The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer. There are many lessons that I have learnt.

One of them is the

importance of friendship.

In the story, Richard develops a friendship with Hannah. He first becomes close to her when he notices that
the cover of her book has been scrawled with the words 'Dirty Hun'. As a friend, he stands by her and
supports her. When she declines the role of Lady Liberty, he tries first to talk her out of them. After
listening to her explanation, he accepts it and decides to decline the role of Doughboy. When Hannah hears
this, she decides to accompany him to see Mrs. Hansen about it. She too offers him her support.

Friendship is also important because when you have a true friend, you do not need anyone else. When
Richard stands by Hannah, the students make malicious remarks. But it doesn't bother him. As a matter of
fact, he becomes closer to her. Even Hannah says that she does not feel alone with a friend like Richard.
With friendship, you don’t need other people. Friendship is also important because they are there when
you need emotional help. Hannah understands Richard better than the rest. She understands his love for
poetry and his friendship with Joyce Kilmer. When Mr. Kilmer is killed in battle, she tells Richard about it
and sympathises with him. Richard too understands Hannah's worry. He knows what she must be feeling as
her brother Otto is in the war in Europe fighting for Americans. He knows what she is going through.
Friendship helps us get through difficult times.
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The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer. In the novel, there are many types of people.
Richard is a kind-hearted person who understands what Hannah is going through. He sympathises with her
when the cover of her book is scrawled with the words 'Dirty Huns’. When no one signs the card, he tells
Mrs. Hansen that he can still take it to the Schermers. He wants them to feel better. The Schermers too are
kind hearted people who understand what Richard is going through when they know about his friendship
with Joyce Kilmer. They invite him to their home when they realise that no student wants to be his friend.

Richard is also a very principled person. He signs the card when no one else wants to. He does not allow his
classmates to pressure him into not signing the card. His father explains to him that the Schermers are not
one of them, unlike the family of Ike Lewis who have been in Turtle Lake for generations. His father feels
that Richard should not side with the Schermers. He tells his father that it is not right. Turtle Lake also
represents the world. There are also prejudiced people. Some of the members of the community feel that
the Schermers are outsiders and traitors. They fail to remember that their son, Otto, is serving in the army
too. The students believe the stories about Germans who cut people into two in Belgium. The students also
feel it is unpatriotic to sing German songs too. These prejudices have led the students to believe that
Hannah does not deserve to become Lady Liberty because she is a 'Hun’. Some parents also go to see the
principal to object to Mrs. Hansen's choice of Lady Liberty. When Richard shows some concern for Hannah,
they label him as a Hun lover and unpatriotic.
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The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer. The character who faces challenges is Richard.
Richard faces many challenges from the beginning. First, he is forced to go hunting. His father wants him to
shoot his first deer. But he believes that he has no right to kill the deer. He then lifts his barrel so that he
misses the deer and the animal escapes. When his father asks him why he did so, he told the father the
truth and his father says that he does not have to go hunting any more if he does not to do so.
His other challenge is to let other people know that he writes poetry. He does not want other people to find
out that he writes poetry. His family is not supportive of the idea. His brother even goes as far as to tell him not
to let other people know about it. His father later says that poetry has given him funny ideas. In his letter to
Joyce Kilmer, he tells him of his dilemma. Joyce Kilmer then advises him to be brave and let people know.

He also faces challenges in school. No one wants to be his friend because he is willing to be different and sign
the card for the Schermers. He also declines the role of Doughboy because of Hannah's decision. He does not
let it bother him because he has a friend in Hannah and later, the Schermers offer him comfort. They
understand him and his love for poetry. They also understand his friendship with Joyce Kilmer. He also turn to
poetry as an outlet. He writes poems. He also exchanges letters with Mr. Kilmer and this is his way of handling
his problems.

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The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer.

This novel deals with people who are afraid of what they do not understand. The people of Turtle Lake do not
understand foreigners, in this case, the Schermer family. They are quick to point out how different the
Schermers are from the other families in Turtle Lake. They are labelled as unpatriotic because they sing
German songs at Hannah's birthday. They eat German food. They do not accept what Mrs. Hansen said, that
people cannot turn off their culture like a tap. The students do not understand Richard's kindness. They do not
understand why Richard is kind to Hannah. They think the reason is because he is a Hun lover and they label
him as unpatriotic. Even his father's friend thinks Richard is unpatriotic. His father too does not understand him
at first and thinks that poetry is the reason why he has such strange ideas. The students too do not understand
poetry and think that people who write poetry are strange. At first, some of the students think that poetry is
for sissies. But only when Mrs. Hansen explains the life of the poets do they show some respect and interest.
They also do not understand Richard and his love for poetry. Only when the students find out that he is
exchanging letters with someone famous that there is a "profound silence" in the classroom.

When people allow their fear of the unknown to get the better of them, they sometimes turn to violence and
hate speech. Abner and Harry try to beat Richard up, Prairie Haus is vandalized with rude words and Ike Lewis
tells Pa that Richard is siding with the enemy. As Richard told Mrs. Hansen and Hannah, fear is what causes
people to behave the way they do. It was fear that caused the students to avoid showing sympathy to the
Schermers and it was public fear that caused the vandalism.

