While living at home, almost every day after school, I helped my younger sister, Sara, with her homework after school . I understood that Sara needed my help since I knew that her grades were far from mediocre and that she often asked for my help. I sacrificed my time and energy through this direct action in the hopes of giving him an increase in his grades, which he did. This sacrifice was motivated by the gratitude of my parents and my sister, which allowed me to do less housework. The indirect help I provided was to my father, who, because he no longer had to help Sara with her homework, had more time off after work and was generally happier. Sara was also indirectly helped by my teachers, who had encouraged me to succeed in school and given me the resources to help her in the first place. This example, although simple and everyday, illustrates the characteristics of help and shows the dynamic of the helper and the person being helped..