Rating: 
Summary: Allie Simmons Penfield New York
Review: In a novel, a characters identity is based on many forces. Identity is the way
a person portrays himself. It is their true personality. Homer Hickam Jr.'s identity
comes across as shy and meek. On the inside he is actually bold and opinionated,
although he rarely shows it. His friends and family along with the events in his life
all contributed to form a more mature and developed identity. The conflicts that
Homer was faced with played a strong roll in his identity at the end of the story,
although identity is never final. New people and things can come and change you at
any time.
A main character who contributed to Homer's identity was his father. Homer
Hickam Sr. was characterized as a cold mean man, that knew exactly what he
wanted out of life. Homer Jr. could not have been more different. In the beginning
of the book, Homer and his father hardly talked. Throughout the story, they begin
to understand each other. Homer Jr. understanding his father helped him to become
less shy and scared of him and of life. Homer used his boldness and applied it to his
social life, and his rockets. The relationship that was formed between Homer and
his father at the end of the book was more of a friendship than anything else. This
made Homer a friendlier, more outgoing person because he became close to a once
cold and bitter man. The author contrasted the characters in the beginning of the
story, and slowly worked in more interaction, until they formed a bond.
When you are a teenager like Homer, the main force in your life that can
influence the way you are is friends. Homer took qualities from each of his friends
and applied them to his life. When Homer finally became bold enough to approach
his friend Quentin, he did not realize that he was meeting a person that would later
change his life forever. The author characterized Quentin as the class nerd at the
beginning of the story. By the end, Homer had learned to not be ashamed of
intelligence. Homer started out as an average student, one who didn't take school
too seriously. After meeting Quentin, bye the end of the story, Homer was an
outstanding student who put extraordinary amounts of effort into his studies.
Quentin helped Homer learn difficult mathematical equations and laws that led them
to build more complete and technical rockets. The members of the Big Creek
Missile Association (Homer's rocket club) also contributed to Homer's change inidentity. They tough him to become for confident in himself and to do what he
wanted to do with his own life. Each one of the BCMA's six members helped
Homer along and shaped his identity into a strong self-confident person, but no one
helped him along quite like Quentin did.
A main event that effected the development of Homer's identity was the news
of his favorite teacher, Miss Riley having cancer. Miss Riley had already tough
Homer that it was all right to peruse dreams, even if it was something as bazaar as
building rockets. Miss Riley is classified as the typical, kind-hearted woman.
When Homer was upset about the failure of their latest rocket, she was always the
one to make sure that he never gave up. When Homer received the terrible news
that Miss Riley was ill, he realized just how much he meant to him. Her love and
determination for living and learning, more then rubbed off on Homer. He used all
that she had tough him, and began to apply it to his rocket building. He began to
launch more complex rockets in her dedication, to make her proud. What he didn't
realize was that she was proud all along. From Homer's entire relationship with Miss
Riley, he became more caring and determined. He began to cherish all that he had,
in case they, too, may one day not be there.
The event that changed Homer's identity the most was building his rockets.
Before building rockets, Homer didn't know anything about what he wanted to do
with his life. He assumed that he was doomed to the "Coalwood fate" of working in
the coal mine, just as his father had. It was as if he was afraid to become anything
else but a coal miner. When the United States began the "space race" with Russia,
Homer used his boldness and realized that he as well was capable of such
accomplishments. The BCMA turned a highschool football town into a scientific
rocket town. this achievement made Homer, along with the other five boys, proud
and confident. The way that they changed so many lives made Homer believe that
he could also work at NASA some day. It gave him the courage to conquer
anything that dared to stand in his way. Homer's pre-rocket identity was changed by
friends, family, and positive and negative events, into a strong willed, determined
boy. The rockets affected him very positively. Overall, the launching of his rockets
symbolized his true identity soaring. Through launching rockets, he finally got to do as he always wanted without anyone disagreeing.
The book October Sky, bye Homer Hickam Jr. is a wonderful book. It
make's one realize that if you set your mind to something, you can do anything. It is
truly and amazing story because of the wonderful characters, and although it is set in
the fifties, you can still relate to it. It was a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: What forces shape identity?
