Harshita Prasad September 17, 2012 8th hour Hero Definition Essay “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something greater than oneself” (Joseph Campbell). The meaning of a true hero is someone who sacrifices their life for the good and needs of others. A real hero is willing to take risks, never gives up, and is not selfish. A hero is someone who is willing to take risks. That means that they understand what could happen, but they are still brave enough to do it. An example of that would be from the movie Mulan (Tony Bancroft, 1998.) Mulan is a young Chinese girl who lives in a time when women have no rights. She disguises herself as a man and goes off to fight in the army in the place of her father, who is not able to, even though she knows the consequences. Mulan understood that despite the fact she could die, she needed to save her father. A hero also never ever gives up even when things seem really bad. They continue through their struggles to achieve their goal. An example is from “The Odyssey’ (Homer). Odysseus was captured along with some of his men by a giant Cyclops. Instead of losing hope and waiting to be eaten,“ [He ] considered the best way of escaping and saving [him]self and [his] men from death.” Another less dramatic example would be from the movie October Sky, (Joe Johnston, 1999). Homer Hickam, a young man, pursues his dream of being a rocket scientist through many hardships and the fact that his family is not supportive of him at all. He still manages to accomplish his dream because he never quits. There are also many types of heroes. One is an everyday hero- someone who fights for a good cause every day, such as firemen, police officers, doctors, etc. Ana, a woman who was diagnosed with cancer for over 20 years, is an everyday hero. She is an inspiration to her family and friends by being brave and determined to “ fight against nature itself… not only for herself, but to be there for all those she loves and who love her” (SB page 48) . A different type of hero would be an archetypal hero. That is someone who goes through stages and quests to become a hero. An example is “Percy Jackson” by Rick Riordan. Percy must go through steps and