HEROES IN A BOX

Introduction
In my quest for finding artifacts that described a hero chosen by myself, I found what I believe a hero truly is. When people think of heroes, they normally think of Spider man, Superman, Batman, etc. But when I think of what a hero is, I think of everyday ordinary people playing their part in the world. That can mean working as a teacher, a firefighter, a pilot, a salesperson at your favorite store, a garbage man, or even as student. What makes someone a hero is not whether they have superpowers, or whether or not they have made an accomplishment so huge that everyone knows about it. Every day ordinary people work hard to help each other and often all of their kind gestures can go unnoticed. Take a teacher for example. A teacher is truly unselfish. First of all, being a teacher doesn't make you a lot of money and so you know that a teacher is there for the right reasons. Also, they spend all day in the classroom just in order to help improve students knowledge of a subject. But, they work before you even get to school, and they often stay late when you're already at home and eating dinner. The great teachers that I know put the students first and I think that all of the events that a teacher has in a day to prepare to help us go unnoticed sometimes. I'm sure just one thank you after the class would even mean a lot to the teacher. We all need to pay more attention to the things that we do for one another and let each other know how much we appreciate each other.





Here is a Poem that I found on the Internet about everyday heroes:

Every day heroes are like you and me.We meet them at work, in the grocery shop, on the busy street and everywhere.



They come in all shapes and sizes; we only have to look all around us.Every day heroes have attitude.They maybe the stranger, who rescues a teenager from a wrecked car,Or the next-door neighbor fighting a battle with cancer,Or the lady who lives down the road; struggling to relearn, after severe brain injury.



They have a ready smile in spite of their pain.They never complain and always think positively.They have great vision, no handicap; no obstacle can keep them from pursuing their dreams.They never give up and do not let us give up either.



They never take relationships for granted.They care a lot about other people in the community.They always say, " I know what you are going through."They have an indomitable spirit and great strength.



They have a lot of faith and courage.They take pleasure in performing small acts of kindness rather than in grand intentions.They look for the best and give the best, they have.



They inspire us to carry on when things go wrong And teach us how to sing even when the sky turns gray.They teach us a lot about living and how to appreciate the gift of life.



And they see a beginning in every end.Every day heroes are people who touch our lives And leave footprints on our hearts to change our lives forever.



Copyright © 2000, Nandini Cardoso --- Goa, IndiaAll rights reserved; This poem cannot be reprinted without permission.



This poem leads us to a better understanding of heroes because it gives clear examples of people who are heroes in the community. Also, it shows that sometimes the everyday heroes are noticed by doing simple things, such as being there to listen as a friend. I like this poem because it's almost just saying "thank you" to everyday heroes. From this artifact, I learned that everyday heroes can leave huge impacts on people without them every even knowing it. I chose this poem because it reminds me of heroes in my everyday life that i normally wouldn't think of but am thankful for.





These are the lyrics to a part of a song I found called American Hero. The Author is unknown.

He drives in to the city works extra hard all day. He finishes up early so he can get away, Cause there's a blue eyed kid on second base who wants dad to watch him play. Daddy knows he's waiting so he hurries on his way.



Cause you know heroes come in every shape and size, Making special sacrifices for others in their lives. No one gives a medal, the world don't know their name,But in some ones eye their heroes just the same



She rocks her crying baby in the hours before dawn. She whispers words of hope to help her husband to hold on. She takes time with the children making sure they know she cares. She's more than just momma she's the answer to their prayers



These song lyrics lead to a better understanding of what I think is a hero by saying that the world doesn't have to even know their name and they don't have to be famous to be a hero. It gives examples of a mother and a father being heroes to their children. From these lyrics, I learned that a hero can be anyone in the world, and that you don't have to have superpowers or do something that the world will know in order to be a hero. Parents are heroes every day by giving up what they could have for their children and providing love to them. I chose this song because I often go without thanking my parents for things that they put up with and do for me every day and this poem reminds me of how they really are everyday heroes.





Here are 3 quotes that relate to everyday heroes:



"Heroism is not just pulling a child from a burning house or a driver from an icy river or a kitten from a tall tree. Heroism is also holding the door for a frail elderly and driving courteously and cooperatively and listening with an attentive heart to a friend's words. Small daily acts of love are as heroic as big once-in-a life time acts of rescue."- L. M. Heroux





"Few of us will do the spectacular deeds of heroism that spread themselves across the pages of our newspapers in big black headlines. But we can all be heroic in the little things of everyday life. We can do the helpful things, say the kind words, meet our difficulties with courage and high hearts,stand up for the right when the cost is high, keep our word even though it means sacrifice, be a giver instead of a destroyer. Often this quiet, humble heroism is the greatest heroism of all."- Wilferd A. Peterson





"Explore your mind, discover yourself, then give the best that is in you to your age and to your world.There are heroic possibilities waiting to be discovered in every person."- Wilferd A. Peterson



These quotes lead to a better understanding of the real definition of a hero by explaining that a hero is humble, that there is a hero inside all of us waiting to be discovered, and that the small heroic acts are as important as the big heroic acts. I chose these quotes because I felt they summed up what my message is throughout this whole project in a shorter way. I also chose these because they are encouraging to those who feel like they may not be a hero because it encourages them that everyone can be.


Conclusion
What I found in all of my research is that in order to be a hero, you don't have to able to become invisible or be able to fly. To be a real everyday hero, you have to be yourself and be humble, caring, and not necesarily appreciated. Another thing that I concluded was that there are 2 types of heroes.

1) Heroes that are reckognized ( Spiderman, Superman)
2) Heroes that are not reckognized ( Teachers, doctors, firefighters, friends)

I am not implying that no one cares for these people at all and that we ignore them, but it is known that us as a culture can overlook them sometimes and the small but meaningful gestures they do.

The kind of hero that I admire is the one that isn't reckognized- an everyday hero. Because superheroes aren't real and the people around you working their jobs in order to help eachother are.