Review: "October Sky: A Memoir", is an amazing elaborate story about Homer Hickam Junior's life and what he had to go through in order to pursue his dream, to work with rockets. Homer never gave up and through dedication and support from those closest to him (his mother, his teacher, his friends and sometimes his father) he made his dream work despite many obstacles which included townspeople and rocket problems. You could say that all the support from those close to him did help to shape his identity. One of the people that influenced him the most was his mother, Elsie Hickam. She helped him along his hard road and did what she could. She even gave him the nickname Sunny, because he was so happy. It was later changed to Sonny for a more masculine spelling. She pretty much let him do what he wanted because she understood that this was his way to try to get attention from his father and to discover who he was. Her only rule was: don't blow yourself up. She told him to keep pursuing his dream because Jim, his brother, could get out with football and Sonny's interest in rockets could be his way out. Elsie wanted Sonny to go to college. On page 51 she says "Coalwood's going to die, deader than a hammer." She wants him to go, because she doesn't like coal mining and feels that the mine, or even the town, might not be there when Sonny graduates from high school. She always helped him even when his father was trying to destroy his dreams about rockets. She helped him shape his identity by encouraging him to continue and never to give up. Even though his father, Homer Hickam Senior, didn't believe in Sonny's dream, he helped to shape his identity. Sonny never got much attention from his father because his father wasn't home that much and he wasn't an only child. His brother, Jim, got quite a bit of his father's attention because he was a star football player. Sonny, on the other hand, read books and even though he tried out for the team, he was nearsighted and couldn't play and was only used as a tackle dummy. Therefore he didn't get much attention because his father felt he didn't do anything worthwhile. Sonny wanted to prove to his father that he could be someone and do something important. He decided that he would get his father's attention somehow. Sonny started to build rockets because he craved his father's attention and he thought this was the way to get it. After his father saw how dedicated he was, he helped him out with the materials even though he never said he would. There is simply no other explanation for where some on the supplies came from when Sonny truly needed them. Also, after he learned that Sonny wanted to be an engineer, he even offered to show him about being an engineer for the mine. Sonny went into the mine to please his father but said, "I learned a lot but I still want to be an engineer that works for Dr.von Braun." His father wasn't too happy about that. Sonny's friends were Quentin, Sherman, O'Dell, Billy, and Roy Lee. At first only Sherman, O'Dell, and Roy Lee were friends but Sonny went to Quentin for help when they failed with their first rocket. Billy came later in the book. Quentin was the brainy one that knew all about rockets and Sonny knew in order to succeed they needed his help otherwise he would never have talked to him. All of them together formed the BCMA. The BCMA stands for Big Creek Missile Agency. In the book, together they built and launched, a total of 31 rockets. They always were there to help each other out no matter what the problem. Roy Lee helped with transporting the rockets and with Sonny's love life. Quentin was always there to help with the math and rocket propellants. Sherman was the one who had common sense. He could figure out the logical ways to do things. O'Dell was the treasurer and had crazy money schemes when they needed money. Billy could see everything so he would always be the first to know where the rockets landed. Miss Riley, one of Sonny's teachers, helped him succeed in his goal of building a rocket. She supported him and even got him a book on what he needed to know about how to build rockets. She was always there for him and when Sonny and a few other boys got into trouble even though it wasn't their fault, she helped them with their defense. She also convinced Sonny to keep working with his rockets after somebody he knew died. She talked him into entering the science fair with the rockets because she thought he had a chance. Sonny lived up to Miss Riley's expectations and won the National Science Fair. Before he left, Miss Riley told him, "Show them what West Virginians can do, Sonny." And he did. And, in the process he also showed who he had become and how his work with rockets defined him as a person. The setting of West Virginia is rural, empty, full of coal mines with towns spread apart. Sonny strove to make something of himself so he could leave because he didn't want to be a coal miner. This made him try harder to reach his dreams. The choice of a rocket is symbolic because it propels itself up and out of a situation and that's what Sonny hoped to do, even though he needed a lot of help and encouragement from his friends to reach his goal. This book is very helpful for children who believe everybody's life is perfect except theirs and they won't amount to anything. This book shows them that even people who have problems can become famous or do something important with their lives. This is a "must read" for teenagers.
Rating:
Summary: Don't miss this one!
Review: There are many forces that can shape a person's identity. In October Sky, the autobiography of Homer H. Hickam, Jr., the identity of the main character, Homer ("Sonny"), is influenced by his family and friends, a special teacher, and events relating to the time and place in which he lives.
Sonny's father, Homer Hickam, Sr., is one significant force, both negative and positive. A coalmine foreman in the small town of Coalwood, the father seems more interested in the mine and Sonny's macho brother, Jim, than in Sonny. Because of his interests, such as playing in the band and not playing football, Sonny seems weak to his father. The father has worked in a mine all his life. Mining is honorable "man's work", and the only thing he knows. He wants Sonny to be a mining engineer, and is angry when he learns that Sonny wants to be a rocket scientist. Sonny's father fears the "unknown", which Sonny's career choice represents. Sonny is determined not to be like his father in that respect. Sonny is not threatened by change and uncertainty, and he longs to leave Coalwood. This conflict underscores one of the book's themes: society, technology, and jobs are always changing.
There are symbolic elements in the conflicts between father and son: down vs. up, dark vs. light, and old vs. new. The father never looks at the sky, loves his dark mine, and refuses to accept that his son wants to move on. His son dreams of the sky and going into space, and doesn't want to grow up to mine like his father and grandfather.
