‘It is important to have a person you look up to in your life.

’From the novel that you have read, write

about one character that you look up to. Give reasons why you choose him/her.

Sample Answer :
The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. One character that I looked up to was
Richard. There were three reasons why I looked up to Richard.

Firstly, he loved animals. This was shown when Richard purposely missed shooting a buck. Richard
thought that hunting was not important. Richard could not kill animals. Gus, Richard’s elder brother,
was upset with Richard because Richard purposely misfired. Richard’s father, Pa, was also
disappointed with Richard. Pa asked Richard why he purposely missed shooting the buck. Richard
told Pa that he had no right to kill it. Richard told Pa that he felt painful and sad to kill an animal. Pa
told Richard not to go hunting anymore if he did not like it.
Secondly, Richard was kind. One day, Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign a card for the
Schermers. Someone vandalised the tavern owned by Hannah’s parents. They painted “Dirty Huns”
all over the walls. Mrs Hansen brought a card to express regret for what had happened. The
troublemakers like Abner, Harry, Blanche and Peggy refused to sign the card. They warned other
classmates not to sign the card. The boys were afraid Abner and Harry would hit them. The girls
worry that popular girls like Peggy and Blanche would not speak to them. However, Richard was the
only student who signed the sympathy card for Hannah Schermer. After school, Richard took the card
from Mrs Hansen. He wanted to give the card to Hannah. Hannah accepted the card reluctantly.
Later, Hannah apologised to Richard for being rude. This was the beginning of their friendship.
Thirdly, Richard was brave. This was shown when Richard told his family and Mrs Hansen that he
wrote poetry. Before telling his secret to his family and Mrs Hansen, Richard wrote a letter to Mr
Kilmer. Mr Kilmer was Richard’s penpal. Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s English
teacher, Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. In
his letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems too. However, he kept this as a secret from
everyone. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should tell his secret
to everybody. One day, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to
overcome his fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his poetry with people around him. Nobody
was interested when Richard told his family about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not
believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard asked
whether his family members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was interested. Richard was sad.
Gus advised Richard not tell anyone he wrote poetry. He wanted Richard to fit in with other people.
Everyone called him a Hun Lover after he signed the card for Hannah. The next day, Richard told Mrs
Hansen that he wrote poetry. He showed her Mr Kilmer’s letter. Mrs Hansen helped Richard to
choose a poem. Richard would send the poem to Mr Kilmer. As advised by Mrs Hansen, Richard
shared Mr Kilmer’s latest letter and his poem with the class.Some of his classmates, including
Blanche and Peggy, were deeply moved by his poem. They started to respect Richard. Hannah
suggested a different ending to Richard’s poem.
In conclusion, I admired and respected Richard because he had good personalities.

…………………………………………………………………………..

Question 2 (SPM 2008)

Using the details from the novel that you have studied,

 Describe what happens at the end of the novel.

 Explain why you find the ending either happy or sad.
Sample Answer :
The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. At the end of the story, Richard’s father
finally supported his passion in writing poetry. This was a happy ending.

Richard Knight had a secret. Nobody knew that he wrote poetry including his family, teachers and
schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s English teacher, Mrs Hansen
read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. Mr Kilmer was a famous
poet. He enlisted in the army. He wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. In his letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that
he wrote poems too. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should
tell his secret to everybody. A few days later, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer
advised Richard to overcome his fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his poetry with people
around him. Nobody was interested when Richard told his family about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his
secret. Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote
poetry. Richard asked whether his family members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was
interested. Richard was sad.

One day, Richard received a bad news about Mr Kilmer.Mr Kilmer was killed in the war between the
Allies and the Germans. Richard wrote a poem as a tribute to Mr Kilmer. In the poem, Richard likened
Mr Kilmer to the “world”. The tribute was printed in the local newspaper, “The Turtle Lake Weekly”.
Richard’s father read the poem. Richard was afraid that his father was going to be angry at him. His
father did not like Richard writing poems. After reading the poem, his father told Richard about what
happened to Richard’s uncle, Roland. His father never told Richard about this story. Roland was killed
in a war in Cuba. His father regarded Roland as his “world”. His father was amazed how Richard could
use the same word in his tribute. Richard continued writing poems about farm life for the local
newspaper. Richard got his father’s help as he was an experienced farmer. Every night, Richard read
his poems aloud. His father would correct or give suggestions to improve the poems. His father
finally supported Richard’s passion in writing poetry.
In conclusion, the ending of this story was truly heartwarming when a father and a son finally got
along through the love of poetry.

