What It Means To Be A Hero History Essay

Anyone can be hero. In every person, there is a true hero inside that shows up every now and then. These are the people who strive to make a difference in the world, big and small. Though not all of their great feats are recorded in history books, these heroes and heroines of every day life still help and inspire others to do great things, as well. Everyone doesn’t always see the hard labor that was put into a situation, but they see the results and the harvest of the work that they put in. This is what helps and inspires others to do significant things. Examining the lives of Winston Churchill, Amelia Earhart, and Nina Serban is one way to prove that any one person has the capacity of being a hero and can make a difference in the lives of others. These three people are only an example of many that embody what a true hero really is.

Winston Churchill was a heroic figure in the eyes of the world and England when World War II began. According to Lewis Charles Broad, the author of Winston Churchill: The Years of Preparation and Winston Churchill: The Years of Achievement, He was considered a hero because of his character, which stood the tests of war and hardship. Churchill knew that “days of exultation” and “days of despair” would come and go, and whether triumph or disaster arrived ‘he could, “treat those two imposters just the same” ‘ (18). With the bombing from Germany in World War II, it seemed to England that the world was literally crashing down around them, but Winston Churchill came to the rescue at the last minute to comfort the British people and to save them from Germany. “It was then that the diverse strands of his character were fused together and he emerged as the indomitable leader of the British people” (13). Since he had experience from when he fought the Boer Wars and was the prime minister of England in World War I, he was strong and ready to defeat the ravages of World War II. When the war was won and Hitler destroyed, some said that the same gratitude, “owed by all freedom-loving peoples,” (Kagan 86) should be given to Churchill and England, as was said by Neil Kagan, the author of People Who Shaped the Century. When the other ambassadors saw his record of services to the English people, they were amazed and thought that it was incredible that only one man achieved so much. Now he is considered the “Unyielding Guardian at the Gates of Freedom” (86). Winston Churchill was a major political figure who helped the allies and saved England from utter destruction. As a hero, he only shows one side of the actions and responses of a hero, though.

Amelia Earhart was an inspiration and heroine to young girls and women all over, and even affected change in society’s standards for women. Amelia Earhart became famous overnight because the public, especially women, loved her daring personality. She was inspired to be a pilot when she saw her first airplane at an Iowa State Fair. From then on, she was determined to do extraordinary things for the next generation. Edward T. James, the author of Notable American Women: 1607-1950, remarked that her physique also fit entirely that of a pilot; she was “a tall, grey-eyed girl who, with her boyish smile and short, tousled blond hair, bore such striking resemblance to Lindbergh” (539). Women were inspired by Earhart’s achievements and she was nicknamed “Lady Lindy” and “First Lady of the Air.” “She also had a continuing influence on increasing opportunities for women to pursue their individual goals in a male-dominated world” (Magill 552), as Frank N. Magill, author of Great Lives from History: American Women Series, had mentioned. Amelia Earhart’s aviation accomplishments were amazing and “greater than a list of statistics would indicate” (552), which made her the most famous female pilot in history. Today, Earhart’s life and great feats still inspire women and young girls to reach higher goals and succeed, but, again, her story only gives another part of what a true hero does.

Nina Serban is not only an inspiration and heroine to the de Castro family, but she is also an anchor and rock that this family can rely on. She is a rock and anchor because of the obstacles and struggles she overcame, while emigrating from a communist country, Romania, to a “land flowing with milk and honey.” Nina left communist Romania with her only two small daughters for America in order to give her daughters, and even grandchildren, a better life, growing up in a free country, rather than growing up in a village under the communist regime. She sacrificed her life in Romania for something that would benefit her family. When she arrived in America, she started her whole life all over again; she struggled with her work because she was a woman alone, with two girls, and she was an immigrant who did not know the English language at all. Despite the troubles, she continued to work tirelessly to support her two daughters, while her husband remained in Romania for another two years. Today, she still works tirelessly, by helping and supporting others. Nina Serban’s life story has the qualities of what makes a true hero: sacrifice, morals, and being the rock that others can cling to.

Looking at the lives of Winston Churchill, Amelia Earhart, and Nina Serban has proven that one person can make a difference in the lives of others. Winston Churchill was a heroic figure to the people of England during World War II; he inspired them to keep fighting on until the end. Amelia, even though she didn’t help change world’s societal status quo, changed American society for women, by inspiring them to reach their goals and succeed. Nina Serban is a heroine because she sacrificed her life in Romania for a new and better one for her family in America. Heroes have attributes that inspire others to be great, which these three individuals have clearly represented.