Jessica Perez
Felicia Dziadek
English Comp. 1302
February 04, 2009
Idols
When a child is small they look upon certain people to lead them in life. Children
tend to be like them in almost all sorts of aspects. Sometimes it can be consider a parent,
an uncle or an aunt, a big sister or brother, or even a grandmother or grandfather, but in
other times people look beyond that point. That point can be people who have been
successful in life or a historic figure whether it’s from the present or the past. Either way
a child sees this person as a pathway to guide them in life and consider them to be their
idols.
An idol can be described in many forms depending on the person’s point of view.
Some see an idol as a hero while others see them as a person who is inspirational. I
personally view an idol as a person that I can look up to. I see them as people who have
fought for what they believe and never let anyone or anything bring them down no matter
what the situation is or was. They let their voices be heard and no force could stop them
such as the authority, people against their personal believes, and enemies. My idol is
someone that I admire for the work they have done whether it’s for politics, religious, or
rights issues such as the freedom of speech, religion, and etc. My four idols are Helen
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Keller, Eva Galler, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Mohandas Gandhi. These people have made a
difference in their own way and have inspired me in a way that I can say, “well if they
did it why can’t I.” For these reasons they have reached out to me, and I’m able to say
that these are my idols.
Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Like any other
child, Helen was born healthy. Though when Keller was about 19 months old, “she
“suffered a ‘brain fever’ (probably scarlet fever or meningitis)… that left her blind and
deaf” (American Who Tell the Truth – Helen Keller). About the time that she was
around seven years old, “Anne Mansfield Sullivan came to Tuscumbia to be her teacher”
(Helen Keller Biography). Helen Keller always said that this day was "the most important
day [she could] remember in [her] life," (Helen Keller Biography). The first word that
was ever taught to her was the word doll in sign language. At first, it was a very hard task
for Anne to teach Helen how to spell in sign language. It was hard because Helen didn’t
have a desire to learn at that age, but as time went on “the desire to express [herself]
grew” (Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan, John Albert Macy, Roger Shattuck, Dorothy
Herrmann pg. 22).
I consider her as my idol because of her life experience. She brought so much into
this world that we can learn from. Even though Helen had a challenge made out for her
each day she never surrendered, “I felt as if invisible hands were holding me, and I mad
frantic efforts to free myself,” and with the help of Annie Sullivan she was able to make
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it (Helen Keller, Annie Sullivan, John Albert Macy, Roger Shattuck, Dorothy Herrmann
pg. 22). She is seen as a fighter who was never brought down by anyone or anything in
my eyes. My admiration towards her is mainly because she was both deaf and blind and
she managed to get through the day like any other person. Her determination to learn how
to make it in society demonstrated to everyone that life can be a challenge, but there is
always something to fight for. By her not giving up proved to me that not everyone is
lucky enough to be in perfect shape but either way one can set their selves certain goals
to conquer those imperfections.
Eva Galler was born on January 1, 1924 in Oleszyce, Poland. The “community
consisted of 7,000 families, [which] half of them were Jews” (John Menszer). She was
“the oldest of eight children and is the only survivor of her family” (Plater Robinson).
Once Hitler went into Poland it became a life or dead situation for the Jewish. When the
Germans came her family and herself “were living in conditions of hunger and fear”
(John Menszer). Her family’s “hiding place was in the attic behind a double wall” and it
was made clear to the little children “that if they made noise it was a matter of life and
death” (John Menszer). Once captured by the Nazis her family was on a train being
deported to Belze Camp. By trying to escape two of her younger siblings were shot
leaving her the only one surviving out of her family. For years she wondered trying to
find a place to live where her fear could not get her and having a false identity in society.
Eva Galler is a special woman in my eyes because she was able to survive
something dreadful in her life. Not everyone can say that they have gone through
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something as horrible as Eva. Unlike many, Eva is a holocaust survivor who had no
choice but to continue with her life which “… left [her] so many bad…memories” (Plater
Robinson). After she has gone through so much she has proved to the world that
reestablishment is possible and that even though “life wasn’t so exciting” she had to
move on (Plater Robinson). Her bravery, her strength, her determination for survival
makes this woman an idol. These qualities that she has are one of the primary reasons
why she is still alive and has been able to move on in life and these are the qualities that
make her an idol.
