Matthew Walsh

My definition of a hero is someone who does what is best for everyone. A hero is someone who puts others before themselves and does what gives better consequences for the weaker than for the hero. A police officer helps the weak, and sometimes even gets shot in the line of duty, but never gives up on the mission of protecting those who can't protect themselves.

I feel that it is important to have a hero. If you have a hero, you have something to work towards. It gives you a purpose in life. I once saw a poster that said, "Why set goals? Because if you aim for nowhere, then that's exactly where you'll go." That quote can be applied here easily as well. Why have a hero? Because if you just lie around and don't have something to try for, you won't make much of anything out of your life.

Matt portrays the characteristics of a hero in the novel, Rules for Survival by Nancy Werlin. "I had arranged to meet Ben on Thursday afternoon" (Werlin 65). Matt constantly puts others before himself and risks himself for others. "I snatched you up one bare second before Nikki could get to you, turned, and raced to the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind us and locking it" (Werlin 78). His mother was furious at his sister for praying for one of his mom's enemies. Yet still he shows heroism by stepping in front of his mom and taking the fall. "'You don't have a heart, Nikki,' I said" (Werlin 150). Again, Matt stands up to his cruel mother, not caring about the repercussions.

There are many reasons to induct Matt into a Hero Hall of Fame. Firstly, he would fit most people's definitions of a hero. He's selfless, strong and kind. He always puts his sisters ahead of him, did what was best for them, and always thought about what might come to them before he did anything. Matt Walsh is an excellent person and deserves to be inducted into a Hero Hall of Fame.

Thankfully I got a chance to interview Matt. The interview went as follows:

Me: Why did you choose to step up and be a hero?
Matt: No one else could. Emmy was too young, and Callie already looked up to me.
Me: Do you think of yourself as a hero?
Matt: No, not really. I think anyone would have done the same things I did if they were put in the same situation
Me: Were you scared?
Matt: Absolutely. But, as I said in the book, I learned to live with the fear and control it, instead of it controlling me.
Me: How did you manage to do what you did, despite being scared?
Matt: The fear wasn't so much a hindrance as it was a help. I used it and it fueled me to do some of the things I did.
Me: How did you always know what to do?
Matt: Ironically, I almost never did know what to do. I kind of just made it up as I went along. I didn't have some plan I was going along with.
Me: Did you feel brave at the time?
Matt: I didn't think I was doing anything brave. I just felt I was doing what had to be done.
Me: Were you doing this for you or for someone else?
Matt: I was doing this so that Emmy could grow up to see that there were better things in life than what she knew, so I guess I was doing it for her.
Me: If you had to do it all again, what (if anything) would you do differently?
Matt: I wouldn't change anything. I still wonder, though, about what would have happened if I had snapped in the shipyard just a few minutes earlier. I don't know if I would change that. I'm just confused about if it would've been better.
Me: What do you think makes a hero?
Matt: I think a hero has to be able to do what's right, no matter the cost to himself or herself.
Me: This is the last question for now. Do you have a hero?
Matt: I didn't have time to really think about having a hero when we were living with our mother. I was usually more concentrated on making sure Emmy pleased our mother or Callie studied for a test.