...Not Your Everyday Hero Firefighters save lives, so they must be heros. Hercules has strength and courage, so he must be a hero. Superman saved a whole city, so he has got to be a hero. What about the everyday hero? The hero that doesn’t expect a reward for their good deed. The hero that does something because it’s just the right thing to do. Who determines who a hero is? Heroes come in all shapes and sizes. Tall or short, skinny or fat, and even black or white. In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, the hero of the story cannot fly, he does not have the most strength or courage and he hasn’t saved any lives, much less a whole city. The hero in this story is a black man - charged for murder. Throughout A Lesson Before Dying Jefferson, an uneducated black man, is found guilty of murder for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A white man died, so the logical reasoning during the 1940’s must be that a black man is guilty. From the moment Jefferson’s defense attorney stated, “‘Why, I would just as soon put a hog in the electric chair as this’,” Jefferson and the majority of all the white men living in the Bayonne, Louisiana believed Jefferson was a hog who was going to die in the chair (Gaines 8). While Jefferson is sitting on death row, Grant Wiggins is sent by Jefferson’s godmother, Miss Emma, to make Jefferson walk to “the chair” as a man - not a hog. During the first few visits by Grant to Jefferson, the responses and actions Jefferson says and does are not very hopeful...
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...the conception of redemption we frequently view its usage in films and literature. It regularly plays a meaningful role in sports films and literature. Where the hero or in some cases the heroes whether tragic or not come back from difficulty in order to make things right. In the movie, Field of Dreams we can see this idea play out throughout the whole film. The first example of this idea of redemption is for Shoeless Joe Jackson. Joe was a baseball player in the early 20th century for the Chicago White Sox. He was considered a great baseball player whose career was cut short after being implicated in the Black Sox Scandal in 1919. He was associated with other players who had intentionally thrown games for profit. Now over...
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...I always thought I knew what it meant to be a hero. Whenever I pictured a hero, firefighters and policemen would always come to mind. However, now becoming just a little bit wiser I understand that a hero is not necessarily someone who fights bad guys, or saves others from fires. A hero is someone who stands for the way life should be, someone who wants success for others and someone who believes in something better. When I finally under these aspects for myself, I thought of world leaders and in particular I thought of John Kennedy. John Kennedy was an amazing example of an ambitious American (Assonance). President Kennedy stood up for what was right, he fought for what was right and never beat his chest. He was our youngest president...
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...Joe Louis was a man of great stature, a role model, and, for his time, he was what the black community needed him to be. It is nearly impossible to take the character of today’s athletes, like Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, and compare them to the reflection of boxer Joe Louis. Joe Louis began his credible journey on June 19, 1936 during the times when America was struggling with racial equality he won his first of 27 fights. However, having a black heavyweight champion meant the black community would move upward and be successful and just as productive as white America. Although Joe Louis was not the first black heavyweight champ, he was still highly favored amongst his people and intended to execute the necessary duties to deliver a message demanding equal opportunity to whites from the black community. Louis did not doubt that he could win. To be a contender for a heavyweight title Louis had to first defeat Max Schmeling. People paraded and praised Louis months before the actual fight. They truly believed in this man of color and when in the boxing ring Joe Louis would always represent the African American fighting the whites for equality. The pressure was thick but maybe the community and Louis were over-confident. No one assumed he would have difficulty in the bout but with his lack of training Joe Louis experienced the greatest upset after being defeated in 12 rounds. Joe Louis’ defeat represented African American defeat entirely. When he went down “all of the hopes...
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...Sammy’s Journey As a “Professional Sidekick” ENG 99B: Senior Honors Essay Aaron Mitchell Finegold Professor Caron Irr Spring 2009 Chapter 1: Introduction, What Is a Sidekick? Something about The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay’s syntax sounds like a comic book itself, not unlike the two characters of Detective Comics who are always billed as Batman & Robin. “Robin & Batman” makes no sense, since Batman (Bruce Wayne) is the protagonist of the story and Robin (Dick Grayson) is his ward. The ordering of names is indicative of both their working style as superheroes as well as their living arrangement, which caused a great deal of controversy both in the context of the novel and some of the historical events it references. For Sammy Clay, the sidekick role apparent in the ordering of his and Josef’s names provides him a creative and continual outlet for his sexual desires, until the final crisis of the novel in which his learning of this very trend allows him to break free of his role and live his life in fulfillment and contentment. The connection between Kavalier & Clay and Batman becomes apparent not only through linguistic observation, but also through several references Chabon makes in the novel comparing one or both characters. Arguably, the interrogation Sammy faces at the trial about Wayne and Grayson’s relationship is the most explicit in that they both live together and they work as a team to achieve a common...
