My Hero - by Willis Hall

Meanings

My dad’s as brave as a dad can be, My dad is very brave.

I rate him Number One, He is my number 1.
He’s not afraid of the dead of night, He is not afraid of anything that
Stanza 1
Or anything under the sun. happens at night or daytime.

He’s not afraid of a late-night film,

Full of horrors on the telly,
And is he afraid of skeletons? He is not afraid of scary movies
Stanza 2
or skeletons.
Not dad, not on you Nelly!

He’s not afraid of meeting ghosts,

He’s even smile and greet ‘em,
And things that scare most dads the most, He is not afraid of ghosts. He
Stanza 3
can overcome any scary things.
My dad could just defeat ‘em.

He’s not afraid of vampires,

Or a wolf-man come to get him,
If Frankenstein’s monster knocked on our
Stanza 4 door,
He wouldn’t let that upset him.
He is not afraid of vampires,
wolf-man, or Frankenstein’s
monster.

My dad’s brave as a dad can be, My dad is very brave. He

And he’s always ready to prove it. shows that in everything he
Stanza 5 So why, when a spider’s in the bath, does. But, when he sees a
spider, he has to get mom to
Does Mum have to come and remove it? help him remove it.
Vocabularies:

Pictures to help you understand vocabs:

Telly

Skeletons

Vampires

Wolf-man

Frankenstein’s
monster
Themes:
1. Bravery

The child’s father is brave. For example, he is not afraid of the dark and day,
skeletons, ghosts, vampires, wolf-man or frankenstein.
2. Love
The child is close with his/her father. He/She gets to observe his/her father and learn
about all the things that he is not afraid of as well as the thing that he is afraid of
(spider)
3. Respect
The child still shows respect to his/her father even after knowing that his/her father
cannot get rid of a spider.

Moral values:
1. We should be brave in any situations.
2. We should love our family members.
3. We should be respectful to our parents even though we know they are not
perfect.
4. We should show good example to our children.

Below are some popular questions:

1. What kind of person is the persona’s dad?

Brave
2. Name two things dad is not afraid of.
ghosts and skeletons
3. What does ‘telly’ refer to?
television
4. What will happen if a wolf-man come to get dad?
He could defeat them.
5. What is that one thing that dad is afraid of?
Spider
6. Who helps dad when there is a spider in the bathroom?
Mom
7. Who is the persona?
a child.
8. What kind of person is Mom?
brave.
9. What kind of person is the persona?
funny/curious
10. Why do you think most kids see their parents as heroes?
Because the adults care about their children and do many things that the kids
cannot do.
11. Do you think the mom is be afraid of something too? Why?
Yes, everyone has their own weaknesses.
12. If you are the persona, what will you do when your dad see a spider?
Help him get rid of the spider.
13. Do you think dad will still be a good father? Why?
Yes, because he still takes care of his child and help his child with many other
things.
14. In your opinion, how is the relationship between the dad and the persona?
They are close to each other.
15. Which is it important for a family to help one another?
So that all family members have someone to turn to when they are in danger.

More Questions

1.How brave is the child's dad?

->As brave as a dad can be.

2.What is the meaning of 'the dead of the night'?

->In the middle of the night when it is very dark and quiet.

3.What is the late-night film on the telly full of?

->Horror film.

4.What would the child's dad do if he met the ghosts?

->He'd even smile and greet 'em.

5.What well-known monsters would not upset him?

->Frankenstein is the well-known monsters that would not upset him.

6.Who solves the problem when there's a spider in a bath?

->His mother.
7.Do you think 'My Hero' is a good title for this poem?Why or why not?
->Yes.Because father is the role model for every kids.

8.What did you like about this poem?

->I like this poem because it describe that every human have a weakness.

Practices with Suggested Answer (SA)

1.How do you think the persona probably looks when he talks of his father? Choose two
word from the list given- sullen,bored,serious,proud.
SA: Proud and serious.

2.Why does the persona use the phrase 'dead of night' to refer to the father being
considered brave?
SA: Because the father not afraid of the darkness.

3.How would a person who does not enjoy late-night horror movies react to horror scenes?
SA: Not afraid to watch horror movies.

4.Describe the father's reaction to show that he enjoys horror scenes shown over the
television.
SA: The persona's father is not afraid to watch horror movies.The scenes of skeletons do not
scare him or put him off watching them.

5.Name the object mentioned by the persona that most people are afraid of.
SA: The object mentioned by the persona that most people are afraid of is ghost.

6.What does the persona say his father will do?

SA: The persona says his father is not afraid of ghosts and would even smile and
acknowledge the ghosts.

7.What does the persona says his father will do if he sees something which other fathers are
scared of?
SA: The persona's father would even smile and acknowledge if he sees something scary.

