Category or class

Ten suggested topics
E x p l o r i n g O n l i n e
Go to 
www.cengage.com/devenglish/scarry/writersworkplace
 to fi nd 
the 
Writer’s Online Workplace, 
a website designed for students using 
this book. You will fi nd links to handouts, interactive quizzes, and other 
online resources as you explore the following topics:
writing defi nitions
• 
looking at examples of defi nition paragraphs
• 
Topic sentence
PART 4
CREATING EFFECTIVE PARAGRAPHS
482
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

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483
WHO IS A HERO?
Some words or ideas are hard to defi ne, either because they are complicated or 
because they are controversial. One such idea is the concept of 
heroism.
The 
following paragraph, from Nicholas Thompson’s essay “Hero Infl ation,” gives us 
a useful review of the changing defi nition of 
heroism
in our society today.
Roughly speaking, American heroes fi rst needed bravery. But 
bravery is not suffi cient because evil people can be brave, too. So, the 
second trait in American historical lore is nobility. Heroes must work 
toward goals that we approve of. Heroes must show ingenuity. Lastly, 
they should be successful. Rosa Parks wouldn’t have been nearly as 
much of a hero if she hadn’t sparked a boycott that then sparked a 
movement. Charles Lindbergh wouldn’t have been nearly as heroized 
if the 
Spirit of St. Louis
had crashed into the Atlantic, or if scores of 
people had made the fl ight before. Recently, though, a fourth trait—
victimhood—seems to have become as important as anything else in 
determining heroic status. Today, heroes don’t have to do anything: 
they just need to be noble victims.
Working in Groups
Working together as a class, discuss the following Americans. Would you consider 
each one of them a hero? Why or why not?
Pilot Chesley Sullenberger, who guided a disabled US Airways jetliner to safely 
• 
land in the Hudson River in the winter of 2009
Roberto Clemente, famous Puerto Rican baseball player, who was killed in an 
• 
airplane crash trying to deliver relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua
Hollywood celebrity Angelina Jolie, who has adopted several children from other 
• 
lands
Bill Gates, a wealthy businessman who gives away millions of dollars
• 
A bone marrow donor
• 
A fi refi ghter killed in the World Trade Center attacks
• 
The boxer Muhammad Ali, also known for his political courage in the Civil 
• 
Rights era
An American in the Armed Services who has been killed in battle
• 
Work together to create a defi nition of 
heroism
in a single sentence. Then look up 
the dictionary defi nition. How close are the two defi nitions?
Working Together
483
Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part.

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PORTFOLIO SUGGESTIONS
Using the list from the group exercise, look up some of the more famous of these 
fi gures, either in an encyclopedia or on the Internet. Examine these people’s lives 
and then make judgments about them. Do you think these people are true heroes? 
Keep a list of heroic individuals and their deeds for possible use in a future essay.