When talking about heroism you have to define what hero really is. So what is a hero? Is it risking your life in order to save others or is it saving yourself? Is being a hero simply saving someone? One definition of heroism is doing something that risks something to yourself voluntarily without expecting something in return. That is exactly what Louis Zamperini did but he also did more than that. He forgave the people that had done him wrong. He refused to get part of suffering for the sake of his loyalty to America which definitely cost him. In fact, it caused him a punch in the face from EVERY single prisoner on the Japanese camp. In the book Louis was told that if America won the war the people in the camp would be killed which was obviously including him, but if Japan won they would be free. And at that point …show more content…
That is what true heroism is, after all the things you go through to be able to forgive them for what they had done to him. Another reason why he is a true hero is because he was loyal to his country.
Quotes:
“That night, the sense of shame and powerlessness that had driven his need to hate the Bird had vanished. The Bird was no longer his monster. He was only a man” (Hillenbrand, 379).
“As he bobbed in a fog of nausea, someone came to his bunk and handed him five letters. They were from Pete, Sylvia, and his parents, all written many months earlier, Louie tore open the envelopes, and out came photographs of his family. It was the first Louie has seen or heard of them in nearly two and a half years. He clutched the letters and hung on” (Hillenbrand, 304).
“Louie stood, eyes on the Bird. The beam felt heavier and heavier, the pain more intense. The Bird watched Louie, amused by his suffering, mocking him” (Hillenbrand, 295).
“A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain. Louie thought: Let