Mother Heroes

This week we chose an article named" Why Our Mothers are Our Heroes", describing how the everyday mother has been looked at as the most famous hero of all other heroes. The blog tells us that when surveyed most commonly people put down their mother's as their heroes more than any other people. When reading the article, please think about the following questions:

Do think the author focuses too much on only one parent, rather than the father as well? Why or why not?

How do you think the survey conducted about heroes would be affected if there were a lot of same sex parents or single parents? How does this affect families like this?

Do you think parents, mother specifically, should be looked at as the most important heroes? Do you consider your own mother your hero?

By: Erica Burton, Joseph Samons and Wenjing Hu

http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2011/05/07/why-our-mothers-are-our-heroes/

Companionate Heroes

This week we chose an article named The Heroic Companionship of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, introducing the story of Keller and her teacher which shows us that how Keller overcame all kinds of hardship under assistance of her teacher Sullivan and grew from a helpless blind and deaf girl to a prolific author and a world-famous advocate for people with disabilities. When reading the article, please think about the following questions:

1. Should Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan be considered heroes? Why? How did their behaviors and qualities relate to the definition of heroism?

2. The article introduces the definition of companionate heroes. What are differences and similarities between this kind of hero and the typical heroes who dedicate their lives to others or the common good?

3. Keller and Sullivan were considered two of the most respectful women and their story was inspiring to generations. What made it so special compared to other similar stories about assistance to disabilities? How can you relate this to the social functions of heroes?

By: Yang Zhang, Yali Song, Mei He, Shinan Ma

http://blog.richmond.edu/heroes/2011/04/18/the-heroic-companionship-of-helen-keller-and-anne-sullivan/

Literary Heroes Through the Ages

http://www.iuinfo.indiana.edu/HomePages/022699/text/groslouis.htm

In this article, the writer is holding an interview. The questions revolve around what the man being interviewed, a professor named Ken Gros Louis, considers a hero and how he believes the definition of a hero has changed over time in both real life and in literature. While reading this interview think about the following:

Does Gros Louis make a good arguement as to how he defines a hero?

Do you agree with his criteria?

The article says: "...everyday heroes don't impact society enough to really rise to the level of the kind of hero that various cultures admire." Do you agree with this? Why or why not?

Who would you consider to be the main literary heros from books you have read?

Anthony Springer, Sammi Schecht and Elizabeth Mercer

Recognizing Everyday Heroes

This week we chose an article from leprovoc.com. It's called A Tribute to the Heroes of Everyday Life and was issued on February 22, 2006. It is about recognizing heroes on a daily basis instead of waiting for a crisis to happen. When reading this article think about the following questions.

1) Should someone be considered a hero because of their profession, or should they only be considered a hero when they do something heroic.

2) Should the lable of hero be limited to policemen, fire fighters, etc... in our society.

3) Does this article bring to mind any other kind of profession that you find to be heroic that isn't mentioned.

By: Damieon, Patrick, Jake, Wenjia

http://media.www.leprovoc.com/media/storage/paper453/news/2006/02/22/Feature/A.Tribute.To.The.Heroes.Of.Everday.Life-1643019.shtml

Everyday Heroes

This week we chose an article from FedSmith.Com. It was published in May of 2009 by Marilyn Jones. In the article, Heroes Among Us, Jones points out every day heroes that you wouldn't usually notice.

While you're reading, focus on :

1. Would you consider these people heroes? Why or why not?

2. What is achieved by Marilyn Jones using real-life examples or pictures? Such as the pregnant woman's crash or the lost boy.

3. Is this a reliable source or do you think that she is biased towards these types of people?

By: Emily, Gage & Yuqin.

http://www.fedsmith.com/article/1993/heroes-among-us.html

American Heroism!

This week we chose an article from The Fordyce Letter called American Heroism in the 21st Century written by Jonathan Greenberg, published July 19th, 2010. The article takes a unique look at something that is usually not considered heroic at all. We hope you all enjoy!

1) How does the writer make the importance of these job holders apparent?
2) Do you think that the public underestimates the importance of these workers to the overall growth of the economy?
3) Is the author over exaggerating these workers' role, in your opinion? Why or why not?
4) Do you think that the writer is neglecting other social statuses and jobs in America? Do you think that there are other people of importance, that are worthy of being looked up to, in society?

By: Breanne, Casey, Holly, Carissa
http://www.fordyceletter.com/2010/07/19/american-heroism-in-the-21st-century/

Superheroes

This week, I've chosen a blog from psychologytoday.com all about superheroes: www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-superheroes. This is a single author blog created by Robin Rosenberg that investigates various characteristics and perspectives of superheroes. The posts are varied, addressing topics from "what" makes a superhero, to Wonder Women, to comic book nerds. Let's focus on the post from March 2010, entitled "What Is a Superhero?"

Here are some questions to keep in mind while reading through the post:
1. How are the images related to the text? What effect is achieved?
2. What do you find interesting about the author’s answer to her own questions: “Why a psychological blog about superheroes?....What are superheroes?”
3. How did readers respond to this post? What issues do the majority seem to agree upon? What might this imply?