Character Physical Characteristics Evidence/Elaboration

Description
1. Richard - tall, slender & loving/kind/caring 1. He thought that animals should not be hunted
Knight pale down unnecessarily. He cried when his
- 15 years - looked like Grandpa killed a deer when he was eight
old from mother (pg 2) years old. (pg 15)
Iowa 2. When he noticed Hannah was crying after
- tenth school, he asked her what had happened as
grade someone had scrawled the words 'Dirty Hun'
on her book cover. (pg 23)
3. Richard spoke up for some students who did
not want to sign the card for Hannah. He told
Mrs Hansen that they wanted to sign but were
afraid. (pg 34)
4. Richard kept hoping that the war would end
before Mr Kilmer went to Europe. He was also
worried that Gus might be killed in the war if
he went after graduation. (pg 68)

observant/perceptive 1. Richard realised that Angie sacrificed a lot for

his family. She took care of them after their
mother died when he was seven. (pg 14)
2. Richard observed his father having a sad,
haunted look whenever he gazed across the
prairie. He wondered what his father thought
about. (pg 65)

soft-hearted/ 1. As they were walking to look for their prey,

unwillingness to kill Richard felt his gun as heavy as lead
because he was hesitant to kill. (pg2)
2. As they quietly waited for a deer, Richard
silently prayed that no deer would turn up to
drink that day so that he would not have to kill
it. (pg 3)
3. He admitted to Pa that he did not have the
heart to kill the buck he was supposed to so
he purposely missed. (pg 4)

hardworking/diligent/he 1. Richard did twice the amount of work on the

lpful farm than Gus did. (pg 9)
2. Richard helped his sister in the kitchen after
supper. (pg 14)
3. In school, Richard worked hard and got
excellent grades in studies. (pg 18)
4. When Richard got home from school, he did
his chores, gathered the eggs and pitched hay
to the horses. (pg 25)
5. During summer, Richard spent his days on the
farm plowing, planting and cultivating. He also
took care of animals. He loved working with
his father. (pg 64)

obedient/filial son 1. Richard did not want to lie to his father

regarding why he missed the shot so he told
his father the truth. (pg 6)
2. Richard felt guilty for disappointing his Pa for
not able to shoot the deer. (pg 6 & 10)
creative/talented/ 1. He wrote poems to express his feelings but he
intelligent locked them in his drawer to prevent anyone
from knowing. (pg 6)
2. Richard came up with the idea of exchanging
letters with the soldiers overseas so they
would not feel lonely or homesick. (pg 71)
assertive/firm/rational 1. When Richard tried talking to his friends about
what had happened to Hannah, he thought
 that others were being mean to Hannah. He
did not change his mind even though the other
classmates talked bad about Hannah because
her parents are Germans. (pg 23-25)
2. When Mrs Hansen announced that the class
should sign a card to show their support for
Hannah, Richard felt disgusted that his friends
picked on Hannah and her family instead.
They accused of them being spies and singing
German songs. (pg 29-30)
3. Richard could put himself in Hannahs place
and thought of how he would feel if his family
were picked on. So he bravely signed the
card. (pg 33)

thoughtful 1. As Richard walked home from school, he

thought about picking some flowers for his
sister to put on the table. (pg 25)
2. Before Richard handed the card to Hannah,
he wrote a kind message in it for Hannah and
her parents. He apologised for what had
happened and told them many people
respected them and they were fine citizens.
(pg 38)

strong/brave/ 1. Abner and Harry warned Richard against

courageous signing the card for Hannah but he bravely
signed his name on it. (pg 33)
2. After class, Richard asked for the card from
Mrs Hansen so he could deliver it himself
even though there was only one signature.
(pg 35)
3. After school, Abner and Harry taunted him and
started beating him but he kicked Harry in the
stomach and straddled across Abner. (pg 37)
4. After getting encouragement from Mr Kilmer,
Richard overcame his fear and informed his
family his love for writing poems. (pg 47)
5. After much encouragement from Mrs Hansen,
Richard read one of his poems in class and
shared with them what Mr Kilmer wrote.
(pg 58-60)

