Compare and Contrast- The Fighting Ground

Compare and Contrast- The Fighting Ground

Essay

Nick Woerishofer

12/16/11

Author’s Note: Hello again, this is a compare and contrast essay on The Fighting Ground, by Avi, I am comparing this book to the real world.

            Have you ever read the book The Fighting Ground by Avi? Well if you haven’t it’s a very good book. I think you should read it. There are many ways this book could be compared to the real world, such as the battle in the book. The battle that happened in the book between the Hessians and the Americans is real, the battle really did happen. But with similarities comes differences and there are lot of those too. Like the characters in the book are fake. Jonathon and his family are all fake and made up. So as you can clearly see that there are lots of ways the book can be compared to real life.

            The battle between the Americans and the Hessians is real there really was an army called the Hessians. They were like the German Black Ops. They were from Germany and were only sent out at special times. Some people think that the Revolutionary War was only between the Americans and British but the Hessians were part of the war too. Another fact that is in the book is that the way they lined up in the book was real too. In the book they said they lined in rows and the first row would fire and then the second row would fire while the first reloaded. I searched that and found it is the actual way they fired in the war.

            Along with similarities there are many differences also. Such as in real life they would never allow a thirteen year old boy in the army. Even if he did sneak in they would eventually figure it out and would punish him. I search this war and found out that none of these solders in the book were real they were all made up and came from the author’s imagination. Jonathon and his family were not real they were all made up too.

            In addition to the differences I believe there are many more such as in real life the Hessians did not capture any solders where as in the book they said the Hessians captured many solders including Jonathon. That actually didn’t happen in real life. Adding to similarities to real life the scene was real there really was a battle that happened in Pennsylvania the solders really did come from Pennsylvania. So as you can clearly see there are many ways how this book could be compared to real life. But the book is clearly a fiction book. Some of the events are real but the characters are all not real.

            As stated above the book is clearly fiction. There are many reasons why one might think this book is nonfiction. But the book is fiction because all the character can from the author’s imagination, the really did exist but they did not capture anybody and they were not French like the book said. They were German black ops. While Pennsylvania is a real place in the book they traveled to a made up place. Both sides of the wart used the musket which is another reason why someone would think the book is nonfiction. But in the end the book is clearly fiction. 

Text Structure- The Fighting Ground

The Fighting Ground

Text Structure- Cause and Effect

Nick Woerishofer

12/12/11

Author’s Note: Dear Reader, I am writing a text structure piece on the cause and effect of the events in the book The Fighting Ground. Enjoy.

           

In the book The Fighting Ground, Jonathon, a 13 year old boy goes against his parents and goes to fight in the war. He is later captured and is held for questioning in a prison camp. He escapes but is lost and has no idea how to get home. There are many cause and effect situations in the book such as when he leaves home to go fight in the war. Another might be when he gets captured by the Hessians. Those are just two of the many cause and effect situations.

I think the biggest cause and effect situation in the book is when Jonathon leaves home. The cause is that Jonathon leaves home. The effect of this cause is that since Jonathon left home he can’t stay and take care of his dad who has an injured leg from when he was in the war. Also he can’t help his dad work in the field, or his mom around the house. His parents probably miss him and are worried. The consequences for him leaving home are that he could get hurt or even shot. It was dangerous for him to leave home. I wouldn’t have left, but he really wanted to leave and go to war.

Another cause and effect event happened when he got captured by the Hessians. That is also the climax of the story. At this point in the story he can’t go back it is the point of no return. When he gets captured there is no way out for him. The effects of this cause are that now that he is captured he may never get to see his family again, he might never get out or escape the prison, or that they will kill him. To me those are the biggest causes in the story and I think they also have the biggest effects on his life. He later does escape but when he does he is confused on where he is and how to get back home to his family. He is worried about his family the whole time. These are some of the cause and effect situations in my book, The Fighting Ground.

The Best Outsiders Piece Yet

Author’s Note: This is my final writing piece on the character Johnny and how he developed through entire book.

            Johnny is my favorite character in the whole book. He is a greaser but he is not a bad guy. He might have started out a bad guy but in the end he is a good person. He helped save kids from a burning church. There are lots of reasons of how Johnny changed in good and bad ways. One good way that he changed was when he saved those kids. But one bad way he changed was when he killed Bob but that could be a good thing, because Bob could have killed Ponyboy. What he did was not right but Bob would have killed Ponyboy and Johnny so he did the only logical thing. He went and stabbed him. Johnny also develops other times in the story. Like when Ponyboy tells him the Nothing Gold Can Stay poem. He did not develop physically but mentally. Even in the end of the book when dying in the hospital his last words are “Stay gold Ponyboy.” I think that is my favorite quote from the story. So as you can see there are many ways Johnny develops as a character.

