Rating: 
Summary: What forces shape identity?
Review: Homer Hickam, Jr's October Sky was a very interesting and fun book to read. At first I didn't want to read it but once I read the first few pages I couldn't put it down. The forces that shaped the main character's identity were the people and events around him. Sonny's mom always encouraged him to keep going with his dreams of working with NASA and she always tried to help out in any way she could. Even when Sonny's dad didn't want him to keep going and tried to discourage him, Sonny's mom was there to help in any way. Quentin was another person that made Sonny into who he was at the end of the book. He also convinced him and helped him to learn calculus and Quentin helped with the fuel formulas. O'Dell was a very important person in Sonny's life. He helped him with his romance and he was always there for Sonny, no matter what. Sonny's dad also helped him in a way. In the beginning he tried to stop Sonny from achieving his goals but that just encouraged Sonny to work harder. He wanted to make his dad proud and that was a part of his motivation. Another force that shaped Sonny's identity was seeing the work in the mine first hand. When he stepped in to the mine with his dad, he saw what his dad saw every day. He also saw some good engineering work and that also pushed him to work harder. Everybody counted on Sonny to make it out of Coalwood and make a name for himself and every time he thought about quitting there was always some one from the town that told him to keep going and to keep dreaming. Even if some of the people that it was a bad idea, Sonny had a lot more people on his side. As Sonny grew older he learned a lot more about reality and when his friend Mr. Bykovski died because of a mine accident, Sonny thought it was all his fault and he gave up the idea of working with NASA but his friends, teachers, and his parents helped him get through the tough times. Many accopmlishments and failures in his life helped him become the person who he is. This book really allows you to see what kind of forces shape your identity and it made me think about who I really am. This really is a great book and I recommend it to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Forces that shape identity--The essential question
Review: Throughout our lives, there are people that help to mold us, and shape our identity into what they would like us to be. Also, we have the ability to pursue our interests, and learn from them the life lessons that they teach. Sonny has both sides of the story, but first and foremost is the pressure from his family, the setting he lives in and tradition. His town, SOME of his family and tradition all want him to become a coalminer, or just another face in the crowd. However, Sonny wants to go above that.
Sonny is forced with many challenges in his quest to work with rockets, and Werner Von Braun for a career. The first of which is the setting of his life. Coming from a town that survives on coalmining, he basically begins to see no other option than a career as a coalminer, or at the very best, a mine engineer. Mining is all the people in Coalwood know, and someone in your family even has to mine just so you can live there!
With this kind of barrier everyone begins to wonder how Sonny is going to succeed outside of Coalwood. Another barrier, which can also be Sonny's biggest help, is his family. The tradition of mining in his family is in his blood, not to mention his father's constant "nagging" him to become a mine engineer. But, this is not to say Sonny's father never actually helps him in his own discrete ways, without actually saying it. This constant back and forth creates an uneasy balance when trying to decide a judgment of Sonny's father and whether he is "good" or "bad". Sonny's mother however, supports him 100%, and will do anything to help him get the heck out of Coalwood, and will put up with him. Whenever possible. Sonny's Brother, Jim, helps without actually knowing he is helping. Whenever Jim does well at football, or makes fun of Sonny, or steals his crush, it gives Sonny the drive to succeed, and always try to do "one better" than his brother. Without his family, Sonny might not have ever got the motivation to do as well as he did with his rockets.
Other forces that shaped Sonny's identity are outside his home life, and even sometimes are outside his country! Ms. Riley just encourages Sonny to no end. That's all that needs to be said about her. Ms. Riley never gives up faith in Sonny, and even gets him a book to help with his rocket building. Another thing that shaped Sonny's identity is the drive to work with Werner Von Braun. Sonny believed if he worked hard enough in his small hometown, he would someday get the chance to work along side him. Or at least work at Cape Canaveral, and he does get that chance, thanks to the drive to work with Werner Von Braun. The last motive that shaped Sonny's identity is the advancement in Russian space technology and space travel. Sonny took it upon himself to make sure The United States would be more advanced in space than the Russians. Sonny even dreamed about landing on the moon, before the Russians. Throughout the story, the author, Homer Hickman Jr. uses different literary elements and concepts to describe his characters. The main thing the author does is he uses many points of view. By doing this, you don't just get one sometimes-bias point of view, instead he describes through other characters actual words. This gives a 3-D description that helps us get all sides of the story. It as if every character that's describing someone adds a piece to the puzzle, to help give the reader a full elaborate picture.
