ComparitiveEssay

My brother and I had always been a like at similar ages; although I never understood that when he said that we would be a like. Yet at the same time we are very different. One memory that I have of this is very fresh. When he was my age he would have loved to get out on Thursday for break and have a week off; but now even though I still would love the week off my brother got out last Friday and has a month off. This makes me very jealous and want that month but it conveys how much we were different but the same we were/are. In the novels My Brother Sam is Dead and High Heat Tim and Shane are a little like my brother and I. They have many similarities but at the same time differences.

Shane and Tim are very similar; one example is that they both had to overcome the loss of their dads. This was shocking to them because the loss of their dads were both very unexpected. Due to the very unexpected deaths they had to man up to become the man of the house. They had to help their moms through the time of mourning. With Tim him and his dad were on a supply run and on the way back it snowed a boat load. Tim's dad went ahead and Tim was getting suspicious; he never found his dad and he was later reported dead. Shane's dad got arrested, was bailed out and was depressed. No body knew what was going on with him until he committed suicide. Tim had to run the tavern and take more tasks at home;  Shane had to take more care of his sister when his mom was working, he had to take all of the crap at school too. Now may I remind you that these two very similar kids grew up in different times. Tim grew up where everyone found out at different times cared but after a little bit it was back to normal.  With Shane his dads death was on the front page of the paper. Since Shane lived in a rich area everyone made fun of him because a crime in his area hasn't been committed in a very long time. Tim would have been the talk of the town if he had gone too school because everyone would be asking him questions about his dad.

Stating the fact that Shane came from a very wealthy family it was very hard for them because they had to fend for themselves now that the money was taken by the government from them. They found a car, a town house and the worst to the kids a new school. Their mom had to start working and stop being an at home mom. With Tim his mom had to really up the anti. Tim's mom had to start to do the same caliber  of work that Tim did(But not the exact same work), Tim had to replace his dad; who runs the tavern. Since it was the winter and the war was going on. They struggled to get food and supplies; they ran out faster than usual because they didn't  make their annual run to New York. In this way they both have to fend for themselves. With all of the similarities there are some differences.

With all of the similarities there are many differences. There are two major examples; one is their schooling. Tim didn’t have the chance to go to school, growing up on a farm/tavern is hard enough work itself. Yet Tim knew what he needed to know. On the other hand Shane has supreme schooling. Shane went to a private school in Oregon with very prestigious teachers. Shane knew everything there was to know. The reason why their schooling was different was the needs around the house; if there hadn’t been the need in Tim’s household he could have gotten the equivalent amount of schooling to Shane but we don’t know. On top of that another major difference is the time period that they each grew up in. Tim grew up in a much more troubling time; with the war, no technology, all day chores and staying on your toes if the war comes to your city/village. Tim has it a lot worse than Shane; Shane is growing up in the modern time period. Shane comes from a very rich family so he had all the gadgets, almost no chores and was the star on the baseball team. Due to these very different times they grew up very different boys. They still grew up very well but Tim had more to worry about than Shane. Yet they both grew up in very Bad times with no father to grow up with.

                 

Can you understand and realize what these kids had to grow up with? Would you be able to understand it? Or do you want to just pass these kid’s lives up and not think about the troubles they had? Just think: my brother is getting a nice month off; coming home relaxing until my mom wants him to work all day and he has to do everything.With a sudden change like that it can really mess someone up. However, my brother's life still won't be as messed up as the lives of Shane and Tim.

Walk of a Lifetime

     In the novel My Brother Sam is Dead there are many terrible events that take place. Yet for every event there is a purpose behind it. Sometimes it the result is worth the risk and sometimes it ends up for the worst and multiple people get hurt. Especially in the aspect of war.
     There are many major events that have a cause and effect in this novel.One major example is during the winter they were running out of resources and they need to get to the new york area to sell cattle. His dad isn't really he is jut against the war. They were stopped by rebels because they were afraid that they would sell the cattle to the lobster backs. So the rebels roughed them up a little bit then an escort came and took them to their destination. They sold their cattle in exchange for many supplies needed to keep a tavern open. On their way back they ran into some trouble, it started to snow. They decided to keep on  chugging and go through the snow. Tim's dad would go a head come back and check up on him, after a while Tim got suspicious  because his dad hadn't come back in a while. Tim was getting worried after a while he didn't bother so he sat down ate some jerky and drank some wine and got drunk. The whole way home he put each foot in front of the other until he was back at the tavern. Later in the story on a British prison ship Tim's dad had died. Now the cause in this example from the novel would be that they had to go because they were running out of supplies and it was also their annual run.There are many effects of this.They were all bad except one Tim realized he had to become a man and he did. All the other effects were bad mourning in the community/family, another unneeded death to separate the colonists and the British plus taking away the "Life" of the tavern(Tim's dads name meant life,).
     Sure there are many other examples with their very own causes and effects, but this was a turning point in the book.He would never have risked his life to try to help his brother or other man like things. When everything is said and done, what is done is done. But everyone is  wondering how much of this book is true. Well all of it is except the actions of the characters, the writers were just predicting how they would act. That  is what made this book a Newbery Honor Book.

Bright Lights and a Bigger City

Authors Note:This was a creative piece based on a setting and a character given to us. This story takes place in the Bronx with a very sophisticated kid named Drew

Once upon a time in the big city there was a little kid named Drew. He found himself wondering off the play grounds at school. He saw a big white van with a mysterious man asking little kids mysterious questions. So Drew being as curious as he is went over to the van. The man said “Hi my names Paul, can you help me look for my lost dog?” Drew was wondering why he didn’t just look himself. Then Paul said “I’ll give you candy as a reward,” now that really tripped Drew’s trigger candy was Drew’s favorite. So they went out together looking for Paul’s dog until they saw what had looked to be movement far in the distance. So they ran and ran, then Drew started to hear voices and people crying. Drew snapped back into it, he was in a court house on the stand and he saw Paul in the vicinity of him then a lawyer said “Did he touch you or make you do wrong things” there was a long pause. Then Drew replied “Yes that man did many things to me but I liked some of it, the journey was fun and he still gave me candy I was promised,” “but did he force you to do anything””In the beginning yes but then like I said I liked it and I started playing along I’m sorry I know this ruins your case but he’s innocent.”. “Has the jury come to a verdict,” said the judge “Yes we have your honor Guilty for child molestation but not guilty for rape,” I see this court is dismissed!