Heroes in a Box: Russian Heroes

I decided to make my category of heroes Russian heroes. I have collected artifacts on three main heroes, Yuri Gagarin, Grigory Zinoviev, and Vasily Zaytsev. Although they are all three heroes they are very different from each other. I chose this group of heroes for that exact reason. I decided that three very different heroes would help me best analyze what it truly is to be a hero.

Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space, undeniably a dazzling accomplishment. But what about this makes him a hero? To become the first man in space Gagarin

had to undergo very intense physical and mental training. He also had to be selected from all of the pilots in the Soviet Air Force to become the first Astronaut. After he was selected he had to face the uncertainty of being the first to travel into space. This must have been terrifying. As shown in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2C1FkPz5vU) crawling into the tiny compartment of the ship, all alone, on a voyage into the unknown, would have been terrifying indeed. Certainly Gagarin's courage alone makes him a hero. So if there is one trait of a hero that Yuri Gagarin has shown us, it is courage.

The name of our next hero is Grigory Zinoviev. Zinoviev was a leader in the 1917 October Revolution. In which the Communists led by the Bolsheviks (including Zinoviev) overthrew the government in an armed struggle. At the time Russia was in horrible condition and just about any change was good change. Thankfully for them Zinoviev and the other Bolsheviks sought to do just that. Zinoviev wanted to help the people of Russia, so from him we see a kind of selflessness in a hero.

The final hero is Vasily Zaytsev. He was a Russian sniper during World War II. He killed over 242 Germans, many of which were high ranking officers. To say Zaytsev was good with a rifle would be a vast understatement. Zaystev was undeniably one of the most, if not the most skillful sniper of his day. He was awarded with countless medals, including the most prestigous Hero of the Soviet Union Award. As picture in this video (skip the first 3 mins os so http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zrdMO1a4EU) Zaytsev was the hero that the USSR needed, and he lives on as just that. So the hero trait we acquire from Zaytsev, is a special skill of some kind.

These three great Russian heroes have taught us three important traits of a hero, courage, selflessness, and a special skill. Another thing they all have incommon is that they accomplished extraordinary feats, and that is another important trait of a hero.