Overall, the book October Sky by Homer Hickman Jr., was an extremely worthwhile read. The story shows you don't always have to mold to the form people want you to. Though the book seems long at first glance, once you get through the treacherous first two chapters, the pages fly right by. The tale is fantastic, with a great heart-warming moral. The reader learns that hard work pays off, dreams come true, and above all, that all things happen for a reason. And as Sonny's mother would say, "God has a plan for everyone." Just when things happen in this book that are terrible, or one door closes, another hopefull exuberant door opens. This book is one of a kind and should be bought and read right now! Anyone who can read and comprehend English should read this! 9 out of 10.
Rating: 
Summary: What forces shape identity?
Review: There are many forces that shape a person's identity. Homer Hickam demonstrates four of these forces in the autobiography October Sky. These forces are the people you admire or idolize, your family and friends, your setting or surroundings, and your gains and losses.
These forces are either illustrated or implied in the October Sky in which Sputnik, a Russian rocket, inspires Sonny to become a rocket scientist. He forms a group with his friends Quentin, Roy Lee, O'Dell, Billy, and Sherman called the Big Creek Missile Agency. They go through many obstacles to build and launch rockets, becoming hated by some, and loved by many in the town of Coalwood. This autobiography is about the cold war time period, the lives in Coalwood, and the lives of determined teenage boys.
First, the people you admire or idolize play a big role in shaping your identity because; you will try to be like them. In October Sky, even though Homer Hickam, better known as Sonny never met Wernher von Braun, he was his hero. Mr. Von Braun started Sonny in the rocketing hobby, encouraged him and his friends, and brought him into the engineering field and NASA. Sonny wanted to shoot rockets off into space ever since the Russians launched 'Sputnik', a satellite dish, into orbit and America tried to catch up with them in the rocket technology. Sonny heard a great deal about Dr. Wernher von Braun, a German-American rocket scientist, and decided he wanted to get out of Coalwood and work for and be like Dr. Wernher. Sonny and his friends formed the Rocket Boys group BCMA, shooting off 31 rockets before going off to college to become engineers.
Another force that contributes to shaping one's identity is your family and friends. You are always working to gain their approval, and it will greatly influence who you are going to be. In October Sky, Sonny tried hard to become something his dad would be proud of like his football hero brother Jim. Although Mr. Hickam, Sonny's father, was in charge of the Coalwood mine and wanted his sons to follow in his footsteps, Sonny's mother Elsie insisted neither Jim nor Sonny ever set a foot into the mines because of how it took and ruined lives. One day, after Sonny's dad finally found out he wanted to be a rocket scientist, he took him down to the mine to show him what engineers did, and tried to convince him to follow in his footsteps. Sonny went with him without letting his mother know because he knew she would make a fuss, and because all his life his father had favored Jim and his football. He never really paid attention to Sonny. Going down to the mines was something his father had never let Jim do. Down at the mines, Mr. Hickam asked Sonny to become an engineer to help the mines. Although Sonny hated to hurt his father and make him angry after he brought him into the mines, he had to tell him he still wanted to be a rocket scientist. When they returned home, Elsie was waiting furiously for them. After letting Sonny build his rockets, he had gone down to the mines against her wishes after all. She was deeply disappointed. Sonny was made to promise never to go down to the mines again and because it was his mother, Sonny did as she asked shaping his identity. Sonny's friends also played an important role in shaping his identity. Roy Lee was a good-looking kid with a car; so naturally, he had a lot of dates with girls. He helped Sonny through his relationships with Dorothy Plunk and Valentine by setting examples, and by talking him through. Quentin was the class nerd and geek, but Sonny became friends with him because he was the only person who would help him with his rockets in the beginning. Similarly, Quentin helped Sonny with many things in science and math. This is how family and friends play a large role in shaping your identity.