hesitant/fearful 1. Richard voiced his fear of telling people his

love for poetry to Mr Kilmer in his first letter.
He feared it would become worse for him.
(pg 27)
2. Richard asked Mr Kilmer for opinion on what
to do regarding his poems. He wondered if he
should tell others about it or hide it from
them. (pg 27)
3. He was nervous when he stood in front of his
classmates to read his poem. His hand was
shaking and his voice quivered. (pg 57)

sociable 1. Richard had a famous poet, Joyce Kilmer as a

pen pal. (pg 68)
2. He exchanged a few letters with Mr Kilmer
when he was preparing for war. (pg 44, 59, 63,
66, 68)

Character Physical Characteristics Evidence/Elaboration

 Description
2. Mr Knight @ - dark & brawny wise 1. As they followed the creek to a pool where deer
Pa - broad back often came to drink, they checked the direction
- Richards - tall built of the wind and looked for a place to hide.
father (pg 3)
2. They placed themselves upwind of the pool so
any deer that came to drink could not smell
their presence. (pg 4)
3. Even though he felt sad killing animals, he
understood that in order to keep on surviving,
he had to hunt. (pg 7)

understanding 1. When Richard missed shooting the deer, he

justified by saying the deer was already bolting
and Richard would not have made a clean kill.
(pg 5)
2. When Richard voiced out his thoughts about
not wanting to kill animals, Pa gave him the
permission not to hunt anymore. (pg 7)

determined 1. He hiked for five miles with his boys to their

hunting cabin in order to go hunting. (pg 1)
2. He did not allow Gus to join the army until he
finished high school. (pg 12)

hopeful 1. When they were at the cabin, he kept saying

Richard would get his first deer the next day
before they went hunting. (pg 2)
2. Pa wanted his boys to get an education for a
better future. (pg 12)

analytical 1. He could see that Richard purposely raised the

rifle by a mere inch to avoid killing the buck.
(pg 6)

diligent 1. He is a diligent farmer like his father before

him. He spent hours at his farm overseeing
farmhands and tending to the cattle.(pg 64)

discouraging 1. When Richard told his father he wrote poetry,

his father could not believe it. He asked if
Richard were teasing him. (pg 47)
2. He did not want to listen to any of Richards
poetry but reminded Richard not to let it
interfere with his chores or schoolwork. (pg 47)
3. He expected Richard to outgrow writing poetry
as he thought it was just a temporary interest.
(pg 48)
Character Physical Characteristics Evidence/Elaboration
Description
3. Gus - dark & brawny brave/merciless 1. Gus killed his first buck when he was much
- Richards just like Pa younger that Richard. (pg 10)
older 2. He stated that he did not feel any guilt or
brother sadness when he killed animals. Instead, it
- eldest empowered him and made him feel like a
child in man. (pg 10)
the family 3. Gus wanted to join the army and fight for his
- popular country. (pg 11)
at
school, concerned/persuasive 1. After the shooting incident, Gus told Richard
terrific he had to learn to fit in with other people as he
athlete was worried for him. (pg 8)
(pg 8) 2. He advised Richard to get into sports so he
would get into good shape. (pg 9)
3. Gus persuaded Richard to try baseball as
Richard has a strong throwing arm. (pg 10)

hot-headed/impulsive 1. He was furious when Richard missed the shot

and yelled at him without an ounce of
patience. (pg 4)
2. When Pa told him to return to the cabin to
pack up, he showed his annoyance by
stomping away. (pg 5)

stubborn 1. Gus refused to let his brother shoot the buck.

