A hero should be brave when things are hard, selfless when facing conflict and loyal in times of hardship. Heroes in times of pressure need to persevere and keep an open mind in times of rejection. Both the ancient hero Ulysses and Harold Thornell went to war for their country and both displayed heroic qualities but they are very different. Harold Thornell was loyal in the face of death and didn’t back down from a challenge. While Ulysses loved to win, Harold Thornell was honored and proud to fight for his country.Ulysses maybe was a good person in others eyes but when you look at all his faults they come out to too much of a risk.

 

Ulysses may have been strong and wise but lacked compassion toward others. He couldn’t resist bragging, and that is why he wasn’t a hero. Ulysses ruthlessly killed the people of Troy in the night time. He only did this to get home and become a king. He is not a hero and should not be remembered as one. Instead of running and saving his men, Ulysses felt compelled to tell Polyphemus that he was the one who blinded him. “Poor fool, Poor blinded, drunken, gluttonous fool- if anyone else asks it is not nobody but Ulysses who has done this to you!” This shows Ulysses is not a hero because, instead of being grateful for being alive, he taunted Polyphemus. All of this evidence shows Ulysses is NOT worthy to be called a hero.f

 

Harold Thornell might not have been a famous hero, but he was considered one by his friends, family, and the people who knew him. He was a Tuskegee Airman. The Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-American military pilots who fought in World war II. He was concerned about others and his community’s well-being and was a selfless individual. He aspired to serve his country despite the racial problems of his people. He was a role model for his family, friends and his community. He worked hard to put himself through college and medical school and fought his way to serve in the military to show everyone that it is not impossible for a person of color to attend college or become a flight surgeon. He was a hard working man and was recognized for his dedication and hard work by his superiors. A Major Colonel named Richard C. Cummings gave him an autographed picture signed “To Major Harold Thornell, an excellent and well-trained flight surgeon.” Harold Thornell is a hero because he went to war for his country, but more importantly, he was an example for his people by showing that he would not let obstacles of discrimination and prejudice keep him from achieving his goals. In the time of World War II, there were no civil rights for black people, so it was significantly harder for him to get into school and college. He became a flight physician and along with a few others, he was one of the first African-American to graduate from Aviation Medicine in Residence in the Air Force. He did many things deemed impossible (at the time) for his people. If Harold Thornell did not work hard for some of his goals, I wonder what would have been different today?

 

Adarsh is a hero because he realized that kids have a creativity that they can’t express in normal day to day life. When Adarsh was a young boy he was expelled from school for drawing. He learned that schools are lacking the very thing that he was expelled for, art. He had the courage to go against his own school’s beliefs and decided to teach kids about art. Adarsh lets his students express themselves through art and rather than teach them he watches express themselves as they doodle, draw and paint. Adarsh believes that “Art has the power to let the children discover who they are” and that you should always have art in your life. He has changed the lives of others by realizing that the children should discover who they are and be creative “ our goal is not to create artists but to let children discover themselves.” Adarsh is a hero. He created an opportunity for kids, so they wouldn’t be held back by rules. If Adarsh had not started these classes the children would probably have a different future maybe even a one that leads to jail.

 

A hero should, above all, have compassion towards others when others are in a time of sadness. Being a hero is never about the gold or having people love you, worship you. It is always about the deeds coming from your heart and for the good of the people you are trying to help. We need heroes, the ones that live in our communities, to challenge and fight against injustice and hate groups. These heroes matter because when in times of trouble there need to be people that can be the light in the darkness. If there were no heroes in our world, the world spiral in darkness and the world would turn into the purge forever. I am personally inspired by all heroes, fictional and real life people that have done extraordinary deeds in the time of need. The ones that have had the biggest impact my world like Malala and Martin Luther King will forever hold a spot in my heart. My view of heroes may not be the same as a stranger on the street, but we all can recognize when a hero is in our presence by good deeds.

 

We wrote this essay because we wanted to compare Ulysses to modern day heroes and see the differences  and the similarities. People had different perspectives on whether ulysses is a hero or not, I hope you liked my essay!