For this unit, Heroes, in our Humanities class Stories, we studied heroes and how people can look different in other's eyes. You may see your personal heroes in a better light than others, or see your villains in a worse light. For our Action Project, we worked with a partner to choose two of our personal heroes, one being fictional and one being a real person. Me and my partner, BM, chose Alan Turing, the father of computers, and Alice, from the story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. At first, they seemed like almost opposite people, but this project challenged us to find similarities and connections in their lives, and how they came to be known as heroes. I loved being able to see a totally different side of Alice, who I at first thought to be a silly young girl, but I can now see is intelligent and brave, just like Turing.
Alan Turing is my hero because he is the most courageous, revolutionary, intelligent scholar that I know. He provided all of the basis of research for our modern computers, and his first computer, Christopher, decoded the German’s WWII code, the Enigma, and saved an estimated 3 million lives, and ended the war 4 years earlier. He was victim to the homophobic and bigoted laws in England at the time, when it was illegal to be gay. He was chemically castrated by the government starting in 1952, forced to take female hormones because some scientists claimed it would “cure” homosexuality. He was also a strong supporter of women’s rights, hiring the first female code breaker of the war, Joan Clarke, and he continued his important work, even as the hormones destroyed his health. He showed the utmost of persistence and genius, and was brave enough to be himself even at a time when being himself was illegal. For more information on Alan Turing, see here.
Alan Turing is my hero because he is the most courageous, revolutionary, intelligent scholar that I know. He provided all of the basis of research for our modern computers, and his first computer, Christopher, decoded the German’s WWII code, the Enigma, and saved an estimated 3 million lives, and ended the war 4 years earlier. He was victim to the homophobic and bigoted laws in England at the time, when it was illegal to be gay. He was chemically castrated by the government starting in 1952, forced to take female hormones because some scientists claimed it would “cure” homosexuality. He was also a strong supporter of women’s rights, hiring the first female code breaker of the war, Joan Clarke, and he continued his important work, even as the hormones destroyed his health. He showed the utmost of persistence and genius, and was brave enough to be himself even at a time when being himself was illegal. For more information on Alan Turing, see here.
Alice from Alice in Wonderland may not seem immediately like hero to some, but I think she was persistent, brave, and caring. She is thrown right into a strange land where none of the rules from our world apply, and manages, not only to survive and make friends in the new world, but also to rescue its people from the Queen of Hearts. I think that she represents going against the grain of society. The Queen wants everything to be consistent and similar, but Alice defies that by just being herself. She is brave when she is unexpectedly forced into this world, but, instead of getting scared, she pushes on and fends for herself with all of the people she meets along the way. To read Alice's Adventure in Wonderland, see here.
Though one of these people is fictional, and one is not, they actually have a lot in common. They both faced very dangerous situations when going against society’s rules, and they were both strong enough to stay themselves and help those around them. A lesson that they could both teach us is that you should do whatever it takes to be yourself, and only yourself. They proved themselves in so many ways, and their worlds ended up differently because of what they did.
Works Cited
Though one of these people is fictional, and one is not, they actually have a lot in common. They both faced very dangerous situations when going against society’s rules, and they were both strong enough to stay themselves and help those around them. A lesson that they could both teach us is that you should do whatever it takes to be yourself, and only yourself. They proved themselves in so many ways, and their worlds ended up differently because of what they did.
Works Cited
Carroll, Lewis and John Tenniel. "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". New York: Penguin, 1865.
Hodges, Andrew. "Alan Turing: The Enigma." Alan Turing: The Enigma. Andrew Hodges, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
Turing, Clive. "The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Codebreaking WWII Hero." The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast, 29 Nov. 2014. Web. 7 Oct. 2016.
Hodges, Andrew. "Alan Turing: The Enigma." Alan Turing: The Enigma. Andrew Hodges, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
Turing, Clive. "The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Codebreaking WWII Hero." The Daily Beast. The Daily Beast, 29 Nov. 2014. Web. 7 Oct. 2016.
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