Anna

Jessica, Gianluca, and Christine,
Hi, my name is Anna and I am happy to be starting this project with you. I have been looking forward to this for many months now and am hoping it will be successful. Well, hope you enjoy :)

P.S. maybe when we are done if this goes well, we can celebrate and talk about the story with a pizza party!

Anna,
My students are truly looking forward to this experience as well. I'm sure it will be a good collaboration! A pizza party sounds like a delicious idea!

After reading chapter 1, I found that Mr. Meeker (Sam's dad), seems very strict. I found it kind of sad how Sam and his father can't get along as family members and even friends. I agree with Sam because the King is taxing them and if I were him I would be against that, so I would also fight for my country.

I just think Mr. Meeker's trying to be a dad, plus he's a good dad for people of that time. Everyone was stricter then...when you think about it...

Have you noticed that everything seems to be a sin? I think our class is twisting that to make it amusing...like, when someone does something we'll be like, thats sloth and sloth is a sin ;]

Or maybe we're just weirdos =] (in a good way? hehe)

Hi Anna!
I agree with you about Sam's dad and I agree with Nicole for Mr. Meeker trying to be a dad. I don't know.
I'm torn between the two. Currently, I probably would have to side with Sam for fighting for his freedom.

-Chrissy =)

I think Father's comment is not just an argument against fighting England but war in general because you never get peace by fighting. Peace shouldn't be made by attacking and killing each other to see who defeats each other, but by making an agreement so everything is equal. This statement is very much true. When i read this chapter I was mostly paying attention to Tim. Tim seems to be stuck. He isn't sure who to side with, Father or Sam. Sam wants his brother to side with him because he could help him share what the people at the Tavern are saying about what is going to happen with the war. He also doesn't want Tim to tell Father about the gun. Tim also doesn't want to disobey his Father because that would be considered a sin and he would never do that to an adult. I think this chapter was very interesting and I am looking forward to continue. (: Anna

A. If I were in Tim's place, I would not tell Father Sam was back in Redding because Father would eventually find out where Sam was and he would fight with him. This would keep me/Tim stuck in the middle even more. I would also not tell Father because Sam has Father's gun and if Father found out something very bad might take place. Father could not allow Sam to fight at all. He wouldn't let it be an opinion for Sam and I/Tim would be very scared that something would happen to The Meeker family as a whole.
B. Betsy seems to be a "very close friend" of Sam's. I think that she is important because she talks to Sam a lot and can give Tim information that he needs to know, but he needs to keep it a secret from Father. She also seems to be looking out for Sam from Father because she doesn't want her "very close friend" to be harmed or hurt from his father. My opinion on her is unsure ... she seems nice and caring because she is looking out for Sam, and she seems pretty trustworthy. On the other hand, she might seem a little sly and maybe she is keeping something from Tim that is very important. Maybe, just maybe, she could be a spy for the Patriots.
C. If I was living during the American Revolution I would not be very happy. This is because battles would be fought all around me and many fights throughout my family might take place. I also would not like to live during the Revolution because I wouldn't like to have to deal with all the "Lobsterback" and "Patriot" talk.
D. After reading this chapter I thought it was important because we got to learn more about Sam's "very close friend" Betsy. I'm still very stuck whether to lie Betsy or not. I also thought this chapter was very important because we found out Sam was coming back to Redding, but Father and Mother do not know about this.
E. After looking through all of the St. Aloysius's comments, I found that Kelsey's comment seem to catch my attention. Her opinion seems to be like mine. We seem to have some different interests, but she has some good points that I never thought of. It was interesting because it was cool to see how different, but alike our thoughts were. Once i read this I thought some more on the chapter and came across some good facts.

After reading the first 4 chapters, there seems to be many relationships happening, but i think the 3 most important are:
Sam and Tim - Their relationship is very strong but seems to be slipping. Tim isn't sure if he can look up to Sam like he used to, and seems like he cant trust him as much either. Sam loves Tim of course, but feels like he should have his own ways of things now that he is older. Their relationship used to be so strong ... I think that it will possibly fall apart.
Sam and Father - They don't seem to have a strong relationship at all. Ever since the beginning they always fought, but as the story went on it went even more downhill. Father can't trust Sam anymore considering he stole his gun and his been making wrong decisions. Sam on the other hand, does what he wants because he thinks he is old enough to decide on his own when actually Father knows best.
Tim and Father - Their relationship seems to be like a roller coaster. At first, Tim seemed very royal to Father. As time went on though, it seemed like Tim sort of betrayed Father and helped Sam. I mean it's always okay to help your brother, but he kept some very big secrets from Father. Now, he realizes that he made a mistake and when Father might get hurt, Tim takes a risk and goes to help Father even if it will get Sam in trouble. Their relationship seems to be getting better and more built.

1. After Tim saying this, his feelings changed because he realized that now he was older and the war was coming after him. When everything happened including his brother being in the war, his father being attacked by the Continental's, and the war now taking place in his town, he got scared and suddenly thought that he would have to take place in this war. There was nothing else he could to about it ... it was right in front of his face and there was only one way to stop it from coming, but he didn't know what.
2. It think this quote means that no matter what one of the people you love are going to war and are willing to fight for their country and their freedom.
3. Mr. Heron does not seem like someone to trust because he is trying to send "business letters" to people farther away. This seems suspicious. My thoughts might change because maybe they are very important, but you never know; he could be a spy along with Betsy (if she is a spy) or he could just be a regular guy. We will have to find out.