………………………………………………………………………….

Question 3 (SPM 2009)

Using the details from the novel that you have studied, write about a difficult decision made by one
of the characters.

With close reference to the text, do you think this was the right decision?

Sample Answer :
The novel that I studied was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. A difficult decision made by Richard
was to tell people that he wrote poetry. This was the right decision.

Richard Knight had a secret. Nobody knew that he wrote poetry including his family, teachers and
schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s English teacher, Mrs Hansen
read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. Mr Kilmer was a famous
poet. He enlisted in the army. He wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. In his letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that
he wrote poems too. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should
tell his secret to everybody.

A few days later, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to overcome his
fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his poetry with people around him. Nobody was interested
when Richard told his family about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr
Kilmer was famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry.Richard asked whether his family
members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was interested. Richard was sad.

The next day, Richard told Mrs Hansen that he wrote poetry. He showed her Mr Kilmer’s letter. Mrs
Hansen helped Richard to choose a poem. Richard would send the poem to Mr Kilmer. As advised by
Mrs Hansen, Richard shared Mr Kilmer’s latest letter and his poem with the class. Some of his
classmates, including Blanche and Peggy, were deeply moved by his poem. They started to respect
Richard. Hannah suggested a different ending to Richard’s poem.

In conclusion, Richard was a brave boy when he decided to tell his secrets to everyone.

Question 4 (SPM 2012)

Based on the novel you have studied, write about an event that makes you angry?
With close reference to the text, give reasons why the event makes you feel this way.

Sample Answer :
The novel that I studied was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. An event that made me
angry was when the Schermers’ tavern was vandalised. I was angry because of two reasons.

Firstly, I was angry because some Turtle Lake people were being unfair to the Schermers.
They vandalized the Schermers tavern. They painted “Dirty Huns” all over the walls. They
said that the Schermers were Huns. Some Turtle Lake people believed that Huns were a
barbaric clan originated from Germany. They said that the Schermers were unpatriotic
because they spoke German and served Hun food at their tavern while a war was going on
against Germany.

Secondly, I was angry because Richard’s classmates were being unkind to the Schermers
after the Schermers’s tavern was vandalised. Mrs Hansen brought a card to express regret for
what had happened Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign the card. The troublemakers like
Abner, Harry, Blanche and Peggy refused to sign the card. They warned other classmates not
to sign the card. The boys were afraid Abner and Harry would hit them. The girls worry that
popular girls like Peggy and Blanche would not speak to them. However, Richard was the
only student who signed the sympathy card for Hannah Schermer. After school, Richard took
the card from Mrs Hansen. He wanted to give the card to Hannah. Hannah accepted the card
reluctantly. Later, Hannah apologised to Richard for being rude. This was the beginning of
their friendship.

In conclusion, the event where the Schermers was being mistreated infuriated me. I truly
believed that discrimination was unjust.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Question 5 (SPM 2015 à Similar to SPM 2007)

Suggest one character in the novel you have read who you think is agood role model for
teenagers.
Briefly describe the character and give reasons for your choice with close reference to the
text.
Sample Answer :
The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. A good role model for
teenagers was Richard. Richard was 15 years old. He was tall, pale and slender. Richard was
Mr Knight’s son. He was Angie and Gus’s younger brother. He was Mr Kilmer’s penpal and
Hannah’s best friend. He loved poetry. There were three reasons why I chose Richard.

