Sydne

To all the students at St. Aloysius,
My name is Sydne, I'm 13 years old, and I attend Bay Head School. My main hobby is dancing. It takes up most of my time, and I have been doing it for almost my whole life. I am really looking forward to reading the book "My Brother Sam is Dead" and sharing thoughts about it. I think it will be very interesting!

P.S. Maybe after we finish the book we can get together and have a pizza party!

The first chapter of "My Brother Sam is Dead" was very interesting. I can already tell that it is going to be a great book. I am feeling many emotions so far. First, I was proud of Sam for standing up for what he believed in, but then I was almost disappointed that he went against his father like that. His father didn't want him to go to battle for a reason. Sam is a very strong boy who wants to stand up for what's right. I would have to side for Sam and the Patriots because I would want freedom and would try to get it in every way possible. In that time they had to follow all of the rules and pay taxes to the King of England, who was 3,000 miles away! I would definitely be a Patriot.

A.) If I were in Tim's place, I would not tell my father that Sam came back to Redding. Sam obviously did not want father to know that he was back, and I would respect that. I also would not because Sam and Father would constantly fight about Sam's choices to be in the war. If I were Tim, I would not want to see those two fight, because they are both close to me. To make sure an argument didn't I would definitely not tell father about Sam.
B.) In the story, Betsy is a close friend of Sam. At one point she was sitting in Tom Warrup's tent with him, after he ran away. He had stolen his father's gun and he was hiding, and she was with him. I guess you could say that Betsy is almost like a messenger for Sam because she would talk to Tim for Sam. I think that Betsy only means good for Sam and his family. She is just trying to help Sam through a hard time, and she understands him. I think she is a nice girl.
C.) If I was living at the time of the American Revolution, I'm not too sure how I would fare, especially with a war going on in my own country. I don't think that I could get past the fact that the war could be just miles away from me. Everyday I would feel fear that my life was in danger and I could be involved in some sort of conflict and fighting. Also, there was a lot of work that had to be done. Sometimes you would have to spend that whole day in the barn with the animals or you would have to clean the house, which are both different chores today. Today chores would include cleaning the dishes and making your bed and walking your pet, which I prefer.
D.) I believe that this chapter was very interesting, and suspenseful. Through the whole book I have felt many emotions for Sam, and his issues with his father and the war. One of these emotions have definitely been worry. Sam could be really hurt by now, but he is apparently going to be home soon. I am willing to read the next chapter, so I know what happened.
E.) I read Erin's comment about chapter 3 and I agree with her about being in Tim's place, and how I would not tell Mr. Meeker because of the promise and to prevent fighting. Before reading this comment, I had not thought of Betsy to be a spy but now I have a new opinion of her. It is true that she very well could be a spy, because she is always lingering and knows a lot of secrets. As far as you "faring" back at that time, I would be interested to know more about what you feel. And now I am also curious about Sam and Betsy for the next chapter.

When I explained chapter one to my parents and asked them how they would feel if I was summoned up to fight in Iraq, they both said that they wouldn't like it. My mom said that she respects all the people who are fighting for our country now, but she would not want her child there. She said it would be too dangerous. My dad felt the same way. They wouldn't want anything to happen to me in the war, but they think it is okay so those who encourage their children to fight and for those who want to fight.

When Mr. Meeker said "But you never get rid of injustices by fighting," I assume he meant that not all conflicts can be solved by fighting. Even though Sam wants freedom very badly, he can do it other ways than fighting in the war. He could be more than a bystander and just stand up for what he believes in. When Sam said his comment about freedom, I don't think he realized what his father meant. I think that Mr. Meeker is just trying to help Sam, and he doesn't want him to get hurt because he has seen the ugly face of war.

