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Summary: Kevin Giunta's October Sky Review
Review: Kevin Giunta The type of people that surround an individual, whether it be family or friends, and how they act are factors which will eventually shape your identity. These people who surround you can either have positive or negative effect on your personality. The time when one's identity is being shaped is very crucial and the way that their identity is formed will affect their entire life.
Sonny's identity was formed by him witnessing Sputnik and also the people of his community, the mine, and most importantly his family. If Sonny had never seen Sputnik he would have never been inspired to build rockets, his dreams would not have been the same and he might have wound up in the mines despite his mothers wishes.
The people of Sonny's community were very important in shaping his identity. People like Mr. Bykovski and Jake Mosby who were teaching him to be fair, giving him important lessons like Jake telling Sonny, "I'm not a religious man, Sonny. You want parables and proverbs, go to church. But I believe that there's a plan for each of us-you, me Frieda too. It doesn't help to get mad about it or want to whip up on God about it. It's just the way it is. You've got to accept it." Knowing that there were good people that would help him gave Sonny more confidence and showed him it's ok to depend on people. It was Miss Riley who gave Sonny the book Principle of Guided Missile Design she showed Sonny that he should never give up on his dreams and that you need to push hard to learn and eventually achieve those dreams. When Sonny thanked her for his book all she said, "All I've done is give you a book, you have to have the courage to learn what's inside it." Miss Riley was also an inspiration to Sonny with her amazing bravery to come to teach even during the worst parts of her battle with Hodgkin's disease and always encouraging him even through the worst times.
Also, there were his friends Quentin teaching him never to give up pushing him to get the equations right and to enter in the Science fair, as in this quote to Sonny, "Listen, old man, if you don't work these equations, what will be the point of all we've done?". O'Dell was always showing him there's always a way with his crazy schemes. Sherman showing him that you could always make things better then they were while he lived his life with out complaints through Polio for example when Sherman wanted to light the fuse, but Sonny was worried whether he could get away fast enough, "Don't worry about me," said Sherman and with that lit the fuse, most importantly Billy and Roy Lee showing him loyalty never betraying him and always trusting him.
Sonny's mother was a great part of his life. She was never truly angry with him and always treated him with the utmost respect and most importantly always backed him in his decisions. She never stopped him from following his dreams and trusted his every decision giving him only the advice when he started to build rockets, "Just don't blow yourself up". She held a great part in shaping his identity and often was the only person he could turn to for help for not only was she his mother but also his friend. She was a truly great woman. Finally there was Sonny's father who showed him to be brave and never show pain. Sonny showed this when he did not use Novocain after needing his wrist to be stitched and his father doing the same going into the mine to rescue men and walking out on his own power. Sonny's father said that the hardest thing he ever learned was, "Entropy, Entropy is the tendency of everything to move toward confusion and disorder as time passes. No matter how perfect something the thing, the moment, it's created it begins to be destroyed." This shows that his father loved his family, the town, and the mine. Though this is a common bond of all the people in Coalwood, it was truly special to Sonny who loved the town so much it hurt him to leave it if only for a short while. With out the help of every single one of the people in Homer H. Hickam JR's community he would not have become the great scientist he is and nowhere on earth could you find a community of better people to shape one's identity then that of the mountain encircled coal town of Coalwood. This is defiantly a worth while read and truly enjoyable. This book incorporated so many aspects of real life and did not get stuck on the science part of the story. In addition it is interesting because these are true events and the author did a great job of keeping the story exciting keeping me engulfed in the story and reluctant of putting it down.
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Summary: What forces shape identity?
Review: A persons genetics are such a strong part of who they will become. It determines
everything from their personality to what color their eyes are. But what if some of these
characteristics could be over come by a persons environment and how they were nurtured.
Even the pivotal people in their lives can affect their identity. Sonny was born to a strong
mother and a stubborn father. He was expected to be a miner. He had no real identity of
his own, always being asked 'Your Jim's brother right?' or 'Hey it's Homer's boy'. He
defied the odds, and who he is today and what he's accomplished may not of been the
same. What if he didn't have the mother he did or if he didn't live in Coalwood? There
are so many defining moments and pivotal people in ones life like his parents, but Sonny's
individuality and identity was mainly influenced by the location he lived in while growing
up. Coalwood, West Virginia.
On the Big store step they only things talked about were football and the mines
before the Rocket boys. That was all that mattered is Coalwood. Sonny wouldn't have
been the same in any other place. Failures and hard ships make a bigger impact than
successes and Coalwood was just that. Once Sonny won most of Coalwood over he knew
he had accomplished more than expected. Coalwood was one of the biggest impacts on
his identity, and it was such an experience for him. Imagine if he had lived in a city. He
wouldn't of had access to empty land which became Cape Coalwood, and couldn't of
gotten the supplies that he had at hand from the mines. He knew the he was meant for the
mountains, they will always be a part of him along with the entire town of Coalwood. It
made such difference while growing up and continues to impact him.
He always said he wanted to know exactly who he was like he thought all the
miners did. Each individual helped him do that in their own way. Not all the people in
Sonny's life were positive about him or what he was doing. One major example is
Sonny's father. Homer Sr. had a different dream for his son and wanted Sonny to basically
become him. With out him the success wouldn't be so sweet. Finally proving to his dad
that it was all worth it and that he had finally made something of him self was worth all the
pain and troubles he gave Sonny. Even though in the end they never had a relationship,
just the acceptance from his father was enough to influence who he is.
