Essay; Heroism

The story Atarssuaq is solely about heroism in my opinion. Atarssuaq’s father was the first hero. Many men tried to kill him, and they were never able to. He was determined to survive, and never gave up the fight. Now someone can argue that him wanting to survive is not a hero trait, but I think he kept fighting for his family. That intention is a great intention and holds heroism values in it. When Atarssuaq was born, his father put all of his efforts into preparing his son for life’s troubles (putting someone before oneself is a prime example of a hero). I like how the author showed the father’s sensitivity towards his son. He was always scared when Atarssuaq would dive into the water. Showing one’s feelings is important for a hero. I hate the stigma that a hero has to be tough and a brute almost. A hero can be courageous strong and caring/loving at the same time.

Atarssuaq was the other hero in the story. He was brave, courageous, compassionate, clever, and determined. He sought to please his father and be the best he could when he was tasked with being a swimmer. He even pushed passed his father’s expectation of his ability to swim. When his father was finally killed, he prepared to defend his mother. He knew he had to step up to the plate, and he ended up exceeding what was expected. He ended up killing everybody that came to attack him, except one. He did what was necessary to protect his mother and himself. He was clever and compassionate when he let the one man go. He spared him, which was compassionate. He also warned/threatened him so they would never come back again.  Great story for an example of heroism for other to learn from.

(Image from FeaturePics)