What does it take to be a hero?
Seven qualities: courage, faith, perseverance, hope, humor, adaptability, moral direction
Why do we still have Mythic Heroes?
Do
we
have
modern
day
heroes?
4.
Heroes
are
more
than
companions on our
journey.
They
remind
us who
we
are,
and
who we
can
beco
me.
Why
do we
think/talk
about
heroes? To remind
us how
far
we
can
go
, and
how
high
we
can
climb.
Who gets
to
be
one?
5.
What
types
of
heroes
are
there?
Consider
the
following
types
and some
books that
feature
examples
.
•
Hero
on
the
Spot:
One
instant,
you’re
a companion or
passerby,
the
next,
you’re
called
on to
help.
Created
in a heartbeat.
( e.g.,
The
Outsiders
by
S.E. Hinton)
•
Survivor
Hero
:
Fighting
for
your
life. Lost,
abandoned,
victim
of
a natural
disaster.
You
rely
only
on yourself
. The
will
to
live
and
adaptability
.
( e.g.,
Island of
the Blue Dolphins
by
Scott
O’Dell)
•
Hero
Within
:
Physical
challenge.
Polio,
stuttering,
sickness.
Length
of
time
is long.
You
have
perseverance.
Determination.
Resiliency
. ( e.g.,
Sadako
and
the
Thousand
Paper
Cranes
by
Coe
rr
and
Himler)
•
Hero
to Others
Near
and
Far
:
People
who
consciously
set
out
to
help
others.
Physics
of
connectedness.
It’s
called
the
butterfly
effect.
The
theory
is that
everything
in the
universe
is
linked, beyond whatever
we
can
see.
These
invisible
links stretch
across
vast
reaches
of
time
and
space.
And they
are
so
strong
that
even
something
very
small
—as
small
as
a butterfly
—
could start
a chain
reaction
that
ultimately
makes
a huge
difference.
So
even
the
slightest
flutter
of
a butterfly’s
wings
somewh
ere
on this
planet
could actually,
over
time,
change
the
course
of
things.
( e.g.,
Kalahari
by
Jessica Khoury).
•
Hero
for
All
Times:
Some
of
these
heroes
serve
as
models to
others in
breaking
down barriers
and
as
leaders
inspiring
groups of
people.
( e.g.,
I
am:
The
Girl
Who
Stood
up
for Education
and
was
Shot
by the
Taliban
by
Malala Yousafzai).
2
Reading/Activity
2:
Collected
Poem
s
of
Lang ston
Hughes
and
The
Dream
Keeper
and
Other
Poems
by
Langston
Hughes
The
poem
“ Mother
to
Son”
can
be
used
for
an
introductory
reading
or
post
-reading
wrap
-up.
It
includes the
line,
“life
for
me
ain’t
been
no crystal
stair,”
which
is the
basis for
the
title
for
the
documentary
novel,
No
Crystal
Stair
by
Vaunda
Michaux
Nelson
(see
Reading/Activity
3)
. The
connection
be
tween
the
poems
of
Langston Hughes and
the
literary
and
historical
significance
of
the
Michaux’s
Harlem bookstore
can
be a powerful
teaching
tool
.
Listen
to
the
poem
on YouTube
read
by
Viola
Davis
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnAuAuipy0A
) and
a copy
from
the
Poetry
Foundation’s website
(
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47559/mother
-to -son
), then
consider
the
following.
•
Does
hearing
the
poem
read
change
your
initial thoughts and
feelings
after
the
first
reading?
•
What
do the
lines
below
mean
to
you?
What
difference
could it
make
in your
life
to
travel
the
rough-
worn
stairs?
After
reading
this,
what
does courage
mean
and
making
courageous
choices?