Sonny's mother Elsie gave him the chance to do more than mine and would do
anything to put him through college. All she ever said was 'just don't blow yourself up',
but both her and Sonny knew that meant more than the more literal term. It had a loving
quality to it, like it was a way of encouraging him. Although Sonny and his father never
had a real connection, he and his mother always did. She introduced him into a new world
and secretly she was his number one fan and the most proud of her son. She introduced
him to Sputnik and the space race and continues to be part of his life.
Another example of a person who helped Sonny mature in to how he becomes, is
Ms. Riley. She encourages Sonny and the rest of the BCMA to continue their work and
to enter the science fair, she even found a book so that they could learn needed
mathematical equations. She also inspired them by her experiments that taught the
students, but they found more. Instead of a good lesson on oxidation, or decomposition
they found rocket fuel. She made a positive influence and helped to mold Sonny.
The BCMA spent most of their money on things they've blown-up or broken. All
their failures brought them closer to another success. Every person goes through things
that make them a stronger more compassionate person and every time something went
wrong with Sonny and his work it made him a better man. One example is while Sonny is
at the science fair, over night his nozzles and materials are stolen because he didn't know
to lock them up. This was a rude awakening to him that the world isn't right and others
aren't like those in Coalwood who are honest and good. This experience probably
changed his life. He truly realized for the first time that there was more out there than
Coalwood. It was a truly defining moment that changed him.
The author Homer H. Hickman jr. and main character displays the affect of
growing up in Coalwood through storytelling and unique imagery. He gives each
character a distinct personality and interesting relationships. Picturing each character is
simple with the stereo-typical qualities from each. For example Quentin comes off as nerd
with glasses and all, while Roy Lee comes off as a ladies man, more attractive and
charming.
There are so many what ifs and maybes in life. Is it fate or a coincidence, but there
are many specifics that have to fall in place for something to go right and only one wrong
turn or missed opportunity for it to go wrong. Sonny's dream didn't fall out of the sky
and things didn't always go his way, but he persevered. He really worked for what he
wanted and would have done anything for a chance at rockets. This is what makes the
book so great. The author tells a inspiring story about growing up against the odds. It
draws you in with the sympathy you feel towards the characters and you can easily related
with the tales of growing up. It is completely worth reading. The constant support and
the general environment of Coalwood inspires not only Sonny but the reader. Coalwood
shaped his identity and changed his life.
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Summary: Forces That Shape Identity
Review: October Sky by Homer H. Hickam Jr. is a true story of a young man named Homer, also known as Sonny, and his life experience in Coalwood, West Virginia where the majority of the people worked in a mine and dug coal for a living. Homer, in his adolescence, did not know what he wanted to do with his life until he heard of the Russian satellite, Sputnik. Then he knew Cape Canaveral was where he wanted to go. To begin his career in rocketry, he worked hard and built rockets with his friends, while many others made a joke of it. This book shows how surrounding "forces" (especially influences from loved ones, and significant places) can shape an identity. Throughout the book, Homer had three main influences to shape his identity, his father, the Coalwood mine, and Dr. Wernher von Braun. The author made it obvious to the reader how different each character's personality is. Because each person's personality was different it lead to debate of whether or not Homer should build rockets. This was the major conflict of the story. Coal mining verses rocket building. The resolution comes at the end when some of the characters have a change of mind. The setting and descriptive writing techniques show the reader how it feels to be living at Coalwood and its complications. He describes Coalwood as dull and dreary. "...All through the day, the heavy thump of locomotives' steam pistons thundered down our narrow valleys, the town shaking to the crescendo of grinding steel as the great trains accelerated...Throughout my childhood, when I raised my blanket in the morning, I saw black, sparkling powder float out of it. My socks were always black with coal dirt when I took my shoes off at night." The through explanation of Coalwood allows the reader to imagine how unfortunate someone would be living there. Homer's father shaped Homer's identity by pushing him away. His father was a superintendent at the mine, highly disapproved of his rocket building. Instead he was more interested in Homer's older brother Jim who played football. Homer's father thought Homer would be better off mining coal like him. "I was born to lead men in the profession of mining coal. Maybe you were too." Homer's father says this to him when Homer confesses when he dreams of Cape Canaveral. Homer's father disapproved so much of Homer's rocket building that made fun of what Homer was doing. "Sonny built a rocket? He doesn't even know how to put the sprocket chain back on his bike when it slips off." His father's constant insulting and disapproving attitude toward Homer's rocket building pushed Homer farther away from his father and the mine. Eventually Homer realized he did not want to be like his father and wanted nothing to do with the mine. But, Homer ignores his father and keeps working harder. His father was someone that Homer needed to make himself more determined and stronger in order to pursue his dreams. If Homer's father hadn't insulted him like he did, then it would not have made Homer so determined to build rockets, so his father shaped his identity by making him work harder. Coalwood mine was one place to which Homer's father felt a sense of pride, loyalty, and satisfaction of working. This was obviously the opposite case for Homer. Two people who live in the same house with completely different views on life. Homer for sure did not want to end up at the mine. He wanted something better for himself. To Homer, the mine symbolized fear, death, sickness, and dangers of the mine. Homer did not want to be just another "nobody" who had nothing to show for himself for the rest of his life. It really was not a choice to work at the mine or not. Dr. Wernher von Braun was one of his major idols. He was a German rocket engineer at Cape Canaveral, Florida. He had given Homer a signed autograph picture of him. This made Homer feel even more important and even more determined to get those rockets as high as possible because it showed him that someone important in the rocket building business was interested in what he was doing. Dr. von Braun helped shape Homer's identity and showed him what he could do with his life instead of staying at the mine and throwing his talents away. October Sky is a worthwhile read, but the equations and the math are hard to understand at times. The book teaches several lessons that are important in life, like being determined, working hard, and never to give up your dream.
