English Lang/Lit:
An Integrated Approach
Text: ‘Heroes’ by Robert Cormier
South West and Mid Wales Consortium
Chapter 1
My name is Francis Joseph Cassavant and I have just returned to Frenchtown in Monument and
the war is over and I have no face.
Oh, I have eyes because I can see and ear-drums because I can hear but no ears to speak of,
just bits of dangling flesh. But that’s fine, like Dr Abrams says, because it’s sight and hearing that
count and I was not handsome to begin with. He was joking, of course. He was always trying to
make me laugh.
If anything bothers me, it’s my nose. Or, rather, the absence of my nose. My nostrils are like two
small caves and they sometimes get blocked and I have to breathe through my mouth. This dries
up my throat and makes it hard for me to swallow. I also become hoarse and cough a lot. My teeth
are gone but my jaw is intact and my gums are firm so it’s possible for me to wear dentures. In the
past few weeks, my gums began to shrink, however, and the dentures have become loose and
they click when I talk and slip around inside my mouth.
What do you notice about the way Francis describes his injuries?
• Why does Mrs Belander’s ‘face soften’ when she realises that
Francis is a war veteran?
•
•
•
•
She knows that he will not find anywhere else to live.
She is confident that he will be able to pay his rent.
She understands the contribution Francis has made to his country.
She recognises who he is.
Chapter 3
Sonny
O’Brien
Henry
Smith
Eddie
Chambers
Erwin
Johnson
Blinky
Eisenberg
Jack
Orlandi
Spooks
Richards
Chapter 4
CARTIER’S FIELD
AUGUST 15th 1938
7p.m.
Entry: $1.20
What is the purpose of this poster?
•
•
•
•
To explain who is playing.
To show what championship is being played for.
To advertise the baseball match.
To inform people where the game is being played.
Why do you think that lots of people will be
interested in this game?
(Game between two local teams is likely to attract interest in and around
Monument because it would feature lots of local stars. Less likely to have a wider
appeal though. References in the book do show the popularity of the sport.)
Chapter 5
St Jude: 10 things you need to know about the patron saint of lost causes
1. St Jude was one of Jesus' 12 apostles, chosen to spread the word of the
gospel.
2. He was also known as Thaddeus or Thaddaeus - said to be a surname for the
name Labbaeus which means "heart" or “courageous".
3. He is believed to have written the book of Jude. Religious scholars say it
contains some of the finest expressions of praise to God in the Bible's New
Testament.
4. Jude became associated with desperate situations because of a letter he
wrote to the Churches of the East. In it he says that the faithful must keep
going even in harsh or difficult circumstances.
Chapter 5
Name the three places in Frenchtown linked to St Jude.
• ………………………………………………………………………………
• ………………………………………………………………………………
• ………………………………………………………………………………
Why do you think that Robert Cormier chose this particular saint?
Chapter 5
“Joey Le Blanc...died on a beach on Iwo Jima in the South Pacific.
Read the article from the History Learning Site and answer the questions.
Iwo Jima is a very small Pacific island – just over 4.5 miles long and 2.5
miles wide Despite its size, Iwo Jima was considered to have great tactical
importance. There were two airfields on the island – under Japan’s control;
they could be used by Japanese fighter planes to attack American bombers
on their flights to Japan.
The tiny island had taken America over one month to take. The Marines lost
6,891 men killed and 18,070 wounded. Out of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers
on the island, only 212 were taken prisoners. What the battle did show the
Americans was how far the Japanese would go to defend their country – a
decision that was to influence the use of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
Chapter 5
Circle the chart representing the data in the article.
IWO JIMA
IWO JIMA
Japanese
killed
Japanese
killed
Japanese
captured
Japanese
captured
US killed
US killed
US Wounded
US
Wounded
IWO JIMA
Japanese
killed
Japanese
Captured
US killed
US
Wounded
IWO JIMA
Japanese
killed
Japanese
Captured
US killed
US
Wounded
Chapter 5
Look at the map below. Why do you think there were
Airfields
so many US marine casualties?
Chapter 9
Local man Larry LaSalle is in line
to recieve a military award after saving
the lives of an entire platoon of soildiers.
LaSalle, known locally as the ‘heroe of the
wreck centre’, is said to have captured an
enemy machine gun nest as part of the
courageous raid.
Restriction’s on reporting make it impossible
to reveal further details at this time but the
people of Monument are sure to welcome
LaSalle home on furlough in the coming
weeks with speaches, gifts and parties in
recognition of his achievements.
Chapter 11
Why have you written the first of your Trickster Tales
series on the Pied Piper of Hamelin?
I think the Pied Piper is such an interesting figure. When
you think about it’s weird what he did, taking them
children away and it makes you ask questions. Why did
he do it? Is that okay? Why did it happen? What’s the
story trying to tell us? The Pied Piper makes you think.
There’s something about it. You have your basic story:
there’s a town, the town has a rat problem, the town calls
the Pied Piper, the Pied Piper gets rid of the rats, the
town doesn’t pay the the Pied Piper and the Pied Piper
takes the children. But everything else is up for grabs,
you can change it, you can set it anywhere in the world,
you can say it means anything you like.
