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Samuel Diab

Mrs. Gϋtz

Honors English 8

20 November 2019

What a Hero Is

What is a hero? Are they always the stereotypical vision of a hero, a strong white male,

or can anyone who is worthy of the title be deemed a hero? After one commits to extensive

research into this question, it becomes clear that any worthy person can become a hero. In fact,

many people are made into heroes by facing adversity that the stereotypical hero would not face.

However, regardless of who a hero is, the definition of a hero remains unaltered. A hero is

virtuous, and altruistic, but is not corrupt, or even perfect.

There are many traits that must be personified by an individual for them to be worthy of

such a prestigious mantle as that of a hero. A key facet of heroism that all heroes live by is being

virtuous, or doing what is moral or right. One heroine that gives a face to virtue is Malala

Yousafzai. When Malala lived in Afghanistan, she constantly was threatened by the Taliban for

being in strong support of women’s rights. When considering if she would fight back in

response to any would – be attacker, she decided she would instead respond peacefully by

saying, “‘Okay, shoot me, but first listen to me…I’m not against you personally. I just want

every girl to go to school’” (McLoughlin 5). Standing up for women’s rights is virtuous, but

Malala takes it one step further by deciding to altogether refuse violence, even when her life is

threatened. Another trait pertaining to heroism that is interrelated with virtue is altruism, and it is

embodied by a hero named Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln passionately supported and fought for a
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cause for the good of all people (Gurley 77). Fighting for the good of everyone like Lincoln did

is the epitome of altruism. Both Abraham Lincoln and Malala Yousafzai displayed important

qualities of a hero by being virtuous and altruistic.

While there are traits that a hero must personify, there are also traits that heroes must

never possess. One of these traits is being corrupt. A hero is not cowardly, meaning that they do

not engage in dishonest or fraudulent behavior for personal gain. A great example of an

individual not being corrupt is Malala Yousafzai. She does not do anything dishonest for

personal gain, and instead she acts selflessly for the rights of others. Malala fought for girl’s

rights to education even when, “Malala’s family got a lot of threats from the Taliban”

(McLoughlin 5). This showcases her impressive lack of corruption. A surprising trait of heroes is

that they are not perfect. Oliver Stone says, “the heroic impulse…is to be greater than oneself, to

try to find another version of oneself, to grow” (Stone). The very idea of a hero growing implies

that a hero can start at a lower place in some aspect of their life, hence, a hero is not perfect. An

individual who shows this is Huckleberry Finn. In the book “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,”

Huck Finn travels along the Mississippi River with an escaped slave. Despite our societies’

understanding of the unjustness of slavery, Huck Finn lives in a time and place where slavery is

accepted, and assisting a slave in escape is illegal (Twain). Throughout the novel, Huck Finn

struggles with the morality of his actions, showing that heroes are not perfect.

Anyone can be a hero, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, etc. One example of a hero is

Huckleberry Finn. He was only a boy, but had earned the mantle of a hero. In the book, he shows

altruism when he helps a slave named Jim escape, but shows he is not perfect when he struggles

with the morality of his actions, traits that define a hero (Twain). In contrast, William Lynn

Weaver was a black football player who played when African Americans were still very
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mistreated in society. “The school’s mascot was a confederate flag” (Weaver 1). This shows how

bad of an environment Weaver had to play football in, because the confederate flag is the symbol

of the army who fought to uphold slavery. William Weaver showed that he was a hero by facing

the adversity of the time. He and Huck Finn are two very different people, but they both were

heroes.

Anyone can be a hero. However, what it means to be a hero remains the same. A hero is

altruistic and virtuous, but not corrupt or perfect. The world has many individuals with heroic

traits, and even more with the potential to learn to be heroes.

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Works Cited

Funeral Sermon for Lincoln. Springboard Grade 8, College Board, 2018.

McLoughlin, Pamela. Who is Malala? Dominican Youth Forum, 2014.

Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Edited by Cynthia Brantley Johnson, enriched

classic, Simon & Schuster Inc, 2004.

Weaver Story Corps. Weaver, William Lynn. Facilitated by Jud Esty-Kendall, NPR’s Morning

Edition, September 29, 2017, https://storycorps.org/stories/william-lynn-weaver-

170929/.