The Man In The Water Heroism Essay

603 Words3 Pages

Every Once and awhile, tragedy strikes, and the whole country sits still. On January 13th, 1982, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed. An event such as this one, though tragic, is sadly fairly common. Although, on January 13th, every soul in the united states had their eyes glued on the news channels, following the crash. There are many speculations about why this crash, in particular influenced the public so dramatically. On this day, a multitude of innocent people fell victim to the catastrophe, while some became heroes in the process. One man, known as the man in the water, had a particular pull on the hearts of the country. The man in the water showed a great deal of courage, strength, and selflessness in a time of disparity. The article, The Man in The Water, by Roger Rosenblatt, follows a central theme of heroism. To begin, the article, The Man in the Water, follows the theme of heroism beginning with Lenny Skutnik. Lenny was a twenty-eight year old employee of the congressional budget office, an average American who did something courageous and unexpected. Lenny was quoted for saying that he never expected to do anything quite like that. Just an average pedestrian, Lenny saw an injured …show more content…

The man in the water became a hero that day by sacrificing his own life to save several others. Although the man didn’t know if he himself would survive or not, he put on a brave, calm face. By staying calm, he manages to keep those around him calm, and safe. This mans act of selflessness is so inspiring because, many in the same situation go into survival of the fittest mode. With each floatation device the man in the water passed on, he decreased his own chances for survival. This small act is defined as heroism because he did the unnecessary, he gave life to many, while losing his