8.If the persona's father is not afraid of ghost figures,what will he do if one of those appears
at his door?
SA: The persona's father will not be intimidated if one if it appears at his door.

9.Why do you think the persona's father is always ready to prove to his son that he is brave?
SA: Brave as a father can be and always keen to show it.

10.How does the persona feels about his father and his fear to spider?
SA: He is confused.

11. In Stanza 1,which expression shows the persona's pride in his father?
SA: I'll rate him Number 1.

12. What does the persona's father enjoy doing at night?

SA: The persona's father enjoy watching horror movies at night on the television.
13.What literary device is used for the line 'And is he afraid of skeletons'?
SA: Rhetorical question.

14. The persona compares his father with other fathers. What is the comparison? How does
the persona feel about it?
SA: Comparison: The persona's father is not scared of the things that scare most dads. The
persona is proud of his father.

15. How does the persona show confidence in his father in the event his father sees a
ghost?
SA: The persona's father is not scared and would smile and greet to the ghost.

16. Explain the character trait portrayed by the persona's father.

SA: Not scared of ghost.

17. List the ghoulish figures as mentioned by the persona.

SA: Vampire,Wolf-man and Frankenstein monster.

18. What moral value have you learned from the poem? Would you recommend the poem to
a friend? Give a reason for this.
SA: Yes. Because we could get some good examples for our lives.

19. What does the expression 'dead of night' normally simply means? Why do you think the
persona uses this expression.
SA: The dead of night shows the spirit of the father towards the darkness and his braveness.

20. What does the word 'skeletons' bring to mind? Why does the persona mention this?
SA: The skeletons are scary figures who only has bones and no flesh. Because the
skeletons has are scary-looking.

21. According to the persona,what would his father do if he meets someone or something
that challenges his pride or abilities.
SA: The persona's father will do his best to challenge it to uphold his reputation and pride.

22. Parents should set good examples for their children. Do you agree with this? Do you
think the persona's father sets good examples of behaviour for the persona? If so,how does
he do this? Give one example.
SA: Yes, because parents are the leaders in the family. The father sets good example of
bravery and confidence. He shows that he is not intimidated by ghosts nor scared of
darkness.

23. In Stanza 5,what does the line 'And he's always ready to prove it' imply about the parent-
child relationship?
SA: Father knows now highly the child think of him so he will do anything to live up to that
standard.

24.What are the 'things' that the persona feels 'Scare most dads the most' but not his dad?
SA: The 'thing' is ghost.

25: What does 'hero worship' means? How is this portrayed in the poem?
SA; The person you admire for braveness. The father is portrayed as a brave person.

26: The persona's father or hero has a weakness. What is the weakness? How and why do
you think the persona feels? Why should he feel this way?
SA: i) Weakness:Scared of spiders.
ii) Feeling:Weird because his father is not afraid of ghosts figures but scared of spiders.

Pharaphrase of the poem.

Stanza 1.

The persona is very proud of his father who he feels is as brave as any other father or
even braver.In his eyes,his father is Number One as his father is fearless and not afraid
of the dead of night and anything under the sun.

Stanza 2.

The persona says his father is not afraid to watch horror movies late in the
night.Horror scenes of skeletons do not scare him or put him off watching them.

Stanza 3.

The persona is positive his father is not afraid of ghosts and would even smile and
acknowledge them.His father dares to fight against things that most other dads are
afraid of.

Stanza 4.

The persona's father will not be intimidated by horror,figures like vampires ,wolf-man
or Frankenstein's monster even if they appear at the door.

Stanza 5.

The persona says his father is as brave as a father can be an he's always keen to show
it.But when his father sees a spider,he will not touch it and mother has to come to his
aid.This is something the persona cannot understand about his brave father.Is he really
afraid of mere spider?

Synopsis.

The persona feels his father is very brave and is not afraid of any time of the day and
anyting in the world.He rates his father who watches horror movies late at night is not
put off by any horror scenes or fearful skeletons.If any ghost appears in front of his
father,he will either greet them or fight them off.Horror figures,big or small,ugly or
scary looking do not give him the creeps even if they appear at his door.However,the
persona's father or his hero has a weakness-He has a fear of spider.
Themes.

1)Respecting and looking up to someone.

2)Living up to people's expectation.
3)Believe in no one's skills and strenghts.
4)Everyone has flaws or weakness.
5)Accepting people for what they are.
6)Parent-child relationship.
7)Hero worship.

Moral Values.

A) Recognise and acknowledge our weakness.

B) Not be afraid to acknowledge our weakness.
C) Value family relationship.
D) Must set good examples.
E) Try to live up to young children's exectation.
F) Able to seperate the reality from make-believe.
G) Willing to help those in trouble.