A hero is kind to everyone, hopeful when there is no light at the end of the tunnel, brave when times are hard, and persevering when everyone has given up. They help people get stronger. Ulysses was a hero in many ways, but he was never as kind as my grandfather, John Charles Fredell. Ulysses was remembered as a hero because of his bravery. My grandfather was remembered as a hero because he was always positive when he knew there was no cure to his disease. Ulysses fought thousands of battles and killed thousands of men. My grandfather fought along with his family in the battle for his life.

While Ulysses won battles and killed enemies, ultimately, he was not a hero. Ulysses promised all of his men that they would all get home, yet they didn’t. Ulysses was not kind to Polyphemus. Ulysses barged into Polyphemus’s cave, ate all of his food, made him drunk, blinded him, and then taunted him. Ulysses also acted as Circe’s husband for four years when his wife and son were waiting for him in Ithaca. Throughout Ulysses’s journey, he has shown many examples of him not being a hero.

My grandfather is a hero because he faced death without making his family suffer as much as he did. He knew that there was no cure to his disease yet he lived his life as a happy man. He was not able to swallow his own spit without it going into his lungs towards the end. He was selfless whenever I was with him, we would play so that I didn’t know that he was sick. We would do everything that we did when he wasn’t sick. John Charles Fredell was a man who put his family first when he was slowly dying of starvation.

Malala Yousafzai is a hero because she has made a difference in the world. Malala is standing up for what she believes in and inspiring young women. They don’t give Nobel Peace Prizes to just anyone. Malala Yousafzai is the youngest person to win a Nobel Peace Prize. She has given millions of girls the chance to go to school. That is what a hero does. Malala has given other girls the voice to speak up. “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” -Malala Yousafzai.

Why are heroes important? What do they do anyway? I can tell you one thing, they make the world a better place. They inspire people to make a difference. Malala inspired women and girls to stand up for what they believe in. Those women and girls may become heroes. Heroes inspire each other. If the world didn’t have heroes, all of the world’s problems would be going on at the same time. No one would light the spark in other people’s minds. That is why heroes are important.