Firstly, he was kind. One day, Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign a card for the
Schermers. Someone vandalised the tavern owned by Hannah’s parents. They painted “Dirty
Huns” all over the walls. Mrs Hansen brought a card to express regret for what had
happened. The troublemakers like Abner, Harry, Blanche and Peggy refused to sign the card.
They warned other classmates not to sign the card. The boys were afraid Abner and Harry
would hit them. The girls worry that popular girls like Peggy and Blanche would not speak to
them. However, Richard was the only student who signed the sympathy card for Hannah
Schermer.After school, Richard took the card from Mrs Hansen. He wanted to give the card
to Hannah. Hannah accepted the card reluctantly. Later, Hannah apologised to Richard for
being rude. This was the beginning of their friendship.
Secondly, Richard was brave. This was shown when Richard told his family he wrote poetry.
Before telling his secret to his family, Richard wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer was
Richard’s penpal. Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer whenRichard’s English teacher, Mrs
Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. In his
letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems too. However, he kept this as a secret
from everyone. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should
tell his secret to everybody. One day, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer
advised Richard to overcome his fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his poetry with
people around him. Nobody was interested when Richard told his family about Mr
Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa did not
believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard asked whether his family members wanted to read
his poems. Nobody was interested. Richard was sad. Gus advised Richard not tell anyone he
wrote poetry. He wanted Richard to fit in with other people. Everyone called him a Hun
Lover after he signed the card for Hannah.
Thirdly, he was supportive. Hannah and Richard won the roles of Lady Liberty and the
Doughboy respectively because they wrote the best essays. Mrs Hansen asked the class to
write an essay as one of the activities for a patriotic programme which helped sell Liberty
bonds. Many students were angry when Hannah won the role. They regarded Hannah as an
unpatriotic German although she was an American citizen. Hannah told Richard that her
essay started a little war in Turtle lake. She did not want to cause any more problems. So she
declined the role of Lady Liberty. Richard wanted to support Hannah. Therefore,Richard
declined his part as the Doughboy. His family, his schoolmates and the Turtle Lake People
criticized him for turning down his role. They called him unpatriotic and a traitor. These
criticisms never stopped Richard from standing up for what was right.
In conclusion, Richard was a good role model for teenagers because he had good
personalities.

………………………………………………………………………………

Question 6 (SBP Trial 2016)

Which character in the novel do you sympathize with? Explain whyyou sympathize with
this character with close reference to the text.
Sample Answer :
The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. The character I sympathized
with was Hannah Schermer. There were three reasons why I sympathized with her.

Firstly, her schoolmates called her ‘Dirty Hun’. They evenscrawled “Dirty Hun” all over her
book cover. Some Turtle Lake people believed that Huns were a barbaric clan originated from
Germany. They said that the Schermers were unpatriotic because they spoke German and
served Hun food at their tavern while a war was going on against Germany. Starting from this
incident, the Schermers were always being mistreated by some of the Turtle Lake people.

Secondly, her parents’ tavern was vandalised. They painted “Dirty Huns” all over the
walls. Mrs Hansen asked her class to sign a sympathy card for the Schermers. The
troublemakers like Abner, Harry, Blanche and Peggy refused to sign the card. They warned
other classmates not to sign the card. The boys were afraid Abner and Harry would hit them.
The girls worry that popular girls like Peggy and Blanche would not speak to them. However,
Richard was the only student who signed the sympathy card for Hannah Schermer.

Thirdly, people unfairly denied her role as Lady Liberty.Hannah won the roles of Lady
Liberty because she wrote the best essay. Mrs Hansen asked the class to write an essay as one
of the activities for a patriotic programme which helped sell Liberty bonds. Many students
were angry when Hannah won the role. They regarded Hannah as an unpatriotic German
although she was an American citizen. Some parents complained to the principal and
demanded Mrs Hansen to choose someone else. Mrs Hansen did not change her mind.
Hannah told Richard that her essay started a little war in Turtle lake. She did not want to
cause any more problems. So she declined the role of Lady Liberty. Richard wanted to
support Hannah.

In conclusion, although Hannah Schermer and her family was mistreated by some Turtle
Lake people, they remained calm and patient.

Question 7 (Kedah Trial 2016)

It is important to stand up for what is right. Discuss how this is portrayed in the novel you
have read.

Sample Answer :
The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. The statement “It is important
to stand up for what is right” was portrayed by Richard in three different events.

Firstly, this statement was portrayed when Richard purposely missed shooting a buck.
Richard thought that hunting was not important. Richard could not kill animals. Gus,
Richard’s elder brother, was upset with Richard because Richard purposely misfired.
Richard’s father, Pa, was also disappointed with Richard. Pa asked Richard why he purposely
missed shooting the buck. Richard told Pa that he had no right to kill it. Richard told Pa that
he felt painful and sad to kill an animal. Pa told Richard not to go hunting anymore if he did
not like it. Even though Pa disagreed with Richard’s opinion about hunting, he did not force
Richard to do what he hated.

Secondly, this statement was portrayed when Richard was the only student who signed a
sympathy card for the Schermers. When the Schermers’ tavern was vandalized, Mrs Hansen
asked her class to sign a sympathy card for them. The troublemakers like Abner, Harry,
Blanche and Peggy refused to sign the card. They warned other classmates not to sign the
card. The boys were afraid Abner and Harry would hit them. The girls worry that popular
girls like Peggy and Blanche would not speak to them. However, Richard was the only
student who signed the sympathy card for Hannah Schermer. Richard believed that the
Schermers were discriminated by some Turtle people because they were Germans.

