https://padlet.com/anishbhadani22/jbd0h1xqb4mm This Padlet contains my literary responses to Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. en-us 2019-03-19 15:40:39 UTC 2019-03-28 01:04:07 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Rocket.png anishbhadani22 https://padlet.com/anishbhadani22/jbd0h1xqb4mm/wish/342938823 1. An example of someone I know who has done something with their lives that was much different than was expected of them is my father. My father’s parents wanted him to be a doctor, so he attended medical school and got his degree. However, he ended up moving to America from India, and instead of attending medical school again, decided to take a job as a cashier at a gas station. He worked his way up through the ranks, and now owns multiple gas stations of his own. Thus, he went from being a doctor to being an entrepreneur and businessman, something radically different from what his parents expected of him.
2. My parents want me to follow in their footsteps in being successful, but do not pressure me to travel down any sort of specific career path. This is mainly because of their parents putting unreasonable amounts of pressure on them, forcing them to attend medical school. I feel that parents should not put pressure on their children to pick certain career options. While I believe that parents do this in the best interests of their children, kids should be able to decide what they want to do with their lives. Thus, parents should push their children to do the best they can, but not limit their career options/opportunities.]]> 2019-03-19 15:59:02 UTC https://padlet.com/anishbhadani22/jbd0h1xqb4mm/wish/342938823 anishbhadani22 https://padlet.com/anishbhadani22/jbd0h1xqb4mm/wish/343872704 1. Rocket Boys begins with two epigraphs before chapter 1. The first of these epigraphs is by Dr. Werhner von Braun. This epigraph speaks about how education is the ultimate legacy that one can pass on, it is something that cannot be taken away. Thematically, this epigraph demonstrates the high value that Sunny places on education, and the large role that it will have in his life. While most of Sunny’s family were just coal miners, Sunny grew up to become a NASA engineer, a job that no one would have expected him to have. He also grew up in a time with increasing tensions between the United States and Russia, a time where innovation was necessary and constantly looked out for, and massive strides/changes were being made to the education system. Thus, this epigraph captures Sunny’s value on education, his background, and what was going on in the time, thus serving as a great opener to his novel.
        The second epigraph, by Miss Freida Joy Riley, speaks about the wonders within a book, and the courage it takes to learn what is inside it.  Thematically, this epigraph suggests the large role that literature would play in Sunny’s life, with his love for science fiction and tales of bravery/determination.  These novels inspired Sunny, and made him think beyond the small town of Coalwood. Additionally, the epigraph speaks about how one must use the materials they are given effectively/to the fullest. Only so much can be given to us, the rest we must learn on our own. We can be given books, but only we can take the effort and time to read them and learn their meaning/complexities. Sunny’s innovation and sense of adventure shined throughout the 1st and 2nd chapters, with him designing a model rocket after reading about it. Essentially, he went above and beyond the call of duty, far beyond what anyone expected of him, something this epigraph speaks to. Overall, this epigraph captures the importance of literature in Sunny’s life and how Sunny’s innovation and creativity allowed him to venture far beyond what anyone expected of him.]]> 2019-03-21 16:09:52 UTC https://padlet.com/anishbhadani22/jbd0h1xqb4mm/wish/343872704 anishbhadani22 https://padlet.com/anishbhadani22/jbd0h1xqb4mm/wish/345763471 1. In Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam Jr, Sonny’s feelings about family are incredibly diversified. In the novel, Sonny seems to feel like an outsider, never really acknowledged by his father and outcast by his brother. His father treats him like a disappointment, and his brother blames him for the tension between their parents. Thus, Sonny is quite distant from most of his family, and they do not play a large role in his life. This distance is demonstrated when Sonny thinks that “It had been a long time since she hugged me. We just didn’t do much of that kind of thing in our family...I would’ve put my head on her shoulder, but I sensed that would be going too far” (Hickam 43). As demonstrated by the previous excerpt from the novel, Sonny explains to the reader that his own mother’s touch felt strange and unfamiliar. In Sonny’s family, they simply did not express their love for each other very often, thus contributing to the distance between them. Sonny felt like an outsider because he was never told otherwise; he was never praised by his father or protected by his brother. However, through all of this, Sonny’s mother played a large role in his life. She pushed him to achieve great things beyond Coalwood and too accomplish all of his goals/aspirations. While Sonny’s father played a negligible role in his life, and thought that Sonny would just end up working in the mines, Sonny’s mother believed in him and pushed him. Sonny’s mother’s belief in him was demonstrated when Sonny, ready to give up on his dream of making a rocket, told his mother of how he nearly launched his rocket into the mines. When Sonny tells his mother that his dream is finished, she responds, “If you give up that easy...” (Hickam 96). As illustrated by the quotation, Sonny’s mother still believed in him, even after he nearly killed a miner with his rocket. Despite all of Sonny’s failures, his mother’s belief in him is unwavering, which captures her role in Sonny’s life. She is there to make him the best version of him he can be, to push him to achieve great things. Thus, Sonny’s mother plays a huge role in Sonny’s life, and Sonny’s relationship with his mother is drastically different than his relationship with his brother and father. In conclusion, Sonny’s feelings about his family are varied, with Sonny being distant from his father and brother, but close to his mother.]]> 2019-03-27 15:42:50 UTC https://padlet.com/anishbhadani22/jbd0h1xqb4mm/wish/345763471