Eleanor Roosevelt was born in New York City on October 11, 1884. She was the
“daughter of… Anna Hall and Elliott Roosevelt” (Anna Eleanor Roosevelt). Suddenly on
December 7, 1892, her mother died meaning that her “family was arranged to go live
with her grandmother Hall” (Eleanor Roosevelt page 9). When Eleanor became grown
she started to become more active in things. She was “active in social work and
Democratic politics even before her husband became president” (Eleanor Roosevelt
Biography). Eleanor “married to her distant cousin, Franklin” Roosevelt on March 17,
1905 in New York City (Eleanor Roosevelt Biography). When she became a First Lady,
“she helped to shape the social programs known as the New Deal” (Eleanor Roosevelt
Biography). Unlike the previous First Ladies, Eleanor Roosevelt was “a new kind of First
Lady: she travelled the country independently [from Franklin Roosevelt], visited coal
miners and factory workers, wrote newspaper columns and opinion pieces, visited
soldiers overseas during World War II, and advocated for the poor” (Eleanor Roosevelt
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Biography). After being the First Lady and after the death of her husband, Franklin
Roosevelt, “she continued to lecture and write about racial equality, women's rights and
world peace,” and also became “an American delegate…of the United Nations” (Eleanor
Roosevelt Biography).
Eleanor Roosevelt is an inspirational. She served the country as the first lady but
with power. Her success goes far. Her will for a change is inspiring. She was a very hard
worker and an idealist. Eleanor’s believes made a difference in America unlike any other
First Lady. She’s my idol because she was a very open person with everyone even though
she hold such a high position. I admire her because after she left the white house she
made sure she just didn’t leave as the widow of the president, but she made sure that her
voice would not be silent.
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India.
By the age of thirteen, Gandhi was married “to Kasturbai who was also of the same age”
(Mahatma Gandhi-His Life In Pictures). Gandhi left to London for three years to study
law and came back in 1891. Two years late “he took on a one-year contract to do legal
work in South Africa” (Mahatma Gandhi Biography). While working in South Africa
British had control over the country and therefore he “attempted to claim his rights as a
British,” but he was abused (Mahatma Gandhi Biography). This opened his eyes to see
“that all Indians suffered similar treatment” and therefore “stayed in South Africa for
twenty-one years working to secure rights for Indian people (Mahatma Gandhi
Biography). One of Gandhi’s main believes was that “the way people behave is more
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important than what they achieve” (Mahatma Gandhi Biography). Satyagraha, which was
his method of action, “promoted nonviolence and civil disobedience….for obtaining
political and social goals” (Mahatma Gandhi Biography). By 1915, Gandhi had return to
India and years later became the leader of the Indian Nationalist Movement. With great
success Mohandas K. Gandhi “became one of the most respected spiritual and political
leaders of the 1900's” (Mahatma Gandhi Biography).
Mohandas K. Gandhi was a hero for many people which makes him my idol
because in reality, he’s what you call an idol. His legacy did so much, and he “lived,
suffered and died in India for Indians” (Mahatma Gandhi-His Life In Pictures). He
inspired people to do something about their situations and stand up for the cause, and “he
was essentially a moral force, whose appeal is to the conscience of man and therefore
universal” (Mahatma Gandhi-His Life In Pictures).The way he handled his problems is
something that I really admire. Unlike an average person he took matters into a different
direction. Instead he acted upon peace and non-violence. His belief was that no matter
how bad the situation was, violence was not the way to solve it. He was a fighter, a
believer, and a hero.
So therefore what are idols once again and what defines them? What differs an
idol from everyone else who is involved in our lives? Idols are people that we look up to.
Idols are people who we believe have done something right and have done something to
inspire us to be just like them. They are our heroes, our admiration, and inspiration. Idols
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are considered to be our pathways to life and have demonstrated something that benefits
every single one of us. Our idols show us from right from wrong, and they give life a
whole different meaning. Our idols push us to our limits, so, therefore we know what we
are capable of doing. We get a clear view of life and we learn to look beyond a certain
picture. We become aware of the big picture in life. They advise us and give us their hand
to lay on whenever we need to reflect on something. Once again our idols can be anyone
ranging from a parent, to Britney Spears, to President George Washington it’s just a
matter of fact who we want to call our idol.