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Summary: A Review of October Sky
Review: In the autobiography October Sky, written by Homer H. Hickam, many forces shape the main characters identity. These forces include the many launches of his amateur rockets, the science fairs he went to because of them, and the events at his high school. Although there are many forces that shaped Homers identity, the factors that changed him the greatest were the people close to him in his life. These people are his close friends and his relatives.
Many believe that Homer's friends were one of the main contributing factors that shaped his identity for a variety of reasons. Each person contributed in shaping Homers identity. One of his close friends was Quentin. Quentin helped to make homer a responsible person who could lead a group. He did this when he bestowed the responsibility of representing the group at the National Science fair at Indianapolis. The hopes of the entire team of Rocket Boys who worked on their rockets together went with Homer to the fair. One would say that the other Rocket Boys also helped in shaping Homer. Together they made Homer a more resilient person and showed him how to seek out a solution to problems that seem too difficult for him. They did this when they each found solutions to the problem of their rocket club running low on money to fund the club. This showed Homer how to find solutions to a problem. Homer showed this skill when he searched for a book that was written on the subject of rocketry so he could properly build and design his rockets. He ended up finding this book by asking his English teacher Miss Riley. With her help he obtained a book that would help them. Miss Riley also helped the boys in other ways. She helped them to gain the knowledge in trigonometry, calculus and in algebra. This helped to make Homer an intelligent person and helped in the building of his rockets.
While Homer's friends were one of the forces that shaped Homers identity by making him a strong and determined person, Homers family also developed Homers identity. One of the main forces in Homers family was his father, Homer Hickam Sr. without Mr. Hickam, Homer's change in identity would never have happened. He was the mine foreman and allowed Homer to obtain the materials and the work in the machine shops that Homer needed to build his rockets. The rockets brought together Homers friends in their rocket club, the Big Creek Missile Agency, the BCMA, named after the Big Creek High School. In this High school he thought about becoming an engineer. His father also played a role in his future when he took him into the mine to show him what a mining engineer does at his job. Homer later became an engineer for NASA and built rockets with his knowledge. Homer's mother also gave knowledge and initiative to Homer. This knowledge and initiative was the opposite of what Mr. Hickam gave to Homer. Instead of wanting Homer to stay and work in the mine, like what his father wanted him to do, Mrs. Hickam wanted Homer to leave Coalwood. She knew that the mine that kept the town alive was slowly dying and when it did run out of coal the town would be shut down. She wanted him to pursue his goals in life. She helped this happen by allowing Homer to carry out his experiments in her basement, which caused more than a few accidents. Publicity was another gift given to him. This publicity kept them alive by getting town support. The mine superintendent tried to stop the boys from launching their rockets when one of the rockets landed near the mine. The town rose up and stopped them from halting the boy's progress. This allowed Homers identity to continue to changed and shaped. Although in opposite ways Homers parents together helped to shape Homers identity.
The author used different literary elements to help convey the forces the shape Homers development of character. The setting of the book is in Coalwood, West Virginia in the late 1950's and 1960. Coalwood is surrounded by Mountains and was a dirty and uniform place due to the coal mine that kept the town running. While in High School, Homer worked to leave Coalwood and started to build rockets and began his development in character and of his identity. The rockets themselves were symbols of his achievements and success. Each time one of his rockets was successfully launched, he had achieved his goal of leaving Coalwood. This showed his development in character. When Homer was successful with his rockets the reader knew that Homer had developed because of his success. These literary elements of setting and symbols help to show the development in his character.
Any person who reads October Sky will believe that it is a worthwhile book to read. It is a very dramatic novel that is very engaging and because it is also an autobiography it is seems very real and the characters feel like they are real people. Homer's experiments in rocketry and with different explosive materials will keep the reader interested. The way the author conveyed the forces that shape the main characters development of character is represented throughout the novel and helps to make the book a worthwhile book to read.
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Summary: Forces That Shaped Sonny's Identity
Review: In Homer Hickam's novel, October Sky, the author writes about a boy's journey towards self-discovery by describing what happens when a person's choices are different from those around him. The book, written in first person, speaks of Sonny growing up in Coalwood, West Virginia. Coalwood was a prosperous mining town whose purpose was "extracting millions of tons of rich bituminous coal." There were only two options for the children of Coalwood: to grow up and work in the mine or to become a football hero in high school and win a scholarship to college. Sonny didn't seem to fit into either category.
