Student Name ______________________________________________ ELA Period _______
Essential Questions: Which quote appeals the most to you and why? Select ONLY ONE. What makes
a hero? Who do you consider a hero?
Writing Task: In a well-developed, multi-paragraph essay, explain your connection to one quote
below, discuss a person (or literary character) you consider to be a true hero and explain WHY.
Final typed copy is due Monday, January 11, 2016
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” Joseph Campbell
“I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people.” Maya Angelou
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming
obstacles.” Christopher Reeve
“A hero is someone who is brave for just a little bit longer.”
“Hero: an ordinary person facing extraordinary circumstances and acting with courage, honor and selfsacrifice.”
“Being a hero doesn’t mean you’re invincible. It just means that you’re brave enough to stand up and
do what’s needed.” Rick Riordan
“A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“One brave deed makes no hero.” John Greenleaf Whittier
“A hero is someone who steps up when everyone else backs down.”
“It is surmounting difficulties that make heroes.” Louis Pasteur
“Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.” Gerard Wang
“That’s what it takes to be a hero, a little gem of innocence inside you that makes you want to believe
that there still exists a right and a wrong that decency will somehow triumph in the end.” Lise Hand
“What makes a hero truly great is that they never despair.” Roy Thompson
“Great occasions do not make heroes or cowards; they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. Silently
and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow strong or weak; and at last some crisis shows what we
have become.” Brooke Foss Westcott
“What makes a hero? Courage, strength, morality, withstanding adversity? Are these the traits that
truly show and create a hero? Is the light truly the source or darkness or vice versa? Is the soul a source
of hope or despair? Who are these so called heroes and where do they come from? Are their originas
in obscurity of in plain sight? Fyodor Dostoevsky
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH (What quote appeals to you and why)
1. Select a quote.
2. Carefully READ the quote to make sure you understand the meaning of each and every word in the
quote. If not, work through the quote and find a synonym for each unknown word and write it directly
over the word so its meaning is clear. Start your essay with the quote itself. (Use quotation marks)
3. RESTATE THE QUOTE by putting the quote in your own words and thinking about a person that
reflects the quote that you can write about.
4. Add additional sentences that elaborates your interpretation. (In other words, This can also mean,)
BODY PARAGRAPH #1
WHO DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE A HERO?
1. Introduce the HERO that you are using to support your explanation of the quote. In this paragraph,
you describe the example or situation that you are using to support your claim that person X is a hero.
Describe the actual situation. What actually happened? Explain the end result. (MAKE SURE YOUR
FACTS ARE CORRECT!)
BODY PARAGRAPH #2 What makes a hero?
Connect your hero to their strongest character traits. You may include a closing that hints at the lesson
that you LEARNED from the hero.
CONCLUSION
Open your closing paragraph by restating the meaning of the quote and speaker.
In one sentence, connect the quote back to your personal hero.
Briefly explain how this quote can impact your future. Think about ways you can be an everyday hero.
(Looking ahead, I will… In the future, I will… Going forward…)