Your settings and surroundings help shape your identity too. Sonny grew up in a small coal-mining town. This made him trusting, unlike if he grew up in a city. He found this out when he went to a nationwide science fair; he didn't lock up his rocket equipment and it got stolen. Back home, even in Coalwood, his family was one of the better off because his father was the head of the coal mining. At school, Sonny was beat up sometimes by boys whose fathers hated his father because of mining issues. Thus Sonny learned how to defend himself.
Lastly, your gains and losses help to shape your identity. Sonny and his friends had many of these in October Sky. When deciding to form the BCMA, the whole group gained. They worked and learned together, learning, had fun, and eventually all went to college. When they made their first rocket, they blew up Elsie's fence. This seemed like a loss but actually it was a gain because Elsie told Sonny to keep on building rockets. They gained knowledge by experimenting and learning from their mistakes, e.g. what was the best mixture of rocket fuel to make their rockets fly higher, create a better launching system, and know the right launching place. All these led to the BCMA, represented by Sonny win at a nation wide science fair.
So you see, the autobiography of Homer Hickam, October Sky, is worth reading because it describes how these four forces interact and contribute to the shaping of one's identity: the people you admire and look up to, your family and friends, your settings and surroundings, and your gains and losses.
Rating:
Summary: Gripping acccount even for a casual reader!
Review: A friend tossed me the book and when I eventually picked it up, I was enthralled! I learnt about the vulnerability of an industrial town, the significance of hearing a Russian satellite and the drive to improve science education in the US, how a couple struggled through life together. A genuine warm account, with a lot of humour and affection. It helped paint a vivid picture of small town America and what dreams can do for you. It can appeal to many types of reader. A friend cried through the movie which was a pale shadow of the book - I told her she'd weep buckets when she read October Sky!
Rating:
Summary: What forces shape identity
Review: The forces that shape the identity in the book Rocket Boys, are friends, family, the events that occur around them, and the choices they make. Through these outside forces, the main character, Homer H. Hickam, Jr. finds who he really is, and what he is meant to do.
As a friend, Quentin makes an impact on Homer by teaching him the basics of rocketry, helping him with the math involved, and teaching him the proper chemicals to use for rocket fuel. "I figured if anyone who might know how to build a rocket, it was Quentin." This shows that Homer had faith in Quentin before he even knew him. It was Quentin's doing that Homer learned calculus and also his doing in mentioning the science fair to the boys. Without him, their rockets would have probably not left the ground.
O'Dell was pretty much the Rocket Boy's treasurer. He provided the group with money that they needed to guy their rocket materials. He obviously had an impact on Homer, as without O'Dell, Homer's savings from being a paperboy would have ran out, and they wouldn't be able to buy the materials they needed to make the rockets and rocket fuel.
Roy Lee and Billy also did their parts in helping their cause. Roy Lee provided the transportation for the group, and Billy was the eagle eyes, who could spot where the rocket flew up and where it landed. While their role might not have been as important as the others, they played their parts and all contributed to the success of the group.
Homer's mother and father take essential roles in his character development. From his mom, she told him to always give it his all. And because of this, he never gives up his rocketry desires even when it looks like he won't be able to get past blowing up fences. His dad didn't show any open support, but in his heart, he had Homers best interests in mind. He did the little things that made Homer's dream come true. He gave them materials to build their launch pad, their block house, and their rockets. His parents played key roles in helping Homer develop into the man that he is.
The launch of Sputnik was the event that really sparked Homer's enthusiasm for rocketry. He saw it fly over the West Virginian sky and he knew that one day, he would want to launch rockets like that. Had it not been for Sputnik, Homer would have probably followed his father's footsteps and gone into the mine, defying his mother's wishes.
The choice that Homer made to follow his father into the mine one day proved to be a key event in his character development. That day, he got closer to his father, but also got pushed away by his mother. He learned his mother's true feelings about the mine, and he decided that he would obey his mother, not his father and never go into the mines again. After this incident, his father shunned him, and this also had an impact on him. Since this bit of character was shown to Homer, Homer decided not to act like his father and be cold and mean to everyone.
These examples show that in the book Rocket Boys, the forces that shape Homer, and also influenced me while I was reading, are the people around you, the events around you, and the choices that you make. My opinion of this book is that it is a must read for anyone who has a goal in life. It is inspiring, and teaches a good example to lead your life by.
Rating:
Summary: What forces shape identity? -The essential question
Review: October Sky by Homer Hickam does not only cover the question of what forces shape one's identity, but one that asks, how does one go about "finding themselves" and the idea of someone's unknown future. Though there are numerous themes, they all do overlap and relate to each other. Homer Hickam, the author discusses in this autobiography how he came to find himself, and with that comes a curious question of what in life forms one's individuality. Why is someone so cheerful everyday, or why one is so materialistic, or superficial is something that is asked many times, despite many times it is behind closed doors or inside a person's head.
Homer Hickam as an adolescent goes through events that shape his future, and his identity. According to October Sky, it is the upbringing you experience that shapes your individuality. Although your family is an essential and important part of one's childhood and upbringing, it is not the only component. As one wise person said, "It takes an entire village to raise a child." it is very true. Not only his parents, but his friends, teachers, heroes, neighbors, and experiences mold Homer Hickam into what he is today. His mother often tells Homer that there is Lavender in him, (Lavender is Elsie Hickam's side of the family), and it is true. Elsie Hickam has a lot to do with how Homer grew up and became an individual. Elsie Hickam not only gave him the courage to become a "rocket boy", but the various opportunities to become one. Mrs. Hickam shielded Homer from Mr. Hickam's criticism and his harsh attitude towards Homer as a person. If Elsie did not do that, Homer would have only become another miner, destined towards lung disease and eventually a painful death. Homer could have easily become discouraged like you see him become many times; but this time, he would not continue with his bomb building, as Mr. Turner (Homer's high school principal) would say.
As noted earlier, it does take an entire village to raise a child. In Homer Hickam's case, his childhood friends Roy Lee, Billy, Quentin, O'Dell, and Sherman would help Homer become a better person. His good friends encouraged him to do what he desired, and supported and stood behind him the entire way. His friends provided common sense and practical advice on everything from rockets to trouble with girls and friends. Quentin provides a practical view, while Roy Lee is more realistic. His friends are his sidekicks, not only in dealing with rockets, but when dealing with life. Not only did his friends help form Homer's search of identity, his chemistry professor, Ms. Riley did too. Ms. Riley provided the outsider encouragement that was much needed in order for Homer to gather the courage to build rockets in a mining town. Ms. Riley was like a coach, a cheerleader, and a friend combined in one. With everyone's help and support, Homer's pursuit of identity would be successful.
Without gracious men like Mr. Bykovski, Mr. Ferro, and Mr. Caton and his machinists, Homer Hickam would not have been able to perform the numerous trials of his ever improving rockets. Each man helped Homer in their own way risking their jobs, the health, their lives, and much more. All helped Homer realize his dream of building rockets and his individuality while going about life. They believed in him, when not even Homer's father would. They provided the fatherly advice, and care that was absent in Homer's adolescence. Lastly, without Homer's hero, Dr. Wernher von Braun, and the very first satellite, Sputnik, Homer would not have had the genius idea of building rockets. That shows that the world events that surround one person, helps create one's identity, personality and their life. Heroes inspire others, yet a person's idols do not necessarily have to be someone famous and honored, they usually are not. Most heroes are found around you everyday, in your house, or anywhere in your everyday life. Heroes are the basis of lifetime dreams someone fantasizes.