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The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer.

The issue which I wish to highlight is prejudice. There are a few kinds of prejudices that we can find in the
novel. The community of Turtle Lake is uneasy with foreigners, in this case, the Schermer family. This is
because they are of German ancestry and Europe and America are at war with Germany. As a result, the
people feel that the Schermers are not American enough even though they pay their taxes. They point out how
different the Schermers are from the other families in Turtle Lake. They eat German food and are labelled as
unpatriotic by Blanche because they sing German songs at Hannah's birthday. They do not realise that war
cannot make a person forget their heritage.

In Malaysia, it is important to remember that many Malaysians come from different ethnic backgrounds. As a
result, we have to remember that practicing our heritage and our culture does not make us any less
Malaysians. Malaysian Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year and Indians still have the Ponggal festival too. In
the novel, the Schermers are victims of racial hatred. Someone came and painted the words 'Dirty Huns’ on the
wall of their tavern. This displays ignorance as the real Huns were actually nomadic people who came from
Central Asia. Even though Mr. Higby explains the class the origins of the Huns, it makes very little change to the
mindset of the students. Prejudice is dangerous because it blinds us. Even after the students are told that
Hannah has a brother, Otto, who has enlisted in the army and is fighting in the war, the community still feels
that the Schermers are outsiders. This is a lesson that our nation can benefit from.

As a nation, we can learn that prejudices gets us nowhere and does not solve anything. Prejudice can also hurt
relationships because prejudices are products of ignorance. Prejudice can also hurt the wrong people. It can
also destroy the harmony of a community.

The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer. The character I admire is Richard Knight.

Richard is able to overcome many challenges even from the start. In the beginning of the story, his father takes
him and his brother Gus on a hunt. Richard does not like hunting, not even small creatures such as rabbits. His
father wants him to shoot his first deer. But he refuses to shoot the deer because he feels that he has no right
to kill the deer. He lifts the barrel on purpose so that he would miss shooting and killing the deer and as a
result, the animal escapes. His father is aware of what he has done and asks him why he did so. He decides to
tell his father the truth. As a result of this, his father does not force him to hunt.

I also admire him because he is willing to listen to advice. At first, he does not want to let other people know
that he writes poetry. His father does not want to listen to his poems. His sister, Angie is also not interested.
His brother even goes as far as to tell him not to let other people know about it. In his letter to Mr. Kilmer, he
tells him of his fear. Mr. Kilmer tells him that being afraid is part of life. He also tells Richard that he needs to
overcome his fears. Joyce Kilmer then advises him to let people know if he really cares about poetry. As a
result, he decided to let his family know he writes poetry. He lets them know after dinner.

I also admire him because he is able to stand by his principles. His support and friendship with Hannah has cost
him his friendship with most of the other students. No one wants to be his friend because he signed the card to
show sympathy for the Schermers despite Blanche telling him not to "break ranks." He also declines the role of
Doughboy. He does not let their treatment and malicious remarks bother him because he has a friend in
Hannah. When Pa explains to him that the Schermers are not one of them, he explains that the Schermers pay
their taxes like other Americans. His father believes that Richard should not side with the Schermers but should
support those who have lived there longer. He tells his father that it is not right.
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The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer. I definitely believe that discrimination has no place in modem
society.

In the novel, Richard is discriminated against because of his principles and his beliefs. He signs the card for the
Schermers and as a result, becomes unpopular in school. He does not let it bother him. Later when he declines
the role of Doughboy, his unpopularity becomes even greater. In the modern world, we can dearly see that
Richard has done nothing wrong and has decided to act as his conscience dictates. It is wrong to discriminate
someone because of their beliefs.

We can also see that discrimination has no place in modern society in the case of the Schermers. They are
discriminated against simply because they are of German ancestry. Everything they did seem to be wrong or
unpatriotic. They eat German food. Hannah also says that when they first came from Milwaukee, they were
accepted and everybody enjoyed their food at first, but the war changed everything. Singing German songs
also appears to be wrong and unpatriotic. Here, discrimination is bad because there is no substance to them
being discriminated against. It is wrong to discriminate someone because of their nationality or their ethnic
background. Discrimination also has no place in modern society because we learn to accept different people
for who they are. We understand that different people have different interests and we need to learn to respect
them for it.
In the novel, some of the students, especially Abner Lewis discriminates against poets because he feels that
they are sissies. He forms this opinion because his father says so. Mrs. Hansen then clears this misconception
in class by telling them of the lives of some of the poets. Even Gus tells Richard not to let people know that he
likes and writes poetry. Today, we should be open to accepting different people who have different interests.
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The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer. The character main character is Richard and I have learnt many
lessons from him.

The first lesson I have learnt is Richard's ability to overcome the many problems he faces. He learns to deal
with things that he does not like doing and ensures that he does not have to do them again. In the beginning,
his father takes him and his brother Gus to go hunting, but Richard does not like hunting. The main objective of
the hunting trip is to get him to shoot his first deer. He refuses to shoot the deer as he does not want to kill the
deer. He misses on purpose so that he would miss shooting and as a result, the animal escapes. When asked by
his father, he openly admits the truth; he does not lie to his father to get out of trouble.

