BACKGROUND: Epic poems, like Beowulf, are lengthy narratives about epic heroes and their heroic deeds. Epic heroes are usually of noble birth, perform super-human acts, and their actions often determine the fate of nations. Moreover, Epic heroes reflect ideal character traits such as bravery, honor, and loyalty. The epic hero is used throughout literature regardless of time, era, or genre. For example, current films often contain epic heroes, which today we call “superheroes.” Understanding the epic hero makes it much easier to understand the theme, as what happens to the epic hero is an example of what the author believes happens to humanity as a whole.

ASSIGNMENT: Write about your favorite superhero and how the superhero embodies the traits of an epic hero. Does your superhero have the traits of bravery, honor, and loyalty? Is your superhero of noble birth? Does your superhero perform superhuman acts that determine the fate of nations? Why are these traits important?

Read the passage from an argumentative essay. many endangered species are currently threatened by climate change. there are some laws already in place, but are they effective enough? anyone with a conscience knows that these creatures deserve the chance to survive without outside threats impeding their survival. i suppose this is a tough decision for lawmakers, but i hope they choose wisely. which statement best evaluates the claim in the passage?

Read sentence 13 from the draft. some plants retain a great deal of their foliage through much of the spring and summer, but the leaves do not retain their green color for long. which detail would be best to add after sentence 13 to develop the topic? a. since the green color of the leaves that are bright and abundant during the warmer months will disappear by the time it is fall, it is important that the leaves are trimmed and kept freshly cut so that they will last for as long as possible. b. while the temperature outside may dictate when the fall colors of leaves appear, it is only one of many environmental factors that play a part in the changing of colors from green leaves to fall-colored leaves during the cooler months. c. if people want to enjoy the green color of leaves longer, trees should be planted where the environment is warmer and the days longer because chlorophyll in the leaves can only be manufactured and replaced with sunlight and warmth. d. the green chlorophyll normally masks the fall-colored pigments during the warmer months, but as sunlight becomes less abundant and trees become frozen, the fall colors of leaves become more visible as chlorophyll disappears.

Read the excerpt from the land. in the late afternoon i did the same, but all the time i was on the stallion, i was aware that mitchell was watching me. he had appeared on the edge of the woods and had just stood there watching ghost wind and me as we went round and round the meadow. finally, on one of our turns past him, he said: "s'pose you thinkin' you a real somebody 'cause you can ride that stallion." i looked down at mitchell and stopped, knowing that despite our understanding, he was itching for a fight with me. now, i don't know what possessed me in that moment to say the next thing i did. maybe i was feeling guilty that because i was my daddy's son, i could ride ghost wind. maybe it was that, but it wasn't out of fear i said what i said. i no longer was afraid of mitchell. "you want to ride him? " i asked. mitchell took a step backward. it was obvious he hadn't expected me to say that. "you know i can't ride him," he said. "your white daddy'd kill me." "you want to ride him? " i asked again. mitchell looked at the stallion, then at me. "so, what if i do? " what intrinsic motivation does the author most likely intend the reader to infer from the passage? paul is motivated by his need to have mitchell praise his riding skills. mitchell is motivated by his need to have paul praise his riding skills. paul is motivated by jealousy and wishes he had free time like mitchell. mitchell is motivated by jealousy and wishes he could ride the horse.