Heroism in Literature and Speech

A “Common Man” is someone who is characteristically non-descript. There is nothing particularly special about a Common Man. A hero, on the other hand, is someone who commits great acts, showing strength and courage in times of need, yet in a way that outsiders may see themselves in that hero. However, these terms are not mutually exclusive. The common man can be considered a hero. If an ordinary person faces extraordinary circumstances, performs acts of selflessness and sacrifice, and presents him or herself with a sort of anonymity or relatability, then he or she is a hero.

A hero may be an ordinary person who meets extraordinary circumstances. In Text 1, “The Man in the Water,” Roger Rosenblatt reports the story of Flight 90. Horrible weather brought a plane crashing into a river, and “of the four acknowledged heroes of the event, three are able to account for their behavior.” The fourth man, a passenger on the plane, died in his heroic acts. “Only minutes before his character was tested, he was sitting in the ordinary plane among the ordinary passengers… some of whom would owe their lives to him.”

In Text 2, Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech, Malala tells her own story, of how she loved school, enjoyed discovering new things with her friends, and had big dreams. This normal life of hers was halted when terrorists took over her home and girls were no longer allowed to receive an education. Her “world suddenly changed, (and her) priorities changed too.” In this extreme situation, she took a stand for the rights of herself, her friends, and women around the world. The song, “American Soldier,” by Toby Keith, describes the life of a normal American man who, as well as “just trying to be a father, rais(ing) a daughter and a son,” must also go into battle to defend his country.

To be heroic, one must be selfless and willing to make sacrifices. In “The Man in the Water,” one of the surviving heroes addressed his actions, saying “that ‘Somebody had to go in the water,” delivering every hero’s line that is no less admirable for its repetitions… nobody HAD to go in the water.” When Malala Yousafzai’s right to an education was taken from her and all of the other girls in her community, she knew she “had two options.

One was to remain silent and wait to be killed. And the second was to speak up and then be killed.” She did not think of herself first, but of the way she could best contribute to the improvement of the situation as a whole. She stands proud as she says “I chose the second one. I decided to speak up.” Toby Keith’s song mentions some of the sacrifices a soldier must make for his country, including sacrificing one’s own life for the freedom of his fellow citizens. He sings, “I don’t want to die for you. But if dyin’s asked of me, I’ll bear that cross with honor.”

A hero must have anonymous or relatable traits about him. People admire heroes not only for their unachievable feats, but also for what makes them human, as people like to feel that they may have the ability and potential within themselves to be so great. The titled hero in “The Man in the Water,” died in ensuring the safety of the fellow passengers, and thus was unable to come forward and reveal his identity.

Remaining an anonymous hero “invested him with a universal character. For a while he was ‘Everyman,’ and thus proof (as if one needed it) that no man is ordinary.” When Malala Yousafzai gives her acceptance speech, she ends by crediting those who she believes were just as deserving of such honor. She clarifies that she tells her “story, not because it is unique, but because it is not. It is the story of many girls.”

A hero does not need superpowers, a title, or a costume. A hero can be any person who responds instinctively to danger, who protects the rights of others, who acts well in any unconventional situation they come across. Any person who takes this opportunity to help others before themselves, selflessly sacrificing their well-being for that of others, is a hero. A hero is any person… and is seen as such. They could be anyone, and that’s part of their universal appeal.