Essay Sample about Heroic Women

Growing up, my idea of a hero was someone who wore a cape, could fly, and had magical powers like flying and teleportation. Now, of course, I know that definition is not all that accurate. Merriam-Webster defines a hero as “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities”, but why do these people we call heroes do heroic things? From Harriet Tubman to Ida B. Wells, and even Miep Gies, who provided a hiding place for the Franks. While all of these women did heroic things and proved that not all heroes wear capes, what was the motivation for their brave acts?  

When I think of Harriet Tubman, I think of a strong woman who took great risks in order to help slaves get to freedom. According to “The Underground Railroad '' which is an article by ushistory.org, Tubman is “Perhaps the most outstanding “conductor” of the Underground Railroad”. As far as her motivation goes for helping free slaves, it is likely because she was born a slave and after her escape to Philadelphia, she began freeing slaves, starting with her family. As well, due to her commitment to freeing slaves, she was responsible for the freedom of around 300 slaves during her time. 

While Harriet had a personal connection to the people she saved in that she was once in the same situation, Miep Gies had no connection to Anne Frank and her family, which leads to the question why would she help random strangers if it put her at risk? Well, according to Gies herself, she once said in an interview with Teri Schultz on National Public Radio that “I simply had no choice. I could foresee many, many sleepless nights and a life filled with regret if I would have refused to help the Franks. And this was not the kind of life I was looking for at all.” So based on this statement, it can be concluded that her reasoning was simply a result of her morals. However, in this interview she also said “People should never think that you have to be a very special person to help those who need you” so she likely also wanted to inspire others and prove that no matter who you are, it is possible for you to do great things. 

The third and final person I would like to discuss is Ida B Wells, who fought against racism, specifically segregation, with her pen and paper. Wells was a journalist who wrote about her own experiences of racism and how she responded to inspire others to stand up against the injustice being faced. Her story started when she was told her dear friend Thomas Moss was murdered during a raid on multiple grocery stores in which 3 black grocery store owners were dragged onto railroad tracks and shot. This tragedy was the beginning of many which motivated her to write about the injustices against black citizens being faced every day. 

One particular example comes from an article by Shannon Moreau, titled “The Story of Ida B. Wells” which mentions that Ida was taking a train to Memphis when the Conductor said “I can’t take your ticket here,” he told her. “You’ll have to move to the smoking car.” Ida told the Conductor she had a 1st class ticket; then the Conductor left. According to the article, he later returned with a couple of Baggage Clerks and “The three men dragged Ida from her seat while the white passengers clapped.” Later on, Ida published her first ever article, in which she wrote about the train incident, leading to a boycott against the railway company.  

As a result of  all of the articles I have read, I have come to believe that there is no specific reason as to why people act heroically, there are actually many motivations, even ones that were not cause for the acts of heroism from these women. As has been mentioned, Harriet Tubman had a personal connection from being born a slave, and having escaped herself, so, she worked to free other slaves including her family. Whereas on the contrary, Miep Gies simply did not want to regret not helping the Frank family and forever worry about what happened to them. While Tubman and Wells did both fight against the racism and injustice being faced, Ida and Tubman had two very different approaches. While Tubman was helping hide slaves and possibly facing death at any moment. Wells was writing about her experiences and standing up against inequality and racism. While there is no one common motivation as to why all of these women acted heroically, it is clear that all of them showed bravery and strength in times of need.