for the people, not for their own gain. Because heroes never let go of hope, inspire others, and can put their lives on the line for others, they earn their title of hero.

Many people in society are praised for their bravery and heroism. A lot of people risk their lives to save and help others when those are in need. The group I choose to discuss is would good Samaritans who try to break up crimes in progress and rescue the intended victims but wind up injured or killed themselves. At some point in our life we are faced with situations where we become a bystander in some way. Not everyone feels the need to intervene due to some circumstances such as the consequences. We live in a society where people are accustomed to viewing the misfortunes of others as entertainment. That is why people tend to record tragic incidents and post them on social media accounts such as YouTube and WorldStarHipHop. Although social