Some people in the world today say that one person's identity comes from their genes. In October Sky it is most difficult to distinguish an answer to that theory. Although Elsie Hickam, Homer's mother does say that Homer's qualities are from her side of the family, and Homer's father also reiterates that, but refers to his side of the family, it is hard to differentiate genetics from one's upbringing. If identity did come from someone's genetics, then those qualities would be imposed into someone's upbringing, making it hard to tell from which does identity originate.
October Sky by Homer Hickam is a very well written novel that depicts the hardships of life brilliantly with the utmost straight-forwardness. Homer Hickam although past his adolescence today, certainly remembers the confusion, the frustrated feeling of life that many experience. But, this novel is not only for teenagers, or even "preteens", but also for anyone who is looking for a flashback into the past. It is not only a flashback of Homer Hickam's past, but also a flashback of a person's own past. This book subconsciously asks the reader to question himself or herself as a person, and question their own experiences. It makes one wonder about who they are today, who they were 2, 4, years ago, and who they will become in the future for everyone is always changing constantly. October Sky is a soul-searching novel when one wants it to be, but also an interesting flashback into one's difficult life. October Sky is a humbling novel that will leave each reader with a deeply engraved impression. But which impression it leaves, is all up to the reader.
Rating:
Summary: The forces that shaped Homer H Hickam, Jr's identity.
Review: It takes many different forces to shape one's identity. This is especilly true for Homer H. Hickam, Jr. in the memoir, "October Sky." One of the most influential forces that shaped Hickam's identity were the people around him and his personality.
The people around him such as his mom had strong opinions or beliefs on many different things that Hickam sort of absorbed, made his own and it became part of his identity. An example of this is when Hickam continued to go to football practice even though he didn't want to and really wasn't all that good, because his mother's rule was, " If you start something, you've got to finish it." Another person that helped shape Hickam's identity is Wernher von Braun, whether he was aware of it or not. Hickam's desire to help and work with Wernher von Braun drove him to try making his own rockets. Hickam thought, " I wanted to be with him, I knew to do that I'd have to prepare myself in some way, get some skills of some kind or special knowledge about something."
His loyal friends, Roy Lee, Sherman, O'Dell and Quentin played a major role in shaping Hickam's identity and vise versa. When Hickam suggested building rockets they went along with it and helped him. Without their help he might not have been successful with his rockets.
Personality and Identity go together hand in hand. Hickam has a curious, presistint type of personality. When Hickam wasn't able to take the calculus class in school because of his grade in math. He found his father's "Advanced Mathematics, a Guide for Self-Study" book that included calculus and managed to teach himself. Hickam's curious nature made him curious about space and what is up there. He would often look out his window at night and wonder about the world.
The author, Homer H. Hickam, Jr. used conflict and resolution to convey the forces that shaped his identity. For example, Hickam's father takes him down into the mine and then wants Hickam to say he will work there but Hickam says " I want to go to work for Dr. won Braun, Dad." His dad is disappointed and ignores Hickam. This makes Hickam resolve to be tough and then he pushes the incident out of his mind. He eventually makes peace with his dad but this incident becomes part of his identity.
The author also uses setting to convey the forces that shaped his identity. If Hickam had not lived in Coalwood, West Virginia he would not have met the same people or had the same experiences which would result in a change to his identity.
People around Hickam and his personality helped shape his identity and make him who he is, just as the people in our lives and our personality shape our identity and make us who we are.
I really enjoyed this book. Looking at the jacket of the book before reading it, I had concluded that this book would be boring because it was about a bunch of boys shooting off rockets. True they were a bunch of boys shooting off rockets but they were much more then that and I was in for a big surprise. The book was very well written, being detailed but not too detailed and it included a variety of interesting incidents.
Rating:
Summary: What forces shape Identity?
Review: What Forces Shape Identity? Every person has his or her own identity. Some are strong, some not so strong. Some people are happy, some sad. But with every identity out there, no matter how diverse, something, somewhere shaped that identity, molded that identity, into what it is today.
