Nicole F

Hey Nicole
Have you read the second chapter of the book? I am dying to know what you think...cause you have very
strong opinons and I like to hear them because they are very well thought out. You know me :)
See you tomorrow,
Olivia ♥

If I was in Tim's shoes, I wouldn't have told my dad Sam was in Redding. Logically, I don't know the right answer, but I know I'd not have dared to tell my dad that kind of stuff. Both options have bad outcomes when you think about it...

Betsy and Sam seem like really close friends (if you catch my drift)...She seems fairly important to Sam. She also is a good partisan of the Patriots. Surely, she's a Molly Pitcher on a smaller scale so far. Who knows whats next?
Sometimes I didn't agree with what Betsy said, and she sounded almost annoying as Sam was in the first chapter...but I don't know her character well enough.

Anyway, I'm starting to like the book a little. It definitely reminds me of my brothers and dad when they blow up on each other, it gets real serious when the children find their own opinions about life, and the parents don't agree!

...Any one else relate?

Oh, also, if I lived during the revolutions...well...who knows? I'd been born somewhere else and grown up someplace else. I'd have different opinions and values.

My political views if I lived during that time might be confused. Of course, no one really wants to end up on the losing side...but when is right, right?

Wrongs and rights contradict themselves a lot when we think of the revolution. Plus, not many were well-informed.

If I was well-informed I'd most likely been a Patriot, marry a patriot, and I'd want to be a "Martha Washington" kind of girl.

1. I thought the Rebel officers were being jerks. However, it was the way they seemed to have to be. They probably couldn't trust Tories anymore then Mr. Meeker could trust a Patriot. Still, the whole time I was angry with the Rebel officers. Wasn't the Patriots supposed to be the good side? I guess Heroism isn't all it's choked up to be in comics. I guess I was busy picturing The Flash and Spiderman. Was what the Rebel officers doing the right thing, the vital thing? I wish I knew. Also, I don't think any blame can go on Mr. Meeker. He was telling the truth, and he has every right to act the way he did the way the hostile officers treated him and his wife. They must have been scared to death, angry, and so many things all at once.
If I were Tim...I have no idea! I think I might do the same Tim did, but I also might have just been a coward and watched to see what would happen next, partly out of suspenseful curiosity, partly because I wouldn't know what to do if I left and my dad was dead and I didn't even get to peace what happened and his last words, and partly because I'd be terrified.
I think the way Sam took the gun back and all that was how it was supposed to be. It feels right, like a scene out of a movie where you know something has to happen. It was a little violent, but probably the best thing to do at the moment.

2. His lines might be something like "We need you, and miss you.", unrealistically, "We love you!", or possibly something, anything to get him back. Maybe even, "JUST LISTEN!" or "LETS TALK ABOUT IT." could of helped. That would be the best option. Instead of being mad and spiteful, be worried and attempt some communication.

3. Tim had to say something. At the moment, that is what he thought of. Something in his brain connected something to that definition and it blurted out. Plus, there was mad intensity and he was scared. He was also a coward, and he knows it. Yeah, I think Sam's a coward. He makes up the excuse that all his friends are going or something so he should too! Can you say conformity? That's a stupid reason to go to war. However, I suppose that can't be his only reason, but it should never be a reason at all in the first place!

I was thinking that this BETSY READ girl who buys a lot of CLOTH AND THREAD could possibly become Betsy Ross, however, it IS a long shot.

But if I'm right, I totally call it! ;D

In response to Connor:

"Tim and his father- it seems like Tim's father doesn't see him like a son but more like a worker
Sam and his father- they always fight like enemies
Sam and Betsy- I think that they are really good friends
Sam and Tim- They have a really close relationships but the gun messed up that a little"

I actually think Tim and his father have a normal father-son relationship for the time, plus that is what young men did during that time: work and school, chores and school, etc.

Sam and his father fight a lot, and are divided by this war, but if it were any father and son, wouldn't they fight a lot? Anyway, even on normal terms father and son tend to fight a lot, its a classic situation in a lot of stories and real life stuff. And, actually, they kind of are enemies in logical terms: Sam is a Patriot and Mr. Meeker is a Tory. And I'm sure Sam has his reasons in arguments, and Mr. Meeker just wants Sam to see things from his side.