Within the first four chapters of this book, there are a lot of divisions in people and whose side they are on in the war. One set of people who this division affects would be Tim and Mr. Meeker. Tim is very confused in this war, and he doesn't know whose side he is on. He is pretty much neautral, which could be better, him being a younger boy. Mr. Meeker is on the side of the "Tories," or the people who oppose the patriots. Another set of people affected by the division are Sam and Mr. Meeker. This causes a huge conflict between the two. Sam is actually out fighting for the side of the patriots while Mr. Meeker is a Tory. He dislikes Sam's decision but cannot stop him from fighting for the cause. The last set of people would be Sam and Tim. This does not really affect the relationship between the two because Tim is not really on a side. He has heard stories from Sam about freedom but there is not an issue between them

1. In chapter 5, when Tim makes a reference to the war being only like a story, he realizes that it is so real. What made Tim change mind was that Rebel's, the people against the Tories, were going house to house, in search of weapons. They wanted to take all the weapons away from everyone in Redding, because it was a Tory town. When the troops went to the Meeker house, they refused to believe that Mr. Meeker didn't have a gun, and that Sam stole it. It was very scary for Tim, the troops threatened to kill Mr. Meeker. Because Mr. Meeker was putting up a bit of a fuss, although telling the truth, they cut his face with their sword, but only a little bit.
2. The quote and what Tim had said is true because there are always things happening. In a war, there is very little good out of it. People will always get hurt, and even killed. It could be someone you don't know at all, but it is still someone's son or daughter being hurt. Another way it could affect all people is because it could determine who the ruler of your own country would be. If the British won the Revolutionary, Tim, as well as ourselves, would be under the rule of the British. Our country wouldn't be the way it is today and that affects all people.
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2. Mr. Meeker is always polite to Mr. Heron because he went to Trinity College in Dublin, and he was a surveyor. He was also very rich. By the end of the chapter, I thought Mr. Heron was a little suspicious. He wanted Tim to go to Fairfield for him to carry "business letters." Mr. Meeker had not let Tim go. At first, I thought that that was a little weird, because they were only business letters. Later I realized that Tim would not have been carrying business letters at all. He would've been carrying things for the British Army, secret things. Tim would be working as a spy for Mr. Heron, who could very well be a spy himself. I am curious to see what happens with Mr. Heron and Tim.

Excellent work Sydne. Your answers are right on the mark, showing good comprehension and effort on your part. Remind me to have you read these out loud tomorrow.

1. In this chapter, I think Tim was acting in the correct way, although he was lying a lot. He was just trying to be responsible. He wanted to do something for once when Sam has all the glory of being in a war, and he was stuck being a boy. I do not trust Mr. Heron. He was telling two different pieces of information to two different people. He has not cleared if he is a Tory or a Patriot, and that is causing some problems. It would distinguish the difference of what was in the letter that Tim had to send, even though it was just a test, for future reference. I think that Mr. Heron was lying to both Tim and Betsy. I thought it was very immature of both Tim and Betsy to get in that big fight over the letter. Betsy could not trust Tim about the letter, and she should've just laid off. If maybe she waited until they both knew more information about Mr. Heron before she reacted like that. Tim also should've not fought with Betsy. He should've handled it in a better way.
2. One more thing I would like to share with you is that I was very disappointed with Betsy. She made false speculations about the letter and Mr. Heron and it did not end up being good. Now Tim can get in a lot of trouble for opening the letter and he can even go to jail in the worst case.

I believe that war is never fair. In the end, someone is going to end up loosing, either for the right reasons or the wrong ones. People will always be mad that their side lost, and most likely people will always get killed. I think that life is never fair. Every day there is a new obstacle for us to conquer, and if we do not succeed, it makes us stronger people. When one belongs to a community, I do not think that it is an obligation that they must partake in everything going on, but they usually end up doing so. If there is so much going on in a certain community, there isn't many ways to avoid it. There will always be talked about it that chances are, someone will be dragged into. I think it would be best for the character Life to try to stay neutral, but pick a side when he has to. If being neutral starts getting Life hurt, he should choose a side, but that doesn't mean he has to stick with it for the rest of his life. All and all, he should just do what he feels is right.

