Joan of Arc

For my Creative Writing class, which is mentored by the amazing Mrs. Williams, I have to write about a time I met a hero. So I chose one of my many heroes to write about. Here is my assignment:

"I met a hero that has been dead since May 30^th 1431, on May 6^th 2012.

She is my hero because of her amazing faith during times of adversity and in the face of death. She put courage into the hearts of her countrymen, and helped her country win a war as a young girl in her teens. She burned at the stake at age nineteen, her king not helping her, even though he could have.

She is Joan of Arc.

I met her when I read Joan of Arc by Mark Twain.

Even though some people may not think that counts as meeting somebody, it does because you learn about her life, how she acted, where she grew up, how she died, and more than you generally learn when you meet somebody. You rejoice with her, cry with her, and feel her pains and sorrows, when you read about her life in that book.

When I met her, I was inspired by her acts of kindness, compassion, love, faith, and bravery.

One example is when a person left without a home from the war comes to her father's house. He's a complete stranger, and has an unkempt appearance due to poverty and hunger. Joan's father turns him out, because he doesn't look like he should be trusted, but Joan makes her father feed the stranger and let him warm by the fire for a while.

A better-known example of faith and bravery is when she led the armies of France in order to drive out the English, or when she made the Dauphin be crowned king and take responsibility for his country.

Or when she refused to speak what wasn't true while being tried for witch-craft at Rouen, which led to her being burned at the stake, where she died while praying.

I look forward to visiting her again, and learning more from her life, because it's hard to associate with better company than that."