What is your definition of a hero/heroine? What kinds of things do heroes/heroines do that ordinary people do not? What motivates the actions of a hero/heroine?
Consider the trials, conflicts, and struggles you or someone you know has experienced. Did the solution to those difficulties parallel that of one of the mythic heroes you have read about? Would you consider these part of a "hero's quest"? Explain why or why not.
Identify a person (not a category of persons) you consider an American or personal hero. What characteristics does your contemporary hero share with their mythical counterparts? Does this make him/her a mythological hero? Explain why or why not.