Homer Hickam's October Sky is a retelling of what happened to him and five of his friends as they followed their dream. All six of those boys have their own identity. They are no exception to the rule. However, what shaped their identity is probably much different than what shaped six other boys' identity. But just what forces shape identity? Is it where you are, who you meet, what you do?
It is not one or two of those, but all of the above. Homer grew up in a small West Virginian town, Coalwood. The one business that Coalwood specialized in was mining coal. Every single day, men would line up, and go down into the black pit - the mine that killed so many workers each year. As a result, people then became "tougher." They did not cry, weep, or mope about when one was killed in the mine. If they had, they would be sulking and feeling sorry for themselves every second, every minute, every hour, every day. But when the adults took up this attitude, the children were expected to as well. "Coalwood is no place to be weak, but if you are, keep it to yourself and get the hell out of here as soon as you can." (pg. 290) This effectively gives Homer a part of his identity. Part of who he is is a Coalwoodian. Part of who he is is to learn not to cry, not to be weak. This is how he was raised, this is what he learned, this is now who he is.
Of course, "where you are" is by no means the only thing that can determine who he is. Who you meet is also a very important piece of your identity, but that can also branch out into whom you are with. In Homer's case, that would be his parents. His parents are two very different people. His dad, the superintendent of the mine, his one true love is his mine and his work. No time for Homer, he's bound to work in the mine eventually. But his mother always was thinking that the mine is the one true thing to lead to death, to tears, to loss. His mother, instead of thinking that Homer was bound for the mine, she thought that he was bound for college, for his dream, for a life beyond Coalwood and the mine that took lives daily. She didn't want to see her little boy go into the mine, only for her to realize that he would never come out; he would never laugh, cry, or smile again. So is it that his father wanted to see that? Of course not. It is almost like he was proud of his son - he wanted to see him grow into his own profession, to see him follow his father - to see that someone truly did want to be like him. But by shunning Homer, he made himself be exactly the person Homer did not want to be. It was a shame, at least for his father - he wanted to see that he had an influence beyond the mine. By shunning Homer, he placed a piece of Homer's identity - to not be someone like that. In a way, his identity can focus also on who he is not, not necessarily who he is. If someone can look at identity like that, it is easy to see where his father fits in.
The last piece of the puzzle - "What you do" is, in a way, the glue holding together one's identity, for what you do affects both where you are, (or where you will be) and whom you are with (or who you may meet). It is fairly clear that Homer's Rocket Boys have affected Homer in a way that no other person or group of people could ever affect him. They have caused conflict with many people, namely his father and those working with him. The conflict grew, and caused his father to shun him even more, thereby giving Homer another piece of his identity. But the Rocket Boys themselves also had a huge effect on Homer's identity. They gave him an outlet - a place where he can talk freely, where he can share his emotions freely, where he can do something without being criticized by anyone. Doing this, the Rocket Boys only became an extension of sorts for Homer. Part of who Homer was was the Rocket Boys themselves - without them, he may have had nothing at all.
In conclusion, many things can have an effect on a person's identity, but three things stand above all - What you do, Where you are, and Who you're with. Without those three things, it's possible that no one would be unique, no one would have an identity. October Sky is most definitely a great read - it has given me new insight on all that goes on around me, and it has given me a new outlook on what the book's all about - inspiration, dreams, identity, and life.
Rating:
Summary: You must read this!
Review: This is one of, if not the best book I have ever read. I was so inspired by Sonny's story that my dream is to become an aeronautical engineer. This is one of those books that you don't want to end. I was sad to have to say goodbye to Sonny. It has such a rich plot you will think it is fiction. This should be required reading for every high school student. Avoid the movie at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: Outstandng Book
Review: This is an outstanding book by a man who has lived a great life. I don't know what it is about West Virginia, but boyhood Coal Mining memoirs seem to be disproportionally represented on bookshelves. This one is good. Its our community book, and you couldn't have picked a better one. There's something for everyone. Rockets, family dynamics, coming of age, sociology, influential teachers, teenage hormones. This book is well worth reading, and I recommend it to anyone.
|
