Sample Essay on Women’s Hero

“Hero” is synonymic to “leader,” meaning the word “role model,” someone who you admire. Its introduction and definition are understood by people of different age, religion, sex, modern and old outlooks in another way. There are no unified hero description characteristics. For someone, it is a historical character who did brave acts saving someone. Beowulf or other fictional characters are ideal heroes for lovers of English and American literature. Others prefer to call their friends, parents, favorite teacher personal “role models.” These are people who sacrifice time bringing us up, teaching valuable lessons. In this hero essay sample, I am going to focus on describing a person who is a national hero in Liberia – Allan Johnson Sirleaf. She is an example of a woman who demanded equality. It is the African female president who started a successful campaign in empowering women by understanding their remarkable roles and missions in this world.

Suffragettes are real heroes for many people. These are people of the gentle sex who strive to achieve equal rights, fight against domestic violence, rapes, and other types of discrimination. In our modern day world there are not so many countries who experience this problem, but in the previous centuries, it was a serious conflict. After years of discrimination and injustice women were fed up. Girls organized multiple strikes to raise a painful question and be heard. Contemporary women are thankful for what they have: fair attitude, suffrage, proper rights, high job positions. Thanks to them, females are no longer regarded as housewives only. They can also become presidents, CEOs, leaders. Many people consider suffragettes to be heroes because they are not afraid to ruin stereotypes.

Liberia was a country where women did not have proper rights until Ellen Johnson became a president. When she was elected to that position, Liberian nation experienced the consequences of the prolonged war. The population was devastated, with the feeling like you lost the sense of life. They needed a new influential leader who would help people to raise both economically and spiritually. 80 percent of residents voted for Sirleaf. It was a significant step which showed that the nation was ready for changes, and its true hero had to be Ellen.

When someone asks Sirleaf, why she is so immersed in the problem of women’s discrimination, she retells one story which happened in her life before the presidency. In 1985 she was a witness to a horrible situation when a soldier threw a naked 19-year-old girl on the floor next to Ellen. The victim cried to give her a shirt to cover body, but the violator was merciless. This situation was crucial in Ellen’s life. After this, she couldn’t stop thinking about how females can be treated so terribly just because they are considered weak. The president made a resolution to help the members of the gentle sex no matter how difficult it would be.

Sirleaf launched several vital projects during her presidency aimed at inspiring men and women. They were connected with raising social awareness about domestic violence, public criticism of females who had health problems, lack of education. By setting up those projects, the political leader was convinced that girls have a potential to lead, seize career opportunities, study, persevere. This would save the country from chaos, depression, frustration after wars, and would result in the economic and social development of Liberia.

The core target of the project called “Merck better than Mother” was to decrease infertility rate and improve general health conditions. Unfortunately, women who could not give birth were frowned upon in the society and were unprivileged. Sirleaf insisted on improving infertility prevention, specialized medical treatment, fertility care. The participants could attend specialized courses which helped female residents launch their small businesses. This helped them focus on self-development and forget about public criticism.

The “STEM Project” was devoted to the issue of improving literacy level among female students. The Liberian president is sure that a solid educational background is the key to success. She treated girls as clever human beings and helped them to believe in female intelligence. Sirleaf’s proactive presidency exemplified that the representatives of the gentle sex could be real heroes.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf proved that women can always make great leaders. She became a role model for millions of girls by leading a forethoughtful political campaign. She inspires the whole nation and will continue to encourage millions of people to be strong and confident.

References

• Cooper, Helen. “How Liberian Women Delivered Africa’s First Female President.” The New York Times, 5 Aug. 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/world/africa/liberia-president-ellen-johnson-sirleaf-women-voters.html. Accessed 18 Oct 2017.
• IAfrikan News. Merck Launches STEM Program for Women and Girl on International Women’s Day, 8 March 2017, https://www.iafrikan.com/2017/03/08/merck-launches-stem-program-for-women-and-girls-in-liberia-on-internationalwomensday/. Accessed 19 May 2017.
• Roberts, Marie Mulvey, and Tamae Mizula. The Suffragettes: towards Emancipation. Routledge/Thoemmes Press, 1995.