READING JOURNALS (PGS. 1-47)
DIRECTIONS: Choose ONE from each section. Write a well written multi-paragraph response for each. Complete all work in your journals. Explain with details and specific examples from the text to support your thoughts. You may refer to the text for help. Responses should be written in your Reader’s Notebook or one the blog. These will be counted as READING grades and will be based upon the open-ended rubric (4-point).
Reading Assignment 1 – pp 1 – 19
Identify one or more literary allusions in Chapters 1 and 2. Briefly research these allusions and explain how they relate to the passages in which they appear in Heroes.
In Chapter 1, Francis says, “People glance at me in surprise and look away quickly or cross the street when they see me coming. I don’t blame them.” Compare and contrast peoples’ treatment of Francis in this passage to the way Jewish people were treated during WWII in Europe.
Make a text-to-self connection to one of the events in Chapter 2 involving Francis’ crush on Nicole. Explain a time that you had a crush on someone and what you did to try to get (or avoid) their attention.
Reading Assignment 2 – pp. 20 – 31
In the beginning of Chapter 3, Francis reveals that he purposely avoids eye contact with people he knows while walking through the streets of Frenchtown. Why do you think he behaves this way? What does this tell you about his character?
As Francis roams around his old neighborhood, he visits the place where Nicole Renard once lived. He is obviously upset that she is no longer living there when he thinks to himself: I don’t know where they went, the Renards. They left without warning, in the middle of the night.
Make a prediction about where the Renards have gone. Then, make a text-to-text, text-to-world, or text-to-self connection regarding the Renards’ prompt exit from Frenchtown.
On pages 27 through 30, Francis describes how he endures haunting dreams and memories of the war each night as he attempts to sleep. Why do you think this happens to Francis? What do these recurring dreams tell you about his subconscious mind?
Reading Assignment 3 – pp. 32 – 47
On page 33, Francis recalls wanting to be like the older boys in town, going off to war to join the “great crusade for freedom.” While hanging out with other veterans, however, he is hesitant to reveal his identity even to them, thinking to himself, “What if I told them I was little Francis Cassavant…that I am not the hero he thinks I am, not like the other veterans here in the St. Jude Club.” Why do you think Francis feels this way about himself?
Explain the irony behind the spelling of the “Wreck Center” (instead of “Rec Center”) and why it’s called a “bad luck place.” Make a prediction about what this may foreshadow for the rest of the story.
Select a modern day actor to play the role of Larry LaSalle in a movie version of Heroes. Explain why you selected this person to play this role. Additionally, which modern day actor would you cast in the role of “young” Francis? Explain this choice, as well. Your selections should show careful thought about the characters’ traits and behaviors.