October Sky
The enlightening and inspirational true story of Homer Hickam in October Sky directed by Joe Johnston reminds us all to aim for our goals and never give up, even while battling difficulty. However, Homer was struggling for a great deal in his pursuit of rocketry, he was even struggling for his life. Born in a coal mining town, son of a foreman, Homer seemed destined to work the mine when he grew up. But in October Sky, Homer has to overcome what the mine represents: isolation and darkness. Mining coal isolates many of the characters from each other throughout the storyline. The main antagonist, Homer’s father, John, frequently seems distant from his own family because of emergencies and accidents inside the mine that demand his utmost attention. Even Homer’s mother, Elsie, threatens to leave him if he doesn’t become more attentive to their son’s interest in rocketry. Homer decides to drop out of high school and become a miner to provide for his family after John is injured in a mine accident and the family won’t have enough money to continue their current
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When Miss Riley was accused of giving false hopes she held her ground and continued to support the boys whether it earned the disapproval of others. Great teachers can present a world of opportunity to those who may not have any. Great teachers can shine their light and allow their ability to help others even in the darkness of a small, failing mining town. Miss Riley used her talents to brighten the Rocket Boy’s horizons in a community little expectations were placed on them and even less opportunities were available. The movie October Sky gives a very positive depiction of a teacher as Miss Riley says, “How about I believe in the unlucky ones? If I don’t I’d probably go crazy.” She is a friend, a role model, a source of knowledge, and, most importantly, a light in a town of
The film “October Sky” is a motion picture consisting of Homer Hickam’s journey. His journey is composed of various setbacks and advancements. A perfect analogy of his journey can be put into this simple saying: two steps forward one step back. This analogy collaborates perfectly with Homer’s journey due to all of the challenges he faced throughout his journey. Homer’s journey to success contains various challenges and advancements which all playan important role in the outcome.
Arranged marriage is found in various cultures and countries around the world, including Afghanistan and other parts of the Middle East; having an arranged marriage is thought of as an Afghani tradition and has been a part of life for many families. The practice of arranged marriage has advantages and disadvantages; it can create more family power and give more financial security. Sadly being forced into a marriage can disrupt the independence of the engaged, most women stop their education when they become engaged resulting in many women being illiterate. This makes it impossible for them to be successful without depending on their husbands. Arranged marriage is found in many cultures throughout the modern world, though in a lot of cases it results in a happy family it can also be very limiting on women and often girls are married before they can give consent.
Homer Hickam was a teenage boy from a mining town in West Virginia called Coalwood. He inspired to build rockets when he seen the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, streak across the stars. With his friends and the local nerd, Homer sets out to do just that but with many errors and trials. Along with the town, Homer's father thought they were wasting their time with their rockets. He wanted Homer to be a coal miner just like everyone else but Homer knew he didn't belong there. As time went on, some people from town became interested in seeing the homemade missiles launch into the sky. The boys became popular and were known as the "Rocketboys" around town.
For most of Homer “Sonny” Hickam’s life, he worried about what his dad thought about him and didn’t want to disappoint him. His father would have like him to be a mining engineer in the Coalwood mine, but Sonny had his own dreams. Even though his father had high expectations of him, he let his dreams take hold of his life and transform him for the better. In the book, October Sky, the main theme that doing something people are passionate about can transform them, is prevalent throughout the entire book, especially with the change that Sonny goes through building his rockets. In the real world, hard work and persistence will bear results in more than just someone's work, but also in their character.
Miss Brodie fails to be a good teacher because she teaches on her own accord, gives her students wrong impressions, and displays unprofessional behavior towards her staff and pupils.
When someone reads the memoir, October Sky, by Homer Hickam, they might get a quality idea of Homer Hickam's life. If someone were to watch the film, October Sky, by Lewis Colick, they might get a different idea of the life of Homer Hickam. The story of October Sky follows the life of a boy named Homer Hickam, who goes by Sonny. Sonny lives in a small mining town in the 50’s. Sonny and his friends decide to build a rocket, thanks to the inspiration of “Sputnik” a rocket released by the USA.
