Jessica

Hi, my name is Jessica and i am 13 years old. Chapter one of My Brother Sam Is Dead made my feel sad for both Sam and his father. I am sad for Sam because he must feel like he disappointed his father even though he does not always show it. I think that Mr. Meeker must be overwhelmed by his sons choice to be a rebel. He was most likely raised to be loyal to the king and the entire government of Great Britain and it must seem unreal to him that his son is completely different than him. I see the points of both Sam and Mr. Meeker, but in the end would have to be a Patriot, like Sam. Freedom is and always has been important.

In Chapter two of My Brother Sam Is Dead, when Mr. Meeker says that you can never get rid of injustices by fighting, it is clear that he is not only talking about the war against England. Mr. Meeker is referring to war in general. This can be discovered when you think about any kind of argument, or battle. No problem can be solved without discussion, as learned in many other previous wars. Mr. Meeker also says that he has seen war and strongly believes in his opinions. I think that chapter two shows more of Tim's relationship with both Sam and his father. I look forward to reading more and am curious about what will happen next.

If I were Tim I would not tell my father that Sam was returning to Redding. Even if I knew about it I wouldn't feel like it was my responsibility to tell. I think that Sam is the one who should take responsibility for what he does and what he will do. As my aunt has said for years, "Que sera, sera, or whatever will be, will be. Betsy seems to be a good friend of Sam who he usually confides in. I think she is trustworthy and that she is reliable.

When the rebels first came to Tim's house I knew nothing good could come out of it. When they began to "interact" with Mr. Meeker i was scared for their family. I wished that the rebel officers would just believe Mr. Meeker when he told them he didn't have the gun. At the same time time when you want something so badly, like the rebels wanted freedom, you can do things you wouldn't want to do. If I was Tim, I definitely would've done the same if it meant saving my father's life. When Sam overtook Tim I was slightly upset and anxious to know what was happening to their father. So far, I see this time in America as one filled with difficult decisions and people constantly pressuring you. If Sam had stayed I'm sure father would have been extremely happy. This definitely would've been overshadowed with fear, because of the conflict that came with the war. Father may have told Sam that he was glad he came home. Tim may have been angry and felt that Sam was a coward for not facing Father. I think Sam should be more loyal to his family, but that his choice may already have been made when he first joined the war. I do and don't think Sam is a coward. I think he is because like I said before he HAS to face his father. I don't think hes a coward because of what Sam mentioned. A person has to be extremely brave to enter a war.

Hey everyone. In chapter five Tim gets to see how the war is affecting his community up close. This changes the way he looks at the battle. Having rebel officers in his house definitely frightened him. The war affects how we as Americans live our life day to day. Whether it has to do with gas prices or having loved ones risk their lives, the war in Iraq has become an enormous part of life in America. People in the middle east are scared to leave their homes and scarred by the loss of family and friends all due to this war. After reading about Mr. Heron I honestly don't see him as trustworthy and at this point agree with Mr. Meeker. Chapter 5 hopefully set up a more eventful chapter 6.

Chapter six definitely brought me more into the book. I think Tim was very sneaky and I don't know if I would do something that would make me completely disobey my father. Even if I was curious, I could be putting myself in danger. Tim's father already feels like he has lost one son, so I wouldn't want to do anything more to hurt him. I really don't know if I can trust Mr. Heron anymore and can't tell which side he is on. I really didn't like Betsy at all in this chapter. She was way too nosy and I think she drew the complete wrong conclusion about that letter. The fight between Tim and Betsy was unnecessary but I'd have to stay neutral in it.

The war is definitely causing tension in Tim's family. His mother and father fight over letters that Sam sends and food always seems to be short. Cloth and leather always seemed to be gone too. The war in the Middle East has obviously stirred up much conflict which probably affects the price and amount of oil or gas we get from them. This takes more money out of Americans pockets everyday. This chapter had me worried for father. It seems he always gets attacked. I look forward to reading more and posting again.