He wanted to kill it himself but his Pa sternly
stopped him so he had to comply. (pg 3)

discouraging 1. He claimed that Mr Kilmer was wasting his

time on a small fry like Richard. (pg 46)
2. He mentioned he hated poetry and it was
sissy stuff. He said he would deny Richard as
his brother if he grew his hair long and curly.
(pg 48)
3. After dinner, he advised Richard not to go
around school telling people he wrote poetry.
He did not want Richard to pull another stunt
like signing the card for the Schermers and
become an oddball. (pg 49)

Character Physical Characteristics Evidence/Elaboration

Description
4. Angie responsible 1. She took over her mothers role after her
- Richards mother died when she was nine. She spent her
older sister days storing and canning food, cooking,
cleaning, washing clothes and sewing. (pg 14)
2. Angie also helped with the planting, harvesting
and caring for the livestock on their farm.
(pg 14)

sacrificed her life 1. Angie stopped school at eight grade to help in

the farm. She gave up her life to provide for her
family. (pg 14)

Character Physical Characteristics Evidence/Elaboration

Description
5. Mrs Hansen - wore bifocals responsible/creative 1. The schools only English teacher who was
- an English strict but obviously cared a lot about what she
teacher was teaching. (pg 18)
2. At the beginning of the new school year, she
announced that the class would put on a
patriotic programme to help sell Liberty Bonds
which helped finance the war. (pg 69)
3. She suggested that the girl who the best
essay would play the role of Lady Liberty
while the boy with the best essay would be
Doughboy. (pg 69 70)
4. She announced that she would post the two
winners' essays in class for everyone to enjoy.
(pg 74)

encouraging 1. Despite the negative responses from her

students, she encouraged them to sign the
card for the Schermers to show their
sympathy. (pg 31)
2. Mrs Hansen smiled encouragingly when
Richard offered to send the card to the
Schermers. She praised him for having some
integrity. (pg 35)
3. When she read Richards poems, she had
something nice to say about each one. She
helped him choose one to send to Mr Kilmer.
(pg 51)
4. She encouraged Richard to share his poem
with his class. (pg 52)

knowledgeable 1. She informed the class that according to The

New York Times, Mr Kilmer has volunteered
to fight in the war. (pg 20)
2. She told the class about other great poets
who stood up for things they believed in like
Lord Byron and Walt Whitman who both fought
in wars. (pg 21)

concerned/kind 1. When she heard that Hannahs parents

tavern was vandalised, she encouraged her
class to sign a card for them to show their
regret for the family. (pg 29)
2. When her students refused to sign the card,
Mrs Hansen defended Hannahs family saying
that they were upstanding members of the
community and they have lived in the United
States for many years. (pg 30)
3. She tried to get her students to sign the card
but expressed her disappointment when
Richard was the only one who signed it.
(pg 34)

regretful/felt 1. When Mrs Hansen saw only one signature on

disappointed/empath the card, she expressed her disappointment
y and questioned why the students had no
sympathy for those who deserved it. (pg 34)
2. She decided not to send the card to the
Schermers as there was only one signature.
(pg 34)

Character Physical Characteristics Evidence/Elaboration

 Description
6. Mr Joyce brave/courageous/ 1. He volunteered for service in the Army to fight
Kilmer patriotic for his country. (pg 20)
- works for 2. He admitted it was very hard to train to be a
New York soldier. Although he was afraid, he had to
Times overcome his fears. (pg 44)
- famous 3. He believed in President Wilsons calling of the
poet war to end wars. He volunteered to fight so
- published young men would not need to fight and die in
a book any more wars. (pg 66)
Trees
and other kind/caring 1. He wrote poems about living things. (pg 26)
poems
encouraging 1. He wrote to Richard and empathised with him.
He encouraged Richard to be brave and to
overcome his fears. He asked Richard to share
his poems with those he knew. (pg 44)
2. He asked Richard to write to him again and
send him one of his poems. (pg 44)
3. Mr Kilmer signed his letter to Richard as Your
fellow poet. This shows he acknowledged
Richards ability to write poetry and could
identify with him. (pg 44)
4. Mr Kilmer told Richard his poems were very
fine and impressive. He encouraged him to
continue writing as he might become a
published verse maker in future. (pg 59)
5. He claimed he enjoyed reading Richards
poems and letters. (pg 67)

