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What Exactly Is a Hero? 1

Before You Read

Connect to the Essay

Literary Element Text Structure

Reading Skill Determine Main Idea and

Supporting Details

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 Selection Vocabulary
essential
prominent
economic
Content Vocabulary
hike (hı̄k) n. a walk for
pleasure or exercise
My family likes to hike e in
the forest.
celebrity (sə lebʼ rə tē) n. a
famous person
The celebrityy signed many
autographs.
➤ Cognate (Spanish)
celebridad
Practice saying the words with a partner.
journey (jur‘ nē) n. the act
of traveling; a trip
We took a long journey
from Chicago to Los
Angeles.
heroism (herˊ ō iz‘ əm) n. the
state of being a hero
Luke wrote about the
heroismm of a girl. She
saved his life.
➤ Cognate (Spanish)
heroísmo
prevail
conscious
triumphs (trı̄‘ umfs)
n. successes
The team won all their
games. They had many
triumphs.
➤ Cognate (Spanish) triunfo
revealed (ri vēld‘) v. made
known or shown clearly
The magician revealed
that a rabbit was in his hat.
For more practice, see page 224.
qualities (kwol‘ ə tēz) n. a
person’s characteristics
or basic nature
Honesty and kindness are
two qualitiess I look for in
a friend.
➤ Cognate (Spanish)
calidades
primary (prı̄ˊ mer‘ē) adj.
most important
My primaryy reason for
exercising is to stay
healthy.
What Exactly Is a Hero? 3
 Just like life, a hike is a journey
j yy—full of ups and downs,
long climbs, deep doubts, painful losses, real triumphs p , and
plenty of surprises. We may make some good friends on
the way, but much of the time we walk alone. And as with
our own lives, we can’t see very far down the trail. We can
only keep walking, and do our best to prepare ourselves for
whatever twists and turns lie ahead.
Now, to survive that sort of journey, maybe even with
grace, we need some essential qualities
q . Courage, for one.
10 Perseverance. And wisdom. The very same qualities it takes
to be a hero.
Literary Element What exactly is a hero? What does the word really
mean?
Text Structure Reread the
first box. What is the author Let’s start with what a hero does not mean: a celebrityy.
comparing a hero to? In our society, we often confuse the two, but they are really
Check the correct answer. very different. As different as the two kinds of sage—the
character
person who has grown immensely wise over time, and the
celebrities
money sweet but short-lived herb that decorates the prairies.
A hero is someone who, faced with a tough challenge,
20 reaches down inside and finds the courage, strength, and
wisdom to triumph. That person could be a girl or a boy;
a prominent leader or the person next door; a member of
any race, culture, or economic group. But in every case, it’s
someone whose special qualities of character make a real
difference.

To Sum Up Vocabulary
essential (i senˊ shəl) adj. basic
➤ A celebrity is not always prominent (promˊ ə nənt) adj. well-known or important
a hero. economic (ek‘ ə nomˊ ik) adj. relating to money matters
➤ A hero is someone who
has courage, strength, and
wisdom.

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Note Taking

Most Interesting One Thing One Thing

New Word
Word I Already Knew I Learned

What Exactly Is a Hero? 5

What Exactly Is a Hero?
Background Information
Winston Churchill was the
Prime Minister of Great Britain
during World War II. Jane
Goodall is a researcher who
has fought to protect
chimpanzees in the wild.
A flash in the pann is something
that happens quickly and then
goes away.
To Sum Up
➤ A celebrity is someone who
is famous.
➤ A person is a hero because
of who he or she is inside.
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A celebrity, by contrast, is just someone who has won
our attention—whether for fifteen seconds or fifteen years.
The celebrity’s fame could have come from entertaining
us, serving us . . . or even harming us. Now, don’t get me
wrong. Sometimes heroes can become so well known that
they also become celebrities. Abraham Lincoln was, in his
day, both at once. So was Winston Churchill over fifty years
ago. And so is Jane Goodall today. But the two ideas are still
30 quite different. For a hero, what counts is character. For a
celebrity, what counts is fame.
Here’s another way to think about it: A hero does
something truly important, regardless of whether anyone
ever notices. But a celebrity is all about being noticed—
being a famous face or name or number on a jersey. One of
them, you could say, is a real meal cooking on the campfire.
The other is a flash in the pan.
Heroism, then, is about character. The
qualities a person carries down inside.
40 Or, to put this in hiking terms: The most
important piece of equipment that any jersey
hiker brings on the trail isn’t a backpack,
a sleeping bag, or even a map. No, it’s the hiker himself or
herself! That person’s head, heart, and soul. In just the same
way, heroes prevail not because of the tools or weapons
they carry outside—but because of what they carry inside.
Lao-tzu, the Chinese philosopher, pointed out long ago
that even the greatest journey begins with a single step.
That is true, and well worth remembering. But frankly, I
would have said it differently: Every journey begins with a
Vocabulary
prevail (pri vālʼ) v. to win
➤
Note Taking

Most Interesting One Thing One Thing

New Word
Word I Already Knew I Learned

What Exactly Is a Hero? 7

What Exactly Is a Hero?
omprehension Check
Reread the boxed text. What
is the main idea? Check the
correct answer.
A hero is who a person is on
the inside.
A hero is someone who hikes
and backpacks.
A hero is someone who is
famous.
To Sum Up
➤ We can tell someone is a
hero by the choices he or
she makes.
➤ Each choice we make
shapes us as a person.
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50 single person. A hiker—and whatever inner qualities he or
she brings to the trail.
Just how are those inner qualities revealed? Through our
choices, For every choice matters, whether it’s big or small,
conscious or unconscious, repeated or rare. And every
choice is an expression of who we are.
Our choices, then, are like footsteps. Each one takes us
farther down the trail, affecting the route we take, the pace
we set, and the deeds we do along the way. And each one
is shaped by two primary
p y forces: our own inner selves and
60 the trail itself—the landscape of life. So our inner qualities
shape our choices, our choices become our footsteps, and
our footsteps become our journey. y
Vocabulary
conscious (konʼ shəs) adj. done with purpose
REFLECT
Main Idea and Supporting Details
Write the main idea of the essay. Then list two details
from the essay that support the main idea.
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PARTNERS
Talk about your answer with a partner. Make sure
to ask your partner for clarification when needed.
Note Taking

Most Interesting One Thing One Thing

New Word
Word I Already Knew I Learned

What Exactly Is a Hero? 9

After You Read

Comprehension Check

For more practice, see pages 225 and 226.

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