In literature, an “everyman” has come to mean an ordinary individual that the audience or reader easily identifies with, but who has no outstanding abilities or attributes. An everyman hero is one who is placed in extraordinary circumstances and acts with heroic qualities. While lacking the talent of the classical hero, they exhibit sound moral judgment and selflessness in the face of adversity. See our lesson on defining an Everyday Hero!
Use that lesson with your class to come up with five common characteristics of an everyman hero. Then, use the following five-cell spider map to highlight how Morrie meets these common characteristics of an “everyman hero” in the memoir Tuesdays with Morrie.
Even though Morrie is diagnosed with a devastating disease, he faces it with purpose, and finds a way to share his experiences beyond his death by working with Mitch on their “final thesis” together. He is afraid sometimes, but he acknowledges the fear, detaches, and doesn’t let it take over.
While Morrie has coughing fits that leave him gasping for air, and even as he becomes more weak, he still makes sure he is ready for Mitch every Tuesday to get his message and lessons onto the tape recorder. It is this sense of purpose that gives Morrie strength.
Morrie is a well-loved teacher, husband, and father to all who know him. He puts his family first, and even though his own father was a silent man, he made sure to shower his own sons with affection and never leave them wanting love from him. He is honest and trustworthy, and he follows his heart, even if it means rejecting society’s standards about what is important.
While Morrie is suffering, he still wants to delve into Mitch’s life and what is bothering him. First, he knows that Mitch is unhappy because he is unfulfilled by only focusing on his work. Second, Morrie knows that Mitch is struggling inside because his brother in Spain is battling pancreatic cancer, and Mitch doesn’t know how to reach out to him. Morrie cares as much about Mitch’s struggles as he does about his own.
During the Vietnam War, Morrie was so fiercely opposed to the war that he and other members of the sociology department at Brandeis gave their male students As so they could keep their deferments. It may not have been ethical, but it was something that Morrie believed in strongly.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows how Morrie can be considered an everyday hero.
Start with relatable stories by sharing picture books that feature everyday heroes. This helps students easily grasp the idea before connecting it to more complex texts like Tuesdays with Morrie.
Encourage students to share examples of people they know who show courage, kindness, or stand up for their beliefs. This personalizes the concept and makes it more meaningful.
Dedicate space for students to post drawings, photos, or short notes about everyday heroes from their lives or community. This ongoing activity reinforces the message and builds classroom culture.
Model how to spot qualities like bravery, compassion, or integrity in characters. Use anchor charts and group discussions to help students recognize these traits in various stories.
Invite students to write about times when they acted with courage or kindness. This boosts self-awareness and helps them connect personally to the everyday hero theme.
An everyday hero in literature is an ordinary person who, when faced with extraordinary situations, demonstrates courage, moral integrity, and selflessness despite lacking traditional heroic traits or superhuman abilities.
Morrie exemplifies an everyday hero by bravely facing illness, showing compassion toward others, upholding his beliefs, and offering life lessons—proving that heroism can be found in ordinary acts and moral courage.
Five key characteristics of an everyman hero include bravery, determination despite fear, upstanding character, compassion, and standing up for beliefs—traits that make them relatable and inspiring.
Students can create a storyboard by identifying events or traits from the memoir that illustrate Morrie's heroism, such as his bravery, compassion, and moral convictions, and describing each in a visual cell with a short explanation.
Morrie is considered brave because he faces his terminal illness with purpose and openness, continuing to teach and share wisdom despite fear and physical decline.