My Hero

My dad's as brave as a dad can,

I rate him Number One,
He's not afraid of the dead of night,
Or anything under the sun.

He's not afraid of a late-night film,

Full of horrors on the telly,
And is he afraid of skeletons?
Not dad, not on your Nelly!

He's not afraid of meeting ghosts,

He'd even smile and greeting 'em,
And things that scare most dads the most,
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 door,
He wouldn't let that upset him.

My dad's as a brave as dad can be,

And he's always ready to prove it,
So why, when a spider's in the bath,
Does Mum have to come and remove it?

WILLIS HALL
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 anything 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 strengths.
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 expectation.
F) Able to separate the reality from make-believe.
G) Willing to help those in trouble.

Questions on My Hero.
Stanza 1.

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

2. Why does the persona use the phrase 'dead of night' to refer to the father being considered brave?

Stanza 2.

3. How would a person who does not enjoy late-night horror movies react to horror scenes?

4. Describe the father's reaction to show that he enjoys horror scenes shown over the television.

Stanza 3.

5. Name the object mentioned by the persona that most people are afraid of.

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

7. What does the persona says his father will do if he sees something which other fathers are scare of?
Stanza 4.

8. If the persona's father is not afraid of gholish figures, what will he do if one of those 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?

10. How does the persona feels about his father and his fear to spider?

Practice 1.
A) In Stanza 1,which expression shows the persona's pride in his father?

B) What does the persona's father enjoy doing at night?

C) What literary device is used for the line 'And is he afraid of skeletons'?

D) The persona compares his father with other fathers. What is the comparison? How does the persona feel
about it? [HOTS]

Practice 2.
A) How does the persona show confidence in his father in the event his father sees a ghost?

B) Explain the character trait portrayed bye the persona's father. [HOTS]

C) List the ghoulish figures as mentioned by the persona.

D) What moral value have you learned from the poem? Would you recommend the poem to a friend? Give a
reason for this. [HOTS]
Practice 3.
A) What does the expression 'dead of night' normally imply? Why do you think the persona uses this
expression. [HOTS]

B) What does the word 'skeletons' bring to mind? Why does the persona mention this?

C) According to the persona, what would his father do if he meets someone or something that challenges his
pride or abilities.

D) 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.
[HOTS]
Practice 4.

A) In Stanza 5,what does the line 'And he's always ready to prove it' imply about the parent-child
relationship?

B) What are the 'things' that the persona feels 'Scare most dads the most' but not his dad?
C) What does 'hero worship' means? How is this portrayed in the poem?

D) 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? [HOTS]
->i)Weakness:.
ii)Feeling: