Angelina Jolie

Maya Angelou once said “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.” Nowadays, a hero is someone who is known for their many acts of bravery and for helping others. It does not matter whether they are helping one or one hundred people. A hero could be someone who helps an old lady cross the street or someone who saves a whole family from a burning building. To that lady and to the family, they are a hero.  In our society today, everyone feels as if they need a hero. They want someone that they can idolize and strive to be like.

Angelina and Her Momhttp://www.arogundade.com/angelina-jolie-ethnicity-nationality-parents-mother-father-background.htmlNormally, when one thinks of a hero they are not thinking of the people in Hollywood. But, there is one person in particular that is worthy of that title. Angelina Jolie, born June 4, 1975, to America actor, Jon Voight and a French actress, Marcheline Bertrand, is that person. Her father was never there during her childhood, so her mother was responsible for taking care of Jolie and her older brother. Jolie attended Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute for two years and began to appear in several stage productions. Due to being born into a family of famous actors, Jolie shot to fame quickly. After filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in Cambodia, Jolie learned about the many landmines in the area and how it affected the many people living there. She left Cambodia as a woman on a mission. She felt as if it were her duty to help refugees and people living in less fortunate areas. Since then, she has visited many different refugee camps around the world. In 2002, she adopted her first child, Maddox from Cambodia. Currently, she has three adopted kids from countries she is trying to help. Angelina Jolie has proven herself to be more than a typical Hollywood celebrity by using her fame as a platform to help others around the world; exhibiting selflessness and courage, which makes her worthy of the title “hero.”

Angelina Jolie with Syrian Refugeeshttp://www.altmuslimah.com/2017/02/angelina-jolies-powerful-plea-muslim-ban/ Angelina Jolie’s actions to aiding the people living in refugee camps, show she is a selfless person. A refugee is someone who was forced to leave their country due to religious persecution, war or a natural disaster. They settle in areas temporarily known as refugee camps until they are accepted to a country as permanent residents. Some refugees live in these poor conditions and very crowded areas for years. Jolie has visited over twenty third world country refugee camps and has even become a Goodwill Ambassador. Goodwill Ambassadors are people who advocate for different issues around the world. Her duties as a Goodwill Ambassador require her to travel to different refugee camps delivering different necessities; “Jolie takes a hands-on approach at the refugee camps she visits. She helps feed sick children, transport thousand of refugees to safer camps, build huts of mud, and distribute much-needed food and water,” (Bella 6). Jolie takes a heroic step by helping out people in need. Instead of only donating money like many other people in her industry, she actually went to the camp and she got experience of what it would be like to be there. By doing these things, Jolie shows how she really cares about improving the conditions refugee camps. She continues to travel with the UNHCR to different refugee camps; “Jolie became a goodwill ambassador for the UNHCR. Jolie devoted herself to work of the UNHCR with the same intensity that she had previously put into her movie roles. A great deal of her time and a sizable chunk of her income go the refugees around the world. Jolie has said she feels a greater sense of purpose working in the field than she ever has on a movie set,”  (Lynette, 13). Jolie’s devotion to the UNHCR shows how heroic she can be. She believes that she can make a change in the world and she tries her hardest to. She donates her time and a lot of her money, showing how she is dedicated to making a change in the world. Jolie’s generous actions show how she is a selfless individual who is an inspiration to many.

Angelina visiting refugees in Lebanonhttps://www.timesofisrael.com/angelina-jolie-visits-syrian-children-in-lebanon/Through her many acts of courage, Angelina Jolie shows how she is a heroic individual. When she began her quest to help refugees, Jolie went on many trips with the UNHCR. “Jolie wanted to learn more, she wanted to help. In February 2001, she was invited to travel with the UNHCR to Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone...Jolie’s father also did not want her to go and even called the UNHCR to try to get the trip canceled. But Jolie was determined.….  ‘I honestly want to help. I don’t believe I am different from other people I think we all want justice and equality….’” (Lynette, 66). Even after her dad insisted that she should not go, she did anyway. As a celebrity, Jolie has all the luxuries she wants in America. She does not have to go to these dangerous war zones and risk her life. But she does anyway, making her a courageous person worthy to look up to. When she goes and visits these countries she does not get any special treatment for being famous. She lives in the same hot, dirty UNHCR apartments, eats the same meals and travels on the same trucks with the rest of the workers. She spends time at the camps listening to stories from refugees, distributing food, comforting sick people and measuring medicine. A while ago, Jolie made another very brave decision for not only for herself but for her family as well; “On May 14, 2013, Jolie published an op-ed piece in the New York Times revealing she had recently chosen to have a preventive double mastectomy… Jolie's article helped raise awareness of genetic testing for breast cancer; she noted that not all women can afford to be screened,” (Gale). A preventive double mastectomy is a surgery aimed to prevent breast cancer in the future. This was a very difficult decision for Jolie, but she knew she needed to stay healthy for her children. As any mother would Jolie went through with the surgery proving to others how she can put her family first. Not only was Jolie courageous for going through with this surgery but she used her knowledge on the topic to raise awareness about breast cancer. Jolie does not have to risk her life doing any of these things but she does, making her a courageous person worthy to look up to.

By exhibiting selflessness and courage, Angelina Jolie proves that she is deserving the title “hero.” She inspires me with her desire and determination to help refugees and her unconditional love for her family. Instead of just saying she wants to help, she actually takes action. Jolie's dedication to help refugees impacted me personally, because my parents came from former Soviet Union and were considered refugees because of the religious persecution they faced. They always tell my brother and I how lucky we were to be born in America because of the many opportunities and privileges we are given that they were not able to have. I am grateful for the organizations that sponsored my parents and gave them a chance at a better life. The difficulties my parents endured may not have been as extreme as the one of refugees of war, but because of the people like Jolie their lives were changed for the better. Jolie shows that she truly wants to make the world a better place for all people. Her actions inspire many to follow in her footsteps, making others selfless and courageous as well.

Works Cited

"Angelina Jolie." Newsmakers, Gale, 2000. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1618002932/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=897138f2. Accessed 15 Apr. 2018.

Bella, Laura La. Angelina Jolie: Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations. Readhowyouwant.com Ltd, 2012.

Hero Quotes, www.notable-quotes.com/h/heroes_quotes.html.

Lynette, Rachel. Angelina Jolie. Lucent Books, 2007.