Mr. Turner is the principle of the Rocket Boys school Big Creek High School. Mr. Turner was a constant opposition to the Rocket Boys. During school one day, Mr. Turner called the Rocket Boys out of class to his office. When the boys arrived there were policemen. Mr. Turner claims that one of their rockets burnt down a forest, and the officers begin to cuff them when Miss Riley walks in and argues against the claim.
Homer Hickam thoroughly details much of his childhood and early to late adolescents in his novel “We Are Not Afraid.” Outlined in 4 parts where Hickam details the positive aspects of surviving and making a living working the coal mines. We Are Not Afraid primarily follows working-class Caucasian men, outlining both the positive and negative aspects during this time. As a whole, the novel’s purpose is to turn a disheartening time in history into a time full of pride and happiness. Similar to the memoir Warriors Don’t cry, by Melba Beals, a strong religious atmosphere is present. Coal Miners realize their job is exceptionally dangers, and anticipate the end of their lives. In today's society death is not as prevalent, but it is essential to take death into consideration.
Homer Hickam was very interested in rocket engineering and was determine to go to college. No one would support him for building a rocket and going to college except his mother and his teacher, Ms. Riley. He teamed up with three other of his classmates who were also interested in rocket engineering. At first, they attempted to launch their rocket on front of Homer’s yard. The
Reaching for your dreams is like looking at the Sunday newspaper comics, if you look from a far, you see the big picture, but if you look close, all you see are a bunch of dots put together. October Sky is a film based on Homer Hickam’s determination to win a national science fair. He is constantly ostracized by his community and family and does not have much money to support him either. Homer clearly doesn’t have a good chance at even getting to the science fair, let alone winning it. Many obstacles are in his way and he can’t even see his goal with all of them in the way. Somehow, he perceivers and finds a way to reach his goal. His friends did not believe in him, but later started to really believe and they all
In the memoir Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam, the author's home town of Coalwood, a tiny town in West Virginia, develops as both the setting for the novel and as a character in itself. Within the memoir, Coalwood is depicted as a typical, generic coal company town during the beginning of the space race. Almost, if not all of the families living in the town depended on coal mining or high school athletics for income and entertainment respectively.This caused both mining and football to become sources of pride for the people of the town. Hickam explains, ‘Only coal mining was more important in Coalwood than high-school football. Sputnik, and anything else, was going to always come in a distant third’ (Hickam). Coalwood offers a very limited selection of jobs for its citizens. According to Hickam, ‘Almost all the grown up Coalwood boys I knew had either joined the military services or gone to work in the mine’ (Hickam 15). As Sonny grows up, he begins to realize that he desires to have a life and profession in
The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.
In the bestselling memoir Rocket Boys by Homer (Sonny) Hickam, the setting, Coalwood, Virginia, is an important role in Sonny’s story. Coalwood is a small mining town that had a culture and common beliefs of its own because all of the residents had family members that worked for Olga Coal Company, which provided their houses and furniture. Everybody in Coalwood expected that as kids graduate from high school, they go to work in the mine. When Sonny started building rockets, it was a nuisance to the town because everybody (except his mother) believed he would only ever grow up to work in the mine, and “It didn’t take long before every missing thing in town was blamed on ‘those rocket boys’” (Hickam 146). Coalwood and its people were not supportive
Daniel Halpern is a brilliant minded poet that creates relatable and complex poems that involve nature, relationships, and the human mind. Through his poems that can be dated back around 40 years to the early 70s. Halpern can turn complicated concepts using a minimal amount of words into a simple poem. By using language in the poem that can bring images of the poem to life and give a little insight to how the human mind understands the world.
Starry Night by the renowned artist Vincent van Gogh has a significant meaning. Aside from the beautiful sea blue colors mixed with the sunny bright yellows, the graceful and thick brush strokes and meanings behind the colors tells a story of hope and passion.