I also admire Richard because he has principles. He stands by what he believes in. When his father explains to
him why the Schermers are not one of them, he tries to reason with his father by saying that they pay their
taxes like other Americans. His father also reminds Richard that Ike Lewis came to help him three years ago
when he broke his leg. His father believes that Richard should not side with the Schermers because the family
of Ike Lewis who have been in Turtle Lake for generations. He politely disagrees with Pa. He becomes a better
person because he realises the challenges he faces and grows from his decisions.

I also admire Richard as he is a good friend. He signs the card. He takes it to Hannah's home. When she
declines the role of Lady Liberty he too declines the role of Doughboy. Hannah acknowledges that Richard is a
good friend. She says that she feels less lonely with him. She also says that with Richard, her father is right
about being an optimist.

I also admire Richard for deciding to share his poetry He was afraid of people finding out at first. He learns to
overcome his fears after Joyce Kilmer tells him to. Later he is rewarded because the people around him come
to appreciate his poetry. These all
The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer. The theme that I have chosen is friendship.

In the story, Richard develops a friendship with

his classmate Hannah. He first becomes close to her
when he notices that the cover of her book has been
scrawled with the words 'Dirty Hun'. He tells some
of his classmates about but they feel that she deserves
it. He is also shocked when he hears them say that she
would never be chosen as Lady Liberty as she is Hun
and it would be unpatriotic to do so. Richard stands
by her and supports her. When she declines the role of
Lady Liberty, he tries to talk her out of it. He says that
she has won the part fairly, but Hannah explains ' that
her father says that there are times when she should
not fight. After listening to her explanation, he accepts
it and decides to decline the role of Doughboy. When
Hannah hears this, she decides to accompany him to
see Mrs. Hansen about it. She offers him her support.
She invites him to her home for dinner too. They go for
the picnic before the holidays together and eat from a
picnic basket prepared by Mrs. Schermer.

Friendship is also important because when you have a true friend, you do not need anyone else. When
Richard stands by Hannah, some of the students make malicious remarks. This brings them closer together.
Hannah says that she does not feel alone with a friend like Richard. Friendship is also important because
you need emotional help. Hannah tells Richard that she hopes he never goes to war. And then they go and
carve their initials on the big oak tree. Hannah understands Richard better than the other people,
sometimes even more than his own family does. She understands his love for poetry and his friendship with
Mr. Kilmer. When he is killed in battle, she breaks the news to him and they grieve for Mr. Kilmer together.
Richard too, understands Hanna’s feelings. He knows what she must be feeling as her ' brother Otto is in
the war in Europe fighting as an American soldier.

Friendship helps us get through difficult times. When Pa broke his leg three years ago, Ike Lewis and some
others came to help Pa harvest the crops. If Pa did not have such friends, he would not have been able to
manage. Because of this, Pa is loyal to his friends too and hoped that Richard would see things his way.

The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer. In this novel there are many minor characters that teach us
valuable lessons.

Minor characters teach us that there are all sorts of people in the world. In this novel, many of the minor
characters are Richard's classmates. They are prejudiced against Hannah and her family because they are of
German ancestry. These characters highlight one of the themes of the novel which is prejudice. They dislike
her because she and her family eat German food. They sing German songs at her birthday and because of
that, the other students decide that they are unpatriotic.

Minor characters also teach us the dark side of human behaviour. We see the popular students in class,
Peggy, Blanche, Abner and Harry intimidating the other students. They make sure that no one signs the
card that Mrs. Hansen has brought to class. They are also responsible for intimidating the other students
from clapping for Hannah after she has read her essay. These characters teach us that bullying happens in
all layers of society and should not be tolerated.

The other minor characters are also in the novel to teach us about friendship. In the novel, the only true
friendship happens between the two main characters, Hannah and Richard. Even though the four popular
students Peggy, Blanche, Abner and Harry appear to be in control, we do not see any signs of them being
real friends or doing things that real friends do. Thi is evident by their reactions Richard's presentation.
Even Peggy comments that the poem that Richard has written and read is so sad. And Blanche is touched
because the poem reminds her of her Uncle Steve who is in the army. Several students too gaze at Richard
with "newfound respect." So, Abner and Harry do not have total loyalty.

Another minor character who teaches us a lesson is Angie. From her, we learn of the sacrifices she makes
for her family. Since their mother passed away, she has taken over her mother's duties on the farm. She has
left school in order to do these things. We learn how fortunate we are to be able to go to school and have a
normal childhood.

Exercise B

We must believe in ourselves and know that we have a purpose in life. This message is relevant for most of
us. Sometimes the home or school is not a positive or supportive one, as is the case with Richard. In a real
life situation, people who lack self-confidence should take the initiative and seek help. Self-help courses and
counselling are available. Positive thinking and believing in ourselves can help us to develop and mature.
We must also be in touch or spend time with positive people as Richard did. He corresponded with Kilmer
who encouraged him in his poetry and gave helpful tips to build his self-confidence and eventually helped
him see his purpose in life - farming and poetry writing, both of which contribute to society.