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JJ Vance

CCR English 11

Mrs. Filc

16 September 2019

Holding Out For A Hero

“Courage is your claim to fame when ‘Hero’ is your middle name” -Ethan Slater. This quote

shows that sacrifice contributes to being a hero. Sacrifice contributes more to heroism because

anyone can succeed at something and be called a hero, such as being a “hero” tutor who simply

does their job and tutors children after school. However, when someone puts something on the

line, whether it be their fame and fortune or even their life, that is truly considered a hero. 9/11

first responders, ​Beowulf​, and a local border patrol agent disarming a gunman help prove that

sacrifice contributes more to heroism.

When it comes to being a hero, especially in times of need, putting your own life at risk can

help save the day, or at least delay the crisis until proper help can be called. In ​A World Of

Heroes i​ n paragraph 4, the author states about volunteers in the 9/11 crisis, reporting “The

captains and crews of hundreds of ferries, tug boats, and private vessels selflessly sailed directly

into the heart of the attack to rescue nearly 50,000 New Yorkers from the piers and seawalls of

Lower Manhattan. These were ordinary citizens who risked their own safety to help those in

need” showing the volunteers were everyday people who put their lives on the line to help in a

time of destruction and despair, and they very well could have been injured or killed in the

attacks (4). In paragraph 2, the author writes “Some may argue that there are true larger-than-life

heroes who leave a permanent shadow, not by virtue of a single act, but through a lifetime of
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heroic deeds” demonstrating that heroes do not need a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to

be considered “heroes”, they only need to perform one (or many) heroic acts (4). In ​A World Of

Heroes,​ the author explains in many ways how ordinary people have made large sacrifices to

help others in need.

Beowulf​ also contributes to sacrifice making one a hero. The poem reads “I have heard, Too,

that the monster’s scorn of men is so great that he needs no weapons and fears none. Nor will I”

(259-262.) Beowulf is giving up his armory and weapons to take on the monster Grendel, very

well knowing it could end in brutal bloodshed. In lines 109 to 116, the author writes “In his

far-off home Beowulf, Higlac’s / Follower and the strongest of the Geats - greater / And stronger

than anyone anywhere in this world - / Heard how Grendel filled nights with horror / And

quickly commanded a boat fitted out, / Proclaiming that he’d go to that famous king, / Would

sail across the sea to Hrothgar, / Now when help was needed” demonstrating Beowulf’s desire to

help the King at any cost, not for fortune, but because they needed help (109-116). In ​Beowulf,

the character Beowulf demonstrates many heroic deeds out of the goodness of his heart and

because Hrothgar’s kingdom needs help.

In more recent stories of sacrifice making a hero, a local border patrol agent detained a

gunman in a restaurant. The news article reports “Commissioner Morgan said the agent disarmed

a gunman who fired shots inside an El Paso restaurant. The agent responded quickly, preventing

the gunman from harming anyone” showing the border patrol agent was risking his own safety to

protect everyone in the restaurant from the gunman, despite being off-duty (Andra Litton). The

author writes that “[Commissioner Morgan] went on to say, “USBP agents protect their

communities. I’m extremely proud of the agent’s heroic actions” showing many people agree the
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agent’s deeds that could have cost him his life were heroic (Andra Litton). Even today, there are

more people being declared a hero each and every day for putting their lives at risk.

While some people believe success makes a better hero because they have successfully saved

something or someone, I believe sacrifice makes a better hero because no matter if their attempts

fail or not, that person put others needs before their own and either put something at risk or

sacrificed something. Whether it’s in a fictional story such as ​Beowulf,​ or in a recent news article

such as a gunman being detained by a border patrol agent, or in a historical tragedy such as 9/11,

heroes are simply ordinary people who sacrifice themselves or risk sacrificing themselves.

“Courage does not erase our fear, courage is when we face our fear.” -Alan Menken.
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Works Cited

“A World Of Heroes” ​My Perspectives: British and World Literature,​ Pearson, p. 7

Litton, Andra. “Off-duty Border Patrol agent hailed hero by CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan.”

KSTM,​ 16 September 2019.

https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/off-duty-border-patrol-agent-hailed-hero-by-cbp-com

missioner-mark-morgan/

Raffel, Burton. “Beowulf” ​My Perspectives: British and World Literature,​ Pearson, p. 27