Daily Archives: December 20, 2016

ELA B9: Student Responses “Who are your heroes?”

In our ELA class, we were instructed to read an article about heroes. Then we choose two student responses to what a hero is and wrote our response to those students.

This is the link to the website we read the article on:

stover 2015 October 13, 2015 · 1:06 pm
Adam Nossiter, the author of “Americans Resist Hero Label After Foiling Train Attack,” reports in his article three American men who stopped a terrorist attack on a train in Paris. In my eyes a hero is a person with the courage or bravery to put his or her life in danger to save or help another person. The qualities I look for in a hero is someone who goes out of their way to help someone in need. I personally do not think that heroism requires physical strength because most heroes have to be mentally strong to accomplish their heroic deeds. Nothing extraordinary has to happened for someone to be a hero. There are people that help other people in everyday life that I would consider to be a hero. There has been times where I felt like I could have been labeled as a hero. For example a couple of nights ago I was driving home from Roanoke, and I saw this elderly man on the side of the interstate. I saw his car was in bad condition as if he had wrecked. Nobody stopped to see if he was alright, so I pulled off and checked it out. He said a deer had jumped in front of his car and he hit the guardrail. He had no phone and had been there for about twenty minutes. I was the first person to stop. I called 911 and they sent people to assist the man. I’m sure the three men on the train felt the same way and that’s why they didn’t take credit for the heroic act that they performed.

Response: Through my eyes I also see a hero as someone that will go out of their way to help a person without getting anything in return. I agree with pretty much everything that you stated. You don’t have to do something super extraordinary to be a hero. You could buy someone luch if they didn’t have money to do so. To you that would be a small gesture and to the other person that would make that persons day and you could be their hero. I would also agree with you saying you should be labeled as a hero for stopping to help someone in a car accident. You may be the only one driving by that would stop to help that person that night. You potentially saved that persons life and that is a quality I feel makes a hero. I think that your idea of a hero is fairly close tow hat mine is.

Olivia B 2015 October 16, 2015 · 8:30 am

In Adam Nossiter’s article, “Americans Resist Hero Label After Foiling Train Attack,”he discusses the incident of three American men who took down a gunman on a Paris-bound express train. None of the men wanted the title of being a “hero” because they thought they were just doing what they should. Nossiter says,“In their telling, the dramatic moments in the railway car could have been a particularly lively finish to an otherwise great night out: no heroics, and nothing dramatic about it.” One of the American men, Spencer Stone, said of the assailant, “He seemed like he was ready to fight until the end, and so were we.” That is what I believe a hero is. Someone who is willing to sacrifice their own safety for others. To me, my hero is my dad. He was in the National Guard and was deployed in Iraq in 2010. My father decided to go into the National Guard because it would give our family some extra help with health care and more money to have saved for an emergency. He is risked his own life to help us and preserve freedom for American citizens. After he came home and he was able to tell us stories about his time in Iraq, I now have a greater respect for him and all American soldiers. Not only did my dad risk his life for my family, but for all those who call themselves Americans.

Response: I think that you are on the right track when you say that a lot of heroes don’t want to be considered heroes. I think that some reasons for this is people think they are doing what they should or maybe being called a hero brings back bad memories of the event that happened. You mention that you believe a hero is some that is willing to fight until the end. I agree completely with that. I also think that a hero is some that is willing to take risks to be helpful and someone that is brave an courageous would fit into my description of a hero. I think that it is totally possible for your dad to considered a hero. He was willing to put his life in danger to fight for the rights of his country. I feel my ideas of a hero are very much like yours.