<p>If anyone has time, please evaluate my essay. Thanks!</p>
<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.</p>
<p>Should heroes be defined as people who say what they think when we ourselves lack the courage to say it?</p>
<p>In the modern, technological world, the concept of a gallant knight slaying fearsome beasts seems starkly out of place. On a larger scale, the idea of physically strong heroes has become largely antiquated.</p>
<p>The novel My Name is Asher Lev traces the tale of a young Jewish boy who loves to paint. His passion, however, is at odds with the stringent Judaism espoused by his community. He is condemned a fool for desecrating holy books with his beautiful artwork, and chastised for depicting nude figures. But instead of succumbing to this outward pressure, Asher continues to paint. Inevitably, he is ostracized by his family and community. The fact that Asher risks his entire world to pursue what he believes in makes him a true hero.</p>
<p>In modern times, the status quo asserts that everyone should attend college. There we will learn the vital life skills necessary to survive in the "real world." Instead of blindly conforming to the norm, several great entrepreneurs of our era questioned why college was necessary. Bill Gates, visionary creator of Microsoft, and Mark Zuckerberg, the originator of Facebook, followed this route and dropped out of Harvard. It is not difficult to imagine the fears they had that their instincts would lead them astray. In fact, they were sacrificing security as well as the respect of their friends and family. If they had failed, they would have been labeled as lazy do-nothings. But these men bravely followed their "gut feelings" and left college to star their own businesses. Sometimes, what defines a hero is the quality of standing up for what you believe in despite the potential criticism of friends and family.</p>
<p>On a more personal level, my greatest hero is my father. An immigrant from China, he grew up amid the devastating tyranny of Communism. After witnessing government officials steal his family's most valued possessions, he realized that he could not live in China forever. After high school, he took the brave step of leaving the world he grew up in, as well as his entire family, to travel alone to America.</p>
<p>Although the sword-brandishing, muscular knight in shining armor has largely disappeared, the modern world has given birth to a new set of heroes. These brave men and women are not afraid to stand alone when fighting for what they believe in.</p>