English practice 4
The Life of a Hero
During a weekend visit a while back1, I decided to show my nephew, Paul, my old comic books. The pristine copies of Superman, Spider-Man, and my favorite, Green Lantern, were all stored neatly in a box. I thought it would be fun to introduce him to my favorite handful of characters. I knew Superman and Spider-Man were still popular, but I figured the Green Lantern of my youth had probably went2 the way of other long-forgotten heroes.
John Stewart, the first African-American to serve as the Green Lantern was one3 of the first African-American superheroes to become widely popular. A former Marine and a practiced and fearsome warrior4. With his ring, he was almost unstoppable. He was a fighter; leading, and, on top of everything else, acting cool5. Stewart seemed to embody everything I could have wanted for my6 future: the respect of others, the power to control himself, and he was known for having a great sense of style7.
Growing up in the 1970s, I idolized Stewart. I 8 devoured the comics featuring Stewart, not just because he was a true superhero but because of his back-story. Unlike Superman, Stewart seemed like a hero I could understand9. His life had its ups and its downs;10 his problems were real life problems that I could relate to. He got in trouble sometimes and fought with his friends and family. He came from a bad neighborhood and hadn't always been on the road to superhero status.
For a little while in the early 1990s, there was a series that focused solely on Stewart as the Green Lantern, but after10 it ended, Stewart was replaced and seemed likely to be forgotten. Much to my surprise, however, Paul knew exactly who Stewart was. He was just as big a fan as I had been, but for different reasons. For me, Stewart's rocky, life story was12 central to his appeal. For Paul, however, Stewart's past didn't matter as much as did his actions13; Paul admired Stewart because he was such a strong role model.
When I was young, Stewart was a role model that I could identify with. I assumed Paul would either have his own role models or would share my feelings about my role models. Instead, he shared my role models but not my reasons. To him, Stewart was simply a superhero, just like Superman. He admired them both without worrying about that14. In Paul's worldview, all superheroes are simply superheroes they're heroes15, regardless of their pasts, not because of them.
