The True Heroes are Firefighters Essay

Matthew E. Barnes was a firefighter who could be called many things including a hero, a friend, a husband, a father and even an angel. The story begins like many 9/11 stories do, with the planes being hijacked, he was one of the men working that day in the New York City Fire Department that would go into the World Trade Center, but would never come out. The 37-year old resident of Monroe, New York was a father to three boys and the husband to Ms. Susan Barnes; he would spend all his available time with his family, somehow slipping out of chores and such just to go fishing with his boys. Two years before the 9/11 he had saved two twins, Isabella and Jacob Kalodner from a fire in their mother, Linda Kalodner’s apartment, by climbing up a 100-foot aerial ladder to the 10th story to save the 6 week old twins.

A hero's place in society has remained relatively consistent since the very beginning of time. Throughout the years, people have seen many different versions of larger-than-life heroes, who have completed seemingly impossible tasks and persevered through immense adversity. The common denominator between all of these heroes has always been that each and every one of these beings has put his/her own life in danger and fought great battles in the pursuit of a better life for mankind as a whole.

To be a hero, someone could save others, respect their country, and care. The firefighters from the Fire Department of New York have all of these characteristics, even thought they aren't perfect. Everyday, they risk their lives to save others. They show their patriotism even on the trucks they drive through the cities. Most of all they don't just do it because it's their job; they do it because they care. Unlike the people at FDNY, Muhammad Ali is violent, separatist, and rude.

We are the most technically advanced nation in the free world but yet we have not been able to reduce the number of firefighter fatalities over the years. Its one of the great mysteries of the world today. Our gear is better than what they wore thirty years ago, its better than what they wore ten years ago and we still lose an average of one hundred firefighters every year. I know that not all are dying in structure fires but just one is one too many.

“I wish I could be a hero!” Many adults in today’s society hear small children wishing they could become heroes. Children wish to be more like heroes for the reason that heroes are the type of people who risk their lives to help others. Throughout history, children have had a positive connotation with the word “hero.” The heroes many small children talk about are the fictional ones who protect cities from villains: Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and others. However, these are not the only types of heroes in today’s world. Firefighters and policemen are also considered heroes because they save the lives of those in danger. Many adults consider their inspirations to be heroes, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Martin

Perhaps it is that Americans are used to praise those who have been praised before or maybe it is just a matter of chance for a selected group of lucky people, like TV stars and singers. The fact that there exist so many awards for a certain group of people, and at the same time, some other groups pass unnoticed their entire lives, makes evident traits of the American culture. The author hypothesized hero-worships as an American habit, although not everybody might agree with that thought.

What are Heroes “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” Joseph Campbell.

What comes to mind when you think of the word “hero”? Some people would think of a fictional character such as Superman, a comic-book character who has great strength, and can fly. Others might think of a historical figure, such as Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States. While the aforementioned examples are not only noteworthy, but also well-liked for their courageous characteristics, there are many other qualities to being a hero.

Many times in life, we are convinced that leaders rise from the ground, pulling the rest of us up to meet them. Followers are portrayed as decorations to help enhance the leader. The relationship between them, however, is more closely resembling a tower. Followers support and build up to a major cause with the leader at the top, the figurehead of their ideals. The ideal leader is the ideal follower, which helps to portray outwards the qualities they're looking for and the goals they have. The difficulty arises when today's society raises everyone to believe that they must be a leader or they're a loser. As Reese Bobby in Talladega Nights said, "If you're not first, you're last." During my time on the girl's golf team, I was in no way the best

The notion of heroes is one that transcends time and space. Examples of heroes appear in almost every culture and time period since humans first started writing. Even the very first piece of literature written in the English language, Beowulf, is a classic example of a heroic archetype. We can also see examples of heroes in today's culture, such as in Bonnie Tyler’s song “Holding Out For a Hero” and in Tina Turner’s “We Don’t Need Another Hero”. Additionally, we make predictions of what we think heroes may be like in the future, like in the movie Mad Max:

Six Firefighters were killed while fighting a fire in a supermarket in August 1978. Investigators claimed that the fire was caused by arson, and after receiving a tip, arrested Eric Jackson-Knight, even though they claimed there were two additional suspects. The twenty-one year old Jackson-Knight confessed to police about setting a separate fire two years earlier and that no one had been hurt in that arson. At trial, an inmate claimed that Jackson-Knight had admitted to him that the supermarket fire was indeed started by Jackson-Knight. Jackson-Knight was then convicted and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison. The families of the deceased firefighters were preparing civil suits when they discovered not just evidence from the initial investigation

One cloudy evening in 1995, there was a family that awaits at Disney World for a week off so they can spend more time with each other. Jonnie is a fearsome firefighter that loves his family dearly. Susan, Jonnie's sweet wife, is always with Emily Jonnie's and Susan's beautiful daughter.

Everybody has their own opinion towards appropriate and misguided behavior. Even though each observance has its rights and wrongs, it all seems to be well-balanced. In J.D Salinger’s the Catcher in the Rye and Sophocles Antigone, being a leader shows its advantages through literary works. Although following a crowd can ease one’s loneliness, being self-supporting has led to standing out from the crowd, taking responsibility for actions, and not being forced into peer pressure.

There are many heroes, but there are those who sit back and question what or who makes a hero in today’s society. It has never been a set standard for heroes. In this modern world, there are many types of heroes. In today’s media, there is a contrast between million dollar sports figures, glorified celebrities, and the normal people we call heroes. Some heroes receive no recognition and others receive hero status with ease. However, it has yet to be determined whether our meaning of heroes has changed due to this influence. We have known about the

Leadership has become overly romanticized by popular culture, leaving little research and attention to followership (Meindl). This focus on leadership has left a deficit in the development of