The Comparison

Nick Majeskie

1/11/12

Author's Note: This story is about the similarities and differences between April Mornings and the movie The Patriot.

He was quickly reloading to get another shot on him. Bang! The gun sends a tiny musket ball heading right for a British soldier it hits him in the arm. He drops his gun and falls in pain. In the movie The Patriot, the main character Benjamin is fighting against the soldier who killed both of his sons. This movie is similar to the book April Mornings. These books are similar and different compared to each other.

The book and the movie have many similarities. One similarity is the two were happening in the same time period. You could tell they were in the same time period because in both stories used muskets when they fought against the British. Also the two priests were called the Reverend. In addition they both used swords as a secondary weapon. Another reason you could tell it was in the same time period is because they either traveled on foot or by horse.

Also another similarity is the both were fighting for America. They were fighting for America because they were fighting against the British to win over the land. As well as that they both had won the battle in the two stories. Also they had to overcome many things. One is they were outnumbered by hundreds. They also had very little food and shelter. They were both militias and farmers and didn’t know all the war tactics.

As well as similarities there are differences. One difference is the type of main character. They are different ages. The main character in the movie is in his forties and had several children and the main character in the book is about seventeen. This affects the story in a lot of ways. The forty year old would have a lot more experience than the seventeen year old. Another difference is that in the movie it was on a bigger scale. In the book they were just defending their home town from the British. The battle in the book had no effect on the outcome in the war unlike the movie where it had a big effect on the wars outcome.

Finally the two books have many similarities and differences. One same is they both was fighting for and America and freedom. The main difference was the impacted the two battles had on the total outcome of the war. The two stories are similar on different.

Dead Man's Path Response

This story reminds me of a story I have heard before. The other story is about this guy who comes across a bunch of money. He was living well until one day this strange man said they should be friends and the guy with all the money spent if and wasted it in one day. In Dead Man's Path he had it all but, he wasted his chance of having it big time.

The Difference

,Nick Majeskie

12/14/11

Author’s Note: This essay is about the differences between the Greasers and the Americans., It is also about what the two sides have in common.

In the books The Outsiders and April Mornings there are two groups of people in each book. In April Mornings, there are the British and the Americans. In The Outsiders, there are the socs and the greasers. The two groups that I’m comparing are the greasers to the Americans. There are differences and similarities in the two groups of people.

A group in one of the books, The Outsiders is the greasers. The greasers are fighting against the socs to prove themselves. The greasers are outcasts in this book and they are frowned upon because they have bad behavior such as smoking and fighting. In the book they are not accepted in their society. In the end of the book, Randy said a very wise quote “The socs will always be socs and greasers will always be greasers”.

The other group is the Americans who are portrayed in the book April Mornings. The Americans are fighting for many things. The main thing they are fighting for is freedom. They want to be free from the King of England and don’t want to be ruled by him. Like the greasers they are outcasts. The Americans are Patriots and that was like an outcast in that time. Like the greasers, they are not as powerful, because they were outnumbered two thousand too sixty in the book.

One of the main similarities of the two groups is they have both been stereotyped in their books. The Americans are stereotyped by the British because the British think they are devious because they are not loyalists to the King. Since the Americans are patriots they don’t want to serve the King and they want to be free from the King’s commands. Since they disagreed with the British, they went to war. In The Outcasts, the socs and the greasers fought also. The greasers are stereotyped by the socs. An example of this in the book, The Outsiders, is when Randy yells to Johnny and Ponyboy that “Greasers are just white trash”.

Finally, I concluded that these two groups have differences and one is that the greasers are fighting to prove themselves and the Americans are just fighting for their freedom. Another difference is the two books occur in different time periods. There were also more casualties in April Morning than in The Outsiders because there were more American's fighting than in The Outsiders. Even though there were differences, I think there were more similarities because both groups were trying to prove themselves in their respective societies.

Foresight

Nick Majeskie

12/12/11

Author’s Note: This short essay is about what I think will happen in the book April Mornings.

In the book April Mornings, the book is leading up to a huge part. This book is in the time period of the Revolutionary War. A small town is preparing for a British army to come and attack them, so they formed a militia. The army contains thousands of British soldiers and the militia has about sixty men. Even though the odds are against the men, I still think they will win the battle to my prior knowledge of the Revolutionary War.

