Definition of Hero

There is a fine line between hero and role model, but the difference is very important. Not everyone who is a role model can be considered a hero, yet every hero can be considered a role model. Dictionary.com defines hero as, “A [person] of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” The key phrase in this definition is “noble qualities” because it is very often over looked. When defining someone as a hero, that person must meet all the characteristics outlined in the definition: distinguished courage or ability, brave deeds, and noble qualities.

Think about the police officer brought up in class. A person joins the police force for a living, yet his motive for doing so is to become the news on the front page of the paper. He goes to his job day in and day out. Then one day there is a robbery at a neighborhood house while the residents were there. As the police officer makes his way to the scene, he thinks that this is his chance to get in the news. He arrives at the house and apprehends the robber simultaneously saving the family form harm. In this scenario, many people would call this police officer a hero for saving the family and taking the robber in to custody. However, according to Dictionary.com he would not be considered a hero, because this officer did not meet all the expectations. His motive for doing what he did was not noble at all. He saved the family purely to benefit himself. This situation would be completely different, however, if his intentions were not known. If this police officer had joined the force and saved that family but no one knew he did it for fame then his intentions would be considered noble to everyone around him. In this new scenario the police officer would be considered a hero according to the definition because he not only exhibited courage and brave deeds but also nobility as far as the eye could see.

In the story A&P, the reader knows that Sammy is quitting his job in order to get the attention of the girls. In this perspective he would not be considered a hero. From the perspective of a character in the book, Sammy may have been viewed as a hero. His friend at the other checkout counter watched as Sammy stood up for the girls when the manager embarrassed them. However, he had the courage to quit anyways. To his friend at the other checkout counter and to the other customers watching he could have seemed like a hero because no one knew his intentions were not noble.

Heroism can be a very touchy subject. What one person defines a hero as might not be the same as others. According to the definition on Dictionary.com, there are certain expectations to meet to be considered a hero. Nobility is one characteristic that is debatable because no one truly knows what someone else is thinking or their motives.

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