Chapter 9:
1. So far I am not too sure what has happened to Mr. Meeker, although I think that he was definitely captured by the cow-boys. He wouldn't have just left Tim for that great of an amount of time without giving him a warning before, and he still hasn't returned. I think that this has a huge impact on Tim. He always looked up to his father, like all young boys do. Now, because Sam is also gone, he doesn't have any male figures to look up to in his household. This also means that he has to do all of the male work around the house, tavern, shop, and barn. That is a large amount of work for a boy who is only around 13 or 14 years old. It would help him mature a lot, since he has many more responsabilities.
2. My emotional reaction to this chapter was mostly worry. I was worried (and still am) about Mr. Meeker. There could be many options for where he is. We don't even know if he is still alive or dead. Another emotion I felt in this chapter was sympathy for Tim. He was going along until he realized that his father had not come back for a while. There he was, left alone, still about 12 miles away from home, and with oxen and a wagon full of goods. He must've been very scared. Lastly I felt relief when it stated that Tim made it home all right.
Chapter 10:
1.I think that whn Tim states, "“I still hadn’t figured out what he was fighting for. It seemed to me that we’d been free all along." he means that there has not been a reason that has come to him about why there is a war going on. He doesn't understand that he really wasn't free. His country was under the rule of the British, and they were not implying freedom. The colonies had many taxes and other laws. Tim did not know this because he is only a boy.

1. I think that Sam is being a little arrogant, but it would be expected. When he says that he is part of "something big" it means that he believes he is really important in this war. He is a young boy only in his twenties fighting in a war. He is very set on getting his independance, and will do what ever it takes to get it, even when it means risking his life in the war. "Something big" for Sam could mean anything. It could mean staying in combat for the whole war, or just being messengers for the Generals.
2. My emotional response to this was very upset. I felt so bad for the whole Meeker family for the death of Mr. Meeker. I was also a little annoyed at the way Sam acted, even though he was doing what he, felt was right. I think that his family could've needed him more at the time, since they already lost a big part of their family.

1. I believe that the statement “in war the dead pay the debts for the living” means that the people who die in the war risk their lives for the people how are still living so they could live better lives. The ones who died honestly died for the living people. If they knew that there was a chance that their life would be taken away in war and still went...they did it so the people as a whole could live better. In the American Revolution, many people died in battle. If they had not died for us, there could be the chance that the United States would be under British rule today.
2. In this chapter, I felt very badly for Sam. All he was trying to do was get the cattle back for his family, but he got accused of stealing it. I thought it was very unfair that they wouldn't really hear Sam out in the situation and that the two men who actually stole the cattle were lying about what actually happened. I was also very worried to see what would happen to Sam, and if he would really be accused of being a 'cattle thief.'

1. I think that Patrick Henry's famous words, "Give me liberty or give me death!" could have inspired many soldiers like Sam because saying those words, he was willing to fight for what he believes in and not give up until he gets it. Patrick Henry would've rather been dead then have to live under British rule, because it was unfair. He wanted freedom, and would risk dying to get it. He showed great Patriotism that I believe many people would look up to as being great, and being very loyal to this country.
2. My emotional reaction to this story was that I felt great sympathy for not only Sam, but his family too. He was going to be executed for something he never even did. Also, it was going to be another loss in his family. First, it was Mr. Meeker, and now it is Sam, the oldest son.

1. To me, the irony to Sam's pending execution was that he was being punished for something he never even did. He was being falsely accused of stealing his own family's cattle. All he was trying to do was prevent them from being stolen. Also, he fought with the Patriots for three years, and they were the ones who killed him. He was killed by his own side because of two cattle thieves lying so that they didn't get harmed or executed. That was similar to the death of Mr. Meeker because they were both captured for no reason. Mr. Meeker didn't do a thing to the cow-boys so they had no reason to take him. They were also both captured by their own side, though different sides.
2. In this chapter, I felt very bad for Mrs. Meeker and Tim. They had already lost Mr. Meeker, and now Sam. I felt for Mrs. Meeker when she wouldn't go to the church service and when she wouldn't go to the execution. She had been through SO much and didn't even want to see something else happen. On top of all that, Tim was going to try to free Sam. Although it was unsuccessful, it could've been very dangerous.

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 believe that there could've been a different way to resolve the difference, but the outcome may not have been the same. There could be a chance that we would still be having problems with the British today and that would lead to there being the chance that we could have a war between them now. I do not think that the United States would have become a nation without the Revolutionary War. Even though they could have resolved the problems differently, this proved that everybody had to come together as a whole and fight for what we believed in, even if it meant people dying all the time. This also proved that the United States wanted to be free, and would fight until they got that freedom.