Thirdly, this statement was portrayed when Hannah declined the role of Lady
Liberty. Hannah and Richard won the roles of Lady Liberty and the Doughboy respectively
because they wrote the best essays. Mrs Hansen asked the class to write an essay as one of
the activities for a patriotic programme which helped sell Liberty bonds. Many students were
angry when Hannah won the role. They regarded Hannah as an unpatriotic German although
she was an American citizen. Hannah told Richard that her essay started a little war in Turtle
lake. She did not want to cause any more problems. So she declined the role of Lady Liberty.
Richard wanted to support Hannah. Therefore,Richard declined his part as the Doughboy. His
family, his schoolmates and the Turtle Lake People criticized him for turning down his role.
They called him unpatriotic and a traitor. These criticisms never stopped Richard from
standing up for what was right.
In conclusion, Richard was truly a character who stuck to his principles to do what was right.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Question 8 (Negeri Sembilan Trial 2016)

“People should be allowed to follow their dreams.”

Write about a character who wants to realise his or her dream.

Sample Answer :
The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. A character who wanted to
realise his dream was Richard. Richard wanted to be a poet.

Richard Knight had a secret. Nobody knew that he wrote poetry including his family, teachers
and schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s English teacher,
Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. Mr
Kilmer was a famous poet. He enlisted in the army. He wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. In his
letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems too. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s
advice. He wanted to know whether he should tell his secret to everybody. A few days later,
Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to overcome his fear.
Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his poetry with people around him. Nobody was
interested when Richard told his family about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not
believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard
asked whether his family members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was interested.
Richard was sad.

One day, Richard received a bad news about Mr Kilmer.Mr Kilmer was killed in the war
between the Allies and the Germans. Richard wrote a poem as a tribute to Mr Kilmer. In the
poem, Richard likened Mr Kilmer to the “world”. The tribute was printed in the local
newspaper, “The Turtle Lake Weekly”. Richard’s father read the poem. Richard was afraid
that his father was going to be angry at him. His father did not like Richard writing poems.
After reading the poem, his father told Richard about what happened to Richard’s uncle,
Roland. His father never told Richard about this story. Roland was killed in a war in Cuba.
His father regarded Roland as his “world”. His father was amazed how Richard could use the
same word in his tribute. Richard continued writing poems about farm life for the local
newspaper. Richard got his father’s help as he was an experienced farmer. Every night,
Richard read his poems aloud. His father would correct or give suggestions to improve the
poems. His father finally supported Richard’s passion in writing poetry.
In conclusion, Richard faced many obstacles in his journey of becoming a poet. In the end, he
managed to realise his dream.

Question 9 (Kelantan Trial 2016)

‘Family supports family.’

With close reference to the text, how far is this true of the novel you have studied?

Sample Answer :
The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. The statement “Family supports
family” was not true in the beginning of the story. However, it became true at the end of the
story.

Richard Knight had a secret. Nobody knew that he wrote poetry including his family, teachers
and schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s English teacher,
Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. Mr
Kilmer was a famous poet. He enlisted in the army. He wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. In his
letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems too. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s
advice. He wanted to know whether he should tell his secret to everybody. A few days later,
Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to overcome his fear.
Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his poetry with people around him. Nobody was
interested when Richard told his family about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not
believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard
asked whether his family members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was interested.
Richard was sad.

One day, Richard received a bad news about Mr Kilmer.Mr Kilmer was killed in the war
between the Allies and the Germans. Richard wrote a poem as a tribute to Mr Kilmer. In the
poem, Richard likened Mr Kilmer to the “world”. The tribute was printed in the local
newspaper, “The Turtle Lake Weekly”. Richard’s father read the poem. Richard was afraid
that his father was going to be angry at him. His father did not like Richard writing poems.
After reading the poem, his father told Richard about what happened to Richard’s uncle,
Roland. His father never told Richard about this story. Roland was killed in a war in Cuba.
His father regarded Roland as his “world”. His father was amazed how Richard could use the
same word in his tribute. Richard continued writing poems about farm life for the local
newspaper. Richard got his father’s help as he was an experienced farmer. Every night,
Richard read his poems aloud. His father would correct or give suggestions to improve the
poems. His father finally supported Richard’s passion in writing poetry.
In conclusion, the bond in a family strengthened when family supported each other.

…………………………………………………………………………..

