Francis visits the town where he grew up and recalls discussing Nicole with an army comrade. In a flashback, he remembers joining the army at a young age of 15. He has nightmares about his traumatic war experiences, describing them in graphic detail. His landlady feels sorry for his injuries from the war. Memories of Nicole remain fresh in Francis' mind as he visits where she used to live.

1. Chapter Three Summary
Francis ______himself to walk through the town he grew up in - he
fears ________. He visits the building where Nicole lived as a child. In a
flashback, he recalls discussing Nicole with a _______from his
hometown, during his time at war. We learn that he joined the army at
___, ____ about his age. Back in the_______, Francis is told that
Nicole’s family left the area some time before. Back in his_____, Francis
talks with Mrs. Belander who feels sorry for his injuries. Francis goes to
bed and _______of his war time experiences describing them in
graphic detail. His description of the time of losing his face is
particularly stark and____.
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;
Copy this in to your books
15 Lodgings Recognition soldier dreams lying disguises
brutal present
23rd January 2012

2. Lesson Objectives
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly
thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas
and judgements;

3. “I feel like a spy in disguise as I walk the streets
of Frenchtown.”
• This is a simile
What is the effect?
The effect of this simile is …
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

4. “The Great Gatsby which I’d heard was a great
novel… We drank vin rouge like the heroes in
a Hemingway novel.”
• Francis refers to classic American Literature
• This is the first mention of his interest in
reading and writing
What does it suggest?
The reference to classic American Literature
suggests …
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

5. “All kinds of rumours about her Francis. She
began to stay at home… She was like… a
hermit.”
• Adds to the mystery of Nicole Renard
What does this show?
The mystery around Nicole Renard shows …
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

6. Francis explains that he joined the army at
fifteen.
• This makes the reader ask lots of questions.
Answer these
– Why did he enlist?
He might have enlisted to ….
– Why wasn’t he missed?
He wasn’t missed because …
– How did he feel about this?
He felt ….
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

7. “I can keep going on a minimum of food
because I lost my appetite somewhere in
France and eat now only to sustain myself for
a while.”
What does it suggest?
Sustaining himself suggests…
What doesn’t it reveal?
This quote doesn’t reveal…
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

8. Francis dreams about the war in France
• This suggests Cormier’s attitude to war and
what is expected of soldiers.
• What is contrasted here?
This quote contrasts….
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

9. “Not like the war movies at the Plymouth,
nobody displaying heroics or bravado”
• Francis repeats the idea that he wasn’t heroic
or brave
Why does he do this?
Francis explains that war isn’t heroic because…
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

10. “I explode into wakefulness… my bursts of gunfire
killed the soldiers quickly, no exploding head, no
body cut in two… I saw how young they were,
boys with apple cheeks, too young to shave.
Like me.”
• Francis explains that his dream is more graphic
than reality
Who does Francis create a link with here?
Francis creates a link here between himself and …
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

11. “The next day, the grenade blows my face
away.”
• We finally find out what happened to Francis,
however he never tells us this part of the story
– we only find out from others later on.
• Structurally, how is this dramatic?
This sentence is structurally dramatic because it
is a …
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

12. “Ignore it all, I tell myself, and count your
blessings.”
• Francis is being ironic
• What does this quote tell us about Francis?
This quote tells us that Francis …
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

13. Chapter Three – after the war/
flashback
1. Remaining anonymous is still very important to Francis; he lies to his
landlady about his name to keep his identity hidden.
2. He recalls a conversation he had with an army comrade about Nicole.
3. The horrors Francis endured in the war are revealed through a
description of one of his nightmares.
4. Memories of Nicole are still fresh in Francis’ mind as he visits the place
where she used to live.
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;
24th January 2012
1. Memories of Nicole are still fresh in Francis’ mind as he visits the place
where she used to live.
2. He recalls a conversation he had with an army comrade about Nicole.
3. Remaining anonymous is still very important to Francis; he lies to his
landlady about his name to keep his identity hidden.
4. The horrors Francis endured in the war are revealed through a
description of one of his nightmares.