He had always loved to read, especially science fiction. His physical abilities were not those of a football player - he was nearsighted. When he was fourteen years old, Sonny also experienced a life-changing event. On October 5, 1957, Russia launched the first space satellite, Sputnik. He became fascinated, even obsessed, with the space program and began to envision a role for himself in this field - a role outside of Coalwood. In Sonny's search for knowledge, he read a LIFE magazine in which rocket mechanics were shown and he was suddenly inspired. Rocket building became the road to his dream, but it had no place in Coalwood. Sonny made new and different choices when he decided to launch rockets, choices leading toward an identity independent of Coalwood. His move toward an independent identity created controversy and its resolution formed his identity. The mine defined the town of Coalwood. It gave life to the town but it could also take life away. Sonny spoke of the townspeople living "according to the rhythms set by the shifts" of the mineworkers. The mine was the only economic lifeline for the townspeople. Yet this same mine could also destroy a person through disease, accidental injury or death. This all-controlling setting was irrelevant to Sonny's decision to build rockets. That attitude alone offended people because his activities were not involved with the mine. When a stray rocket hit a mine building, the Big Creek Missile Agency (BCMA) rocket club was perceived to have "rocket-attacked the coal company." Hickam used the setting of the mine to portray people's perception that since Sonny wasn't in step with the mine; he must have been against it. He wasn't like them. In fact, Sonny wasn't even thinking about the mine. Every character in October Sky is depicted as being supportive of or opposed to Sonny's rocket building. Sonny struggled with the realization that his choice to build rockets divided people. Mr. Bykovski, a machinist-welder at the mine, taught Sonny basic machinist skills and built part of the rockets for him. Bykovski's decision to help the BCMA resulted in a demotion back into the mine and, indirectly, his death in a mine collapse. This horrified Sonny and guilt overwhelmed him. The town doctor tried to tell Sonny that Mr. Bykovski helped him because "he wanted the best for you...you and all the children of Coalwood belong to all the people." Up until this point, Sonny had focused only on his own schemes and dreams but then he began to understand his connection to Coalwood - and the cost of his conflict with its culture. In a similar situation, Sonny experienced both support and obstruction at school. A new teacher, Miss Riley, valued science and Sonny's rocket building. She recognized his ability when she told him "All I've done is give you a book. You have the courage to learn what's inside it." In contrast, the principal, Mr. Turner, referred to the BCMA as a pipe bomb club. In his opinion, the "rocket boys" were of less importance than the "football boys" - until Sonny's club won the county science fair. Sonny's persistence in the face of opposition formed a critical part of his identity. Finally, within his own home, there was tremendous conflict between his parents over Sonny. His mother dreamed of a better life for him outside of Coalwood. She realized his potential to reach his goals. Sonny's father - Dad - felt that Sonny's choices disrespected everything about Coalwood, including Dad, himself. Their struggle throughout the book was over Dad's need for Sonny to respect his father's place in the mine, and Sonny's need for his father to respect his different choices. This interpersonal conflict forced Sonny to critically examine himself and his goals. Sonny's pursuit of launching a successful rocket was marked by a search for understanding, a need to analyze failures, and a drive to accomplish. This goal took him out of Coalwood to the county and national science fairs where he won first place. The building of a rocket was a symbol of his own quest for identity.The conflicts within him were resolved with the same methods as used to build a rocket. When he
mastered his own identity, he was free to leave Coalwood. Sonny no longer envied the miners; he could say, "I also knew now who I was and what I was going to do." Sonny's identity was shaped by the choices he made and the values he held. They defined him and freed him from Coalwood. They also made "Coalwood, its people, and the mountains" a part of him that would always remain. His identity was entwined with his past. This theme throughout Hickam's novel captures the truth and asks the reader to reflect on its significance in her own life. There will be future choices that may be made more easily because of an acceptance of one's past. A person cannot live in the past, but one needs a past to live with.
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Summary: What Forces Shape Identity?