Sonny is also influenced positively by his father, and shares many traits with him. Both father and son are hardworking leaders. As foreman of the mine, the father refuses to unionize and makes himself available around the clock. Sonny teaches himself calculus in order to design a particular rocket nozzle. Both are courageous, intelligent, and proud of the work they do. However, perseverance is the strongest characteristic they share. The father's devotion to the mine causes him to keep working, even knowing that he has black lung disease, until his forced retirement. Sonny's first rockets explode; still, he persists and experiments, ultimately launching a rocket that flies six miles.
Sonny's relationship with his mother is happy and secure and gives him confidence. She is patient and kind, seldom getting angry at the results of his schemes. When Sonny blows up her fence, she tells him to learn how to build and fly a real rocket, to show his doubtful father that he can do something. She continues encouraging and supporting Sonny's rocket building, even when his father and others are ridiculing him, and even when he ruins her crockery with experiments and sends the stench of moonshine through the house making rocket fuel.
Sonny's cat Daisy Mae helps him cope with his problems. She is a comforting friend and therapist-never judging or interrupting. Unlike some people, she doesn't get frustrated with Sonny.
There are also important relationships outside Sonny's family; Miss Riley, Sonny's teacher, is one prominent example. She encourages Sonny to take part in the science fair, and believes in him even before he believes in himself. Miss Riley helps Sonny find his identity by supporting his interest in rocketry-something that becomes his passion.
Sonny is also supported by friends. Quentin, in particular, is more knowledgeable than Sonny to start out with, but doesn't have the resources to build rockets. Together they start the Big Creek Missile Agency, a group of friends who never give up on Sonny.
Mr. Bykovski, a machinist who works for Sonny's father, secretly helps Sonny solder rockets. When the father learns of this, he angrily reassigns Mr. Bykovski to a job in the mine. Sonny subsequently gets help from Mr. Ferro, a machinist whose seniority will prevent him from getting in trouble. Mr. Ferro and his machinists build the rest of Sonny's rockets. They save his day when his rocket nozzles are stolen at the national science fair. They construct extra nozzles and send them on a bus, where they arrive just in time.
The setting of Sonny's life greatly impacts who he is. Because Sonny lives in a tiny town dominated by a coal mine, he has few opportunities and a limited education. Yet In the era in which Sonny grows up, the economy is already gravitating away from coal. Coal has started to run out and is no longer king. It is also the brink of the technology age, and barriers of science are being broken. There is research to be done in new fields, and new jobs are being created. This helps to explain the conflict between Sonny and his father, because they have come of age in different eras.
Technology also paves the way for an event that shapes Sonny's identity. When he first sees Sputnik in the night sky, he is enthralled and awed that human beings can accomplish such things. He is inspired to build his own rocket, which is the beginning of his dream of becoming an engineer and working with Dr. Von Braun.
There are adverse events that affect Sonny: Mr. Bykovski is killed in a mine collapse; Miss Riley contracts Hodgkin's disease; Sonny's adored cat is murdered by a union organizer. Sonny's conflicts with his father and the accumulation of stressful events cause him to start feeling overwhelmed and ill. Yet these feelings help him come to the realization that, even if he leaves Coalwood and does new things, Coalwood is an indelible and important part of him, and that he can move on to the future without letting go of the past.
October Sky is an incredible book and well worth reading. It is compelling and funny, and deals with both wonderful and difficult aspects of life and growing up that everyone can relate to. It is inspiring to read about Sonny's struggles and how he overcomes them to define and fulfill his dreams.
Rating:
Summary: What Forces Shape Identity
Review: "October Sky" by Homer Hickam, tells the true tale of Homer "Sonny" Hickam Jr., a boy who learns how to launch rockets during his teenage years in Coalwood, West Virginia, a mining town. In Coalwood, Sonny's identity was shaped by the events that went on around him and the town he grew up in. However, he was most affected by the people he knew and loved.
One of the most important people who helped shape Sonny's identity was his mother, Elsie Hickam. Hickam describes his mother's support as a song she once sang when he was once described as being like his father. She would carry him away, whispering "No you're not" over and over again. She continued to sing this song "one way or another" throughout his entire life. This is first evident after Sonny blows up his mother's fence, in a first attempt to launch a rocket. Rather then yell at him or punish him, Elsie explains to him Coalwood is dying, and encourages him to build rockets to get out of the town before it's to late. It was with that type of quiet insistence that she continued to support and influence him throughout the entire book.
Another strong influence in Sonny's life was Quentin. Quentin was the smartest member of the Rocket Boys, the group Sonny formed to launch rockets. It was Quentin Sonny went to when he needed help building a real rocket. It was also Quentin who insisted Homer continue to learn calculus, and even helped him learn it. Quentin was always the cleverest of the group, and was it not for him; Sonny never would have learned half as much as he did.