14. Lesson Objectives
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly
thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas
and judgements;

15. Why is this chapter important?
A We have further evidence of how
important Nicole is to Francis.
B We find out that Francis joined the
army even though he was too young to
do so.
C We learn more about his direct
involvement in the horrors of war.
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

16. The Importance of Nicole
The image of Nicole is there in the background in
everything that Francis does. He cannot escape
from her influence. He is drawn to her old house
even though he knows she isn’t there. She
represents moments in his life which he can never
recapture.
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

17. The Importance of Nicole
During the war in France he met an old friend from
home, Norman Rocheleau, and they talked about
Nicole. We discover that she was indeed Francis’
girlfriend, that something unexplained happened
which changed her behaviour and that her family
left town suddenly, without warning. This adds to
the air of mystery surrounding both her and Francis.
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;
Checkpoint 3
What methods does
Cormier use to build up
suspense around the
character of Nicole?

18. Examiner’s tip: writing about the shadow
of war
In a nightmare Francis re-lives the occasion when he and his platoon arrived in an
abandoned village in France. This illustrates the fear and suffering of young
soldiers during the Second World War. His comment, ‘not like the war movies at
the Plymouth, nobody displaying heroics or bravado’ (p.23) suggests that Cormier
wants to emphasise the horror that Francis had to confront. He came face to face
with two German soldiers and shot them both, one of them crying ‘Mama’ as he
fell to the ground. The vision haunts Francis. The following day he receives his
own terrible injury, which he refers to in an unemotional way.
The chapter concludes with Francis’ words to himself, ‘maybe this will be the day
that Larry LaSalle will appear on the streets of Frenchtown and you will be able to
carry out that mission’ (p.25). The word ‘mission’ is used by the military – you
could use this as evidence of how army life has influenced Francis. It is clear that
this mission is his consuming motivation. He killed in the war; now he is ready to
kill in peacetime.
Question
Why do you think Francis is so ready to
kill again when it has affected him so
much he now has nightmares?
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

19. How does Cormier use imagery to convey the
horror of the nightmare?
The image The effect created on the reader
“not like war movies or the Plymouth,
nobody displaying heroics or bravado”
Cormier dispels the myths and romantic
notions of some war stories/movies,
making the reader aware of the harsh
reality of war.
“Eddie Richards (is) clutching his stomach
because he has had diarrhoea for three
days, carrying the stink with him”
“two German soldiers appear in white
uniforms like grim ghosts”
“the head of one of the soldiers explodes
like a ripe tomato”
“the other cries Mama as my gunfire cuts
him in half, both halves of him tumbling
to the ground”

20. Horrific imagery
Write a paragraph explaining how Cormier uses
imagery to create certain effects in chapter 3.
Sentence starters…
Cormier uses images very effectively in chapter
three.
Firstly, the phrase…creates the effect of…
The image…is also very powerful because it
creates…
The line…makes the reader feel…

21. Peer assess paragraphs
• Two ticks and a wish?

22. Look back at your title for today
Circle the correct label for the
structure –
after the war or flashback?
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

23. Questions for Discussion
1 Find the sentence ‘I stare at the final proof that Nicole has gone away’
(page 14). How does the writer move from one time period to another
here?
2 In the page following this, what is suggested about Nicole, and how she
changed after Francis left?
3 In the section beginning ‘I can never trace the moment …’ (page 18),
how does the writer move from one time period to another?
4 In the section beginning ‘I don’t want to think about them’ (page 18),
in what ways is it suggested that the soldiers are not heroes? How is it
suggested that war is brutal and nasty rather than heroic?
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

24. Key Quote
Francis: ‘The next day,
the grenade blows my
face away’ (p.24).
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;

25. Plenary
Which theme do you think the novel is mostly
about so far:
Heroism?
Guilt?
Loneliness?
Answer in a full paragraph.
Can I critically respond to the text, ‘Heroes’? (AO1)
I must generally refer to relevant aspects of Heroes
I should discuss thoroughly and increasingly thoughtfully characters/relationships
I could consider and suggest experimental ideas and judgements;