Ned Kelly Research Paper

Over many years, people have debated whether Ned Kelly was a hero, victim, or villain. The famous bushranger, Ned Kelly (1854-1880), born in Australia, was the eldest son of John and Ellen Kelly. He became a bushranger to fight for his mother’s freedom. Undeniably, Ned was a hero because he offered to do anything to free his mother from hard labour. He committed theft because his family was very poor, and commoners idolized him as he stood up to the government for them.

To begin with, Ned Kelly would do anything to free his mother, even if it cost him his life. When his mother was first sentenced to hard labour, Ned immediately jumped into action. He and his brother tried everything possible to free her. Carole Wilkinson, author of Black Snake, claimed that Ned offered to surrender for his mother’s freedom (Wilkinson, 2014). Later in the Letter to the Governor of Victoria, Ned wrote “There is one wish in conclusion I would like you to grant me that is the release of my mother before my execution” (Kelly, 1880). From the start to the end, Ned wanted nothing but the release of his mother. He wanted his family to live happily without any concerns. Thus, the bushranger’s continuing persistence in saving his mother

After John Kelly’s death, Ned became the head of the family. The Kellys were very poor so to survive, he became an assistant to a bushranger. Youtuber Extra Credits explained in Under Suspicion that when Ned’s family experienced economic hardships, he had no choice but to turn to the person he knew that was doing well, bushranger Harry Power (Credits, 2017). In addition, the author of Black Snake, Wilkinson stated, “Ned didn’t like the life of a bushranger...” (Wilkinson, 2014). This indicated that Ned did not like being a bushranger but since his family was desperate, he stole for money. Therefore, Ned Kelly was a hero because he was willing to commit crime to put food on the