A True Hero
Taylor Jones
Nicole Jones
Haiku
Never forgetting her dreams
She soars to succeed
What a Hero is to Me
Superman flying around in his red cape is usually the image when the word hero comes to mind. Yet being a hero stretches far beyond the traditional picture of saving damsels in distress. The janitor at your school could have given up a scholarship at Harvard to take better care of their child. The drive through person at McDonald’s could have given food to a homeless person. The postman could have worked really quickly because he knew you wanted your package delivered. Being a hero doesn't require being larger than life or having superpowers. A hero is someone who selflessly makes sacrifices for others and is willing to endure hardship for the greater good.
A hero is a mother who gives up what she loves for someone she loves. Imagine a mom quitting her job to raise her newborn child. Consider the sacrifice she would have to make for one person. What permanent implication could this have on her career? This mother must learn to make sacrifices, possibly never being able to get back to where she used to be in her company. Whenever the mother is with the child, all she thinks about is her child’s best interests, never once thinking she made the wrong choice staying at home. Despite the negative implications of this decision, the mother loves her child so much that she would do anything to better her child’s future, even if it hurts the mother in the long run. Making this decision is absolutely what being a noble, selfless hero means.
A hero is when a daughter works at jobs to help her parents. Nicole’s family just moved from an underprivileged country. They are having a hard time paying their bills. Because of this, Nicole works at a grocery store to help her family along financially. While this takes away any chance of Nicole having lots of free time, she doesn’t mind because she knows that it will help her parents and her family. Not only is she making these sacrifices for others, she is happy to do these things because she cares for others just as much as she cares for herself. This genuine want for others’ well-being is a clear sign that Nicole is a true hero.
My hero is unlike many others. She didn’t create anything, she didn’t win anything, and she didn’t cure anything. All she did was put others’ needs before her own. The reason that this is the only thing that’s important to me is because I know that every day she continues to put my needs before hers. This is not only why she’s my hero, but it’s why I love her. By showing that my needs are what she wants to fulfill, she shows that I am someone who she truly cares about and that I’m someone who she truly loves.
Georgetow-n
UWO
Mississauga
Nelson Mandela-- the beauty of selflessness
From a young age, people are taught to stand up for what they believe in. Whether it is religion, political beliefs, or their favourite sports team, people all believe in something. If they care about this belief enough, even if it’s not what most regard as true, they have the right to show what those beliefs are. When Nelson Mandela protested against apartheid, he was sentenced to a life in prison: a punishment much too large for the “crime” committed. While Nelson Mandela knew what the punishment most likely would be for his transgression, he did not let it faze him and continued to express his values, even if he knew it would spark an arduous battle. Nelson Mandela fits the criteria of a hero through his willingness to do what was difficult and his desire to fight for what he believes in.
Nelson Mandela was a true hero because he was prepared to take an inconvenient path. While he did not have to, "Mandela officially entered the [presidential] race and campaigned freely” (Nelson Mandela). After Nelson Mandela was let out of prison, the public loved him and hated DeKlerk, the former president. Even though Nelson Mandela could have most likely just overthrown DeKlerk with force, he chose to run for president, an obviously more difficult path. He was not afraid to run because it would be a more strenuous path, but he wanted to run freely and fairly. Also, from a young age Nelson Mandela was willing to do what was more difficult: "In his late teens, Mandela renounced his hereditary right to the tribal chiefdom and entered college in pursuit of a law degree." It would have been simple and lavish for Nelson Mandela to accept his right to the throne in his tribe as a young boy. However, he decided to pursue what his dreams were even if it would take more energy or time. The fact that he was willing to do what was difficult proves that Nelson Mandela was a hero because if someone does not let troubles bother him or skew his path, he deserves to be looked up to.
Nelson Mandela was also a true hero because he had a strong desire to stand up for his values. In Nelson Mandela, the author states, “The author says that "Mandela helped to coordinate labor strikes and campaigns to defy the unjust laws." Nelson Mandela not only participated in these labour strikes but he put in the effort to coordinate them as well. This is not an easy task considering you have to assimilate hundreds of people to do one thing at the same time. However, Nelson Mandela did not even take this into account when deciding whether or not to organize these labour strikes; he only thought about standing up for his cause. After Robben Island prison, "Mandela never lost faith in his cause, however--and the black people of South Africa never forgot their fearless hero” (Nelson Mandela). While he sustained countless hours of abuse at Robben Island prison and was tirelessly tortured, his belief in his cause never wavered. This proves that his belief runs deeper than a superficial poster he made; he remained strong about his belief no matter the physical damage he sustained.
Both my untouchable hero and my personal hero are willing to endure hardship for the greater good. Nicole worked long hours on top of being successful in school so she could help out her family. By doing this, she was enduring hardship and working often, but she knew it was for the greater good because she was helping out her parents who had sacrificed so much for her. Nelson Mandela endured hardship for the greater good because even though he knew he would be thrown in Robben Island prison, he still stood up for his cause. He was willing to be put in a terrible place for the greater good: achieving rights for blacks in South Africa. While both my untouchable hero and personal hero made sacrifices in very different ways and they both helped causes of different magnitudes, they both changed each of their own lives and the lives of the people who they loved around them. Nicole Jones and Nelson Mandela are both heroes because they both made sacrifices in order to help others.
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Works Cited
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“Nelson Mandela.” Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 14. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Biography in Context. Web. 8 Feb. 2016.
“Nelson Mandela.” Contemporary Black Biography. Vol. 117. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Biography in Context. Web. 5 Feb. 2016.