Ike Bykovski was a machinist-welder who worked for the mine of which Sonny's father, Homer Hickam Sr., was foreman. The idea was that Mr.Bykovski thought of Sonny as a sort of son. He taught Sonny how to solder and helped him make Auks I-IV, the rockets that Sonny launched, against Homer Hickam Sr.'s wishes. When Hickam Sr. learned of this, Mr.Bykovski was sent to work in the mines. When Mr.Bykovski died while working in the mines, Sonny learned that he is responsible for his actions. Mr.Bykovski's death drove Sonny to accomplish his goals, almost as though he owed it to Mr.Bykovski. It is in this tragic way that Mr.Bykovski helped shape Sonny's identity.
The most influential character is Homer Hickam Sr., Sonny's father. Throughout the book, Sonny is driven by a need to prove his father wrong, and succeed in the launching of rockets. Early in the book, he is also driven by his jealousy of Jim, his older brother who gets all the attention from his father (Jim was a star football player). When Sonny would receive a compliment from his father he would swell with pride, and he would feel no lower then when he let his father down. Hickam Sr. unknowingly teaches his son to be strong and proud, all the while helping his son by providing him with materials and a place to launch rockets, but never openly admitting it. Only when Sonny's father launches the final rocket has Sonny truly succeeded, and this is why Sonny's father is the most important person in shaping his sons identity.
"October Sky" is really about a boy who learns how to be a man, from the town he grows and up in and all the people who live in it. It is an enjoyable book, but at times is a bit slow moving. However it is still good and is suggested to anyone who would enjoy a light, heartwarming read.
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Summary: From Coalwood to NASA-the Homer Hickam Story
Review: October Sky
Written by Homer Hadley Hickam Jr.
Reviewed By Stephan Chauvin What if you never had to make any decisions in life? What if you never needed to think outside the box or do anything different? Normally, that might be a good thing. Living on Easy Street, etc... but what if you had a dream, and your inside-the-box life wanted to squish that dream? For Homer Hadley Hickam Jr., this seemingly endless stream of annoying hypothetical questions was a reality.
October Sky, By Homer Hickam Jr., is based on a story of the author's childhood: a story of Coalwood, West Virginia. Coalwood, per its namesake, was a coal-mining town. It was a mining tipple (elevator) and four ventilation shafts surrounded by houses and mountains.
The kicker, however, was that Coalwood sat smack on top of the largest and richest deposit of bituminous coal in the state. But, like all mining towns, Coalwood had a preset life span... a span that was only as great as the coal the town sat on. When the coal ran out, the town would be a ghost of its former self, an empty place-just like the mine; no one seemed to realize it-except Elsie Hickam, wife of Homer Hickam Sr. and mother of Homer Hickam Jr. She encourages her son to find a potential ability he can use to get out of the town (if one doesn't have any skill or ability, one has no future outside the town).
Homer searches deep within himself and finds his dream: rocketry. He builds his first rocket out of a bunch of plastic spare parts and cherry bomb powder. Unfortunately, it doesn't fly- the fence that Homer and friends prop it up against does. However, the attempt does get recognition, as well as a nickname for Homer and his group: the Coalwood Rocket Boys.
But from that humble start Homer, Roy Lee, O'Dell, Sherman, and soon others like Quentin, Billy, and Jim eventually build a whole score of rockets: the Auks. Named after the African flightless bird, the first few auks live up to their namesake- the home made black powder Homer a.k.a. Sonny is making is not strong enough. But the team goes through more fuels and more rockets, from cherry-bomb powder to 'rocket candy', a caramelized potassium nitrate-sugar mix, to Zincoshine, a zinc sulfur compound saturated with beer.
The Auks themselves actually use a very simple design-a metal tube with one end sealed (either steel or aluminum) with a washer-like object attached to the unsealed end. The design varies as as the fuels get stronger; if the casing isn't strong enough, the rockets just blow up. And they do-many times!
Each character in the book has a driving force that shapes his or her identity. Although, in truth, all the aspects in their life shape a person's identity, the person's dominant trait is the gist of it.
Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. is the leader of the Rocket Boys. His driving desire to finish was he started is driving trait. The kicker is that he always finishes something, good or bad. This is evidenced by his high school 'love life'. He had a crush on a girl named Dorothy Plunk, but she turned him down, saying she just wants to be friends. But Sonny doesn't give up, even though he's got another perfectly good catch-Valentine Carmine, who, half the time, is asking him out.
Roy Lee is the outgoing king of the Rocket Boys. His over whelming drive for sociality and romance, as well as a little action now and then, keeps him going. He packs an Elvis-like haircut, a rapier wit, always has the perfect comeback, and, to top it all off, can undo a bra with one hand. His wild attitude gives the Rocket Boys something else to think about when rockets get frustrating.
