Here, in the real world, we imagine how nice it would be to have these fictional titans to protect us from all kinds of threats; unfortunately, they remain trapped on the page.

Luckily, there are plenty of real-life heroes who tackle complicated problems. For example, Mother Teresa was a nun who devoted her life to helping the very poorest people in India and around the world. Then there was Mahatma Gandhi, a lawyer who stood up for the rights of the poor in India. He was a pioneer for the concept of non-violent civil disobedience. And every day, police officers, firefighters, doctors, and soldiers work to help people in dangerous or frightening situations overcome the odds and survive.

From these examples, you can see there are many different ways to be a hero. What are the things that all of these heroes have in common—the things that make them heroic? What, in essence, does it mean to be a hero?

Background

When someone says the word “hero,” you might be reminded of many different people. There are fictional superheroes like the ones who populate comic books and movies. Perhaps you’d prefer to think of actual people, the movers and shakers that changed the world, like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Even these figures might few and far between, though; so you might also consider everyday people, like firefighters, who dedicate their lives to doing extraordinary things on a daily basis. All of these are good examples of heroes.

Some heroes come from fables and tall tales: one old fable tells the story of Paul Bunyan, a giant who lived on the frontier. Due to his gigantic size, he could lift trees and houses with his bare hands and rescued people from floods and log jams. Similarly, fairy tale protagonist Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor, devoting his life to leveling the playing field.

Other imaginary heroes come from comic books and graphic novels. Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman all have special, superhuman powers that enable them to fight crime and save the world.