Print-Friendly Version |
EXPLORER HERO:
MARCO POLO
by Megan from Dublin
 I think a hero should be someone who helps other people. A hero is also someone who is admired. A hero does not have to be really popular, but should have at least a couple of friends. A hero can't just say, 'I'm a hero because I went to the moon,' and be the meanest person in the world! That's what I think a hero should be.
My hero is Marco Polo. He explored places, but wasn’t mean or rude at all. Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy. He had a brother, Maffeo, named after his Uncle Maffeo, and also a father named Nicolo.
When Polo was 17, he took his first trip to China. He went with his father and Uncle Maffeo. They thought he would be a great help to them. The reason they went was to tell the king news about the Pope, who had not yet been elected. When they got to China they went to the great Kublai Khan’s palace. When they got to the palace, the king seemed to take great interest in Polo and offered him an important job. The job was to go to different places around the king's empire and find out what was going on there. Polo accepted gratefully.
Polo learned the different languages well, then went to the king's winter palace in Cambaluc. One day, the king sent Polo to Karazan. He was gone for a very long time, but when he came back, the king greeted him graciously and asked him how his trip went. Polo told the king that there were golden rivers and gold in the mountains. The king was happy that he had such a rich country. As Polo grew older, the Great Khan trusted him more. The king sent him to faraway places like India and Burma. After many years, Polo, his father, and uncle finally went back to Venice. They had had a long adventure and it was time to settle down. Marco Polo is my hero because he was brave, kind and courageous!
|
|
Written by
Megan from Dublin
|
|
The Silk Road Foundation A collaborative public education project which explores cultural interaction across Eurasia from the beginning of the Common Era (A.D.) to the 16th Century. The Medieval Sourcebook Texts and writings from Marco Polo's era. Marco Polo Internet Content for the Classroom Access lesson plans, student activities, reviewed Web sites and other Marco Polo resources. |
RECOMMENDED
READING | |
 Marco Polo and the Discovery of the World by John Larner |
 |  |  |  |
| Alexandrine Tinne was a young Dutch explorer and the first female to attempt to cross the Sahara. | Amelia Earhart was the first woman pilot to cross the Atlantic. | Bertrand Piccard has circum- | Chiaki Mukai is the first female Japanese astronaut. |
 |  |  |  |
| Daniel Boone was a great American pioneer. | Ellison S. Onizuka has a legacy that continues to live on after the Challenger disaster. | Ernest Shackleton in 1901 sailed out in the Discovery to explore the Antartic | Jim Lovell responded quickly and calmly during crises on two Apollo missions. |
 |  |  |  |
| John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth. | John Wesley Powell is an internationally venerated advocate for preserving biodiversity. | Judith A. Resnik inspired others with her determination to become a scientist and an astronaut. | Libby Riddles won the Iditarod dog sled race in 1985. |
 |  |  |  |
| Mae Jemison dreamed of going to space since childhood. | Marco Polo a Venetian explorer was born in 1251. | Marco Polo was a famous explorer to the Far East. | Matthew Henson was a brave African-American Artic explorer, and the co-discoverer of the North Pole. |
 |  |  |  |
| Maurício de Nassau was a famous Dutch explorer. | Merieme Chadid is an astronomer from Morocco who did research at the South Pole. | Neil A. Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. | Orville and Wilbur Wright were brothers determined to build a better flying machine. |
 |  |  |  |
| Ranald MacDonald was a Native American/Scot wayfarer who helped open up Japan to the West. | Robert Ballard conducts scientific expeditions around the world with students. | Sacajawea guided Lewis and Clark across the northwestern territories. | Sally Ride was the first American woman to go into space. |
 |  |  |  |
| Sergei Vladimir Ilyushin, Jr. : the first man in space? | Sir Douglas Mawson led the first research expedition into Antarctica. | Steve Fossett circum- | Sylvia Earle is a marine biologist and ambassador of the oceans. |
 | |||
| Yury Usachev is a famous Russian cosmonaut and passionate ambassador for the space program. |
Last changed on:6/28/2004 11:49:33 AM
|
