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