Alyssa

Hi, my name is Alyssa. I'm twelve years old, and I am looking forward to sharing my thoughts about "My Brother Sam Is Dead" with you. I feel bad for Tim. He loves his father and Sam, but doesn't know which side to choose. They are always and fighting, and Tim gets caught in the middle. Both Father and Sam believe they're right. Based on what I know about the American Revolution, I would agree with Sam. It is unfair that the king is taxing the colonists and ruling them across the ocean. The colonists should have freedom.

If I were in Tim's position, I would tell Father that Sam was back. Father loved Sam, and would probably want to know when his son was back. Even though Father yelled at Sam and treated him badly sometimes, doesn't mean he does not care for him. Tim made a promise to Betsy not to tell that Sam was back though, and he shouldn't break his promise (especially because he swore on the Bible). Betsy is acting as a spy. I think its funny that she just lingers around the tavern, trying to listen for gossip. She seems nice, but kind of nosy and bossy. Mrs. Meeker doesn't seem to like her very much. I am excited that Sam is back! I am anxious to read on and discover what will happen with the relationship between Father and Sam. I really hope they make-up.

I agree with James. I don't think my parents would be that thrilled if I decided "out of the blue" that I wanted to go fight in Iraq. Anyway, the book is pretty good so far. I think that Betsy might have many problems later on in the book. I enjoy reading other people's posts. I can't wait to read some more!

When the officers were invading the Meeker residence, I was so nervous. I was afraid that they might injure Mr. and Mrs. Meeker. I think Tim did the right thing. If I was in his position, I would have run to help as well. When Tim stole the gun from Sam, I was excited. Then, Sam stopped him. I believe that Sam should have let Timmy take the gun. First of all, it's not his. Second, his father was in danger. Sam was being so selfish. He thinks it's alright if his Father gets hurt, but he doesn't want himself to get hurt. Maybe Mr. Meeker would've not had that much trouble with the Rebels if Sam would have not stolen Brown Bess. I think Father's next words if Sam decided to stay would probably be " Thank goodness you're back!". Afterwards, Father would probably yell at Sam. Sam is a coward. He didn't follow his commander's orders, and he doesn't want to serve the consequences when he gets caught. Like they say, "Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time." Even though they would just kill Sam rather than putting him in jail, it still contains the same idea. Overall, it was a nerve-wrecking chapter.

When the Rebel officers searched Tim's home, it really changed his perception about the war. He said, "I had a different feeling about it: it was real and it could come home to me, too." I think that war affects all people, even those far away, because many people die and get hurt. Family members fight wars in faraway lands, and sometimes do not return. For example, there are many American soldiers in Iraq, fighting for us. I hope that they remain safe and healthy. The damage that wars cause also affects all people. It would be difficult to have transportation from one place to another, and the roads and buildings could be destroyed. Many people could lose their shelter, and the citizens would have to help with the cost of fixing the town. War, win or lose, has a negative effect. I don't trust Mr. Heron. I agree with Mr. Meeker. The letters are probably not business letters, and Tim should not deliver them. Even though he is just a boy, doesn't mean no one is going to bother him. I hope that Tim will not get himself into trouble. Chapter 5 was okay. I expect that chapter 6 will be more exciting.

My expectations for chapter 6 were met. It proved to be exciting. Tim is quite sneaky. I am annoyed that he went behind his father's back after he had said not to carry Mr. Heron's letters. When his father finds out about this, he will most likely be furious. I have noticed that throughout the book Tim lies a lot. I hope that he learns to become more obedient. I don't trust Mr. Heron. I think he is involved in some kind of scheme. Even though he claims to be a Tory, I think he is a traitor. The letter justified that he wants to use Tim in the future as the messenger. Maybe if Tim would have listened to his father in the first place, he wouldn't be in this mess. Betsy is very aggressive and persistent. When she wants something, she will really fight for it. I was so surprised when she tackled Tim. Sam will probably not be happy when he learns about this.

The war is tearing Tim's family apart. Mother and Father fight about letters from Sam, and about Sam going to war. Also, they have to raise the prices on item's sold in the tavern because of the economy. The Patriots and Loyalists both are in some need of cloth and food. The war in the Middle-East is affecting everyone in one way or the other. Times are especially difficult because of the economic crisis. I imagine that it is hard to see a loved one in the war. In this chapter, I was so nervous and scared. I was really expecting the cowboys to kill Mr. Meeker. It's a good thing that they didn't though.

War and fighting in general is unfair. It is extremely difficult to choose a side, especially if you have friends or family on both ends. I think that is what's happening to Tim. Like he said, his father makes it sound right to be a Loyalist. On the other hand, Sam makes it sound right to be a Patriot. Even though Tim said that he would probably fight on the Loyalist side, he might also fight on the Patriot side. Tim has so much respect for Sam. His family was outraged by Sam's decision to fight for the Rebels. I think that might be part of the reason why Tim admires him so much. In Tim's mind, Sam is brave and courageous. Yet again, most younger brothers and sisters look up to their older siblings. Sam's influence might change Tim's whole perspective on the war. Chapter nine really depicts a picture of what people during the Revolutionary War went through. From getting attacked while traveling, to trudging though inches of thick snow, colonists faced so many hardships. I don't think that I would want to travel in a severe snowstorm. During those times, I imagine that it was extremely hard to make money and put food on the table. The Platts showed such hospitality to the Meekers. If it wasn't for them and father's friends, Tim and Life would've died. It just shows that close friends and family will always be there for you.