Good work Anna, good effort. I agree, I don't think Mr. Heron is a person to trust, at least not yet. We will see how it turns out as we move deeper into the book.

After reading this, I am not very happy with Tim. I am not happy with him because he is a smart boy, and knows better then to lie. Not only did he lie to Mr. Heron and Betsy, but his own father! If Father were to find this out he would be very disappointed in Tim. I am still not sure on Mr. Heron. He seems very nice and everything, but he also has his bad side. The fact that he attempted to send that letter was unacceptable. I'm also not sure if he is a Loyalist or a Patriot. Mr. Heron also seems like a spy ... but you never know. The scuffle between Tim and Betsy was very childish. They should have just kept to them selves instead of getting all sly and aggressive. Other things I would like to share on this chapter are that Betsy is very annoying. I feel like she thinks she is better then everyone else, and that she can do what she wants. Her starting that fight with Tim was very rude to do considering he is young. I am very excited to finish this book. The suspense is building.

War is never fair. Somebody always gets hurt, so therefore there is never peace.
Also, life is never fair. Not everyone always gets what they want. Nothing is ever 100% perfect, but could be close to it.
Someone that belongs to a town or village, they don't have an obligation to take part in the lives of others, but should want to. If they don't, when they need help they might not be able to get it or they might not be able to participate in events being taken place in his/her town or village.
The character Life must do what he has to. If he gets caught up in war, he just has to because it is all around him. If he has to fight with Sam, then he will just to make sure he can TRY and prove a point to his son. Life should try his best in what he does and just make sure he keeps his family safe.

1. I think that Mr. Meeker was possibly captured by the Continentals and in order to get out, he must tell them things that he has heard. I think that Tim is very overwhelmed, but just hides it. He is also very worried.
2. My emotional feeling toward this chapter are very worried and sad because I feel bad for Tim who is missing Father and Sam, and also for Father because he is taken away from home. I want Father to come home safe, and same for Sam.
3. When Tim says this, since he doesn't know a lot because he doesn't go to school, he felt that we didn't need to fight because we had everything we needed, but eventually they would take over the land and just hurt us so they could have more land.

Chapter 11:
1. I think when Tim says "something big" he is saying that Sam thinks he is apart of something that is bigger then he ever has been in. He feels like since he is now older, he is apart of a thing that only older people get to do. Almost like when a baby takes its first walk, it is now "older" because it has done something they have never done. Also, he feels accomplished because everyone is talking about the war so, he is basically being talked about.
2. My emotional response is sad because Life dies. I wasn't Life to die, I was expecting him to come home. I felt very sorrow after reading this.

Chapter 12:
This statement means that people in war, risk their lives, for the lives of others. They get killed and taken in to jail to keep others from their side alive. Many things happen in war, mostly people get injured or die, and other people risk themselves to help others.
I am still a little upset from Father's death. I'm also worried about Mother and Tim. I hope they don't lose one another.

Chapter 13:
These words might have influenced fighters like Sam because, they would keep fighting for what they believed in no matter how hard they would have to try. Everyone wants freedom, and most soldiers will fight as hard as they can just to get freedom.
My emotional response to this chapter is sad and worried. I am sad because Sam might be executed, which would not be good. I knew it would be coming considering the title, but it still made me upset. I am worried for Mother, Tim, and Sam because none of them should have to lose someone else through this war. Sam is now going to lose himself, Mother might lose her son, and Sam might lose his brother. :(

Chapter 14:
1. I think the irony of Sam's pending execution was that he was killed by the side he was fighting for the whole war, the Patriots. He had fought with them for 3 years and still, they executed him. This was all because some selfish Patriot soldiers that blamed Sam for stealing his OWN cattle. He did not deserve the execution, but as they say war is not fair. It was similar to Life's death because they were both killed by his own side, even though it was a different side then Sam.
2. My emotional reactions were sad because Sam was now dead. I wish the book ended with, "My brother Sam was dead." It would have make it relate to the title a little bit more. I was also happy because we finished the book and even though it was sad, it was very good.

Epilogue:
1. My reaction to the statement, “But somehow, even fifty years later, I 
keep thinking that there might have been another way, besides war, to 
achieve the same end” is that I am not sure if there is another way to declare freedom. I know war is not the right way, but there doesn't seem to be another. Every country will fight for what they want, even if it means half of their men dying. This may not be right, but no country will just give land or freedom to another country for free. They want to show that they are a bigger and better country, but this isn't the best way to solve things.
If there was not a Revolutionary War, I think the United States would be MUCH different. I'm not sure if we would be independent and free like we are today. Things would be very different, our country might have been in control of the British. Many things are possible.

Good job Anna. I am glad you enjoyed the book. A big part of the success of the wiki page was your understanding of the technology and you willingness to humbly share your knowledge. Thank you.