Lena Dang

2nd Hour
5/15/14
Hero or Traitor?
According to the dictionary, a hero is a person of
distinguished courage or ability, and is admired for their brave
deeds and noble abilities. A traitor is someone who betrays
another, a cause, or any trust. But I know that Prometheus and
Edward Snowden are both heroes, not traitors. They show
bravery, courage, and determination while risking themselves to
do what was right. They helped others, before thinking about
themselves.
I know that Prometheus is a hero. According to the article
Prometheus, it states, Everything had changed. Man had come
out of his cave. Zeus saw woodmens huts, farmhouses, villages,
walled towns, even a castle or two. He saw men cooking their
food, carrying torches to light their way at night. He saw forges
blazing, men beating out plows, keels, swords, spears. They were
making ships and raising the white wings of the sails and daring
to use the fury of the winds for their journeys. They were wearing
helmets, riding out in chariots to do battle, like the gods
themselves. This demonstrates the ways the fire that
Prometheus had given man had such a tremendous effect on the
population. They no longer hide in the dark caves, and can now
cook their food, build homes, tools, and boats, which proves that
Prometheuss action helped their survival in the world. Also
according to the same article (Prometheus), it states, He (Zeus)
called his giant guards and had them seize Prometheus, drag him
off to the Caucasus, and there bind him to a mountain peak with
great chains specially forged by Hephaestuschains which even a
Titan in agony could not break. And when the friend of man was
bound to the mountain, Zeus sent two vultures to hover about
him forever, tearing at his belly and eating his liver. This piece
clearly shows how Prometheus sacrificed himself for man. He
knew Zeus would punish him for giving fire to man, but he took

the chance and took the fire to the people to aid them, knowing
he would have to later face the consequences. Still in the same
article (Prometheus), it states, Although he (Prometheus) knew
the great lord of the sky hated explicit questions, he did not
hesitate to beard him when there was something he wanted to
know. This action performed by Prometheus shows the heroic
qualities of bravery and determination. He had enough courage to
face Zeus, even though he knew that he did not enjoy being
asked these questions, and had the willpower to ask Zeus for the
answers to his questions.
Edward Snowden is also a hero. He told the people that the
government was invading their privacy by spying on the citizens
online. According to an article written by CNN, Snowden says,
Im willing to sacrifice everything because I cant in good
conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, Internet
freedom, and basic liberties for people around the world with this
massive surveillance machine theyre secretly building. Like
Prometheus, Snowden was willing to sacrifice himself for the good
of other people. He told America of the governments
whereabouts knowing that he could be severely punished for
leaking the information. This shows a lot of bravery and strength
in his character. Also according to the article (by CNN), it states,
According to the Guardian, the only time Snowden became
emotional during hours of interviews was when he thought about
what might happen to his relativesmany of whom worked for
the government. This proves that Snowden not only cared for the
people, but also cared about his family. This is also another heroic
trait (kindness or caring) portrayed by Snowden while sacrificing
many things for the peoples knowledge of the government. In
addition, the article also shows that Snowden had said, Even if
youre not doing anything wrong, you are still being watched and
recorded. This shows the negative feelings Snowden had for the
governments actions. This was a brave move, calling out the
government for the things they were doing wrong, and showed
yet another heroic trait.

In conclusion, Prometheus and Snowden are both heroes.

They sacrificed their lives and their possessions to help many
others, performing selfless and risky tasks that they knew needed
to be done. They improved the lives of others, and informed
people of the wrongdoings that were happening just under their
noses. On the other hand, they also showed countless heroic
qualities, like bravery, courage, kindness, selflessness, and many,
many others.