Definition Essay On Alyce Putnam's My Hero

The definition of a hero could be someone who you idolize, someone who does something commendable and significant (either for you personally, the world, or both), someone who affects life in a positive way and is a valuable addition to the world and/or someone who possesses admirable qualities. If any aspect of that definition applies to you then there is a great chance that you are a hero to somebody. Alyce Putnam, my great grandmother on my mother’s side, is my hero. At 94 years of age, she is the oldest grandparent that I have. She’s my hero for a multitude of reasons, some of which include the qualities she possesses and her daily actions. She inspires me due to how she has handled complex and different situations in her life and makes …show more content…
Between her kind words and actions, it is quite easy to love her and her personality, and it becomes evident why someone would see her as a hero. Considering the fact that my great grandmother has been alive for nearly a century, she has been alive during rough periods of time in history, including the Great Depression, World War II and the Holocaust. However, these events never affected her personally, and she has had to endure many other painful experiences throughout her lifetime. During her childhood, she grew up with two brothers and a sister in a house in Beverly. In her mid-20s, she got married to a man named Madison Gardner Putnam, who lived in Marblehead, which is the town she has resided in since their marriage. Maddie’s charisma and kindness made him a popular member of the town and if anyone visited Marblehead today, they could find multiple places named after him such as the Madison Putnam Field at Gatchell’s Park and a restaurant called “The Sail Loft” nicknamed Maddie’s. The two of them were very happy …show more content…
Not a lot of people can go through numerous situations such as these at once and remain as optimistic as her. Throughout her entire life, her family faced financial struggles yet she appreciated what she had and focused on improving their situation without sulking about it. Despite the fact that her husband’s death devastated her and happened too soon, instead of taking the time to feel sorry for herself, she chose a path to provide her and her daughters a positive outlook on life and give them hope that everything would be okay. Considering that women in the 1950s generally did not work jobs that could support a family, her persistence in finding a job that supplied her with enough money gives me another reason to admire her because it proves her strength and dedication to family. I personally believe that dedication to family is one of the few characteristics that anybody I would consider my hero must hold since it displays selflessness and warmth. Today, she maintains an extremely close relationship with her daughters, grandkids and great grandkids. Additionally, she has maintained strong relationships with her friends; every month, she goes out for dinner with coworkers from the Salem Evening News. Rather than push away these people in rough times and crave sympathy, she made the