blog # 9 Eassy # 2 revise.

Brandon Miller
10/26/10
Blog # 9 Essay # 2 Revise


The definition of an American hero is someone who is strong, brave, honest,and is willing to help anyone for the greater good. They put their lives on the line to help a person only because they want to help. They do not do this for a reward but to help the lives of every American. That is what it means to be an 'All American hero'. The definition of an actual hero is completely different. One that the movie Hero points out very well.
The movie takes the focus of Bernie Laplant. He is a local lowlife who before we even hear him talk, we see him in court on trial and stealing money from his own lawyer. He is divorced , forgets his sons name and age, and when he finally does see him he teach him to steal and tells him to only look out for himself. He lies a lot and gets fired from his job because he comes in late to many times and comes up with excuses all the time. Even when a plane crashes in front of him he is still reluctant to do anything to help. He worries about his shows getting messed up in the water and puts them away for safe keeping. He slowy goes through the water until he gets to the jammed door. Even then he struggles, telling the passengers they need to push harder. To top it all of, he, a perfectly fine uninjured man, almost refuse to help save the rest of the people inside until a boy asks him to safe his father.
But even for all of his faults, does this make him any less of a hero? He is not seen as what an all American Hero is seen to be. He is far from honest and cares little for anyone outside of himself. But regardless, for whatever the motive may be he still pulled those people out and saved 54 lives. No matter how selfish the reason may be.
It is because of this that we as Americans need to expand our definition of a hero. A hero is not born, nor can he really be made. A hero in essences is really a person who was at the right place at the right time and had the courage and knowledge to know what to do and actually do it. There is no heroic gene in your DNA and it does not course through your veins. The closets you can come to training to be a hero is in the army or police force. But even then training to do something and actually doing it are two different things. You might lock up or get scared when faced with the actual thing. That could costs someones life and maybe even your own.
A hero does not even have to be someone who is strong ether. About a year ago, a man saw a suspicious van parked outside, he called the cops and they were able to find out there was a bomb in the car and they where able to defuse it. How much upper body strength do you need to pick up a phone and dial nine one one? That disproves the fact that a hero needs to be strong. It also shows you do not need to be to intelligent either. Another example is the time a child pulled another kid out of the water and gave him CPR, which he learned to do after watching an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants. The kid was no older than seven and yet he was able to save another from drowning. There is no age requirement to being a hero either. Not falling under the stereotype that an adult is the only one who can preform a heroic act.
A hero is a person who see's a situation and decides to help. There is no right or wrong hero. It is not gender, age, or race specific. Any one person is capable of doing any a great thing. All we have do to is have the courage to do so.