O' Dell, also known as the scrounge-master, can find anything. He constantly has interesting and innovative ideas swimming around in his head, and as a result, feels a need to exploit them, which keeps him pumped. He packs a double dose of cleverness, but he can't beat Quentin in raw intelligence.
Sherman is a real team player. He feels the same need to finish things as Sonny, only not as strong. He's also the fastest member of the team, which helps with lighting rocket fuses. He may not be clever or intelligent on the same levels as Quentin and O' Dell, but he is still a good addition to the team.
Quentin is the smarty-pants of the team. Calculating, proper, and sporting a fake English accent to boot, he seems like a real gentleman for a boy of fifteen. His immature maturity gives a certain comic relief to the team. Without him, they would not only be without a plan; they'd be bored.
Billy and Jim are like two peas in a pod. They both have a team-player attitude like Sherman, and they both have a strange need to help others. They also do some thinking, like O' Dell and Quentin, but to a lesser extent. Even so, it's good to have them around.
Elsie Hickam is Sonny's mother. She acts as a visionary, seeing through the veil of prosperity the town is currently in and beholding its grim future. She relentlessly encourages Sonny to pursue his dreams in a hope that he will one day escape the disaster-to-be that is Coalwood.
Homer Hickam Sr. is the mine foreman, chief engineer, and father of Coalwood and attempts to live as it is. Unfortunately, it makes him seem arrogant. However, he truly has a good disposition. The mine is his life-and it will soon be his death: he has black lung disease. A black spot the size of a dime has formed on his left lung.
October Sky, by Homer Hickam Jr., is an interesting tale of several boys' teen years in a doomed town. It's based on a true story, too, so out of ten, October Sky receives a 9.
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Summary: October Sky
Review: October Sky is an autobiography about Homer "Sonny" Hickam Jr., an adventurous adolescent boy, who struggles to find direction in his life. Growing up in Coalwood, West Virginia, he is destined to become a miner, like his father, and everyone else in this small town, but Sonny doesn't want to become his father. Instead, he wants to build rockets with his idol, Dr. Wernher von Braun, in Cape Canaveral. With the help of his friends, the Rocket Boys, and the support of his mother, he goes on to win an award at the National Science Fair. Throughout his journey, Sonny is assisted, and hindered by many people, and experiences several life changing events, all of which help him to find his destiny, and become a man.
Sonny would never have built a single rocket if it weren't for his mother, Elise Hickam, a powerful and intelligent woman. When Sonny blew up her fence with his first rocket she gave him a mission, to build rockets that actually flew, to prove to his father that he could do something, and to give him a ticket out of coalwood. She always supported him, despite the occasional disasters, and frequent ruined cookware, and she taut Sonny to believe in yourself, and told him that he can do anything he wants to. Many times she was his only supporter, and helped him to stand up against his unsporting father. She guided him, and taut him valuable lessons, on his journey to discover his purpose.
Sonny's father and namesake, Homer Hickam, is the foreman of the Olga Mine, and is as hard and tough as the rock he works with. When Sonny shares his ambitions with his father, Homer Hickam Senior makes it clear that he expects him to give up this foolish idea, and study to become a mine foreman, like him. When Sonny goes against his father and continues to build rockets, his dad forbids him from using company materials, or machines, and even fires one of the machine shop workers, Ike Bykovski, when he builds a rocket for Sonny. Homer teaches Sonny that it is a tough world, and that nothing comes free. Later in the book, Homer is shown to have a softer inside, and helps Sonny by giving him materials and land, saying they are left over from a project, or the company doesn't use them. At the climax, he actually gives in to the Union's demands to end a strike, just so Sonny could have new rockets machined for the science fair when his are stolen. Despite his pessimism and hindrance of Sonny, he was a powerful force, and helped shape his sons identity.
Although all of these people taut Sonny, the thing that most changed him, was his rocket building experience. As he stood in his back yard, and watched Sputnik soar across the sky, he knew exactly what he wanted to be, but more important then the destination was his journey there. By forming the BCMA (Big Creek Missile Agency) and launching rockets Sonny learned much more then how to build a rocket. He learned leadership skills from having to lead the BCMA. Despite being bad at math, he persevered and taut himself how to do the equations he needed to build good rockets. He learned about friendship from all of the members of the BCMA, and finally, he learned that hard work at determination do pay off, when he won the national science fair. Building rockets was the first step towards Sonny's future, but it was the journey, that made him who he really was.
October Sky, by Homer Hickam is an eloquent tale about a boy struggling to fit in, who, with the help of his friends, family, and fate, finds his place in the world, and becomes a man. It shows the reader how your parents do really have a huge influence on who you will become, but also promotes the idea that you can choose who you want to be, with a little help from fate. October Sky is a great book and a worthwhile read. It has excitement, adventure, romance, and many good morals. Homer Hickam Jr.'s elaborate characters, and exquisite plot keeps you turning the pages and at the end, it leaves you with a profound sense of hope.
