A Hero By R.K. Narayan

Think about a time you had a frightening experience as a child What did you have to do? Why did it frighten you? How did you overcome your fears? What was the outcome? What lessons did you learn from your experience?

What does the word ‘hero’ mean?

Where and when is this story set? In an imaginary town called Maguldi, somewhere in the south of India In the early 20th century

Summary An argument between Swami and his father over bravery escalates into a conflict including the whole family, and eventually ends with the father giving up on his attempt to teach his son a lesson.

Choose adjectives and examples to describe the following characters Father Mother Grandmother Swami Headmaster

What are the main themes in the story? Family relationships Growing up Concepts of courage

Pick out examples of the use of ‘comedy’ in this story Irony – The boy bites the burglar out of fear and panic but others think that he was brave and courageous After all of the drama, the boy returns to sleep by his grandmother The burglar is described as being ‘one of the most notorious house-breakers of the district’, yet he howls in pain after the small boy bites him

What features of language are there in the story, and what effect do these have? Humourous descriptions – line 41, 49-50, 106 Dialogue – shows the different personalities of the characters Tension is created – lines 69-96. How?