I think that Life Meeker was not killed, but that he was just captured and beat up a little. I have a feeling that at the end of the book he will come back. It was very clever of Tim to lie to the cowboys that a large group of escorts would come. They were scared that they would get caught, so they just rode off. Tim's lying abilities saved his life. I felt really bad for Tim when he was left alone. It was a good choice for him to just go home instead of trying to look for his father. I can't imagine the position that the Meekers are in right now. Sam had left to fight in the war, and now Life is missing. I really hope that they find Life safe and sound.

"I still hadn't figured out what he was fighting for. It seemed to me that we'd been free all along." I think Tim said this because he thought that England didn't really do anything bad to him. Tim doesn't understand what caused the fighting. Of course, so many lives were lost that many people felt the same way that Tim did. Everyone probably just wants everything back to the way it was.

In Chapter 10, Tim is really getting a sense of what goes on miles away from his home. Soldiers beat old men up, and capture innocent young boys. When Tim saw Ned beheaded it really opened his eyes to the horrors that people do and experience during war. Tim said that he doesn't feel like being a Tory anymore, so I wonder if he will side with Sam and become a Patriot? Losing Life and Sam really forced Tim to grow up.

When Tim says that Sam is part of "something big", I think that he means that it's important. Even though his family needs him right now, Sam feels that he has a duty to the war. After 2 years, he decides that he wants to reenlist. Of course, Mrs. Meeker is not happy about this. In the end, she accepts the fact that Sam won't change his mind. Sam is in too deep to back out now. Plus, he made a deal with his fellow soldiers that they would keep enlisting until the war is over. I think that it would be best for Sam if he would not reenlist and help out at home. It would be horrible if the Meeker family would lose anther person. I know this because Mrs. Meeker was very defensive when they asked Tim to help out in the war. I think I would feel the same way if I was in her position.

In Chapter 12, there is a statement "In war the dead pay debts for the living." I think that this means that the soldiers and other people who contributed in helping fight the war, might die while in battle. In the end though, the people fighting really made a difference. For example, during the Revolutionary War hundreds of people died. As a result of them dying and many others getting hurt, now we are a free nation. They fought with pride for our country. Their hard work prospered, and it made us better. The troops take the risk of getting hurt, so there is a possible chance they will die. I was stunned that so many people perished. Father, little Jerry Sanford, and many others were innocent people who died because of the cruelty of others. This chapter really lays out the horrible actions and conditions there was in Connecticut during the Revolutionary.

I think that the Patrick Henry's quote "Give me liberty or give me death!" might have inspired the soldiers like Sam. The statement is really self explanatory; basically you either gain your freedom or you die. These soldiers have such strong belief that they are sacrificing their life for liberty. The soldiers would keep fighting until they gained that liberty. This goes back to the quote, "In war the dead pay debts for the living." The troops die and others were given their freedom. I am upset that Sam is going to be executed. I kind of expected that they would let him off sort of easy. Although, I knew he was going to die some way or the other (the title of the book is "My Brother Sam Is Dead"!) I feel that Mrs. Meeker is losing hope. I think that this book is mediocre. It's not the best book ever, but it's not extremely horrible.

Patrick Henry Limerick

Patrick Henry was on the Patriot side,
And with British laws he didn’t abide.
“Give me liberty or give me death!” he cried out,
England was wrong in his mind; there was no doubt!
He fought hard for his cause, and with pride he died.

When I first saw the title of "My Brother Sam Is Dead", I expected that Sam would be killed by the Lobsterbacks. It turns out that he was killed by his own side! Sam was innocent, he really didn't steal the cattle. The other soldiers framed him. General Putman didn't even consider that Sam didn't do it, and he never gave Sam a fair trial. It just shows how unjust it was back then, and how we have evolved into better nation. I think that is was kind of ironic that Sam and Life were both arrested while with Tim at some point. Yet the people who captured them didn't capture Tim. This book is filled with much heartbreak and sadness.

Tim says, "But somehow, even fifty years later, I keep thinking that there might have been another way, besides war, to achieve the same end." I also thought about the same thing. War is terrible; yes, there probably is a way to stop it from happening. Although sometimes it is unpreventable. Countries or the groups of people that are fighting could negotiate in some way, but in the end everyone might not get what they want. People do not agree all the time, even most of the time. People are also greedy, it's like their way or the highway. Due to these attitudes and the aggressiveness of others, fighting results. I think that everyone wishes that it wasn't this way, and everyone would just get along. God made us all different, and no one is perfect, so we are going to have disagreements. We just don't need to result in violence all the time. Sometimes, it's just really unfair to the people outside of the arguments because they get affected as well.
Usually, I'm not one to read historical fiction, but this book was okay. It didn't really grab my full attention, and I wasn't staying until late hours to finish the chapter. Although, "My Brother Sam Is Dead" provided me with many interesting facts about the Revolutionary War.