Abraham Lincoln

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A Benevolent Soul

"The best to way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend" (Lincoln). This quote is something Lincoln said, but also how he lived his life. Lincoln was always trying to be his best to the people around him. Even from a young age, while growing up in humble circumstances, he was determined to build an admirable character. "Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, was born February 12, 1809, in a log cabin in Kentucky" (William). When he was born, Lincoln began his life very poor. His parents, Thomas and Nancy Hanks, were of undistinguished families and didn't have a lot of money. Lincoln, being self-reliant, moved in 1837 to Springfield. He was still living in Springfield when he met his wife Mary Todd in 1842. His career really began when he began to study law. He wanted to help others and felt studying the law could provide a pathway to do that. A hero must posses many noble qualities--some may include fellowship (defined as a companionship of individuals and carrying of a pleasant attitude). A hero must also possess the trait of being self-driven so they can help not only themselves, but others. A hero must possess these traits so that they can help understand people better and have a strong understanding of the world. From these traits, Abraham Lincoln can be defined as a hero--he displayed, and spoke of, the value of fellowship and was very self-driven.

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Abraham Lincoln displayed his fellowship in his work and his life. An example of this is when he visited injured soldiers on the battlefield."On more than one occasion, he traveled long distances to visit weary troops on the battlefield. Simply by demonstrating to them that their work mattered to him, he earned their unmitigated support. One soldier wrote in a letter home, "Lincoln's warm smile was a reflection of his honest, kindly heart."" (Crowley) This displays he is a hero because he truly made some people feel better, relieving them briefly from the harsh life of the army. Abraham Lincoln wasn't told, nor made by anyone, to do this. Lincoln did this out of the kindness and honesty in his heart. Although there was no physical reward, he kept coming back and visited the solder more than just once. From this, it explains that he wasn't trying to just fake his fellowship and honesty, but, rather, really cared for the solders, which is why he is a true hero. Lincoln showed honesty in his life, not only to wounded soldiers, but also to any person he met. "Lincoln fundamentally cared about people and made every effort to demonstrate that to them. Through kind and encouraging words, and authentic gestures of exceptional thoughtfulness, he assured people of their individual significance." (Crowley) This reveals that Lincoln was very kind-hearted and cared for others. Abraham Lincoln is a hero in this example because he always was trying to make people feel better and trying to lift people up. Not only would he do work for his friends and family, but he lifted up everyone he met. Also he wouldn't try to say a whole bunch of lies, but he said many things that made people feel good about themselves. He truly had a hand reached out at times for others, and that is why Abraham Lincoln is a hero. Abraham Lincoln is renowned for his work of fellowship, and honesty towards all humanity.

 Lincoln wanted to understand the world better and had many high noble qualities. "Whenever he realized he had shortchanged a customer by a few pennies, he would close the shop and deliver the correct change-regardless of how far he had to walk" (Lincolns Honesty). This shows that he is a self driven hero, because although the change given incorrectly was probably a small amount--and he could have said nothing--he chose to potentially lose money by closing his shop to ensure the right thing was done. He did not need anything to tell him to do that, he knew to establish himself as a man of honor, he must do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln loved to try to do everything, not only for his customers, family, and friends, but also to improve himself. He was always was trying to learn more, to be a better person, and have a better understanding for the rest of the world. The history behind his decision to attend law school is recounted as follows: "Lincoln reached his twenties, he had become interested in the law. He started watching trials at the local courthouse, studying law books, and reading the Constitution and Declaration of Independence in order to understand the American justice system. When he was twenty-two, Lincoln left home and moved to New Salem, Illinois" (American Civil War). One cannot forget that Lincoln was poor and did not have special help or guides through school and career pathways, he directed his own paths from poverty to the presidency. This desire to learn more was often to benefit others. He also was a great example to many who could watch him and think they could enhance their own lives in a similar manner, by learning and dedicated their lives to others. This sparked a flow of knowledge. Abraham Lincoln was self-driven, with noble qualities, and used this traits to better understand and help people.

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Abraham Lincoln showed many hero traits, including honesty, fellowship to all, and being self-driven. Abraham Lincoln showed honesty and fellowship when he visited injured soldiers on more than one occasion. Lincoln also exhibited fellowship throughout his life, and really showed the significance of people in the world. Abraham Lincoln also displayed his heroic attribute of being self-driven when he would close shop and walk to a house to give change back to customers that he had given an incorrect amount of change. Abraham Lincoln inspires me and others because he was able to learn how to read and write, with no school education--and with no parental help. This seems extremely hard, and for me that inspires me that I can do anything that I put my mind to. Another reason why Lincoln is a hero is because he would care about a single person's significance to the world. This shows that he is very kind and that is an example to me, because the way he made people feel was great. I want to do these small acts of kindness to people as a display of how significant I know they are in the world. His persistence is an inspiration, it has been said: "It had been a long road he traveled to make himself a national figure. Twenty-eight years before he had deliberately entered politics. He had been beaten, but had persisted; he had succeeded and failed; he had abandoned the struggle and returned to his profession. His outraged sense of justice had driven him back ... It was by no one speech, by no one argument that he had wrought. Everyday his ceaseless study and pondering gave him new matter, and every speech he had made fresh" (Henderson 52). This is a major inspiration because Lincoln had never given up. Despite having a hard journey, he strived and continued to reach for the best. From this, I conclude that if times are hard, you must move on and continue to work. After some failing is when one truly gets the full reward. As people go about their lives, they must remember to always look for the good in people and to always be a friend, because the best way to destroy an enemy is to make a friend.

Work Cited

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Hillstrom. Ed. Lawrence W. Baker. Vol. 2: Biographies. Detroit: UXL, 2000. 265-278.

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Henderson, Helene. The Abraham Lincoln Companion: A Celebration of His Life and times

through a Selection of Remembrances, Poems, Songs, and Tributes by Relatives, Friends,

Colleagues, and Citizens, including Important Speeches and Writings by Lincoln, along

with a Chronology and Contact Information for Relevant Organizations. Detroit, MI:

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"Lincoln�'s Honesty." Great American History. Gordon Leidner, 23 Nov. 2012. Web. 29 Jan. 2015.

"THE LEADERSHIP GENIUS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN." Fast Company. MARK C.

CROWLEY, 9 Nov. 2012. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.