Review: Two main forces shape identity: the environment in which a person lives and the outstanding events which a person experiences. Within environment, there are "sub-forces." These include the people and places a person interacts with, especially in his youth, while his identity is still being shaped. Homer Hickam, Junior's autobiography, October Sky, exemplifies how these two forces shaped his identity during his childhood. A major force shaping Sonny's identity is the time in which he lives, a part of his environment. This is indicated when the specific time of the book's occurrence, 1957, is given. If Sonny had been born far before this time, Sputnik and the start of the space race would never have inspired Sonny. If he had been born after 1957, the space race would have been well underway and Sonny would not have been able to be a part of it. This time period notably influences Sonny's identity. Additionally, the launch of Sputnik is a future-altering event for Sonny. Sonny has the Russians to thank for originally sparking his interest in rocketry because the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik triggers the launch of a much more rigorous curriculum at Big Creek High School. Without this new curriculum, Sonny would not have been able to take his knowledge of rockets to such heights. However, Sonny does not travel this path alone. Roy Lee, Sherman, O'Dell, Toy, and the rest of the gang are vital forces to the conception of Sonny's hobby. They instill a thirst for leadership in Sonny that would not be there if he had not known them. This is how the Big Creek Missile Association (BCMA) is born. These boys and Sonny make up the BCMA, a crucial environment in Sonny's life. Sonny has many obstacles to overcome on his way to forming the BCMA and putting it into action. He is used to this, though, because of his environment. His parents clash frequently, often using Sonny as the basis for their argument. Sonny has his own troubles with his perfect, popular, football star brother. Jim is everything Sonny is not, and Jim blames Sonny for the tension that exists in their household environment. Yet even this is not the full extent of the conflicts that Sonny endures. His father, the mine superintendent, is without a college degree. This fact makes Sonny, smaller and scrawnier than Jim, the target of brawls between fathers being passed down to sons. These conflicts from Sonny's past and present help him overcome the negative attitude toward the BCMA. This is evidence that Sonny's background and environment is essential to the shaping of his identity. Sonny leads the BCMA members to rebel against the long laid traditions of their town and on the way, learns to blaze his own trail and to settle things on his terms. Once formed, the BCMA has to obtain to make rockets and their fuel. Once again, Sonny hits a roadblock. Here he develops another part of his identity. He furtively obtains the help of the machinist Bykovski, behind his father's back, and uses his newfound resourcefulness to find Quentin, a source of information on rocket fuel composition. It is also fuel that enables Sonny to learn to be frugal. He uses some of his newspaper route money to buy the fuel ingredients, and then he and the inventive gang come up with various schemes to earn money such as "mining" scrap cast iron and ginseng. The search for a rocket fuel also helps Sonny to become persistent and vigilant. In Miss Riley's class, Sonny and Quentin find new forms of rocket fuel and experiment with different mixtures, never giving up even when it (literally) blows up in their faces. However, Sonny's resourcefulness does not end there. He tests rocket thrusting power with a bathroom scale, and creates an electric ignition system with toaster heating elements! This series of events requires much ingenuity and perseverance, therefore shaping another part of Sonny's identity. Sonny learns to be a self-starter, too. He finds out that knowing trigonometry will aid his estimates on rocket flight heights, so he promptly learns it on his own. He also fights for a calculus class at the high school for the same reason. He gets the class, but then is not able to take it. Refusing interference but also help from his father, he learns calculus on his own, too. Sonny is a self-starter because of these indispensable events that changed his life. When Mr. Bykovski dies in a loader accident, Sonny blames himself. Here Sonny learns that he is human and therefore must feel pain. After sinking into a slight depression, Sonny also learns that no words can soothe all the hurt feelings and there comes a time when one must simply pick up and move on. This event influences Sonny very deeply. Lastly, Sonny learns to cope with what life gives him when Miss Riley becomes very sick and dies. The two were very close and the event affects Sonny greatly. Hickam repeatedly conveys how environment and the outstanding events in his own life shape the learning process of his identity. Because this is an autobiography, the author knows the main character better than anyone else does. Hickam uses vivid characterization, creating a captivating plot. This plot makes the reader empathize with Sonny, both in his triumphs and in failures. The descriptions of the setting are also excellent, as the author experienced Coalwood in that time and can recall it firsthand. Besides simply setting and characterization, the author includes a perfect balance of humor and plot. This book should be recommended to anyone and everyone, and is definitely a worthwhile read!
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Summary: What Forces Shaped Sonny Hickam's Identity
Review: The memoir, "October Sky", written by Homer Hickam, is an inspiring true story about a teenage boy by the name of Homer (Sonny) Hickam. This tale brings the reader step-by-step through the life and mind of Sonny. You experience the superior and joyous times of his adolescence age, yet you also discover that growing up wasn't all that easy for Sonny. He had quite a few hardships to deal with along the way. Sonny's one dream was to pursue his love and interest of rocketry, into a career. Although his community, family, and friends surrounding him occasionally discouraged him, he held strong and only let his obstacles strengthen him and shape his identity into a mature young man!
Sonny's father, Homer Hickam, played a huge role in Sonny's life. He had a tremendous influence on Sonny, which contributed to Sonny's actions and emotions. Homer had always wanted Sonny to follow his footsteps and work in the Coalwood mine, even though Sonny would continuously express to his father that his real dream and goal in life was to leave Coalwood one day and pursue rocketry. Homer may not have always realized it, but over the course of Sonny's life, he had steered him away from choosing the mine as his life. Homer was extremely tough on Sonny at times but he did teach him some important life-long lessons, one being, staying focused and committed on one thing. This kept Sonny determined to keep working on building rockets even after a failure.
An additional significant person in Sonny's life was Elsie Hickam. Elsie was Sonny's mother, whom possessed and cherished her sons' love and trust. Elsie was there backing up Sonny's decisions 100%! She shaped Sonny's character and identity by providing him with a reason to believe in himself. Without this extra boost of self-esteem and support, Sonny probably wouldn't have done as well with his work as he did.
Sonny's group of his closest friends, known by Coalwood and other counties as the "Rocket Boys", consisted of Sherman, O'Dell, Roy Lee, and Quentin. These boys gave Sonny the strength to grow and put immense effort into their rocketry. These friends' of Sonny's not only contributed to the constructing of the rockets physically, but they also gave the project some spunk, fun, and a reason to keep on building! This shaped Sonny's identity because it showed that some things could be a job, but also entertaining at the same time.
Sonny's brother Jim had a huge effect on Sonny's identity. With Jim being the big, popular, football star whom everybody adored, Sonny felt like he needed to do something to prove his extraordinary talents, and abilities. Having this in mind, Sonny had something specific to strive for. It may not seem it but...Jim truly did help shape Sonny into who he was, and who he became!
