To Be A Real Hero Film Studies Essay

“Living life for one day as a lion is better than living as a hyena for a hundred”, is a proverb that captures the depth of personalities of those who die in this world with pride. Firstly, a real hero is focused in achieving his goals. Secondly, he should be brave and last but not the least, he should be ready to sacrifice at any time. A real hero is a controversial person, whose actions impact some people for the good while others for the bad (either because of jealousy or because of direct impact), showing us they manage and achieve their aims.

Planning out the goals from the outset, a real hero is determined and focused in finalizing his or her plans. Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian Leader campaigning for independence from British rule, set out a protest in 1930 against the salt laws during the British era. Gandhi sent a letter to the British Viceroy, saying “If my letter makes no appeal to your heart, on the eleventh day of this month I shall proceed with such co-workers of the Ashram as I can take, to disregard the provisions of the Salt Laws” (Gandhi). After that, on 12th march 1930 along with 78 men, Gandhi set out for the 23 days long march. Even though Gandhi and the protestors were sent to prison, this was symbolic in that many big protests against the British Government started after this (Benner). Moreover, it showed how resolute Gandhi was in helping the oppressed Indians. At the same time, he was against the British Government, so the British people did not like him. On the other hand, Gandhi was and still is a hero for Indians because he put his life at risk for the rights of the Indians. Secondly, Dr. Abdus Salam the first ever Pakistani Nobel laureate was persecuted because of his faith. He belonged to a middle class family. For his initial education, he studied at a government school with minimum educational facilities. However, from the very start, his love for the subjects of physics and mathematics where evident. After getting his undergraduate degree from Pakistan, he did his Masters and then completed his PhD degree from Cambridge University, England. Despite his academic brilliance, he was ignored in his own country, but since he had unwavering will, he continued his research work and won the Nobel Prize for his work in Physics. Even though he was largely ignored by the government and by the people of Pakistan, the mistake of the latter’s actions are now evident when it is seen how much progress Pakistan could have made in the scientific field had they followed his vision (Baseer). This shows how much Dr. Salam was focused towards his ambitions, and towards the work for the progress and prosperity of his country. Even now, he is a hero for the people who believed in him, and some people regret not having given him the respect he deserved, but he is still called a hero of Pakistan and is admired by many. Another great example of a real hero is Barack Obama, the President of America, a guy with a great focuses and determination. Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, in a middle class family. His parents got divorced when he was a kid. He faced different kind of problems during school life, but he kept on struggling and did his best in his studies. He was elected in Illinois State Senate in 1996. He did his best at that job and later on became the president of America (Barack Obama). Even today, he works harder and harder for the progress of his country. People call him a real hero. He does what the people of United States want for the best and whatever is good. To be a real hero, the individual does not have to be from another planet or have some super powers; a real hero is one whom we see in our real life. He or she can be around us. If a person focuses on his future and plans to work for his country, he or she can eventually achieve his or her goals and become a hero. He gains respect and is always remembered in good words so any one can be a hero in life.

To be a real hero, a person must exhibit acts of bravery in times of need. Braveness is a very important part of a hero’s life, so that he can face different challenges and overcome them. This braveness can be good for that person’s people and country. In our daily life, we see thousands of people around us who have a heroic characteristic within them. May it be a fire fighter or a policeman, a normal man or an army officer, anyone can be a hero. A fire fighter puts his life in danger to save lives of other people. Some fire fighters give their lives to save the people in danger. This is called a heroic action. Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani girl who used to blog about girl’s rights in the Swat valley of Pakistan. Her powerful words and bravery to standup for human rights made all Pakistani people proud of her. She stood up against the Taliban by supporting the rights of women for education. Thus the Taliban threatened to kill her, but she did not back out because of this fear. Rather, she showed braveness and courageousness by continuing her campaign for women rights. The Taliban then shot her in the head, but she survived the shot miraculously (Wallace). Even today, Malala says that she will continue to fight for women rights even at the risk of her own life. This shows that Malala is a brave person, and even though she could have been dead from the shot, she survived and her name became famous in the world as a heroic person. Apart from Malala, there are thousands of people who have courage and desire to work for their country, and to stand up for their rights in any threatening situation. One more example of bravery of a real hero is a guy named Pat Tillman who was an American football player who left his career and joined United States Army in June 2002. He served America for three years and was killed in Afghanistan. He died as an honorable person, and people still remember him as a great hero (Boteach). People who stand up to save lives of others while endangering their own selves are real heroes. This is because they serve their people, their nation, their friends and their families. They do not do this to receive fame, but only because of the sincere love they have for their nation, friends and families.

