The Meaning of Being a True Hero

When most people think of a hero, they often think of someone who is probably smart, intelligent, courageous, daring, and so on. But does it mean that one of these features really comes to everybody’s mind as the word “hero” is mentioned? According to The Cambridge Dictionary, “a person who is admired for having done something very brave or having achieved something great” is what defines a hero. Though this common definition of a hero is well-accepted; it seems to be restricted by the general idea. In fact, different individuals could have various explanations for it. In my perspective, a hero is more than just to identify someone by a single characteristic. In other words, defining a hero needs to take a lot of factors into account, such as whether a person has made influences, changed the present and the past, and fought against different living backgrounds.

To me, a great hero means a person who affects one’s life so profoundly that can even change his or her life. Take my grandfather, who is also a teacher, for example. Some teachers, including he, usually think that they are destined to shoulder the responsibility of shaping the future of young, impressionable children. I can still remember that when I was little, there were parents taking their kid and coming to our house to meet my grandfather. Secretly taking a look at them, I saw the parents with smiles bowing to him gratefully and said that it if had not been for him, their child would not have gone back to the right track and become an industrious student. At night, out of my curiosity, I cannot help but ask him the reason of their visiting. He then told me that the student was once a street boy. He followed his companions to rob convenience stores, steal others’ living places, and beat people whomever they want to. Until one day, he was badly hurt due to a huge conflict with another group of gangsters, it was my grandfather, also his homeroom teacher, who took him to the hospital. “But how did you know he was injured?” I asked. “Well, when I was on the way to the café, I saw someone lying on the ground with blood everywhere. To my surprise, it was him.” He continued, “When we got to the hospital, he was rapidly sent into the operation room, and I spent about a week keeping his company after the surgery was over. He knew he made a mistake for risking his life, so I pulled him out of the abyss. That is why his whole family came to thank me for this afternoon.” At the moment, he was my hero — a person exerting his influence on the student, leading him in the right way.

On the other hand, upon thinking of heroes, names like Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often come to people’s mind. From the definition of the Cambridge Dictionary, they both correspond to it; but also, they represent a turning point across the times. Start with Gandhi, the man who first invented non-violence protest and successfully brought independence to India. The reason why he is called a hero is absolutely self-evident. Gandhi ranked as an advocate on the rights of Indians and South Africans, helped to organize resistance movement in the face of the British government, and supported non-cooperation as a peaceful type of protest. He is the leader of the Indian independence movement and promoting equal treatment and rights for Indians. As for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., most people have probably heard of his well-known speech “I have a dream.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. worked under the threat of death every day since he chose to take up the human right cause. Instead of giving up, he became the leading spokesman for the civil rights revolution in the 1960s, fighting for those unjust laws. Like Gandhi, he proved to me that changing society and the world does not take bullets, wounds, and blood, but determination and bravery to make it happen. Furthermore, this leader could transform those protesting voices into the revolution movement, successfully evoking the black and motivating them to take actions. So, after stating the achievements that these two people had made, it is no wonder that their names dash to people’s heart every time they talk about “hero.”

However, there is another type of hero that few people would notice. Living in the poorest areas of the country, the minorities have been expected to work harder throughout their lives but fail to succeed at times. In spite of the fact that people living there often have problems with drugs, crime, and language skill deficiencies, their desire to win helps fuel their persistence. Those who eventually combat fate and make it to success thus become the role models and inspire others to strive for it. A lot of NBA (National Basketball Association) superstars such as Lebron James, Tracy McGrady, and Derrick Rose were all born in slums. Some experienced the times when they aimlessly wandered on the street with gangs, and some even saw their family members taking drugs and got shot on the roadside because of it. It is really praiseworthy to see so many slum children overcome the disadvantages and become who they are now; not only are they the heroes of themselves, but also the heroes of people struggling in their underprivileged lives.

What does it mean to be a hero, and who exactly is qualified to be called a hero? I think the answer is that as long as a person can make a little difference in my life, then he or she is my hero. As seen from the essay, there is no frame to limit what a hero should be since its definition varies from person to person. Above all, the true hero consists of our heart, and it is what keeps us positive and motivated.