How do we define the personality traits of a hero? -Bravery -Courage -Perseverance -Dedication -Trustworthy (“What are”)

How do the settings, conflicts, and antagonists influence the development of literary heroes? Lindsey Salmon rose as a hero when her sister Suzie went missing. She started becoming suspicious about a neighbor George Harvey and decided to go looking through his house one day. After looking around she found a book of drawings about the underground house George built for the killing of Suzie (Sebold).

How does a hero reflect his/her particular culture and society? “ I would have taken a bullet for Adam”. “If someone would have said “Trade your life for the life of this beautiful little boy” I would have done it in a minute. I wouldn’t want anybody to walk in my shoes” (Martindale 2). These are just a few quotes said by John about his son Adam. He loved his son so much to fight for him and other children.

How does a hero represent his/her time period and geographical area? When Adam Walsh went missing, missing children’s cases weren’t popular. In fact some FBI agents that came up from Miami said to John “We’re not really in the business of looking for kids. We’ll just monitor the case” (Martindale 2). So John took matters into his own hands and started looking. Now people are very determined to find missing children, with the passage of many laws to help keep pedophiles away from children and to help find children as soon as they are reported missing.

How do various cultures reward and recognize their heroes? Heroes can be rewarded in many different ways, whether it be self rewarding or being publicly awarded. John Walsh was rewarded many times, including being named “Man of the Year” by both the US Marshal Service and the FBI. He has also been honored five times by four presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W Bush ("AMW | About John Walsh”). Although Lindsey Salmon was not publicly rewarded, I think she is a hero in her family because she helped find clues to her sisters disappearance.

How do John Walsh and Lindsey Salmon relate in their characteristics of being a hero? My definition of a hero is someone who has bravery, courage, perseverance, and dedication. John Walsh and Lindsey Salmon both showed these characteristics. John Walsh was always dedicated to finding his son, and when his son was found dead, he turned to dedicate his life to find other missing children. Lindsey Salmon showed bravery when she chose to look in George Harvey’s house to look for any clues regarding her missing sister.

What events made John Walsh and Lindsey Salmon seen as heroes? On July 27, 1981, Adam Walsh the son of John and Reve, was abducted and killed. Adam went with his mother to the local Sears department, and there he asked to go to the toy department while she looked at the lamps. When she went to the toy department and didn’t find him, Adam was called over the loud speaker. 2 hours later the police was called, and two weeks later Adam’s decapitated head was found 120 miles away by a fisherman in Vero Beach. Adam’s body was never found (“Police: 1981 Killing of Adam Walsh Solved”). These events persuaded John Walsh to start helping other families that went through or that were going through the same situation. Lindsey Salmon rose as a hero because her 13 year old sister Suzie Salmon went missing on her walk home from school. After months of not knowing anything about Suzie’s disappearance, she went looking through a suspicious neighbors house, and risked her life.

How has the actions of John Walsh affected other people? Some people say that John Walsh has helped them be more aware of pedophiles, but others say that John has just made them afraid and parents are more paranoid about their children’s safety (“Police: 1981 Killing of Adam Walsh Solved”). John has brought happiness to many families after their son or daughter has been brought home, or their killer is caught. With all of the laws that he has helped pass, he has affected many families. He has helped bring home over 65 missing children in the past 22 years, and taken down over 1,050 dangerous fugitives ("AMW | About John Walsh”).

What are some things that help find children that came out of John Walsh's situation? NBC released two movies about the Walsh’s situation and really woke up the nation about how serious child abduction is, the network then ran a TV. show called Americas Most Wanted. After Adam’s death John helped put missing children’s faces on milk cartons, shopping bags and mailbox flier, started fingerprinting programs and increased security in schools and stores (“Police: '81 killing of Adam Walsh solved”). John was also the driving force behind the passing of many acts and laws. The Missing Children Act of 1982 and the Missing Children’s Assistance Act of 1984, he helped pursuade congress into enacting a national “ Amber Alert” (Martindale 1). In 2003 President Bush expanded the PROTECT Act of “Amber Alert” making grants to all 50 states so they can quickly alert the public about missing children and their abductors. And in 2006 President George Bush singed a law “tough as nails” for convicted sex offenders called the “ Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act” ("AMW | About John Walsh”).

How would these heroes be viewed today? They would still be viewed as heroes today because John continues to help families find and bring home their children and has helped passed many laws for missing children. He has helped bring home over 65 missing children in the past 22 years, and taken down over 1,050 dangerous fugitives ("AMW | About John Walsh”). He was recently named “Man of the Year” by both the US Marshal Service and the FBI. He has also been honored five times by four presidents: Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W Bush ("AMW | About John Walsh”). Lindsey Salmon would still considered a hero today because she risked her life to help find answers about her sister, even if that meant she wouldn’t find her.