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Summary: Imagination and Identity in October Sky
Review: In Homer Hickam Junior's autobiography, October Sky, people and events shape the identity of the protagonist, Sonny. The most significant people are Homer Hickam Senior and Miss Riley, who are associated with the important events in Sonny's life. Both role models possess certain characteristics that Sonny imitates as he develops his own sense of self. While Sonny seeks to please them, he is aware of the ways in which the events of his own generation create opportunities and choices not available to his role models. One such event is his sighting of the Russian satellite, Sputnik, which shapes Sonny's dreams as well as his conflict with his father, Homer Hickam Senior. Homer is a dominant force in the development of Sonny's identity because he is the primary role model for the boy. Homer lives by instinct and common sense, characterized as hard working, stubborn, and strict. As a miner he must adhere to rules of safety to survive, and his cautionary attitude develops a narrow understanding of nature, men, and technology. The father never attended college, and he is unable to imagine a life other than mining for himself and Sonny. But, Homer's attitude is also the result of his own fear; his stubbornness and strict behavior suggest that he is afraid of change. While Sonny sees his father as a hard-working and honorable man, Homer's loyalty to the mining lifestyle serves as both inspiration and obstacle for Sonny. Sonny is also hard working and stubborn, characterized by the instinct and common sense that Mr. Hickam passes on to his son. Consequently, Sonny knows that he is not destined for the mine, which he sees as hell. This creates the difference in dreams and identities, which is portrayed when Mr. Hickam and Sonny venture down into the underworld, where Mr. Hickam hopes his son will be a miner. Homer demonstrates full knowledge of mining and the importance of coal to the economy, and his words show his pride and comfort in the choices he has made in his life: There's no men in the world like miners, Sonny. They're
good men, strong men. The best there is. I think no
matter what you do with your life, no matter where you go
or who you know, you will never know such good and strong
men. You're my boy. I was born to lead men in the
profession of mining coal. Maybe you were too (202). As the two surface, Mr. Hickam asks Sonny about his plans for the future. Sonny values his father's words, and although he has been attentive, he instinctively states "I want to work for Dr. von Braun, Dad" (203). These words hurt Sonny's father, though they were inspired by his own personality. Homer's example of relying on instinct and holding his ground enabled Sonny to believe that he, too, could have his own way. Confronting his father's question in this setting was an event that forced Sonny to make a choice and shape his own identity. Sonny's faith grows even more when Mr. Hickam later tells him of when he rescued a baby from a burning house. Homer claims "I found this baby crying in all that smoke, like there wasn't anything in the world that was going to kill her. I picked her up and jumped out the window before the fire got us both" (244). Mr. Hickam's ability to find the baby in the smoke reflects his faith in the instinctual fulfillment of destiny. It is this faith that sustains Sonny in his choice of science instead of mining. But, it is the force of someone else's faith in Sonny that makes his dream of science a reality. Miss Riley, Sonny's science teacher, also encourages Sonny to follow his instincts and is an equally important force in the formation of his identity. Like Mr. Hickam, she is characterized as hard working and stubborn, but her stubbornness is a form of patience. She knows she must encourage Sonny's imagination if he is to dream without disapproval. It is here that Miss Riley opens Sonny's mind to the possibility of dreams and a change in identity. As they speak of his dreams and rockets, Miss Riley shows Sonny that she understands many of his thoughts about his purpose in the world. She demonstrates full knowledge regarding the reasons why he would want to build rockets in the Coalwood environment and the ways in which his dream makes him a part of science with the words: If you build your own, you're part of it. I can see that.
For me, it's the same with poetry. Sometimes I have to
write my own- it's poor, I know- but it allows me to make a
connection with the poets I admire (179). These words give Sonny a clear understanding as to why he feels the need to build his rockets and continue his studies. Miss Riley helps Sonny respect his own instincts and dreams and helps him see that his identity rests out of the mine. But, her lessons also encourages the values that Homer has taught. One of these lessons is found in her words "All I've done is give you a book. You have to have the courage to learn what's inside it" (232). These words both inspire and challenge Sonny, who now understands his future. Sonny's identity is shaped by those traits shared by Homer Hickam Senior and Miss Riley, and the events associated with these two people. Both Homer and Miss Riley are hard-working and stubborn, but the latter is not narrow-minded or strict, and this flexibility allows the person inside Sonny to take shape. The freedom that Miss Riley's guidance offers helps Sonny fill gaps of his identity and become the individual that he always wanted to be. This story of identity is a worthwhile read. Its lesson of finding one's own place in the universe is not only an inspiration to Sonny, but to the reader as well.
