what exactly is a hero

8/8/2019 What Exactly is a Hero

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/what-exactly-is-a-hero 1/10What Exactly Is a Hero?

TXTX


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/what-exactly-is-a-hero 2/102

Connect to the Essay

Literary Element Text Structure

➤

➤

Reading Skill Determine Main Idea and

Supporting Details

➤

➤

➤

Before You Read



Selection Vocabulary Practice saying the words with a partner.

Content Vocabulary

hike (hı k) n. a walk for

pleasure or exercise

My family likes to hike in

he forest.

journey (jur ‘ ne) n. the act

of traveling; a trip

We took a long journey

from Chicago to Los

Angeles.

triumphs (trı ‘ umfs)

n. successes

The team won all their

games. They had many

triumphs

➤ Cognate (Spanish) triunfo

qualities (kwl‘ ə tez) n. a

erson’s characteristics

or basic nature

onesty and kindness are

wo qua t es oo or n

friend.

➤ Cognate (Spanish)

cali a es

celebrity (sə lbʼ rə te) n. a

famous person

he celebrity signed many

utographs.


celebridad

heroism (hrˊ o iz‘ əm) n. the

state of being a hero

Luke wrote about the

heroism of a girl. She

saved his life.


heroísmo

revealed (r veld‘) v. made

known or shown clearly

The magician revealed

that a rabbit was in his hat.

primary (prı ́ mr ‘e) adj.

most important

My primary reason for

exercising is to stay

healthy.

essential

➤

prominent

economic

➤

prevail

conscious

➤

For more practice, see page 224.



Literary Element

ructure Reread the

first box. What is the author

omparing a hero to?

heck the correct answer.

haracter

celebrities

money

➤ A celebrity is not always

a hero.

➤ A hero is someone who

has courage, strength, and

wisdom.

To Sum Upo Sum UpTo Sum Up

4

10

20

Just like life, a hike is a ourne full of ups and downs,long climbs, deep doubts, painful losses, real triumphs , and

plenty of surprises. We may make some good friends on

the way, but much of the time we walk alone. And as with

our own lives, we can’t see very far down the trail. We can

only keep walking, and do our best to prepare ourselves for

whatever twists and turns lie ahead.

Now, to survive that sort of journey, maybe even with

grace, we need some essential ualities. Courage, for one.

Perseverance. And wisdom. The very same qualities it takes

to be a hero.

What exactly is a hero? What does the word really

mean?

Let’s start with what a hero does not mean: a celebrity

In our society, we often confuse the two, but they are really

very different. As different as the two kinds of sage—the

person who has grown immensely wise over time, and the

sweet but short-lived herb that decorates the prairies. A hero is someone who, faced with a tough challenge,

reaches down inside and finds the courage, strength, and

wisdom to triumph. That person could be a girl or a boy;

a prominent leader or the person next door; a member of

any race, culture, or economic group. But in every case, it’s

someone whose special qualities of character make a real

difference.

Vocabulary

essential i s enˊ s ə adj. basic

prominent (promˊ ə nənt) adj. well-known or important

economic (ek‘ ə nomˊ ik) adj. relating to money matters



Note Taking

Most Interesting Word

New WordOne Thing

I Already Knew

One Thing

I Learned



➤

A flash in the pan is something

that happens quickly and then

goes away.

Winston Churchill was the

Prime Minister of Great Britain

during World War II. Jane

Goodall is a researcher who

has fought to protect

chimpanzees in the wild.

Background Information

➤ celebrity is someone who

is famous.

➤ A person is a hero because

of who he or she is inside.


What Exactly Is a Hero?

6

30

40

A celebrity, by contrast, is just someone who has won

our attention—whether for fifteen seconds or fifteen years.

The celebrity’s fame could have come from entertaining

us, serving us . . . or even harming us. Now, don’t get me

wrong. Sometimes heroes can become so well known thatthey also become celebrities. Abraham Lincoln was, in his

day, both at once. So was Winston Churchill over fifty years

ago. And so is Jane Goodall today. But the two ideas are still

quite different. For a hero, what counts is character. For a

celebrity, what counts is fame.

Here’s another way to think about it: A hero does

something truly important, regardless of whether anyone

ever notices. But a celebrity is all about being noticed—

being a famous face or name or number on a jersey. One of

them, you could say, is a real meal cooking on the campfire.

The other is a fash in the pan

Heroism, then, is about character. The

qualities a person carries down inside.

Or, to put this in hiking terms: The most

important piece of equipment that any

hiker brings on the trail isn’t a backpack,

a sleeping bag, or even a map. No, it’s the hiker himself orherself! That person’s head, heart, and soul. In just the same

way, heroes prevail not because of the tools or weapons

they carry outside—but because of what they carry inside.

Lao-tzu, the Chinese philosopher, pointed out long ago

that even the greatest journey begins with a single step.

That is true, and well worth remembering. But frankly, I

would have said it differently: Every journey begins with a

Vocabulary

prevail pri valʼ v. to win

ersey



Note Taking


New WordOne Thing

I Already Knew

One Thing

I Learned



mprehension Check

➤ We can tell someone is a

hero by the choices he or

she makes.

➤ Each choice we make

shapes us as a person.


What Exactly Is a Hero?

R E F L E C T

8

50

60

single person. A hiker—and whatever inner qualities he or

she brings to the trail.

Just how are those inner qualities revealed? Through our

choices, For every choice matters, whether it’s big or small,

conscious or unconscious, repeated or rare. And every choice is an expression of who we are.

Our choices, then, are like footsteps. Each one takes us

farther down the trail, affecting the route we take, the pace

we set, and the deeds we do along the way. And each one

is shaped by two primary forces: our own inner selves and

the trail itself—the landscape of life. So our inner qualities

shape our choices, our choices become our footsteps, and

our footsteps become our ourney

the boxed text. What

is the main idea? Check thecorrect answer.

A hero is who a person is on

the inside.

A hero is someone who hikes

and backpacks.

A hero is someone who is

famous.

ain Idea and Supporting DetailsWrite the main idea of the essay. Then list two details

from the essay that support the main idea.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Talk about your answer with a partner. Make sure

to ask your partner for clarification when needed.

Vocabulary

conscious (konʼ shəs) adj. done with purpose

PARTNERS



Note Taking


New WordOne Thing

I Already Knew

One Thing

I Learned



Comprehension Check

For more practice, see pages 225 and 226.

After You Read

what exactly is a hero

Documents