Can Heroes be Ordinary People?

Our heroes don’t have to be great and extraordinary people, contributing to the field of science, art or technology, but can be instead ordinary people, such as our grandmothers or perhaps your neighbor, and any person you admire for their deeds. In truth, many extraordinary people, are in fact ordinary people doing extraordinary things, such as Rosa Parks, Pheidippides and Atticus Finch from the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee were all ordinary people who stood up and became a hero.

Rosa Parks, an African American woman is another ordinary person, but stood up for what she believed in and became a hero. As a child, Parks attended rural schools and graduated. At the time, many Jim Crow Laws were passed, one of which was that black or “colored” people had to sit at the back of the bus and must give up their seats to any white passengers if there were no more seats available. After a long day of Work, Parks boarded a bus and sat at the first row of seats designated for colored passengers. After the seats for white passengers were filled, the driver asked Parks and four other colored passengers to move. Rosa Parks refused to move and so she was arrested. Following her arrest, many African-American citizens protested by refusing to ride the bus. After years of boycotting, the bus system was finally integrated. Because of her extraordinary deed, where Parks would not get up when many others would have she is considered a hero.

Pheidippides was born in Athens around 530BC and is a hero and an ordinary person. He ran 240 kilometers to Sparta in two days to request help when the Persians arrived in Marathon, Greece and after the Greek victory over the Persians in the Battle of Marathon, he ran another 40 kilometers from the battlefield to announce the victory and collapsed and died soon afterwords. Today, he is remembered whenever someone runs a marathon, in honor of the Battle of Marathon and Pheidippides' run. Even though he was only doing his job, Pheildippides is still regarded as a hero.

In the novel by Harper Lee, “To Kill a Mockingbird”, Atticus Finch, a father of two and a lawyer, lived in a town stereotyping African Americans. When Finch is appointed to defend an African American man named Tom Robinson, he is faced with a lot of controversy. However, Atticus Finch still defends man, who is convicted of rape, to the best of his ability. He presented a very convincing case to protect Tom Robinson, but Robinson is still convicted guilty. Although Atticus Finch did not succeed in protecting his Robinson, he stood up for what he thought was right, even in the face of all the disapproval, and is considered a hero.

In conclusion, ordinary people can be heroes, and many of these people perform extraordinary acts, such as Terry Fox, Rosa Parks and Atticus Finch. Although perhaps they receive much fame for their great deeds, it is how they rose and stood up for what they believe in that makes these acts truly heroic and noble.