Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

What makes a person a hero? Can anyone be a hero, or is heroism a special quality that only some people possess? Could a person’s perception of themselves influence their potential for heroism?

Teaching Suggestion: This personal connection prompt prepares students for the theme Heroism and One’s Self-Image. Little Bee contains many instances where characters face opportunities for heroism, with victorious and tragic results. Many characters create alter-egos for themselves or have aliases that they use to protect their true identities like superheroes do. Additionally, one character, Charlie, is a small boy who fantasizes that he is Batman. Before students respond to the prompt, it may help to create a list of different kinds of heroes in both fictional and nonfictional contexts with the class.

• “Want to Give Your Life More Meaning? Think of It As a ‘Hero’s Journey’” is an article from Time Magazine that explains why it might help to visualize yourself as a hero. 
• “The Psychology of Heroism” from Stanford Magazine examines what causes normal people to stand up and be heroes when it matters.