Oliver Stone: What Is A Hero?

A hero is one of many people. From firefighters to comic superheros, heros can be anything of anyone’s imagination. For instance such as Johnny from the outsiders, he was just a typical average teenager until he saved thouse kids. That is being a hero, taking action when it’s needed.

“It’s not easy to be a hero. You do it because of what you believe, not because of what other people deserve.” Anyone can face a challenge or a hardship. But what makes a true hero is how the person takes on the challenge. Often, heroes show feats of ingenuity and acts of bravery. Two heroes that acted during the American Civil Rights Movement, were Martin Luther King Jr, and Rosa Parks. A hero is a person who has demonstrated behaviors to ethically receive our appreciation and respect. A hero is an ordinary person who finds the strength within themselves to persevere and undergo hardships and calamity.

Courage and selflessness are words that describe heroes. Mundane people can be heroes when they have enough perseverance to do extraordinary tasks. They sacrifice their needs for others. Frederick Douglass was a brave, honorable and bold abolitionist, his heroism was impactful and it changed the mindset of many people.

“It’s not true that there are no heroes anymore…” (Oliver Stone SB 63) Heroes. Today when we hear heroes we think of superheroes with powers. but have we really thought what heroes really are? Heroes are your regular everyday people that work to the best of their abilities to make a difference in the world. A hero is not someone who thinks about themselves but someone who does things that they believe are right and are admired or idealized for their courage.

Every individual has a different perspective on what makes a person a hero, for it is not limited to a certain concept; determination, altruism and a hint of hardship and bravery can always birth a hero. Although many acts of heroism are seen and made everyday, the levels of these attributes vary. Abraham Lincoln and Harriet Tubman are both philanthropic, noble individuals that willingly spent their lives as abolitionists of slavery, and both are great examples of the highest levels of selflessness and heroism.

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.

Abraham Lincoln is a hero is because he passed the 13th amendment which is a paper stating the abolishment of slavery. Abraham showed compassion by passing this amendment because he cared for the equality of the African Americans also known as the “slaves”. These african americans were

Throughout history, there have been many heroic people who have impacted the world in many ways, whether it is something comparable to saving people’s lives, or being an influence to somebody and their future. Jackie Robinson was the first African-American Major League Baseball player, he has been a major part of history, and has changed our society greatly. Miep Gies was a heroine to many people during the holocaust, she saved many lives and didn’t question what the consequences of her actions would be. Harriet Tubman lead many slaves to freedom, risking her own. Although Jackie Robinson, Miep Gies, and Harriet Tubman had many different experiences, when the time came, they all acted very heroically.

A hero is a risk taker, brave, and confident human being. Heros aren’t justin comics they are all around us. Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas are both good examples of heroic people because they risk what they have and sometimes themselves to help others. In this case Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation, and Frederick douglas with freeing himself and getting others freed too.

“(Firemen) run toward fires while the rest of us are running away” (“Who will the heroes be?” Canon). This shows how normal everyday people can be heroes. Heroes also don’t have to be courageous to be considered a hero. Beowulf was a hero who saved Hrothgar’s kingdom from the monster Grendel. Achilles also was a hero who led to the victory of the Greeks in the Trojan War. Both heroes did amazing tasks, had similar values, but had some differences too.

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.

     Bravery is a great trait for a hero to posses. I think bravery is a key quality because you don’t always know what lies ahead of you and you have to be brave to continue. A good example of this is Charles Lindburgh. He was the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. I believe that took a great amount of bravery because no one had ever made it across, so he didn’t know what lie ahead of him. One of his many good quotes he said, “The most effective way to do it, is to just do it”, (Lindburgh 1).

When the word "hero" is spoken, everyone has different thoughts. Some will think of super powers like flying and saving people from villains; while others have a certain person they know or have heard of that come to mind who have done something to make a difference in the lives of others but who is a hero to you? To answer this question you must first ask yourself what a hero is; what comes to your mind when someone says the word. When I am confronted with these questions I always have the same thoughts; smart, strong will power, and someone who stands up for what they believe is right.

Heroes act a certain way that people may not always take into mind. Heroes are always very determined, but humble and modest. They put others before themselves and keep their minds on their goals and never give up on what they’re doing and what they stand for, even when risks are involved. According to “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an

Not all heroes wear capes. Most heroes don’t consider themselves heroes. As cliche as it might sounds it is true. Each individual person identifies a hero differently. Some may say someone is a hero simply because they wear a cape while others may see their friend, a celebrity, or their president as their hero, it all depends on the person.There’s also the possibility of someone’s hero being someone else’s villain. It can be the little things they do that makes them a hero. For example, the leader of a country can be seen as a hero to many of us but a villain to others. Last term’s president was viewed as a hero by many people due to his actions but others thought of him as a villain due to having opposing views.