Chapter 11
Quotation
Explanation
“His slenderness was knife-like now, lethal, his features
sharper.”
This line is sickeningly ironic in the light of the events
that follow.
“Nicole bowed, tilting her head like a ballet dancer...his
eyes full of her”
Francis naivety is clear here. He never, for a moment
suspects Larry’s real intentions.
“We have to keep the world safe for these young people
- they are our future.”
The choice of language fits in with the idea of a
predator trapping an innocent victim.
“Stay close to me,”
“Stay and watch,”
The colour is symbolic of a loss of innocence.
“I wondered if he had a big announcement for her. That
he had found a way to make her a star”
There are hints of danger in the way Larry is now
described.
“We always did what Larry LaSalle told us to do...And
now I seemed actually to be tired”
The fact that Nicole does not speak here has a greater
impact on Francis than if she did address him.
“Then, a whimpering, like a small animal caught and
trapped...”
Larry has successfully groomed Francis to the extent
that he can almost influence how he is feeling.
“Her white blouse torn...”
Larry’s lack of remorse is evident and in huge contrast
to how Francis responds.
“My betrayal of her in her eyes.”
There is a clear contrast between Nicole’s innocence
and Larry’s predatory nature.
“...whistling softly as he stepped through the doorway.”
Nicole may be aware of some impending danger.
Chapter 15
Look at the images above. They suggest that:
A range of religions use prayer beads.
Prayer beads are exactly the same as rosary beads.
Prayer beads are only used in the Catholic faith.
The symbol on prayer beads is not important.
Chapter 17
I remember what I said to Nicole about not knowing who the real heroes are and I think of my old
platoon. Sonny Orlandi, Spooks Reilly and Blinky Chambers. Eddie Richards and his diarrhoea.
Erwin Eisenberg. Henry Johnson, hit by shrapnel. And those who died, Jack Smith and Billy
O’Brien, and all the others. I think of Enrico, minus his legs, his arm. I think of Arthur Rivier, drunk
and mournful that night in the alley. We were only there. Scared kids, not born to fight and kill.
Who were not only there but who stayed, did not run away, fought the good war. And never talk
about it. And didn’t receive a Silver Star. But heroes, anyway. The real heroes.
Maybe if I’m going to write as Nicole hopes I will, I should write about them.
Maybe I should buy a typewriter and get started.
Maybe I should try to find Dr Abrams’ telephone number in Kansas City.
Maybe I should track down Enrico, check out those hospitals he told me about.
I should do all those things.
I think of Nicole.
I think of the gun inside the duffel bag at my feet.
I pick up the duffel bag and sling it over my shoulder. The weight is nice and comfortable on my
back as I cross the lobby, heading for the exit and the next train to leave the station.
How does Cormier make this an effective end to the novel?
Chapter 17
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•
This is an effective passage to end the novel as Francis apparently begins to come to terms with
his past and look forward to some sort of future. However, there is enough doubt to keep the
reader questioning where the next stage of his journey will go.
Firstly, Cormier returns to a familiar theme in the novel: the real heroes. It is significant that the
names we are familiar with such as Blinky Chambers, Enrico and Arthur Rivier are the ones who
“fought the good war...And didn’t receive a Silver Star.” It is evident that Cormier wants the reader
to understand that the impact of war is evident in both physical and psychological ways and that
bravery is not just measured by the award of medals.
The repetition of the word ‘maybe’ does ensure that there is some question as to whether Francis
will “buy a typewriter and get started”, “find Dr Abrams’ telephone number”, “track down Enrico,
check out those hospitals he told me about”. However, he does say that he “should do all those
things” and it is implied that he wants to fulfil his ambition to write, partly for himself and partly for
Nicole.
Arguably, the final image in the book is the most significant in this chapter. Francis’s duffel bag, a
symbol of his guilt and pain for much of the novel, now feels “nice and comfortable” perhaps
suggesting that Francis has at last reached some sort of peace. It is particularly effective as it
seems to me that Cormier wants the reader to finish the book with the sense that it has been the
first thing Francis has written and is a part of his recuperation process.
Overview
1. Ch2
Meets
Nicole
1939
Seventh
grade
2. Ch5
Wreck
Centre
Larry’s
arrival
3.Ch7
Table
Tennis
1941
Pearl
Harbour
4. Ch9
Larry
enlists.
Francis and
Nicole
5. Ch11
Larry
returns.
The rape
6. Ch12
Guilt.
Francis
enlists
7. Ch1
8. Ch3
Return to
(Flashback
Frenchtown to 1943 –
Norman
Rochelau,
the war,
grenade)
9. Ch4
Arthur
Rivier
St Jude
Club
10. Ch6
St Jude
Club
Scrapbook
11. Ch8
Pee Alley
12. Ch10
(FlahbackLondon)
Waiting for
Larry’s
return.
13. Ch13
Hears of
Larry’s
return
15. Ch15
Discovers
where
Nicole is.
16. Ch16
Sees
Nicole.
Encouraged
to write
17. Ch17
The real
heroes.
New
journey
begins
14. Ch14
Cannot
complete
mission.
Larry’s
suicide
ian.altman@erw.org.uk