I predict that they will win because they have the element of surprise and I saw the movie The Patriot. In the movie there is a small village similar to the one in the book. The main characters son is in love with this girl that lives right next to him. This is the same situation in the book. In the movie the militia protects the town. In the movie, even though they don't protect the town, they protect the main characters family be putting them in hiding. Also, I have read in history books that the Americans won the war. I think they would represent this single battle as the whole war. Why would they write a book about a small town losing a battle there is no point. So I think the small town would win the battle.

Finally, I would think the small town would win the war because of my prior knowledge of historical events in time. I am not sure why the writer would write about a battle that would be lost when history has proved that the battle was won.

The Other Side of the Story

Nick Majeskie

12/7/11

Author’s Note: This is short story is about how different points of view effect how the reader understands the story.

In April Mornings, written by Howard Fast, the plot of the story is the British are coming to the main character’s home town during the Revolutionary War. The town forms a militia to fight off the British soldiers if they come. The messenger comes running down the road yelling the British are coming. The story is written in Adam Cooper’s point of view. From this perspective, a lot of events and characters are described in a way that creates furious and gloomy emotions in the reader’s point of view about the characters and how Adam reacts to everyone.

One way that Adam’s point of view influences the reader's interpretation, is how this perspective shows different ways. One example is when Adam drew the water and sang his song to clean the water. His brother saw this and knew their father doesn’t like it when Adam sings the song, SO the little brother blackmails Adam for a drink of water. Even when he says he won’t tell his father he does. The point of views matter here because for Levi (younger brother) it is a win, win situation. In this situation for Adam his only chance is if he gives Levi a drink and hopes he won’t tell. However, the reader would feel a lot differently about the scene if the novel was written in the point of view of Levi. For instance, the reader wouldn't think that Levi is a little snitch and tell their father. If it was in his perspective, it would make him look smart.

As you can see, the point of view of a story forces the reader to see just one side of an event or topic. In April Mornings the narrator's perspective makes the reader think differently. Everyone has a different point of view, but in this book we are persuaded to interpret the book through the eyes of one character.

Judgmental

Author’s Note: This essay is about defying stereotypes which is one of the themes in the book The Outsiders and real world examples.

11/21/11

Nick Majeskie


There are many stereotypes in the world today. Examples are nerds, age, and looks. People are stereotypical about nerds because we think they are always on their computers either playing a game or hacking something. I know some people that consider themselves nerds but, they aren’t going around hacking items. The socs and the greasers are both being stereotyped in the book The Outsiders, written by S.E. Hilton. Defying stereotypes is one of the main themes. You can’t always find the truth about people by stereotyping them.

In the book there were two types of groups; the greasers and the socs. The greasers are stereotyped because people think the average greaser is a delinquent kid and they are considered the outcasts because they live on the wrong side of the neighborhood. One way they were stereotyped in the book was at the beginning of the book, where Randy said “Greasers are just white trash”. This is stereotypical because one character named Ponyboy is considered a greaser but, he isn’t the stereotypical greaser. He is kind and intelligent, not rugged and dirty. The book indicated that Ponyboy was very intelligent in language arts. If he were a stereotypical greaser, he wouldn’t care about school.

The other group is the socs. They are stereotyped by the greasers. The greasers think they are stuck up snobs that get what they want and are wealthy. They are stereotyped because they are more affluent. An example in the book is when the socs are stereotyped by the greasers when Ponyboy yells “WELL, SOCS ARE WHITE TRASH WITH MUSTANGS”; he says this right before Johnny kills Bob. Meaning they have money because they drive mustangs. One character that proves that they are stereotyped is Cherry, who is a soc. She is pleasant and brilliant and not stuck up like a stereotypical soc. This is proven when Ponyboy is amazed when they are talking to them and don’t leave.

There are many people that are stereotyped in the book The Outsiders, but people aren’t just being stereotyped in the book; there are people in the real world being stereotyped. One example is when people are judged by where they live. If they live in an affluent neighborhood, people assume they are rich. Conversely, if they live in a neighborhood that has smaller homes, it is assumed they are poor.

One example for me is when I walked into a shoe store with my brother who is only a year older than me. We started to look at shoes. When I reached for a box to try the shoes on, the clerk yelled at me and said, “Hey, you have to pay for that”, and started to walk towards me. This proves I was judged by the clerk because he thought I was going to steal the pair of shoes because I look young.

Finally, there are plentiful ways people are being stereotyped by other people. This happens in books, movies, and real world examples like when I went into the shoe store. The only reason people are stereotyped is because the people judging have seen the same scenario before and they jump to the conclusion before that person being judged can do anything about it. It is best to give people a chance before you jump to conclusions, but sometimes that easier said than done.