Sam and Betsy do seem like close friends...So I agree on that.

haha, and yes, the gun thing might have messed it up a little, but I don't think its THAT serious to bother their relationship completely.

Chapter 5:
1. Everything happened. The minute Sam walked in the door coming home was the moment Tim's life would change. From there, to Sam running away with the Brown Bess, to his stop back and them fighting over the gun and Mr Meeker interacting with Patriots, and all the commotion and talk of battle.
2.
Borders are scratched across the hearts of men,
By strangers with a calm judicial pen.
And when the borders bleed, we watch with dread
The lines of ink across the map turn red.
----- Marya Mannes

This is true, with no doubt. It's true in the sense that during war nations are put through a lot, and soldiers are the people, and the people live on the land, and the citizens of that land are put through blood shed. Everyone is affected, because war is between nations, and nations are just the people of a classified area of land.

2. Mr Heron is interesting. I do not know what he is thinking or what he is doing. He claims to be a Tory, yet what is really going on? I'm not sure. Mr. Heron seems like a highly sketchy person.

Chapter 6:
1. Sometimes, I can tell Tim isn't going about things the way he should, but in the end his decisions become justified in wrong, anyway. I don't trust Mr. Heron. I think whether it be Tory or Patriots, hes double-crossing someone! OH MY GOODNESS! WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH BETSY!!?? She makes me so mad! Can she be anymore annoying and stupid? I mean, 'cmon! She jumping to conclusions, and maybe shes right, but that gives her no right to do what she did. PLUS, that is no way for a proper lady to act for that time anyway...so where the heck is this coming from? All in all, the whole "scuffle" annoyed me. I wanted Betsy to buzz off of Tim and for Tim to give her a good SMACK or punch in the face for being stupid. I seriously can't stand Betsy anymore! Tim should have thrown in another punch because what Betsy did was SO not right. I thought Patriots were all about rights and justice! Was that justice for her? I think Betsy needs to rethink the Patriots cause.

2. My other thoughts are just that I think a lot of people are joining this war for the wrong reasons on BOTH sides. Who cares if the British army is prettier? Who cares if the Patriots look heroic? Where are these people's heads? Join a cause because you believe what it stands for and what it does. Don't join it for anything else.

1. How is the war affecting Tim's family? (Think beyond the physical affects.)

The Meekers have to raise prices, be in danger all the time of the possibilities of angry patriots and soldiers. Economy is bad. Sam is gone. The Brown Bess is gone, too. Their family is split a little.

2. How is what is going on in the Middle-East affecting your family?
There are no apparent everyday in-my-eyes kind of effect on my family. I don't know anyone in the war. We don't know anyone in Iraq that we seriously care a lot about. Other than the way everyone is affected say, economy or nationality wise, on a general and bigger scale -- my home is not very affected right now.

3. What is your emotional reaction to this chapter?
There was not much emotional issues for me...The only one might have been worry for Tim's father, however, it was a very fleeting emotion that went away quickly when the book changed for a better thought.

Chapter 8:
1. What does Tim really think about the war? Has he made up his mind concerning which side he is on? What is your emotional reaction to this chapter?

I don't think Tim knows squat about the war. He knows whatever he hears, which normally is mixed up or biased. Plus, he's just a kid! The taxes and all that stuff didn't have any effects on him, plus he lived in Tory country! I don't think he knows what side he's on. I think he's just rolling with whats easy to whom he's around. If he's around Father he is a Tory, and if he is around Sam, he is not sure. I didn't have much of an emotional reaction. What happened, happened.

2. In the beginning of the novel, you speculated about the side you would choose to be on...Patriot or Loyalist. Are you still sticking with your answer, or have you changed? Explain.

