The poem ‘hero’ is written by Mick Gower. It is about a teenager who meets his idol, an ex-champion who is now in hospital. The poem is supposed to be a dialogue between the two characters, but in fact it is more like a kind of monologue because we never actually hear the boy’s voice. The man tells him about his old career and about the sacrifices he had to make in order to become a champion. The main character in the poem used to be a runner and says he got to his peak at 23 also winning a gold medal. He says he used to be “a pro”, But getting to the end of the poem he says things like “the bell”, “the flowers” and “the nurse”. These things all show to me that he is too unwell to run so he must have retired, or maybe been banned. The person