Reading/Activity
3:
No Crystal Stair
(a
documentary novel of the life and work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem
bookseller
)
by Vaunda Michaux Nelson
This book is told in first
-person narrative form, mostly by Lewis Michaux, but also interspersed with
other individuals who were affected by Michaux’s life. Solid storytelling combined with well
-
researched articles create a fascinating documentary novel of Lewis Michaux,
National Memorial
African Bookstore
owner and Civi
l Rights pioneer. Included in the book are photographs, news
articles, historical facts, poems, and quotes.
When a white banker told Michaux to sell fried chicken, not books, because “Negroes don't re
ad,”
he took five books and one hundred dollars and built a bookstore. Lewis rented a storefront, put
some books on display and talked and waited and talked some more. It soon became the intellectual
center of Harlem, a refuge for everyone from Muhammad Ali to Malcolm X.
“My life was no crystal stair, far
from it. But I'm taking my leave with some pride. It tickles
me to know that those folks who said I could never sell books to black people are eating
crow. I'd say my seeds grew pretty damn well. And not just the book business. It's the more
important bus
iness of moving our people forward that has real meaning.”
As a related activity, have students r
ead George El
la Lyon’s poem, “Where I’m From,
” available
online at http://www.georgeellalyon.com/where.html/
.
Lyon
is Kentucky’s 2015
-2016 Poet Laureate and she believes that “the question of where you are
from reaches deep.”
She wrote a list of things that describe where she is from, and she turned them
into a poem.
3
In poetry, data are the individual words in the poem. The patterns might be sounds or words or
phrases that are repeated again and again.
“Where I’m From”
is written using different patterns. Have students w
ork with a partner to identify
some of these patter
ns. Can they find words, sounds, or phrases that are repeated again and again?
Now, using one of the patterns identified in the poem, have students write a poem about where they
are from.
The poet uses the introductory phrase, “I am from” to start each li
ne. Use the same
pattern to write new poems
using the template below.
Say:
Remember, no one else sees the world as you do; no one else has your material to draw on. You don’t have to
know where to begin. Just start. Let it flow. Trust the work to find its own form.
The facilitator may
share first, if sharing out. Lead the class in a reflective discussion about the
activity. Sharing personal experiences through poems can build a sense of community and trust
. You
may use the suggested questions to guide the reflection.
Facilitator Reference:
•
How did it feel to write your poem?
•
How did it feel to share your poem
?
•
What were some commonalities across the poems?
•
What were some differences?
•
What is something that you learned from listening to other poems?
•
What was your favorite line from the poem? Why is this line your favorite?
•
What
was your favorite line from someone else’s poem? Why was this line your favorite?
•
What is something from your poem that might surprise people that you are glad you shared?
•
Now that you have heard other people’s poems, is there anything that you want to ad
d to
your own?
4
“I Am From” Poem Template
I am from.....
Adapted by Levi Romero
Inspired by “Where I’m From” by George Ella Lyon
I am from __________________
_________________ (an everyday item in your home)
from ____________________________ and
______
______________________ (products or everyday items in your
home)
I am from the ___________________________________ (description of your home)
__________________
_________________ (a detail about your home
– a smell, taste, or feel)
I am from
the___________________________________ (plant, flower, natural item)
The __________________
_________________ (plant or tree near your home)
whose long gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.
I’m from __________________________
__ and _______________
___
__________ (a family tradition and family trait)
from ____________________________ and ____________________________ (family members)
I’m from __________________________
__ and ____________________________ (family habits)
and from__________________
_________________.
(family habit)
I’m from __________________________
__ and ____________________________ (things you were told as a child)
and ____________________________________ (a song or saying you learned as a child)
5
I’m from___________________________________ (a family tradition)
I’m from __________________________
__ (place of birth) and __________________________
__ (family ancestry,
nationality or
place)
__________________
__________ and __________________________
__ (family foods)
From ___________________________________ (a story about a family member)
__________________
_________________ (detail about the story or person)
__________________
_________________ (description of family mementos
, pictures or treasures.)
__________________
_________________ (location
of mementos
– under my bed, on the wall, in my
heart)
___________________________________________________________________________ (more description if needed)
___________________________________________________________________________
(more description if
needed)