In today’s technological era, as the World progresses on one side, it faces disasters on the other. Thus, many people have to make sacrifices, big or small, to achieve their goals. Sacrifice is the most needed quality nowadays. We see fire fighters and policemen in our daily lives sacrificing and putting their own lives in danger to save others. Jonathan Schmidt, a dedicated police officer and loving father, was shot dead in a routine police check trying to save his senior officer’s life. After pulling Elumbaugh’s car because Elumbaugh did not have up to date insurance, Officer Schmidt opened the back seat of the car where a person named Lard shot him. Even after that, Schmidt pushed his senior out of harm’s way (Hanson). Schmidt was only 22 years old, but he showed braveness and sacrificed his life as a great hero to save his officer. Not only Schmidt but also thousands of police officers sacrifice their lives to save others, and we hear this news in our daily lives. One more example of a real hero is Imran Khan, a Pakistani politician who was a great cricketer of his times. After retiring from cricket, he joined politics and founded Tehrik e insaf (movement for justice). He gave up his lavish and comfortable life style. Today, he is working hard for the poor people of Pakistan and for rooting out corruption from the political setup in Pakistan (Mirza). Most of the people are ready to vote for his party in the upcoming elections because he is the only hope for good in Pakistan.

Therefore, the ways in which people are effected because of the actions of heroic people can be positive for one while negative for the other side. Even though many people can be against such heroes, those heroes’ determination allows them to pull through all difficult times. In order to make a successful world, every person has power and a heroic ability if he or she knows how to use it. That person needs to stay focused on his or her ambitions and should always try to do the right thing. If a person is brave and ready to face the challenges in the world, he or she can do his or her best to get respect and then work for the country. Thus, it can be seen that a hero does not have to do anything extra-ordinary to become a hero, rather he has to be brave, consistent and compassionate in anything he does to prove his good nature. A hero is not a person who necessarily achieves something big in the eyes of the world, but rather one who does something good to achieve a sense of self fulfillment. A hero is not superman, batman or Spiderman; a hero is a life guard, a teacher, a bus driver and even a student who wishes to learn.

Work Cited

Benner, Alana. “The Gandhi Salt March.” Gandhi Salt March: 1930. David W. Koeller, 12 Sept. 2003. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. 

Naweed, Baseer. “PAKISTAN: Is Dr. Abdus Salam – a Nobel Laureate or Persona Non Grata?” Asian Human Rights Commission. N.p., 22 Nov. 2012. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. <http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-ART-128-2012>.

“Barack Obama Biography.” Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. <http://www.biography.com/people/barack-obama-12782369?page=7>.

Wallace, Jane. “The My Hero Project – Malala Yousafzai.” Myhero.com. N.p., 8 Feb. 2013. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. <http://myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=Malala_Yousafzai_2012>.

Boteach, Rabbi Shmuley. “The My Hero Project – Pat Tillman.” Myhero.com. N.p., 13 Feb. 2010. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. <http://myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=Tillman>.

Hanson, Hilary. “Jonathan Schmidt Shooting: Video Of Jerry Lard Killing Arkansas Police Officer Released (GRAPHIC).” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Aug. 2012. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/08/video-released-of-fatal-a_0_n_1755305.html>.

Mirza, Xainab. “Imran Khan.” , Chairman Pakistan Tehreek E Insaf. Pakistani Leaders Online, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. <http://pakistanileaders.com.pk/profile/Imran_Khan>.