A hero is an individual who is admired for their courageous acts. A hero is courageous, determined, responsible, selfless, wise and honest. One well-known hero is Martin Luther King Jr, an activist in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. King fought for equality and human rights for African Americans, which ultimately cost him his life. Rosa Parks, also an activist for the Civil Rights Movement, is another prominent example of a hero. Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, which led to her arrest, the loss of her job, and even death threats. However, Rosa’s actions eventually led to the end of segregation on public buses. Similarly, John Updike’s “A & P” main character, Sammy, decides to quit his job as a way of
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According to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, “Heroes are selfless people who perform extraordinary acts.” When making a decision, most individuals will seek the choice that will benefit them; however, heroes often do the opposite. Heroes tend to make decisions based on what will benefit individuals in their society, and those who are counting on them. For example, a hero from a movie might risk his or her own life to save the life of a child or an elder in danger. In Updike’s “A & P,” Sammy states, “Remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside I punch the No Sale tab and the machine whirs “pee-pul” and the drawer splats out.” Thinking about how unfairly the group of girls got treated is what angered Sammy and led him to quit his job, not his own personal reasons. Ultimately, how the girls got treated did not affect Sammy in any way; however, he still made the choice to put the girls before himself and quit. Sammy’s selfless behavior further proves how he displays the characteristics of a …show more content…
According to a journal published by PLoS (Public Library of Science) ONE, there are two types of heroes: those who act in once in a lifetime situations, and those whose actions “usually happens in everyday circumstances and goes unnoticed by the public.” Sammy would be classified as an everyday hero; however, he resembles some “once in a lifetime situation” heroes, such as Rosa Parks. Parks did not believe that African Americans should be forced to give up their bus seats simply because of their race, so she refused to do so. Similarly, Sammy had the courage of quitting and standing up for the girls after not agreeing with the way his manager treated them. Additionally, Parks displayed selflessness by putting the African American population before herself. Parks knew her actions would lead to negative consequences for her, such as jail time, but they would eventually benefit the African American race, so she decided to act on their behalf. Likewise, Sammy put the group of girls before himself and quit his job as a way of standing up for them. Although Sammy’s actions were not too drastic, they still showed courage and selflessness, just like Rosa Parks’ actions did. Sammy’s resemblance to other significant heroes adds to the claim that Sammy is an example of a
According to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, “Heroes are selfless people who perform extraordinary acts.” When making a decision, most individuals will seek the choice that will benefit them; however, heroes often do the opposite. Heroes tend to make decisions based on what will benefit individuals in their society, and those who are counting on them. For example, a hero from a movie might risk his or her own life to save the life of a child or an elder in danger. In Updike’s “A & P,” Sammy states, “Remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside I punch the No Sale tab and the machine whirs “pee-pul” and the drawer splats out.” Thinking about how unfairly the group of girls got treated is what angered Sammy and led him to quit his job, not his own personal reasons. Ultimately, how the girls got treated did not affect Sammy in any way; however, he still made the choice to put the girls before himself and quit. Sammy’s selfless behavior further proves how he displays the characteristics of a …show more content…
According to a journal published by PLoS (Public Library of Science) ONE, there are two types of heroes: those who act in once in a lifetime situations, and those whose actions “usually happens in everyday circumstances and goes unnoticed by the public.” Sammy would be classified as an everyday hero; however, he resembles some “once in a lifetime situation” heroes, such as Rosa Parks. Parks did not believe that African Americans should be forced to give up their bus seats simply because of their race, so she refused to do so. Similarly, Sammy had the courage of quitting and standing up for the girls after not agreeing with the way his manager treated them. Additionally, Parks displayed selflessness by putting the African American population before herself. Parks knew her actions would lead to negative consequences for her, such as jail time, but they would eventually benefit the African American race, so she decided to act on their behalf. Likewise, Sammy put the group of girls before himself and quit his job as a way of standing up for them. Although Sammy’s actions were not too drastic, they still showed courage and selflessness, just like Rosa Parks’ actions did. Sammy’s resemblance to other significant heroes adds to the claim that Sammy is an example of a