The Man In The Water By Roger Rosenblatt Summary

The Best We Can Do
Roger Rosenblatt discusses the power humans have to help each other, why we do so even if it requires sacrifice, and humankind’s definition of “hero” in his article “The Man in the Water.” He shows that “heroes” are made through actions that they find unavoidable. Before becoming heroes, they are completely ordinary people (this paradoxically proves that there is no such thing). The anonymity of the subject of this story allowed people to relate to that ordinarity, and as Rosenblatt explains, inspired them to follow the pre-existing motivation to do good and protect one another. Rosenblatt identifies this motivation as the “power of nature”, which is simultaneously part of humans and something humans battle against. He uses …show more content…
Self-sacrifice usually doesn’t make sense, as it doesn't benefit the person who does it - the man, specifically, even died. Thusly, people (or people who protect others) must be motivated to put others above themselves by default. Rosenblatt opens by explaining how the man must have known he would die at some point, but continued to hand lifelines anyway, for “In his judgement he had no choice.” As the author continues, the reader is reminded of the fact that even when someone's self-sacrifice leads to their own death, we do not believe it was in vain, nor believe that we are powerless; because “whatever moved these men to challenge death on behalf of their fellows is not peculiar to them.” Rosenblatt’s hypothesis is that people who will be heroic have a mindset which makes any other option seem unreasonable. Upon seeing a story such as this, one person with a spark of courageous service may be inspired to encourage that spark, and soon have the mindset of these heroes. It is important that people encourage this in others, for if not, then no heroes would ever be made. While not everyone is a hero yet, Rosenblatt clarifies that there is no such thing as someone totally …show more content…
People were intrigued and inspired by him because they saw themselves in him, possibly because there was nearly nothing about him. No backstory, no mention of loving children or spouse at home, no hobbies or interests - only a balding head, mustache, and the viewer’s personal prediction of age. People projected themselves on him because he was normal, relatable, and “he was Everyman, and thus proof (as if one needed it) that no man is ordinary”. Before he was a hero, “he was sitting in the ordinary plane among ordinary passengers, dutifully listening to the stewardess telling him to fasten his seatbelt and saying something about the ‘no smoking sign’.” Everything about the man was perfectly average, but with one event on one day of his entire life, he became a hero. Rosenblatt points out that this means everyone can do this, and there aren't any ordinary people who are incapable of being heroic. There is a common relation between everyone that allows them all to have this