<p>Prompt: Traditionally the term "heroism" has been applied to those who have braved physical danger to defend a cause or to protect others. But one of the most feared dangers people face is that of disapproval by their family, peers, or community. Sometimes acting courageously requires someone to speak out at the risk of such rejection. We should consider those who do so true heroes.
Should heros be defined as people who say what they think when we ourselves lack the courage to say it?</p>
<p>The question "Should heros be defined as people who say what they think when we ourselves lack the courage to say it?" suggests that the real heros of scoeity are not just those brave physical danger or defend a cause to protect others, but also those who express their opinions in spite of the possibility of rejection. This perception is proved through various examples in history and literature.</p>
<p>Take, for instance, the experiences of Ralph in the classic book Lord of the Flies. In the story, a group of young boys has crash landed on an island. With no adults, the boy slack supervision, and somebody has to fill the role. Both Ralph and Jack step up to run for the leadership position, but Ralph wins the election. As the story progresses, Ralph tries to muster the boy sto live civilly and organizes a signal fire so the boys are spotted by a rescue crew, but as more time passes, the boys drift to the leadership of Ralph's nemesis, Jack. Jack is a venal character who appeals to the dark emotions in each person. Jack insists on hunting, ignoring the signal fire, and partaking in dances in which one boy, Simon, is even killed. At one point, Ralph loses most of his supporters to Jack who bribes them with meat and other debaucheries, and as a result, he is tempted to join the uncivil band of boys. Even then, however, Ralph steadfastly stood with his morals and chose not to join the boys, causing him to lose even more followers. In that sense, Ralph is a hero because even when he was pressured between doing the wrong thing or facing rejection, he chose to do the right thing. Ralph is the epitome of someone who spoke up in spite of rejection.</p>
<p>The threat of rejection even intimidates adults. Look at the life of James Curtis, a wealthy business man and entrepreneur during the 1940s. At the time, his business selling insurance had nearly hit rock bottom because his business was no longer making as much money, but he still had to pay his taxes. He told his company's board members of the problem, and each one of them advocated that he cheat the company's taxes to provide for all the workers. Curtis had a deep sense of morality and feared breaking even the simplest laws. When he rejected the board's plan, each member was very upset, but James knew he was doing the right thing. He had to cut some of his employees and even some of the board members. Clearly everyone was disappointed in the outcome, but James is a hero because he did the right thing even among adversity. James Curtis is just one more example of a hero who spoke out despite fear of rejection.</p>
<p>As one can see, those who speak out in spite of rejection are the real heros. They are the ones who do what is right even though they know they will disappoint others. They are the ones who do the things others cannot.</p>