How do you define and exemplify the meaning of a hero? The dictionary defines the word hero as, “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities”(www.dictionary.com). A hero can simply be a person who makes a positive impact on someone else’s life, or a person who improves society as a whole. The way to define a hero varies and must be applied to the context of the situation, because all various situations have different degrees of imperativeness. The classification of heroes is not universal and can be very opinionated based on different beliefs and values of different persons.
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf is a man who exemplifies the word hero to its highest level. In accordance with the dictionary’s definition, Schwarzkopf is a war hero and is most notable for his dedication, perseverance, and leadership throughout the mid to late twentieth century. He attended West Point Military Academy, served in the Vietnam War, commanded the U.S. ground forces in Grenada, and led Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War. In the majority views of the world, Schwarzkopf made an enormous positive impact on society as a whole and is definitely considered to be a hero. Furthermore, he is a hero in the views of his individual troops because of his enormous loyalty, commitment, and encouragement towards them which gave them undeniable confidence in his leadership and their ability as whole. He said in his autobiography, “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle” (Schwarzkopf). This quote describes his philosophy when it comes to defining a hero, and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf is the epitome of a true hero.
In, “A & P,” by John Updike, the character Sammy stands up for three young girls in a grocery store when they are embarrassed by his store manager. Although his act goes unnoticed by the girls, he still risked his job and his future to stand up for what he believed in. When Sammy is compared to General H. Norman Schwarzkopf it seems incomprehensible to categorize him as a hero as well. However, when put into the context of the situation, Sammy positively impacts his own life by being confident and committed to his beliefs and values. He believes the way the manager handled the situation was wrong and embarrassed the girls, and Sammy was sympathetic towards those young girls. He showed courage and bravery by defying his authority when disagreeing with him based on his own values. Pertaining to the story, Sammy is a hero because he acted in a way that took confidence and bravery. He is not the same degree of a hero as Schwarzkopf because the risks and sacrifices Sammy made were not as great as his, but he still took a risk and made the sacrifices of his job and his future.
However, there are different degrees of heroism based on the risks and sacrifices made by that person. When a hero commits an act, his or her intentions are to benefit another person, group of people, or some aspect of society to some degree. Heroism is defined void of intentions, but based on the act itself, the outcome, and the courage and bravery it takes to commit the act.
Really great job, Lauren!
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