            Like when he saved those children from the burning church. The world sees greasers as dirty, no good, rotten criminals. But when he went to save those children from the church, he was the opposite of what people thought of greasers like him. Greasers are supposed to be criminals, the bad guys, they are not supposed to save people. But Johnny and Ponyboy changed that stereotype. He turned from being a shy greaser to being this nice greaser. Who saved children from a burning church.

            In addition to developing in good ways he does develop in bad ways too. One bad way he developed was when he stabbed Bob. Ponyboy was being drown by David and Bob was responsible so he did what he thought would save his best friend. What he did was not right but if you put yourself in his shoes you might have done the same thing. I know wouldn’t kill someone but I would do something to help one of my friends. I think that was a tough situation. So he might not have been thinking but he knew that if he didn’t do something fast they would drown Ponyboy and probably kill him too so he killed Bob, he was the leader so they all ran.

            He also developed mentally too. I think toward the end of the book he realized what Nothing Gold Can Stay really meant. He realized that you can’t stay innocent forever. He realized that he wasn’t innocent anymore. He used to be but now he isn’t. He killed a man so now he isn’t. He realized his life changed when he stabbed Bob. He wasn’t this shy no - body of a guy anymore. He was now a man. He had a heart for others now that was when he really started developing as a character.

            In conclusion out of all the characters Johnny has developed more than any other, in my eyes. In his life he realized so many different things and he developed so much. He now knows that he can’t be innocent forever. I think he appreciated life more towards the end of the book. He knows what the real meaning of the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay. That is how Johnny really developed as a character.       

The Fighting Ground- Point of View

Point of View- Jonathon’s Dad

Nick Woerishofer

12/5/11

Author’s Note: Reader, This is a point of view piece on the book The Fighting Ground. It is from Jonathon’s dad’s point of view. It explains how he feels about Jonathon leaving and going to fight the Hessians in the war.

The historical fiction book I read is called The Fighting Ground by Avi. It is a young boy who wants to go into the war but his parents don’t want to. While working with his father, who has been shot while in the war himself and now has crutches, they hear the town bells. He tells Jonathon to go to town and see what they are all about. When Jonathon doesn’t come is when I started to write my piece because we don’t know how his dad and his family are feeling. So I assume that his dad knows he went to the war.

When the bells rang I was curious to what they meant this time. So I sent Jonathon to go see. I specifically told him to come right back home when he found out. But no he had to go against me and leave to the war. He is only thirteen he is too young to go to war. The only reason I taught him how to use the gun was for protective purposes. So he could protect the house while I went to fight. We had this conversation more times than I can count, that he could not go and fight till he was old enough. But he never listens, who know what kind of trouble he is in. I can’t leave for three reasons, number 1- I can’t walk without crutches. Number 2- I don’t know where he went, and number 3- I can’t leave his mom here alone. That’s another thing why would he leave when I’m injured. I need his help to work and help me walk. I can’t walk after I was shot in the leg when I was in the war; he has been helping me ever since I have been home. Why would he leave now he knows I need help? He needs to be here to help his mother around the house, and I need help in the fields I can’t do that much with crutches. I feel like our family has been abandoned. But on the other hand I’m kind of proud for going to fight to protect us. I hope he isn’t in any danger. I am a little upset though because he went against what I said. He better come home soon.

That’s what the book would be if it was from Jonathon’s dads point of view. But the author didn’t write it from his dad’s point of view it is from Jonathon’s.           

The Best Outsiders Piece Yet

Author’s Note: Reader, this is my final Outsiders piece it is a mix of the themes and a character development all about Johnny. Enjoy!

I finally finished The Outsiders. I think my favorite character is Johnny. I think he grew the most in the story because by the end of the book he didn’t have anything to lose by the end of the book. He may have been greaser but doesn’t mean he was a bad guy the last thing he did was save children from a burning church. I don’t know about you but that doesn’t sound like a bad guy to me. I think that action, saving children from a burning church, is the way Johnny defies stereotypes. Even though he is a greaser he did something selfless and that is not how the world sees the greasers. But not only does he defy stereotypes but he does lose something, his innocence. I think he lost his innocence when he stabbed Bob. He might have lost it even before that but I think that’s when it clearly shows. Johnny really doesn’t have a family when his mom came to see him he just said he didn’t want to even see her. I think the greasers are his family. All of these things are clearly shown in the book with plenty of support.

In addition Johnny really develops as a character. In the beginning of the book he really doesn’t have and self confidence or belief in himself as a person. I he really starts to develop after he stabbed Bob, he really starts to believe that he is important and that people like Dally really do like an they do appreciate him and he really starts to think that he can be anyone he wants to be. This might also show when Ponyboy told him the poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay”. He realized that he really wants to be gold.

