My views of heroism were different as a child than they are today. Growing up, many different people influenced me, but the main person that I looked up to was Sarah Stanley. She still to this day remains a dance leader at my church. Although she was a positive influence on me, other unethical idols came into the picture. I viewed people such as Brittney Spears as a hero, when she most definately is not one. Many other children had the same problem of not having many requirments of what a "hero" was as growing up. I was impacted by what we were told not the decisions I made on my own which I would expect from a child.
When I became more mature I began to view heroism differently. Not any ramdom person I liked would do as my hero. As for others I could not say the same. Many teenagers became even more consumed with the misleading idols of the world growing up. In my case things have become clearer and answers became more visible. I find myself looking up to many people that have pursued the same risky career path that I dream to one day, but that does not mean any of them are unethical (such as Audrey Hepburn). In fact that is why I liked them in the first place. They are people that choose to do right even with other people staring at them as if they were in a fish bowl of judgment. I found that very courageous.
As I read the assigned literature this year, I felt that I learned the most about heroism while reading Les Miserables. The main trait that I have always looked for in a hero is courage. Courage is not doing something dangerous without being scared. It is when a person has made the choice to do what they know is right even if it is not what others or themselves may want. Javert appeared as the antagonist to me throughout the story. Now that I have looked back at the story and thought it through, I have come to the conclusion that he was a brave man worthy of the name "hero." Although no one had ever favored him, he remained constant in his own beliefs of not doing the wrong things.

