Jefferson Is A Hero Essay

Do you agree, as Grant says, that he can never be a hero but that Jefferson can be? *

I disagree with Grant when he says that he can never be a hero, but I do agree with Jefferson's ability to be a hero. When Grant says the following: "A hero does for others. He would do anything for people he loves because he knows it would make their lives better. I am not that kind of person, but I want you to be. You could give something to her, to me, to those children in the quarter. You could give something I never could... The white people out there are saying you don't have it -- that you're a hog, not a man. But I know they are wrong," he doesn't realize that he, himself, is being a hero is a different way that Jefferson could be. He is being a hero to Jefferson, pushing

Grant needs Jefferson more than Jefferson needs Grant, but they both do need one another. Grant needs someone to believe in and he finds that in Jefferson as they grow closer. From Jefferson's perspective, Grant could be considered a savior for him, making him understand that he didn't deserve to die, that he was an actual human being, not a hog. Both Grant and Jefferson find hope in one another, as well as the black community find hope in them. Jefferson's death would not go unnoticed or just passed off in the black community, it would mean something, and Grant is a significant reason for this. In my opinion, Grant is a hero, just indirectly through Jefferson since he is raising Jefferson up through helping him see himself as a man and not a wild, savage animal. Grant may have his own issues internally, such as his belief that he is more of a coward than a hero because he doesn't stand up for blacks and their rights, but helping Jefferson is a step in the right direction on his path to being a hero and becoming a better person overall. Jefferson gives Grant a change in perspective and helps him to start believing that