Harriet Tubman Qualities

Maggie Carr
Mrs. Shevlin
English, D
5 October 2016
A True Hero: Harriet Tubman Heroes are portrayed in everyday life, from the covers of comic books to the main characters in movies, to heroes in our own lives. All of these heroes have different characteristics that makes them truly unique from one another. That is what makes a hero so amazing is that a hero can be defined as however one sees fit. An example of a hero would be the one and only, Harriet Tubman. Harriet Tubman portrays the traits of a hero through her determination, dedication, and in how she made a difference in the lives of those around her. "What defines a hero?" one might ask. A hero is someone who is selfless, brave and determined. It is someone who has experienced something
In Tubaman's case, her family bonds proves to be beneficial to her future. Her close relationship with her family could be a factor as to why she decided to make a difference with regards to slavery. In Elizabeth Svoboda's book, What Makes a Hero, Svoboda mentions that "close, loving relationships prior to a difficult event, such as strong family ties, may also increase the odds that sufferers will turn their pain into goodwill" (83). In this case, Svoboda's point is accurate with the way Tubman uses the difficult event of having her family and friends be trapped in slavery, to fuel her determination to make a change. The main event that sparked her desire to escape for freedom was in 1845 when she hired a lawyer to trace her family's history. The discovery that the lawyer uncovered was that Tubamn's mother was actually freed years ago, but her mother never knew this. Her mother's owner had suddenly died and did not arrange any other plans for any of her slaves, technically making her free. Since Tubman had such a close relationship with her family, figuring out this piece of information inspired her to start her journey. While conducting escape missions on the Underground Railroad Tubman recalls her family's extensive love of folklore and scripture and used it as a secret code between her and the slaves she was helping escape. This technique created by childhood memories helped to make her missions occur
Since Tubman never learned how to read or write, she used her memorization skills, background with nature and her sharp mind to maneuver throughout the Underground Railroad.
Harriet Tubman and Chris McCandless may not seem like they share any similarities, but they do in fact have something in common.
Connection to Into the Wild Harriet Tubman and Chris McCandless both share the quality of determination.
Harriet Tubamn's discovery of how her mother was technically freed years before fueled her desire for freedom and made her even more determined to escape than she already was.
Tubman hired a lawyer and this lawyer revealed the fact that her mother was freed years earlier because her owner had suddenly died and hadn't made any other plans for her slaves ("Contemporary Heroes and Heroines").
Chris McCandless' desire to survive in the Alaskan terrain fueled a strong determination to prove to himself and others that he could successfully do it.