A constant idol to Sonny was Wernher von Braun. Von Braun worked at NASA as an engineer. Von Braun was what set off Sonny's dream as being a real scientist. Sonny had a vision of von Braun as an older version of himself, brilliant and always coming up with new ideas to test. After seeing von Braun's hard work and intelligence being put to use sending spacecraft into outer space, Sonny automatically knew that that's what he was meant to do. Von Braun shaped Sonny's identity by giving him hope that it was possible to create a structure so complicated and make it function.
A few events occurred in Sonny's life that changed him as a person. The death of Mr.Bykovski truly made Sonny upset. Sonny blamed himself for everything until he realized that Mr.Bykovski would've wanted Sonny to carry on with his life and succeed with his rockets. Keeping this in mind, Sonny worked tremendously hard with the other Rocket Boys to make it into the science fair. After putting forth a great amount of effort, Sonny made it to the finals. This event also shaped Sonny's identity because it helped him believe more. The finals also gave Sonny a chance to be the leader of a wonderful experience. Extending to the finals gave Sonny much more confidence in himself and his work, which he would maintain with him as he developed into a man.
Arguments in the Hickam household were often. In order for Sonny to stick through them, he simply kept his head up and was always respectful. As a result of these fights, Sonny grew to be more independent as a person. It also taught him to have patience with others.
The memoir, "October Sky", is an influential tale basically giving a timeline of Sonny's teenage years, which continues through to the beginning of his manhood. It shows his struggles, obstacles, and other things gone wrong that he has to overcome. Miraculously, Sonny held through it all and with the satisfaction of being a true rocket builder. Sonny also had the past people and events that had helped shape his identity in various ways to remember all his life.
This was a magnificent read. The pace quickens, as the life of Sonny gets more in depth with his additional dreams and challenges. "October Sky" would definitely be worthwhile to read because it portrays the life of a boy whom fulfilled his goal in life, which proves that with inspirers, anticipations, and commitments you can achieve anything imaginable.
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Summary: The forces that shape identity(Please ignore my other essay)
Review: It is said by some that a person shapes their own identity. However it is hard to believe that a person could simply shape his or her own identity without any help whatsoever. With support from the book October Sky, one can believe that the other forces that shape identity are the people you love, the individuals you admire, and the losses you suffer.
Homer loved people who shaped his identity. One of them was Elsie Hickam, Homer's mother. Mrs. Hickam gave Homer a nickname that only he was called ("Sonny"). She also encouraged Homer to leave Coalwood and make something more of himself. She told him " You need to do everything you can to get out of here, starting right now."(Pg 51). Another thing Mrs. Hickam did was that she explained to Homer that he was not his father. When anyone would say, "He's just like Homer (Homer's 's father who had the same name)", She would tell Homer "no you're not." (Pg 15).
Another person whom Homer loved that shaped his identity was Homer Hickam, Homer's father. Mr. Hickam took Homer down to the mine showed him how everything worked and shared with him "I love the mine, I love everything about it." (Pg 201). Even though Homer's father taking interest in Homer was what he always wanted, deep down Homer knew, "I want to go work for Dr. von Braun Dad" (Pg 203) This was an inner conflict for Homer because he wanted to please his father and himself. The conflict was only solved when Homer's father took and interest in Homer's rocket building. When the conflict was solved Homer was more apt than ever to build rockets.
Homer admired people who helped shape his identity and Jake Mosby was one of those he admired. Jake, like Mrs. Hickam, encouraged Homer to build rockets. He gave him a trigonometry book and said to him, "Learn this stuff and you can calculate how high your rockets fly." (Pg 161) Jake invited Homer up to his rooftop to gaze at stars through his telescope. It was there that Homer had a revelation "I had a clear visions of my future in space, but the life I led in Coalwood sometimes seemed a blur" (Pg 162) Another person whom Homer admired was Mr. Dubonnet. He helped Homer realize where he came from. Mr. Dubonnet explained to Homer "I guess these old mountains, the mines, the people get in your blood. When I got back from over seas I couldn't wait to get home to McDowell County. It's where I belong"," Anybody raised here belongs here. You can't belong anywhere else."(Pgs 80 & 81) He knew Homer belonged in Coalwood. In spite of that, during their conversations he also encouraged Homer to leave Coalwood "You're to smart too smart to stay here." (Pg 80) Just like Mrs. Hickam, he knew Coalwood was dying and that Homer could still belong there but he needed to find a life elsewhere.
A third person Homer admired who helped shape his identity was Miss Riley his eleventh grade chemistry teacher. When she showed his class what a mixture of potassium chlorate and sugar could do with rapid oxidation, it inspired the BCMA (Homer's rocket club) to use the mixture as rocket fuel. Miss Riley gave Homer a Rocket Book that contained things like "Flow Through Nozzles" and " Momentum Theory Applied to Propulsion". "
Dr. Wernher von Braun, who Homer admired more than anyone else, helped Homer find his identity. After he heard about Homer's work on rockets from his mother, he sent Homer an encouraging letter. Dr. von Braun was judging rockets at the national science fair. When he looked at Homer's rocket design "He said it was a marvelous design and wished he could meet the boy who built it."(Pg 404) It was his words that kept Homer motivated to finally become a NASA engineer at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama in 1981. (This is shown in the epilogue.)