Question 10 (Pulau Pinang Trial 2016)

The main character is a strong-willed person. How is this shown in the novel? Support your
answer with close reference to the text.
Sample Answer :
The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. The statement “Family supports
family” was not true in the beginning of the story. However, it became true at the end of the
story.

Richard Knight had a secret. Nobody knew that he wrote poetry including his family, teachers
and schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s English teacher,
Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. Mr
Kilmer was a famous poet. He enlisted in the army. He wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. In his
letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems too. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s
advice. He wanted to know whether he should tell his secret to everybody. A few days later,
Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to overcome his fear.
Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his poetry with people around him. Nobody was
interested when Richard told his family about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not
believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard
asked whether his family members wanted to read his poems. Nobody was interested.
Richard was sad.

One day, Richard received a bad news about Mr Kilmer.Mr Kilmer was killed in the war
between the Allies and the Germans. Richard wrote a poem as a tribute to Mr Kilmer. In the
poem, Richard likened Mr Kilmer to the “world”. The tribute was printed in the local
newspaper, “The Turtle Lake Weekly”. Richard’s father read the poem. Richard was afraid
that his father was going to be angry at him. His father did not like Richard writing poems.
After reading the poem, his father told Richard about what happened to Richard’s uncle,
Roland. His father never told Richard about this story. Roland was killed in a war in Cuba.
His father regarded Roland as his “world”. His father was amazed how Richard could use the
same word in his tribute. Richard continued writing poems about farm life for the local
newspaper. Richard got his father’s help as he was an experienced farmer. Every night,
Richard read his poems aloud. His father would correct or give suggestions to improve the
poems. His father finally supported Richard’s passion in writing poetry.
In conclusion, the bond in a family strengthened when family supported each other.

Chapter 1: Richard, Gus and Pa went for Richard’s first hunting but failed to do so. Gus pestered
Richard to join sports and about fitting in by hunting which is the family tradition. Later at night,
Richard learned from Angie who isn’t like the rest of the family, how to be truthful and not beat
around the bush. Away from family, Richard was in his room, reciting a four line poem and kept it
away in a drawer where no knew it exist. He didn’t want anyone to know he’s interested in poetry
because he’d been known to be weird by his nature.

Chapter 2: Class started with Mrs. Hansen, the English teacher recites a poem on Trees by Mr. Joyce
Kilmer. While others made fun of it, Richard enjoyed it so much, he borrowed the book from Mrs.
Hansen and read it completely that afternoon in his room. After that, he wrote a letter to Mr. Joyce
Kilmer to pour out his feelings and what should he do about his real interests, although a part of him
doubts if he would ever reply

Chapter 3: the tavern owned by Hannah Schermer’s parents was vandalized so to show some
concern-sympathy, Mrs. Hansen handed over a card to the students to sign. All except Richard
didn’t sign the card. Feeling responsible, Richard took the card from Mrs. Hansen and went over to
Hannah’s to give the card. Before he could get there, he had to fight over with Abner and Harry
because they were bullying him and Hannah. Upon reaching, Richard was treated badly by Hannah
and he was being understandable of her situation and left the place after giving the card to her.
When he got home, Angie surprised him by handing over to him a letter from New York, from
Joyce Kilmer himself.

Chapter 4: Getting a reply from Mr. Joyce Kilmer was so good to be truth as he read the letter. He
wants Richard to overcome his fears and do what he must do. He decided to tell his family while
they were having their desserts. He confessed that he’s into poetry and has been writing to Joyce
Kilmer who is a soldier cum writer who was introduced by his English class teacher. Gus advised
Richard not to tell anyone in school as what he did earlier caused him a bad reputation. He asked
Mrs. Hansen to help him in choosing the right poem to send to Mr. Joyce Kilmer and it was the one
written during a thunderstorm. Hannah apologized for misbehaving to him and story to Richard how
she dislikes moving to Milwaukee. She also tells that her brother, Otto has joined the army as well.
On his way home, Richard saw the train filled with soldiers who were laughing and smiling while
some were waiving at him. Reality hits and Richard is worried about Otto and Joyce Kilmer
.

Chapter 5
Richard finally confesses to his entire class that he writes poetry and that he has been
exchanging letters with the poet, Joyce Kilmer. Richard works hard in the farm especially due
to the high demand for food for the soldiers. Mr. Kilmer enjoyed his poem and is curious
about the question that was asked in the last line of the poem. Richard realizes he is starting
to develop feelings for Hannah- he thinks about her often and occassionally writes poems
about her.