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...be Aware of our heroes, but we do have them. Assignment: Is it possible to be a hero in the modern world? Hero exists. Hero evolves. Large or small, strong or weak, tactful or stubborn, they are always around. Modern heroes are not known for extraordinary physical strength or valor, yet modern heroes abound in today's world. In our era and more than anytime before, every single citizen can champion, and every single person can choose to be a hero; he is doctor, teacher, policeman, or President of a country, big or small. We do have heroes such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. Juggernauts of the technological world, they are responsible for many technological advances. Yet Mr. XYZ, Susie and Joe, millions of people you are unheard of yet fully actively live around you, do make contributions just as significant. Without them, we won’t be able to enjoy our lives as we do now, including water from that tap, bread on our tables, cozy reading on our beds late in the night, and etc. I remember that the Time Magazine's person of the year one of the years before had been "You.", the solid you including you and me and every one around ourselves. This reflects our era, showing the belief that everyone in modern society is a hero who should be admired for their noble achievements. For example, doctors all over the world save many lives each day. To the patient being treated, the doctor is a small hero. Police officers, who tirelessly work all day, help...
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...portrayed as a hero because he shows courage, respect, endurance and determination. Santiago doesn’t let his old age keep him from doing the things he loves, and he takes pride in fishing. In the story he says, “Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, but that was the thing that I was born for”. The other fisherman make fun of him and say that Santiago is unlucky because he is unable to catch fish despite his hardest efforts. He had gone more than 80 days without catching a fish, but had faith that a fish would come. In the novella, Santiago states “my big fish must be somewhere.” After not catching anything for 84 days, he decided to go out on his own, far into...
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...Stephen Sung 4/26/2011 Speech 100 JC Commemorative Speech Outline Joe, a Friend, an Inspiration, a Hero. Introduction Have you ever done something out of peer pressure from a friend or family member? My friend Joe has. In his case, that something was cigarettes. “According to the American Lung Association, as of 2007 20% of high school students and over forty-six million adults (18+) were current smokers” (Lung). Joe started smoking when he was 14 years old because all of his friends were doing it. He has battled with this addiction for most of his adult life. So, why is he a hero? For starters I am a current smoker and have been smoking for the better part of eight years. Most importantly, he is an inspiration because he is the only I person I know who has successfully quit smoking. Even though we've been friends for a long time, I had never thought to ask him about why he started and how he was finally able to free himself from his nicotine addiction. Body (Preview): It started the summer of 1999, the summer before our freshman year of high school. Joe began smoking cigarettes when he was fourteen years old. A) He was peer pressured into smoking his first cigarette by our mutual friends. 1) He felt that if he turned down the cigarette, he would be ostracized from that group of friends and forced to go through his high school years as a loser. 2) He figured that if had to resort to smoking to survive high school then so be it. B) Through...
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...upon quests, overcoming odds that are extraordinary for the common person and triumphing over evil. Each hero has shared many of the same characteristics as other heroes before him/her. From literature there are the tales of Odysseus, Beowulf and Sherlock Holmes. From popular culture, the tales of Harry Potter and Hogwart’s Castle, Frodo and Bilbo Baggins from the shire and Korben Dallas and Leeloo from the movie “Fifth Element”. Starring Bruce Willis (Korben Dallas), Milla Jovovich (Leeloo) and Gary Oldman (Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg), the modern day hero complete with quest, lady fair and evil provides a pop culture version of the mythological hero and the mythological quest. Korben Dallas’ Hero’s Journey starts off as a regular joe taxi driver in the year 2263. Strong, compassionate, gruff, kind, skilled, intelligent and determined, Korben is the epitome of a hero. The strength of character, will and heart are characteristics shared by all heroes. The skills Korben possesses as well as the keen intellect, seen in his witty repartee, are true standards for a hero. His Achilles’ heel is the inability to express softer emotion. His one failing is not calling his mother. Korben Dallas exemplifies a mythological hero almost solely by his Heroic personality. Throughout the movie, the charisma and manly aura Dallas possesses in great quantities is exhibited by the hero with an almost mythical quality. From the way he deals with a druggie who aims a gun at him, to the terrifying...
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...Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to give up because of how exhausted you were, but you kept on going anyways? If so then you could be a hero! Through thick, thin, and the most trying of circumstances; heroes keep going with their heart in it to put forward their best effort. That’s what being a hero is, doing tasks whole-heartedly to provide their best work, and to not give up. Depending on the person, ‘hero’ can mean something different. Including how they function in our world. Society can, and “continue to idolize the heroic and even create fictional characters if they cannot find real-life heroes. Heroes serve as models as the best of humanity.” (Breeze Online) Everyone wants these heroes, these ‘Supermen’ (Though heroism is not limited to just men) to come into their lives to ‘save’ them. Society may not recognize the simple, every day heroes because they could be too caught up waiting for their fantasized...
