My Speech

 

Do superheroes need superpowers? At first I thought that super powers did make a superhero but I eventually realised that there could be more than meets the eye.  The internet said that all superheroes have to have powers and fight crime.  It also said they’re strong, fearless, have big muscles, abs of steel and are tough.  Some superheroes also have unreal features like turning into fire.  But does a person really need to have these features to be a superhero?

If we were to talk about superheroes in movies, the most unlikely would be Po, from Kung Fu Panda.  Unlikely, because he is a big fat, unfit, food loving Panda, and yet the universe chose him to be the dragon warrior and to protect China.  Po did not have any of the powers I mentioned before.  When his father finally told him that there was no secret ingredient to his soup, Po finally understood the meaning of the  dragon scroll.  There was no secret ingredient.  To make something special, you just have to believe it’s special.  Po just had to believe in himself.  He found the inner strength he needed to overcome the bad guys.

Po did not have the appearance of a typical superhero but he possessed qualities worthy of a superhero such as inner strength, bravery, loyalty and a passion for justice.  He found strength to carry on when he was at breaking point.  He stood up for what was right, even if it meant going to prison or even death.      When searching the internet I found many real life superheroes.  One such person is a Pakistani girl called Malala.  When the Taliban took over her village in 2008 they stopped girls from going to school.  In 2012, she spoke out publicly on behalf of all girls and their right to an education.  Sadly doing what was right made her a target and she was shot in the side of the head.

Thankfully she survived, and after months of surgeries and rehabilitation she was determined to continue what she had started.   In 2014 she helped start a charity dedicated to giving every girl an opportunity to achieve a future of her choice.  Later that year, she received a Nobel Peace Prize and was the youngest ever to win this award.  She changed the way that people treated girls in Pakistan and because of that people around the world treasure her.  Doing the right thing made her a superhero with no powers.

Being a superhero doesn't mean having super powers, the super power comes from within.  It means believing in yourself, standing up for what is right and helping others.   Po and Malala are superheroes.  The internet was wrong, you don’t need to have superpowers because it all comes from inside. Next time you think that superheroes need powers don't judge a book by its cover.  It's what's inside.