Though the phrase "torn by war" seems to be used way too often, its the phrase that describes Tim's situation perfectly. Tim is confused about the war and that is completely understandable. His father is a loyalist with strong opinions while his brother is fighting in the war on the side of the rebels. What would you do if two completely different things sounded right? Tim does not know what side he is on in the war. Even though he says that he is a Loyalist, in his head, he doesn't know if that's true. If I was in his situation, I would have no idea what to do. This chapter made me really think of the trouble innocent people had to go through during the war. People on both sides of the war were getting hurt for no good reason. I'm excited to read Chapter 9 and look forward to posting again.

In Chapter 9, I was worried once again about father. It seems to be a trend, but father reminds me of my father in different ways. He believes in his opinions and underneath a hard shell is very kind-hearted. I think that Mr. Meeker was captured and pushed around a little bit, but not seriously hurt. Though I really hope Mr. Meeker is okay, I can't be sure. This book doesn't seem to be a book of that will end with everyone being happy and holding hands in a circle. Though many were ecstatic with becoming an independent nation, I don't think Tim's ending will be just as bright. For one, the title of this book isn't very promising for Sam, and my second point is that the first time Tim and father ran into the cowboys, Mr. Meeker barely made it out alive. With father missing, Tim will have to work more at the tavern and will be very upset with both Sam and Mr. Meeker gone. This chapter made me concerned for Tim and what would happen to him and it also (OF COURSE) made me want to know what was happening to father. I am looking forward to reading Chapter 10 and want to post my opinions soon.

In chapter ten, Tim is still questioning the war. He doesn't know what Sam is fighting for and to him, he had been free all along. He looks through what the king has done and can't see anything that personally affects him. Later in the chapter Tim sees how war really affects him and possibly picks a side in the war. I hope to read more and post more.

In chapter eleven, when Tim says that Sam just wants to be part of something big, he means that Sam wants to be part of something important. He means that Sam just likes being in the war but not the actually fighting itself. He likes to be called a soldier. If this is true, I think Sam's choice to re-enlist is selfish and immature. His mother was right, his first duty is to his family. In this chapter I was excited that Sam showed up, and I was very happy to see Sam and Tim connect again. I'm excited to see what happens next and I am excited to share my thoughts.

In Chapter twelve, " In war the dead pay the debts for the living," is said. I think that this quote refers to the soldiers who fight in the war for us and die for us. I also think that it can refer to the energy and time we spend on things when others are gone. I really think that the fact that Sam might be hung is truly ridiculous. I don't see how it would be realistic for anyone to steal from their own family. I hope that everyone will see that Sam is innocent. Once again, I'm excited to read more and post more.

Hey everyone. Here is my limerick:
"Give me liberty or give me death!"
Patrick Henry drew a deep breath,
He won respect as a wise orator,
But his side soon suffered the effects of a traitor,
And we all can say that we know the rest.

Patrick Henry, a famous Patriot, once said, " Give me liberty or give me death." I think its very obvious that this can relate to soldiers like Sam and even soldiers today. Soldiers fight and are willing to give their lives so their country will continue to grow strongly. They believe in liberty and justice. I think that Sam being executed is entirely stupid. I also think that the general is wrong to use any man, even if he is innocent, as an example of what happens to you when you do something wrong. I relate to Alyssa because I also thought that by some miracle Sam would be saved. I'm already reading more and will post again.

In chapter 14 of My Brother Sam is Dead, Sam gets executed by his own side. Its ironic because he gets killed by his fellow soldiers for something he didn't do. As I mentioned before, the decision to execute him was very unreasonable. Tim's father, Life, also got captured because the cowboys thought he was selling his cattle to the loyalists. Sam and Life were both captured while with Tim. This chapter left me bitter and upset.

In the epilogue, the older Tim says, " But somehow, even fifty years later, I keep thinking that there may have been another way, besides war, to achieve the same end." My response to this statement is that I think that somewhere along the line, there probably had to be a war. I think that Britain wanted to control their colonies for as long as they could, and they wouldn't give them up without a fight. In general, I think that this novel was exceptional because I liked the way it showed a personal look into the Revolutionary War and the whole time period itself. I look forward to reading the next assigned novel and hoping writing about it as well.