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...JOE LOUIS JONATHAN RIVERA PROFESSOR MICHEAL GOOCH JOE LOUIS This report is about a man that changed American history Joseph Louis Barrow was a world heavy weight champion from 1937 to 1949. He was born on May 13, 1914 Lafayette, Alabama, his father was Monroe Barrow and mother was Lilly Reese. Joe spent 12 years growing up in Alabama, then later moved to Detroit Michigan because of the Klux Klux Klan harassment. Later in his life he went to work part time for Ford Motor company. Louis also attended vocational school to learn how to make cabinets. When the great depression hit Joe began to spend time in a local south recreation center in Detroit, Michigan. This is where he picked up the sport of boxing. He made his armature debut around 1932, he was 17 years old. Louis had numerous victories during his armature career, he earned a club championship of his brewester street recreational center. In 1933 Louis won the Detroit Golden glove novice championship for the light heavy weight classification. The next year he trained and prepared to compete in the Golden glove tournament of championship where he won the light heavy weight classification. Later that year, he also added a national AAU Tourney in Missouri. This caught the eyes of many boxing promoters, they wanted Joe to turn professional. Joe Louis' amateur record was an amazing 50 wins with 4 loses, 43 knock outs. Joe Louis turned pro July 4 1934 he had many heavyweight fight his most notable was his fights with...
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...Rishabh Prakash Block A Hero Essay Any common man or woman can be a hero. Essentially, any act that a person does to help make someone else's life better without expecting anything in return is considered heroic. To be a hero, one does not have to be Superman and save the world from destruction. A heroic act is one that is performed without any obligation and portrays compassion and selflessness towards other fellow beings. Simple acts of kindness such as helping an injured dog or helping an elderly woman cross the street can in a way be considered heroic as it shows compassion towards other living things. A hero has to display bravery, selflessness, and compassion. Mahatma Gandhi is one great example of a hero because he was instrumental in leading India to freedom from British rule, using a unique but very effective philosophy - Nonviolence. According to BrainyQuote.com, Gandhi believed that, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." Gandhi gave up his what could have been a comfortable life as a highly educated lawyer and instead chose a simple life without any material comforts to set an example for his fellow countrymen. He advocated a mass disobedience movement urging people to get involved in a non-violent protest by boycotting British education institutions, products and also urged people not to pay taxes to the British government. Gandhi was a true hero as he displayed bravery when facing grave challenges, sacrificed his life...
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...Flying fiercely across the sky, cape rippling behind, tightly clasped fist outstretched ahead, and a broad-shouldered, square-jawed face gazing down upon a helpless metropolis – this is the vision that is most often connected with the word “hero.” This iconic symbol is ingrained into the minds of toddlers all over the world, and it continues to capture the awe of movie-goers today. While this may be entertaining and certainly enjoyable, it breeds a false idea about what being heroic means. Heroes do not always have supernatural powers; they may not even aspire to fight evil. A hero is someone who faces the worst of what life has to offer but takes a chance – a brief moment of courage. Whether in realistic tragedies, comical science fiction, or in supernatural TV thrillers, heroes are just ordinary people who go out on a limb to do what is right. Elie Wiesel was only fifteen when he was taken to Auschwitz, one of the most horrific concentration camps of the Holocaust. In his memoir, Night, he tells of the dark and sadistic mistreatment of the Jews imprisoned in the camp. Among endless other tales of heroism, one man, who is not even named in the book, shows courage in a simple way that makes a huge impact on Wiesel. When they first arrive at the camp, this unnamed man secretly advises Wiesel and his father to lie about...
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...Joe is Pip’s sister’s husband and is Pip’s initial hero. Joe is a blacksmith and has little education. His father was an alcoholic, and prevented Joe from going to school. He had to go to work at a young age to help support his family. Joe loves Pip as though he were his own son, but, as Pip gets too big for his britches thanks to his fortune, Joe becomes less and less a part of Pip’s life. Joe is proud and we hear his life’s philosophy in the advice he gives a young, humiliated Pip. Joe tells Pip that if he wants to be extraordinary, he has to be ordinary first. He tells Pip that every king has to learn the basics first. In essence, everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time. When Jaggers tries to buy Pip from Joe, Joe nearly knocks his block off. Unlike Pip, Joe cares nothing for money. Joe can fight a man like Orlick, but he also cries at the drop of a hat. Pip says of him, "I have often thought him since, like the steam-hammer that I can crush a man or pat an egg-shell, in his combination of strength with gentleness" (1.18.93). Joe is embodied with both strength and softness, abrasiveness and gentility. Joe is out of place in London and calls Pip "sir" instead of "Pip." He knows that Pip is beyond his reach, and so never visits Pip ever again. Joe has a powerful understanding of his place and role in society, and leaving that role is a very difficult thing. Joe loves Pip unconditionally, and is a beacon of friendship and loyalty throughout Pip’s life. It is this...
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...In classical traditions an epic hero is said to be not only a person of great virtues, but someone who is also capable of deeds beyond any commoner’s capacity. An epic hero is humble about anything and everything with their name to it no matter the enormity of such things. In the Western television miniseries Lonesome Dove, contrary to the belief that Agustus McCrae and Woodrow F. Call are both epic heroes, only Gus is able to prove himself as one. Since it’s also established by classical traditions that no two heroes can “battle the same foe”, who in this case is Blue Duck, only one epic hero can exist. Gus and Call are BOTH two of the greatest Texas Rangers to exist and although Call does seem like a very “capable” man, Gus is the one who...
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