Homer suffered losses that helped shape his identity. Mr. Bykovski died in a tragic mining accident. Even though he wasn't supposed to Homer went down to the mine to see the damage. When he was caught by his mother he said" I was worried about dad."(Pg 287) However she snapped, "No you weren't. You don't worry about anybody but yourself. That's the way you've always been- selfish!"(Pg 287) Then she slapped him across the face and left him sitting there. Then as he saw the ambulance carrying Mr. Bykovski's body away he thought "Please, God have mercy, make it stop hurting. My prayer caught in my throat. Mr. Bykovski's body was in that ambulance, and my prayer had been for myself. Mom was right. I had always been selfish." (p. 288) This recognition was part of his identity. It meant he knew what he had been and that he could change.
Another loss Homer Suffered that shaped his identity was the death of his favorite cat Daisy Mae. Daisy Mae was run over by one of the Coalwood delinquents who didn't like Homer's father or Homer's passion for rockets. As Homer sat by her grave a few nights after her death and the sun began to set he suddenly proclaimed, " I also knew now whom I was and what I was going to do." (Pg 383) Homer had finally connected the dots after all that had happened. This confirmed what the reader had already started to believe. The result of death can be recognition of who you already were and what you can be.
One can conclude, upon reading October Sky, that the people you love, the individuals you admire, the losses you suffer and you shape your identity. This book is a worthwhile read because it shows all of the successes and failures that a teenager can go through. This book is a timeless classic that shows all individuals that they can reach their dreams.
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Summary: What Forces Shape A Person's Identity?
Review: "You did really good, Dad... Nobody ever launched a better rocket than you."(pg. 421) After reading the book October Sky, by Homer Hickam, Jr. one begins to think, and develop views about what forces shape a person's identity. The reader might think about how the community one grows up in affects personality. One also thinks about how family affects someone's identity, as well as the friends that they hang out with.
First, one could draw a connection between community, and identity, when thinking about what forces shape a person. In the book October Sky, Homer Hickam Jr., or Sonny Hickam grows up in the small town of Coalwood, West Virginia. In Coalwood, the economic force is coal mining. Therefore throughout Sonny's life he has seen many miners come and go. He sees his small town begin to fall apart at the seams. What he also sees is a town that is willing to do anything for its residents, especially those locally known as the "Rocket Boys". The "Rocket Boy's" were a group that Sonny formed with some of his closet friends. In this rocket club they learn how rockets work, why they work, and how to build them. Finally, they have enough knowledge to enter the County Science Fair. The win the County Science Fair, then the State Science Fair, which propels them to the National Science Fair. All the while the residents of Coalwood have been on strike against the mine. Once Sonny, arrives in Indianapolis, Indiana, where the National Science Fair is being held he sets up his exhibit, then goes out to tour the town. The next day, Sonny goes to check on his exhibit had finds that some of his rocket equipment has been stolen. He then calls home to his mother and explains what happened. Sonny's mother tells him that the company and the strike have gotten worse than ever, and she will see if she can get them to stop fighting long enough to rebuild him the rocket equipment that he needs. In the end Sonny ends up getting the pieces he needs, and wins the National Science Fair. After winning the National Science Fair, Sonny realizes that a small town can pull together in order to help one of its residents. That just goes to show the reader that the community in which one grows up in can affect a person's identity, as it did in Sonny Hickam's case. If Coalwood hadn't of pulled together Sonny may not have won the Science Fair, gone to college, or even have worked for NASA. His entire identity would have been changed if it hadn't been for the community in which he grew up putting their differences aside and coming together in order to help him.
Also, after reading October Sky, one might think about how a person's family affects their identity. In Sonny Hickam's case he had a type of dysfunctional family. His father was a workaholic, his brother was a star athlete, his mom was your typical unhappy housewife, and he was a reading junkie, he loved to read. Sonny's father's name was Homer. Homer was the type of guy that worked around the clock, and that had played football in high school. Homer thought that all boys should play football, or work in the mine. Well, Sonny didn't want participate in either one. Basically, it appeared that Homer loved Sonny's brother Jim, more than he did Sonny. Jim was a football star that could have any girl we wanted, and knew it. He was constantly making fun of Sonny. Sonny's mom Elsie was your typical disgruntled housewife. She hated that Homer spent more time at work than he did with his family, and that whenever he did sped time with his family he was always talking about Jim, never taking an interest in Sonny. Homer looked at Sonny, as if he were a failure, because he wasn't into sports and working in the mine. So Sonny had to work endlessly to get his fathers approval. Finally, after Jim leaves his father opens up more to Sonny and his rocket building. Homer sees that Sonny's succeeding. Clearly, Sonny's personality was deeply affected by his family. If it hadn't of been for them he wouldn't have grown up to be the man he is today. Sonny stuck to what he loved and won not only the National Science Fair, but also the approval of his father.