Also Johnny defies stereotypes because he used to be afraid of the Socs. but after he killed Bob he wasn’t afraid anymore. I think he killed  Bo for a good reason. I am not saying that some people deserve to die but he was drowning Ponyboy and Johnny had to do what he had to do. He did the only logical thing he could do he knew that they could kill him and Ponyboy if he didn’t do something right away. I think what Johnny did was logical but not right he could have just hurt him but not kill him. That is just what people would look at a greaser.

I think Johnny lost his innocence when he killed Bob. That was when Johnny could no longer be looked at as an innocent person. He was looked as a killer. He was no longer a Johnny who didn’t matter he was a Johnny who was a real friend in my eyes. He did that to save Ponyboy and himself. I like the new Johnny better he isn’t afraid like the old Johnny. He was afraid to live. But now Johnny now what people think of him. And he isn’t afraid any more. I am glad he lost his innocence. But wish he didn’t die in the story.

In conclusion Johnny is one of the best characters in the whole book. He is my favorite character because he can react fast in tough situation, such as when David was drowning Ponyboy. Johnny reacted fast and did what needed to be done. Johnny did develop a lot in the story. But he died in the end. My favorite Johnny quote was his last words: “Stay gold Ponyboy, stay gold.” or when Johnny said “I killed him.” I think those two quotes really describe Johnny as a person because he used to be bad but now he is good and he cares. That is why Johnny is my favorite.

Bob's Point of Veiw

Author’s Note: Dear Reader, This is a point of view writing piece. It is on the scene where Johnny stabbed Bob. It is from Bob’s point of view.

            After we picked Cherry up from those nasty greasers she didn’t seem too happy. I asked her what was wrong. All she said was that she didn’t want to talk to me. Then she called me a drunken slob. I may have been a little drunk. Yeah me and my friends might have had a few beers but I felt fine. Better then fine actually I felt great. After we dropped Cherry off we went for a ride it might have been nine o’clock but I didn’t know for sure. We were driving around when we saw the two greasers that were with Cherry and Marcia. We circled around and went to the park. They looked as if they were going to run for it. This is typical for those dirty greasers. All they want to do is run. But instead they stood there. Like statues just looking as we got out of our blue Mustang. “ Hey, whatta ya know?” I said “ here’s the little greasers that picked up our girls. Hey greasers.” “ You’re otta your territory, you’d better watch it.” warned the one on the left. My buddy Randy swore at them. “ Nup, pal, yer the ones who’d better watch it. Next time you want a broad, pick up yer own kind- dirt.” The one on the right looked as if he was getting mad. “You know what a greaser is?” I asked “ white trash with long hair.” Man you should have seen how white the greaser on the right was, he looked like a ghost. Then he spoke, his voice shaking with rage, “You know that a Soc. is? White trash with Mustangs and madras.” Then he spit at us! I shook my head and smiled “You could use a bath greaser. And a good working over. And we’ve got all night to do it. Give the kid a bath, David.” I said. As David tried to grab him he ducked and ran, but David was too fast he grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. Then he shoved the greaser’s greasy head into the fountain. I was watching and laughing at the greaser struggling to get free of David’s grip. As I saw the kid finally stop squirming I felt a sudden surge of pain go though by body and the last thing I saw, as I was falling and I was sprawled out on the ground, was pool of blood slowly spreading around my body.

Loss of Innocence

Author's Note: Hello reader, This is a writing piece on how Ponyboy and his gang and the loss of innocence. Some of them are good but not all

 Currently I am reading The Outsiders. It is a great book. It is book that is narrated by the main character Ponyboy. He tells the story from his point of view. The book is about two gangs the Socs. and the Greasers. Ponyboy is a Greaser along with his friends and brothers.  The Socs. are the rich and clean good guys. The Greasers are poor, dirty, and the trouble makers. The world doesn’t see the Greasers as real people. It sees them as bad people, as the people who are always to blame. Like they are never innocent. At this point everyone in Ponyboy’s gang has lost their innocence. Johnny and Ponyboy lost their innocence when Johnny killed Bob. Then they ran away thinking they were going to be in real trouble. They thought they would go to the electric chair for stabbing Bob. Dally lost his innocence at a very young age. Since he grew up in New York he was exposed to gangs and violence at a really early age. He lost his innocence when he was 10 when he was in a gang and he always got in trouble. We don’t know much about Two Bit but he was always getting in trouble. Darry and the others they are the good greasers they don’t get in trouble very much. Darry could have been a Soc. but instead he chose to be a greaser to take care of his brothers and he will do anything to protect them. That doesn’t sound like a bad guy to me. Some of the greasers are good but people don’t see it.