Patriots were doing it for justice and rights. "If you truly do believe in something, somehow it all works out." Since I know who wins, I know that people truly believed. And it is better to be just and good, than corrupt or mistaken. Britain never did anything for the colonies unless it self-benefited. Why stay loyal to a higher authority that are hypocrites! Isn't Britain a Christian nation at the time? Who are they to do what they do? Do they know anything about the colonies, or are they just glued to their mahogany carved chair writing documents about what should happen to some place far away that they only know as a profit with no consent of the occupants and the ones who take the heavy boulder that Parliament throws? Britain was ridiculous. I'd have been an angry Patriot, helping any way a women could at my age. Who CARES if my dad is a Tory? If he loves me, then he'd accept my views, no agree, but accept, and let me be. And its not like now, where if you go on the streets you'll be exposed to robbers and criminals every five feet! All I'd have to do was stay in my town around someone else's place like Sam had in the book. Its not TRYING to be a rebel because everyone else is doing whatever they are! It's being the best partisan you can for the things you believe in strongly, and are just.

Chapter 9:
1. What do you think happened to Mr. Meeker? What impact will it have on Tim?

WOW, I have 2 theories. Mr. Meeker was taken by the cowboys...but they have no real motive. So they lost cattle they were stealing in the first place? Big deal. Then, Mr. Meeker could have been taken captive by one of the sides of the war. Who knows?
I feel so bad for Tim. For some reason, I related this part of the story to the movie Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp (which was a good movie, by the way...) and it is like, this whole thing took away Tim's child-self. Now he is no longer a boy. He's a mature man. Sadly, there is no going back. Tim will never be like how he used to be. He can't. He's grown up. He's got to work hard, and he can't play pretend anymore. It makes me sad. Losing our childlike selves is terrible, but it happens, especially when we're faced with hardships and responsibilities that are forced onto us, or tragedies life throws at us.

2. What is your emotional reaction to this chapter?

This chapter was REALLY sad for me. I was mad Tim didn't try to follow the tracks. He should have. I think at least then, he could have known for sure. Wondering = more worrying then needed. As you can see from the last question, I really really really got sad and the whole thing is so real to me. It makes me look at the Revolutionary war different. You know how in our textbooks, it says things like: "23 people were killed and..."

For some reason, it never REALLY hit me that every person has a story, a family, and life. They really were something.

Of course, that makes me even more sad.

P.S. This was posted a day late because my I tried to post it and it didn't work. I refreshed the page and it didn't post. So, today I tried again and it didn't, so I restarted the internet and then it did -- oddness.

Chapter 10:
1. Explain Tim’s statement, “I still hadn’t figured out what he was fighting for. It seemed to me that we’d been free all along."

I think what he meant was that he didn't feel any impact on the war. This was because he has always been a Christian, didn't really comprehend the principles of the taxes, or the reality of there changes and effect on others, lived in Tory country, and wasn't old enough to worry about anything but his chores, school, and some family issues. He never had to worry, he could still be a kid.

Chapter 11:
1. Mrs. Meeker begs Sam to come home after his father’s death. Sam refuses. Tim says that he realizes that his brother will never leave the army because he thinks he is part of something big. Explain what Tim means by “something big.”

There's a saying that popped into my mind when I read this, and I think it's from a recent movie: "Kill one, save thousands." Now, in movie context, I have no idea if it relates, but relating it to this book and that chapter makes it sort of relevant as to what Tim means. The war was for everyone, it was something to believe in, and it was something that thousands truly believed in. It was a just cause. Or it could be a preposterous mess that should have been prevented. It was a war. It was something that was in so deep, no one could get out anymore. It was from Europe, to America. It was everywhere, and you couldn't escape it anymore.

2. What is your emotional reaction to this chapter?
I'm feeling pretty much the same as I did since chapter 8. I'm actually okay with everything that has been decided by the characters: Sam stays in the war, Tim works hard...etc.

The only thing I didn't like was all the deaths and wounded, and how Tim's mother talks.

Also, the description of the soldiers gave me a better understanding about everything.

I think I'm starting to like Sam. I feel bad for Tim, and the Mr. Meeker situation makes me crazy-sad. Mrs. Meeker is under a lot of responsibility, but I do not like her outlook, actions, and words sometimes, even if it is understandable.

