Ben

Hero: A hero to me is somebody that you can look up to and count on. Somebody that inspires you to go for your dreams.

In my opinion i don't believe that it's necessarily important to have a hero. Heroes are people that people pick for personal reasons. Not everybody has somebody that they strive to be like or somebody they feel inspires them.

In this book, I believe that Ben portrays characteristics of a hero. To me he portrays a hero to himself and his brothers. He is brave and strong and makes sacrifices for his brothers' lives. "'I love you,' I said to their sleeping heads. 'I love you. I need you. I couldn't leave you if it wasn't so.'" (253). This quote shows that Ben is making sacrifices that if they weren't his younger brothers, he wouldn't have been able to make. "I stopped and looked Gerry in the face. 'That was brave,' I said. He dipped his head in a silent nod. 'Why did you do it?' 'Because you're my brother,' he said..." (226). Right before this, Gerry, the youngest brother, jumped into the ocean to save Ben. Gerry didn't know how to swim but he did it anyways because he looked up to Ben and he loved him. He depended on Ben to be there for him and to continue caring for him.

I believe that Ben should be part of the hero hall of fame. Ben is a 15 year old boy that is forced to leave his home and his whole life behind to going sailing with his father and brothers for a whole year. Ben isn't crazy about the idea and is forced to adapt to the new living conditions. He learns to live off of what is available. One night while on the boat, Ben wakes up to find his dad missing and a storm on the way. He realizes that he then has to take care of himself and his brothers. They get stranded on a desert island and have to learn to live off the land. During all this. Gerry almost drowns and Dylan breaks his leg and is on the verge of dying. Ben has to make the decision to sail away from the island in hopes of finding a doctor to help his brother, the whole while not knowing what will happen to his brothers while he's gone. Ben has to grow up and take care of his younger brothers at the mere age of 16, he makes decisions that risk both his and his brothers' lives. He is a hero.

Amanda Bush: Hello Ben. Let's start the interview. So, who would you say is your hero? Ben: Probably my brothers, Gerry and Dylan. AB: Why would you say that? Ben: Because my brothers never gave up, they were strong and kept pushing through. AB: What would you say was the hardest part of the whole thing? Ben: I think it was when i had to leave my brothers on the island alone and not knowing if i would come back or not. AB: What was going through your head as you were leaving the island? Ben: That i love my brothers more than anything and i really hoped they wouldn't die. AB: What were you thinking when you saw the boat when you went for help? Ben: i was thinking thank God for there being help, somebody to save us. AB: What was it like during the storm after your dad fell over? Ben: I was so scared, I didn't want to make a mistake and cause all of us to die. AB: Why did you sign up to go to Hawaii? Ben: I wanted to be free and i wanted to get away from my dad. AB: What were you thinking when Gerry fell over board? Ben: I was so scared that he was going to die and i was going to lose him. AB: When you told Gerry your dad was looking for you and your brothers, did you really think he was? Ben: No, i still thought that he had jumped on purpose and was dead. AB: Okay, last question. What made you change your mind and go home with your family? Ben:... I couldn't do it, I couldn't leave Gerry and Dylan after all that we had been through together.