Traditionally, when we are asked to define a hero, we tend to think that hero is such a big word that only applies to those benevolent men who devote themselves to benefiting the rest. In fact, we do not need to make extraordinary achievements to be a hero. Common people, like us, can also be a hero if we live the way we want courageously. Richard Wright, from his autobiography, Black Boy, is certainly a hero of his own. Although Wright is not a typical hero with high principles and altruism when he faces adversities, he is heroic in his journey to overcome the threats of the Jim Crow South and escape to the North (thesis).
Body Paragraph 1: Ordinary World & Call to Adventures Unlike many young black men, Richard can never adapt his life under the Jim Crow laws. His defiance of the principal is the critical event that triggers him moving out of his “ordinary world”. Despite all of his friends and family are criticizing him for his refusal to deliver a speech written by the principal, Richard insists on delivering his own. The professor threatens him fiercely by saying, “You’re just a young, hotheaded fool. Suppose you don 't graduate?” Richard replies him indifferently, “I know only a hell of a little, but my speech is going to reflect that” (Wright 126). This indicates Richard is aware that his speech is not better than the principal 's; he also understands the consequence of his disobedience - the principal will not sponsor him financially for going into college. The