Chapter 6
Richard kept in touch with Mr. Kilmer throughout the summer. One day he receives news that
made him very unnerving, Mr. Kilmer`s training was over and he was in France. Richard
worried for his new friend`s safety. He started wondering whether the war would prolong to
the point where Gus and Richard himself would have to enroll into the academy for war. He
prays that this is “the war to end all wars,” said by the President would be true. On the first
day back to school, the school organised patriotic competition where the winner was to dress
up as Lady Liberty and Doughboy. It was no surprise when Richard was given the privilige to
be Doughboy for his remarkable essay. However, the whole class except Richard, Millie and
Herbie were stricken in horror after hearing the bomb shattering news that Hannah was going
to be Lady Liberty.

Chapter 7
Richard kept his applause for Hannah despite the fact he knew what was the consequences.
Then, everyone in the whole school started to talk about the Mrs. Hansen choice of Lady
Liberty. To everyone relief, Hannah eventually resigns her role as Lady Liberty because of
issues that were rising. To everyone shocking revelation, Richard turned down the offer to be
Doughboy, instead the roles were given to the runner ups of the best essays- Herbie ad Millie.
Rumours spread like wild fire across the whole school. When Richard went home to inform
his that he is having supper at Hannah`s place, his was confronted about the Doughboy issue
and was said that he is not being patriotic and that he was traitor. Richard met Mr and Mrs
Schermer and realized they had quite a number of similarities – they enjoyed poetry and
music as much as Richard did. He enjoyed his time at Hannah`s household and her parents
and he was always welcomed into their home.

Chapter 8
When Richard arrived home after having a wonderful time at the Schermer's household, what
he didn't expect to see Pa waiting for him. He was shocked to hear that his father found out
about the Doughboy incident. Richard admitted that he turned down the part because
everyone targeted Hannah because she got the part as Lady Liberty. Pa advised Richard that
he shouldn't be too nice with everyone and he should be taking care of "our people" and the
Schermer's were not "our people." Rumours were still going on about Richard was a traitor
and was siding with the Germans; but it didn't seem to affect his mood. Hannah and Richard's
relationship bond grew stronger as the days go by. He would share his poetry and letters from
Mr. Kilmer to them and they share his happiness and anxiety. They would all pray for the safe
return of Otto, Hannah's brother and Mr. Kimer. The Schermer's household was his oasis in a
desert of loneliness. In January, Mr. Kilmer writes a letter to Richard about he misses his
family and how difficult Christmas was without him by their sid. To cheer him up Hannah
made him some cookies and her mother made him a scarf to keep him warm during the
winter war.

Chapter 9
Richard`s worse fears has been realized; Gus has been enlisted for basic training for the war.
However, Pa did not share his excitement, he was furious to find out Gus had voluntereed to be in
the army. The two quarelled before he went to pack and leave for training. Richard had the same
fear as Hannah- that he was afraid of losing his brother. To take the pain and fear away, he wrote
another poem and sent it aong with his letter to Mr. Kilmer which he received it withing few days.
After writing his latest letter, he felt the urgency to sent the letter to Mr. Kilmer but on his way to
the post office he passed by Hannah`s to find out such heart renching news- Mr. Kilmer was dead.

Chapter 10
Richard remained motionless until with great compassion, the Schermer`s gestured him to enter
the house. Mr Schermer showed him the article about how he was shot in the head early in the
morning. Richard could not hold his tears any longer so he rushed out of the house and ran to his
favourite hiding spot, an oak tree overlooking the train tracks. He broke down in tears when there
was no one in sight and clutched the unsent letter to his chest for no one could answer his
question and that he has lost someone that understood him. Richard swore he would no longer
write poetry but through the tears, a poem was made. Hannah and her parents felt that he should
publish it in the newspaper to pay tribute to Mr. Kilmer. The poem was published and Pa saw the
poem. He questioned Richard on how he knew the phrase “A world is gone. A world is dead and
gone.” Those were the same phrase Pa used when his brother died in the Battle of El Carney in July
1st. Finally the war ended in mid-November. They were relieved and laughed when they thought
about Gus who went for training without seeing war. After that, Richard`s poetry became a regular
feature in the Turtle Lake Weekly. He busied himself with school and farm work but he also made
time for The Schermer`s and Hannah and most importantly, he never stopped writing poetry.
Richard after that always shared his poetry with Pa and usually received feedback on how to make
his poetry better since his poems were more to farm. Some days, Pa would listen to Ric