Finally after considering the community, and family that a person grows up with, it is clear to see that the only other force to think about that could shape a person's identity could be the friends that they grow up with. In the book October Sky, Sonny Hickam grows up with a core group of friends. They played together as little kids, and then as teenagers they formed a rocket club. They develop a bond that is unbreakable. When one has a problem, they all have a problem. They know that if they ever need something then they have somewhere to go. Sonny's friends help shape his identity by showing him love, and acceptance. They show him what true friends are really like. Without his friends Sonny may never have done what he has done with his life. Friends definitely shape a person's identity.
In conclusion, it is obvious that there are three main forces that shape a person's identity, friends, family, and community. After reading the book October Sky, one wants to pick it up and read it again. It truly is a story of triumph. It's inspirational. What you do with your life, is up do you, but the people you hang out with, the community you grow up in, and the family that you are raised in help shape your identity, and help make you the person that you are to later become. It's one of the best books ever written. One would have no choice but to give it two thumbs up.
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Summary: Forces that Shape Homer "Sonny" Hickam's Identity
Review: Throughout a person's lifetime, their identity can change because of certain forces such as people, events, and surroundings. A person's identity expresses who they really are. In the book October Sky by Homer Hickam, the main character "Sonny" is just beginning to develop his identity. The main character, Sonny, can be identified as a passive, intelligent, loving, and dedicated kid. These characteristics can also be identified in Sonny's mother (Elsie) and father (Homer). Sonny's mother, an attractive, caring, and loving mother, is the person in Sonny's life who supports what he does. She always encourages him to work hard at what he chooses to do. Sonny's father, a very dedicated, disciplined and hardworking man, on the other hand doesn't always accept Sonny the way he does his other son Jim. Homer supports Jim all he can by being extremely active in his athletic career. With Sonny though, he vaguely talks to him and is almost nonexistent in Sonny's rocketing experience. Knowing that his father doesn't support him does affect Sonny from time to time. Whether it's with Sonny's rockets or him being in the marching band, Homer just isn't an active supporter in Sonny's life. Homer seems to make Sonny earn his respect before he begins to show an interest in his life. This can be shown when Homer finally shows up to Sonny's final launch to watch his son succeed in something he loves. To thank Homer for what he's done (supplies, Cape Coalwood), Sonny and his friends (Rocket Boys) invite Mr. Hickam to send off their final rocket. Homer agrees to this invitation showing that he now accepts his son. This acceptance forces Sonny's identity to change shape. Another person who helps shape Sonny's identity is Miss Riley. She is Sonny's 11th grade science teacher. Throughout Sonny's time with her, Sonny gets constant encouragement from her all the time. Whether it's applying for the Science Fair or support in their rocket building, Miss Riley always keeps a positive attitude. She does whatever she can to help the Rocket boys out. One of the things she does to help the boys out is buy them a rocket-building book. This book shows the Rocket boys what they need to do to make their rockets go farther and fly better. Miss Riley is the kind of person who Sonny looks up to when it comes to shaping his identity.
In Coalwood (Sonny's hometown) there are two kinds of people; people who are miners and people who aren't miners. Those who are miners usually spend their entire lives digging up coal and never leave Coalwood even once they've retired. The other group of people is everyone who doesn't work in the coalmines. These people aren't as dedicated to staying in Coalwood their entire life, but look forward to the day when they can actually leave. In the book, Sonny's father is a coalminer and plans on living in Coalwood until he feels like he isn't needed anymore. Sonny's mother on the other hand is one of the people who can't wait for the day until they can finally leave. Sonny though questions sometimes whether he can actually leave Coalwood. He sometimes feels that this town is a part of his life that he can never leave. Other times though he feels that if he stays there, he will turn into his father. This is not what he wants to do. These two contrasting feelings bring out the mother and father inside of him. In the end though Sonny decides that he has a better future outside of Coalwood and does what his mother has always told him to do, go to college and leave Coalwood forever. This choice allows Sonny to see what life is like out of Coalwood allowing his identity to develop in a different way. Another important event in Sonny's life that assists in shaping his identity is the National Science Fair. After Sonny and his friends win the County and State Science Fairs, they are sent to Indianapolis for the National Science fair. Even though Sonny is the only one attending, he feels like that if they win it's a group win. When Sonny finally does get to the fair, he sets up his presentation and then shows it off to the onlookers. Once this is done, Sonny leaves for his hotel room without locking up his presentation. When he comes back the next day, he sees that all of his rockets have been stolen. In a panic Sonny calls his mother and begs her to do something about the fact that he has lost his rockets. Elsie does what she can and is able to send Sonny the supplies that he needs. Once Sonny gets these parts, he learns an important lesson from his friend Tex. This lesson is that not everywhere in the world is as safe and friendly as Coalwood. To survive in a big city, Sonny needs to assume the worst and lock up any important possessions. This lesson makes Sonny extremely careful and more protective with his possessions than he was in the past. Changing his identity from what it was before. Sonny's identity can now be seen in a different way from the forces of his parents, Miss Riley, the science fair, and his surroundings. These forces have made Sonny a more complete person. The book October Sky is a good read for any teenager throughout the world because it was written in a teenager's point of view. Most books aren't as realistic when it comes to the things that actually happen in a teenager's life. This book wouldn't try to clean up things that Sonny did, it just told it like it was. Throughout the book you get to read about Sonny and how his identity begins to change, as he gets. An identity change is always intriguing to a reader making this an excellent book to read.
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