<p>Topic: Should heroes be defined as people who say what they think when we ourselves lack the courage to say it? </p>
<p>My Response:</p>
<p>Heroes are often of the most misconstrued people; they appear brave to the public eye, speaking and acclaiming the things society wants to hear- the things society needs to hear. Often though, heroes must suppress their own personal ideology- the very thing they value most- to give soceity strength to function and persist.</p>
<p>In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter, Hester Prynne emulsifies the true definition of hero for her child, Pearl. While society shuns Hester for her adultery, and bestows her to wear the a scarlett “A” on her bosom, Hester perseveres and attempts to cope with her environment. After her adulturous deed, Hester becomes a philanthropist of sorts, knitting clothes for the Puritan community,while never complaining of her apparent seclusion and incompatibility. All this is done while raising a child, who is a symbol of the reason Hester is shunned. Hester, however, never says anything but continues to perform, showing her protean nature, and never succumbs to ideosyncracies or town rumors. She is the ideal hero; a woman who does all she can for her child and herself, all the while remaining aloof and reticent. She is proof that heroes do not need to talk to be heroes.</p>
<p>The American president, George W. Bush, is also a hero that although forced to talk, is a hero because of what he does not say. Bush has taken great criticism for his foreign policy, with critics arguined he has caused the nation’s spiraling debt and military involvement. Bush, meanwhile, has actually increased the educational status of the country, increased the literacy rate among children under the age of 12, and the perennial favorite-lowered taxes. While constantly bombasted by the media, Bush has managed to improve America domestically. Bush’s hero status may never be appreciated until the coming years, when a literate and educated America is able to sustain its clear political and economical dominance over nations such as India and China.</p>
<p>Some heroes are those that are least appreciated. My friend’s cousin, six years of age, has recently been diagnosed with chronic leukemia. He receives chemotherapy twice a week, and his hair is receeding. Yet he never complains, treating each day as a blessing from the heavens. Such are the real heroes: those able to see the light at the end of every tunnel. Doctors claim that he only has a year to live, but he makes the most of it every day, and continues to inspire all those around him.</p>
<p>Heroes do not need to talk to be influential and acclaimed societal heroes. The ability to command attentionand respect is what defines a hero, not oratory skill. If society today realizes this, then there truly is no stopping America heading into the twenty-first century.</p>