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Summary: What Forces Shape Identity
Review: October Sky is the true story about a young boy with a great dream growing up in a town that is as close to ending as his life is beginning. He has an uncertain future, with his father being the mine superintendent, and expecting him to follow in his footsteps, while his mother despises the mine and living in Coalwood. But Homer Hickam Jr. (or Sonny, as everyone calls him) and his friends continue pursuing a dream of sending rockets into space. This, along with other people and events, is what shapes Sonny into who he will be for the rest of his life.
Sonny's parents were definitely one of the biggest factors in shaping his identity. His mother (Elsie) told Sonny not to ever set foot in the mine (" 'Over my dead body,' a voice from deep inside her said.") while his father wanted him to work in the mine (" 'I was born to lead men in the profession of mining coal. Maybe you were too.' ") His mother also knew that Coalwood wouldn't always be around, while his father refused to admit it. Yet even though his father didn't like the idea of Sonny flying rockets, he still helped him when he needed it. For example, when Sonny asked his father for tubing, his father said "No way" but "the tubing showed up on the back porch two days later." Sonny's parents always had a tough-love attitude with him, which made him stronger.
Coalwood was another big factor in shaping Sonny's identity. Maybe if he was raised in the city or elsewhere, he wouldn't have had such an interest in space and rockets. Even if he had, he probably wouldn't have had enough space to launch his rockets. Coalwood was such an organized, close-knit town, unlike others. All the houses were company owned, painted the company white every five years. Each house had a fenced off square of yard. All the husbands worked in the mine. There wasn't much variety. There wasn't a lot to talk about, and news traveled fast. Coalwood also controlled what religion everyone was. ("Before we became Methodists, I remember being a Baptist and, once for a year, some kind of Pentecostal.") Coalwood, in these ways and others, was one of Sonny's biggest influences.
The people of Coalwood also helped shape Sonny's identity. From Miss Riley and the Great Six, teachers who never gave up on him, to Mr. Caton and Mr. Bykovski, without whom the rockets wouldn't have been made. There was also Jake Mosby, always there for him, who let Sonny look through his telescope and get a glimpse of the world beyond. And Basil Oglethorpe, who made them famous through the newspaper.
Who can forget Dorothy Plunk, who at first made Sonny float on clouds but later broke his heart, making him feel a pain he had never felt before. And of course, there are the Rocket Boys. Quentin, Roy Lee, O'Dell, Billy, Sherman and Sonny. They helped Sonny discover himself and his interests. They also showed him that he was capable of more than he thought. (doing the equations for getting the rocket up to two miles, winning the National Science Fair, etc.) All the people in Coalwood had a big impact on Sonny's identity.
Parents, community, and the people in your community are forces that shape identity. All of these are evident in Sonny's life. October Sky, overall, is a good read. Of course there are parts, especially about rocket fuel and equations, which get confusing, but the story still shines. This novel is for those who want to read a powerful, yet truthful story about a young boy who succeeds at his dream, and becomes a NASA engineer.
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Summary: The forces that shape identity.
Review: Homer Hickam Jr.'s October Sky is an autobiography that tells the story of a young man's life in a small mining town in West Virginia. The memoir describes how his personality changes and how his identity is shaped through experiences and people throughout his teenaged years. Events have occured through Homer's life that have made his personality what it is(or was). When Homer became curious about space and rockets, he began to admire a scientist working in the industry at the time, a Dr. Werner von Braun. After watching the Soviet satellite and hearing about the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, he knew he wanted to be a part of it. Sonny began to build rockets with his friends and develop new methods and new equipment. They had eventually come to a point where cardboard rockets would no longer do and they had begun to make the bodies out of steel. People all over the town had different opinions on The Rocket Boys' activities. Some, like the machine shop worker Ike Bykovski, thought what they were doing was right and began to help the boys make their rockets. Ike did this against the direction of Sonny's father and was assigned to work in the coal mine instead of in the machine shop. This is a force that shaped Homer's identity; one of inevitable occurance. Ike Bykovski was killed in the mine that Sonny's father loved and his mother loathed. When a boy of teenage years loses a person of great importance and friendship in their lives, they change. Homer began to feel as though he was stuck in the middle of nothing with nowhere to go. His life was not going well. His surroundings confused him, seeing his future working in space but his life at the present was going nowhere. He felt nothing. Homer learned a lot from the death of Mr. Bykovski. He learned that if an innocent man dies in a mine doing his job, life goes on and people try not to look back. That is the force that has shaped Homer's perception and he knew that he would never work in the mine that killed his friend Ike Bykovski. Homer's father, Homer Hickam Sr., was also a force that shaped his indentity. A child's parents have the greatest influence on their kids and they shape what a child will be. Homer Sr. was a stern company man that loved the work that he did and usually had little time for his family. Homer did not agree with Sonny's rocket work and tried to convince him that what he was doing was not worthwhile and he should be focusing on more important things, for example, his future in the mine. Sonny knew he would never work in that mine and tried even harder to succeed in making his dreams come true. Without his father's pressure to do exactly what he didn't want to do, Sonny may have given up on his dream. Parents turn their kids into the people they become, either by setting an example, or being the opposite type of person their children want to be. In Sonny's case, his father was the latter and he rebelled against his ideas. In the end of the story, Sonny's mind was at peace. He was going to college to study to be an engineer. Despite the loss of a friend that had helped him along the way and the disproval of his father, Sonny was going to live his dream. This book is definately worthwhile to read because it's certainly very exciting and thought provoking along with a little bit of American history tied in.
