LA Expository Writing Exercise

Hello!

Since i've already done this and haven't got a chance to present this to the class, I might as well put it up here.

Basically, the question -- What makes a superhero?

Yup, so we were supposed to write a 150 ++ word essay on it. Unfortunately, although I tried to the best of my ability, I exceeded the word limit ):

Here goes!

What makes a superhero?

Forget all that rubbish about being invulnerable and being able to shoot electricity. Sure, super powers are one thing that most superheroes possess in order to enable them to carry out their duty, as the vigilante of their city, successfully. However, in reality, what superheroes really possess that distinguishes them from the average citizen is their exceptional character traits in the form of outstanding courage, their willingness to commit their live to maintaining law and order in a city and their sacrificial spirit.

Super powers do indeed assist the superhero in his/her duty. However, the traits of the superhero are what allows them to be superheroes and not villains. While superheroes commit to putting their powers towards a good cause, villains make use of whatever abilities they have to wreak havoc in cities and commit heinous crimes which the superhero has to attempt to successfully put a stop to.

Courage is an essential trait towards the development of a superhero. Sure, it seems so easy when you watch them defeat the villains on television. But what would you do if you were in their shoes? The probability of you turning and running away with your tail between your legs is exceedingly high. Now, do you think courage matters?

And how about the willingness to commit to upholding justice? To commit to completing any task is no piece of cake. And what’s more, with your life at stake everytime you attempted to foil the crafty schemes of the villains. Whatever the superhero is doing at the moment, he/she would have to throw it aside and rush to the scene of the crime whenever he/she receives an alert. As such, commitment is vital in defining a superhero.

Last but not least, the sacrificial spirit of the superhero. I reiterate the fact that risking your life to rush over and attempt to do battle with a villain (who in most cases, if not all, is probably more than 69 times stronger than you) is a severely uphill task for any mortal man. Like, who would want to give away their life in a matter of seconds?

After reading this, do you think superheroes are only built on the basis that they can fly, have prominent physical features, and have a large variety of superpowers/weapons? Certainly not.