Definition essay
As Joseph Campbell once said, "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself." Hero's could be the missionaries in Africa; bringing water to a village with no clean source, a community center working to keep the youths out of gangs, or even political leaders providing food and security for the underprivileged. They work passionately and selflessly toward a cause they believe is worth fighting for. A hero is not a prince on his noble steed riding through the land to save a damsel in distress from a fire breathing dragon. A hero is someone who selflessly dedicates their lives to a just cause. They take action and persevere because they truly believe in their cause.
Frederick Douglass was born into the brutality of slavery around 1818 he was not only a part of the abolitionist movement but also a part of the Underground Railroad. Once he escaped slavery at the age of twenty, he dedicated the rest of his life to saving the rest of the slaves and continued to work toward the cause that he truly believed in. He didn't just strive for the embitterment of a few hundred slaves he wanted to secure freedom for all of the slaves in the world. Douglass worked to his utmost ability not giving up because of a task being "hard" or "impossible" he persevered and put every ounce into his cause.
Harriet Tubman is also a hero, sacrificing her life to ensuring the safety of slaves in the South. In the biography Harriet Tubman, by Ann Petry, she explains that, "If they were caught, the eleven runaways would be whipped and sold south, but she-she would probably be hanged." The consequences were great, even to the extreme of death for herself, she continued to do what she stood for. Tubman takes this great risk, because she beyond doubt believes in her cause although she knows the severity of the task she is overcoming. Harriet perseveres to not only guarantee the liberty and freedom of her people but also that the rest of the world would be free, by doing this she risks her own life to give her people independence.
Another hero, Abraham Lincoln, not only believed in his cause, although it was not widely popular, he wanted and persevered to keep America united. As Walt Whitman describes in his poem, "O Captain My Captain," "The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won, / The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting." Lincoln not only selflessly dedicates his life toward the major cause of making slavery end, and keeping America united. He also faces the fact that not only can you dream to reach that major goal you have, you must take action and persevere no matter how many obstacles or trials may occur.