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Summary: Forces of Identity
Review: Homer Hickam is the author of the book October Sky and also the main character of the story. Many forces like love, friendship, hate and death shaped the identity of who he was. Homer grew up the younger of two children in a coalmining family in West Virginia. Early on Homer struggled with not knowing what he would do with his life. He had a father that wanted him to be a coalminer like him and a mother who never wanted him to enter the mines.
The first time Homer saw the Russian satellite flying in the sky while it passed over Coalwood he knew that was what he wanted to do. He was going to build rockets. His idol was Waurner von Braun, a rocket scientist helping the Americans to build a rocket to launch into space. You could say that von Braun helped Homer know that it was possible to build rockets and get out of Coalwood.
The force of love he got from his mother, Elsie Hickam. She didn't want Homer going into the mine to work like so many men in the little town of Coalwood. Elsie Hickam didn't want her son to end up like his father with a black lung from all the coal dust. Elsie knew that her son was doing something special and that he would pursue it with some encouragement. Elsie showed Homer love and caring and that he could do anything he could if he put his mind to it and didn't give up.
Billy, Sherman, O' Dell, Quentin, and Homer became the famous rocket boy team. This team of scientists was Homer's force of friendship. They helped Homer build the rockets and learn the difficult mathematical systems to help design the rockets. With the help of each other they achieved a great success. Although most people in the town in the very beginning made fun of them and thought they were working on a lost cause, those 5 boys stuck together, especially with the help of their science teacher Ms. Riley. She believed in them when many others didn't. Ms. Riley helped the boys learn how to build the rockets and encouraged them to enter the science fair with their brilliant design. She even gave Homer a book and the science of rocketry. The Rocket Boys and Ms. Riley led Homer to a victory at the science fair where he met his idol Waurner von Braun.
Although his father, John Hickam, didn't hate his son he hated what his son was doing. John had always wanted Homer to work in the mine with him and was angry that his son had found something else that he wanted to do. He even took Homer into the mine to show him around and see how great the mine really was. John Hickam was a proud man and proud of the mine he was running. He didn't want anything to happen to the mine and wouldn't allow anyone to help his son build his rockets or allow him to shoot them off on company property. The first time Homer launched a rocket at Cape Coalwood it flew into the mine and almost blew it up. John forbid Homer from building or launching rockets. Homer fought against his father's discouragement and anger. He used it to prove his father wrong and to prove he was doing something great.
Death usually isn't something you would think that could shape someone's identity, but in Homers case it did. When Homer and the Rocket Boys built there first rocket together they designed the rocket using a book. They had to weld a washer to the bottom of the rocket to create the nozzle. Since none of them knew how to weld, Homer asked a friend who worked at the machinery shop at the mine. Mr. Bykovski was his name and he taught Homer how to weld. A terrible accident in the mine caused Bykovski's death and Homer thought he couldn't go on building his rockets. As Mrs. Bykovski was boarding a bus to leave Coalwood, she told Homer to promise her that he would keep building his rockets because it would have been what her husband would have wanted.
So that's what Homer did. He and the Rocket Boys continued to build their rockets knowing that someday they would be out of Coalwood just like they had wanted all along. Homer hadn't realized what he was supposed to be in life. In the end, Homer's father was proud of Homer for building his rockets. Homer realized that he had known all along what his job in life was. Homer was to keep building rockets, eventually working at NASA for a couple of years. It was in the small town of Coalwood that love, friendship, hate, and death would eventually shape his true identity. Homer didn't think that the mining town of Coalwood would affect his life but it did and in the end he probably was glad it did. He was glad to have all of those people helping along the way.
This was an amazing book to read which is why you should read it too. This story shows the true passion of doing something great and achieving a goal. October Sky proves that you can do anything you want if you just put your mind to it. When you read this story you really get a sense of what Homer Hickam's life was like growing up and making the rockets. It shows you the bad times and the good times, and Homer Hickam's first-hand accounts really help you appreciate what it was like to do something different. Read October Sky and understand Homer Hickam's struggle to find his true identity and his understanding of what his purpose in the world was.
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