I think these situations on a smaller scale definitely can apply to families today, and even I can feel some relation...Growing up is very complicated, and it's good to know that it always has been, and no one is alone, ever.

Chapter 12:
1. Explain the statement, “In war the dead pay the debts for the living.”

During the time of war, no matter who you are, you can die. Many die, and the living refers to the people who kill, the people for the cause who don't get killed, and the people who have the problem in the first place. So many people die, and they are really the ones who get the worst consequences for what the living wanted.

2. Emotional reactions from you about this chapter?

The death of Mr. Meeker was a MAJOR upset to me. He really was a good guy, and in a way, I think the whole Verplanks Point journey as like a final thing for Mr. Meeker and Tim. So many people died, and it made me sad. So much happens and all my previous comments since chapter 8 still apply to me. I think it was specifically wrong that Mr. Meeker was killed on a BRITISH prison ship. That was messed up. It makes me hate the war, too. Hearing about the war in textbooks, makes it seem like a breeze. Okay, some crazy stuff happened...so what? Now, however, it's like everything is changed. People really went through a lot. It wasn't fair, but nothing really is sometimes.

Chapter 13:
1. Patrick Henry, a famous Patriot, said, “Give me liberty or give me death!” 
How might his words have inspired soldiers like Sam?

I think these words might have inspired soldiers like Sam to know they aren't alone. There is hope. There are people out there who really feel something. It is real.

2. Emotional reactions from you?

All my previous sentiments still stand. This book is seriously emotional and sad...it's also VERY suspenseful.

Patrick Henry

AABA

They say he was passionate, fiery, and very vocal
Like Jefferson, Franklin, Washington and the rest, freedom was focal
He truly believed, honest indeed
This sound didn't only reach ears of the local

The terrible irony of Sam's execution was that he was being killed for a crime he was trying to stop, which he did not commit in the first place. I mean, robbing your own cattle? Mr. Meeker also died a ironic death, because he was technically a Tory, who was killed on a British prison ship. That was really messed up, as I might have previously expressed.

My emotional reactions are still very consistent as they have been, but this time theres a change.

I'm very angry Sam is getting executed for this. It's ridiculous and moronic and I want to punch those idiots who REALLY stole the cattle in the face.

Honestly, I do not think the Americans would have won the war without fighting. Britain had so much pride, and economic pleasure with the colonists. Even before the war, colonists didn't match in social status with those in same position in Britain. I think that Britain was pompous and proud; they never would have peacefully, and so generously give away power like that. The only way was this; for perhaps, in a way, Sam and Britain, and even Mr. Meeker were headstrong and hard-headed. Without the war, I do not think United States would have been free from Britain's clutches.

Some things in this book is timeless. I actually liked the novel, despite what I've heard from previous alumni who have read the book. It was not boring to me, but rather sad and real. It gave me serious insight to the Revolutionary War, making it so much more then just a war. It felt like real emotion, which you don't see often these days. I understand the Revolution much better, as well as justness and principle of people, believing in something and seeing it through.

**PATRICK HENRY LIMERICK CORRECTION**

AABBA

To Virginia, he was a local
They say he was passionate, fiery, and very vocal
He truly believed, honest indeed
Even if he had to bleed
To him, freedom was focal

(side note)
Honestly, despite the fact I didn't like Sam very much, it's actually like I miss him. I didn't want him to die, and it was terribly wrong. I think, by the end I ended up liking Sam better.

Also, the other annoying character, Betsy, is much more likable at the end. I think it's probably because she matured more, like Tim had.

In the end, I loved all the characters, and was sincerely angry and sad Sam Meeker died. He deserved better.

(side note on my side note) (haha)

I mentioned that Betsy got more mature and how I liked her...but I also noticed her spirits were shattered. I guess thats what I didn't like. I guess Betsy didn't really believe...but then again, war makes you crazy.

I'm glad I read this novel. In the end, it really showed some moral about war that I'd have never discovered until maybe high school.