Character Physical Characteristics Evidence/Elaboration

Description
7. Hannah - pretty thankful/grateful 1. After being unkind to Richard (when Richard
Schermer - blue-eyed gave her the card), she apologised to him and
- blonde hair praised him for being brave and kind. (pg 52)
2. She was thankful there were neighbours who
helped to paint over the awful words on the
wall of the tavern. They promised to prevent it
from happening again. (pg 53)

hopeful 1. She wanted the war to end immediately as her

brother, Otto had joined the American
Expeditionary Forces (American soldiers who
went to Europe for war). She was worried
about her brother. (pg 54)
2. She believed that people could live peacefully
without wars if everyone could learn to wage
peace in their own hearts. So, fewer people
would die in vain. (pg 77)

patriotic 1. She did not stop her brother from joining the
American Expeditionary Forces as her brother
was patriotic and he claimed it was the right
thing to do. (pg 54)

intelligent 1. She made a sensible suggestion to Richard on

how to change the last line of his second poem
he planned to send to Mr Kilmer. (pg 61)
2. Through her essay, Hannah voiced her opinion
regarding the war. She said peace must be
made right in America. People must learn how
to care for one another despite the differences.
(pg 77)

Characters Physical Characteristics Evidence/Elaboration

Description
8. Abner Lewis proud 1. When Abner first heard Mr Kilmers poem, he
& said it was sissy stuff and claimed his father
Harry Carver said poetry was for sissies but he did not know
that several poets fought in battlefields. (pg 20)

mean/unkind 1. Abner and his friends wrote Dirty Hun on

Hannahs book cover. He also claimed that
they were Germans. (pg 23)
2. Harry said the Schermers served sauerkraut
in their tavern and it proved that they were
unpatriotic as the war was ongoing. (pg 24)

9. Blanche - dark haired mean/unkind 1. She declared that Germans were barbarians
Freebold who had to be stopped or they would take
over the world and they cut people in two.
(pg 24)
2. She heard that Schermers spoke in German
and thought they might be plotting something
and did not want their neighbours to know.
(pg 24)

10. All of the rude/mean 1. They ganged up against Hannah and her
troublemakers family and warned the other students not to
- Richards sign the card that Mrs Hansen had prepared
classmates to express their regret. (pg 30 33)
2. All boys feared that Abner and Harry would
beat them up while the girls were worried that
Peggy and Blanche would not speak to them.
So, in the end, no one signed the card except
for Richard. (pg 32)

narrow 1. Abner accused the Schermers of being

minded/unfair German spies. (pg 30)
2. Blanche accused the Schermers for singing
German songs during Hannahs birthday.
(pg 30)
3. Peggy Mason said Hannah thought she was
better than them and had more culture.
(pg 30)
4. Harry Carver added that Hannah would not
help them with their maths. (pg 31)
5. Abner gave a threatening expression to
Herbie as he was going to sign the card while
Harry stared at him. It stopped Herbie from
doing so. (pg 31)
6. Peggy told Millie not to sign the card. Millie
obeyed as she dared not defy the popular girl.
(pg 32)

11. Peggy snobbish 1. She felt Millie was too mousy and bad-looking
to play the role of Lady Liberty. (pg 72 73)

narrow-minded 1. She felt that Hannah Schermer would be a

mockery to the patriotic idea if she were
chosen as she was viewed as a Hun. (pg 73)

Character Physical Characteristics Evidence/Elaboration

Description
12. Mr Higby responsible/ 1. He taught the students about the current war
- History knowledgeable and how American troops were arriving at the
teacher battlefield. (pg 62)
2. He reprimanded Abner from inaccurately using
the word Huns to describe the enemy. He told
them the truth that the Allies were fighting the
Central Powers. (pg 62)
3. He corrected the students regarding the Liberty
Bonds inaccurate posters. (pg 62)
4. He reminded the students to keep reading the
newspapers to find out the latest news about
the war even during the holidays. (pg 63)