SAMPLE ANSWERS FOR DEAR MR.

KILMER

SABAH (KUDAT)

The novel I have studied is Dear Mr. Kilmer by Anne Schraff. The novel is
about a social misfit named Richard Knight. He loves poetry and hates violence.
He began to exchange letters with Mr. Joyce Kilmer who encouraged and taught
him many life lessons. The character who overcomes challenges with the help
of his family members or friends is Richard Knight.

The first challenge he overcame is his fear of sharing his poetry with
others. Richard loved writing poems but he was afraid to share it with other
people. It is because his friends and his brother, Gus, said that poems are
sissy stuffs and for sissies. One day, Mrs. Hansen shared a poem entitled
“Trees” by Mr. Joyce Kilmer. Richard was fascinated by its beauty. He wrote a
letter to Mr. Kilmer. Richard told him about his problem. Mr. Kilmer replied
his letter. He praised Richard and wanted to read his poems. Mr. Kilmer also
encouraged Richard to share his poems with others. At first, Richard shared
with his family but he received negative feedback. Pa said poetry is a waste
of time. Gus told Richard not to tell others that he wrote poems because it is
sissy stuffs. Angie was indifferent because she did not understand poetry.
Richard did not give up so he shared his poem with Mrs. Hansen. She was
impressed and asked Richard to share the poems with the class. His
classmates were also impressed. In fact, Richard later published his poem in
Turtle Lake Weekly. As we can clearly see, if Mr. Kilmer did not encourage
Richard, he would never had the courage to share his poetry with anyone.

The next challenge Richard overcame is his sadness over Mr. Kilmer’s
death. This is shown at the end of the novel when Richard received a letter
from Mr. Kilmer talking about “poets play an important role in the world.”
Richard was curious and wanted a quick reply but he was greeted with the news
of Mr. Kilmer’s death. He was so sad that he could not cry. Richard blamed
himself for Mr. Kilmer’s death that he promised not to write poems anymore.
However, when he was alone, Richard wrote a poem entitled “In Memory of
Sergeant Joyce Kilmer” as a tribute to his best friend. He showed the poem to
the Schermers. The Schermers suggested that he should publish the poem in
the newspaper. Richard was reluctant at first because he did not want to upset
Pa but he later agreed to publish it in the Turtle Lake Weekly. Richard felt better
afterwards. When Pa read the poem, he opened up to Richard about how he
felt when Uncle Roland died. As we can see, if the Schermers did not encourage
Richard to publish the poem, he might still feel

Prepared by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya, SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
sad about his best friend’s death. In fact, because Richard published the
poem, he finally fixed his relationship with Pa.

In conclusion, Richard received helps from his friends that helped him
overcome many challenges in his life. I learnt that no man is an island. We all
need help and encouragement from our friends and family whenever we
face problems in our life.

PERAK (LMS)

The novel I have studied is Dear Mr. Kilmer by Anne Schraff. The novel
is about a social misfit named Richard Knight. He loves poetry and hates
violence. He began to exchange letters with Mr. Joyce Kilmer who
encouraged and taught him many life lessons. The theme of bravery is shown
in this novel.

First of all, we can see the theme of bravery shown by Richard. The
first event that shows his bravery is when he defended Hannah. This is
shown in the novel when Richard saw Hannah crying in the hallway. Her
book cover was sprawled with ‘Dirty Hun.’ Richard told his classmates about
Hannah’s misfortune. Instead of sympathising with Hannah, they
badmouthed her saying that Hannah is an enemy because she is a German.
Richard was brave when he told them that it was unpatriotic to discriminate
her. A few days later, Prairie Haus was vandalised. To show sympathy and
support for the Schermers, Mrs. Hansen brought a card for her students to
sign. However, only Richard signed it. Many students wanted to sign the card
but they were afraid of the bullies. Richard’s decision to sign the card shows
that he was brave despite the bullies’ threat. Richard also volunteered to
send the card to the Schermers even though he knew the risk. On his way to
Prairie Haus, he was approached by the bullies, Abner and Harry. They
wanted to stop him from sending the card because they were prejudice
towards the Schermers. Richard managed to subdue them. He sent the card
to Hannah. At first, Hannah did not want to accept the card because she
thought that Richard was prejudice like the others. A few days later, Hannah
apologised to Richard for being rude. This marks the beginning of their
friendship.

Another proof of bravery is shown by Hannah. This is shown during

the Liberty Bonds incident. To help fund the war, Turtle Lake school organised
a charity programme. Mrs. Hansen held an essay competition to choose Lady
Liberty and the Doughboy. Hannah won the Lady Liberty role

Prepared by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya, SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
because she won the competition. In her essay, Hannah was brave to talk
about a sensitive issue which is about the war. She wrote about waging
peace because the real enemy is the war itself. Many people were upset with
Mrs. Hansen’s decision. Some parents complained about this to the principal.
Frustrated that she might have started a war in Turtle Lake, she decided to
decline the role. This shows that Hannah is brave to do the right
decision/thing.

In conclusion, I have learnt that being brave is important and it can

help me to become a better person throughout this novel. By being brave,
Richard became friends with Hannah even though some people did not like
what he did. I learnt that by being brave, we will be rewarded with
something better. Another thing I learnt about bravery from Hannah is that
we should always be brave to say and do the right thing even when we do
not benefit anything from it.

TERENGGANU

The novel I have studied is Dear Mr. Kilmer by Anne Schraff. The novel
is about a social misfit named Richard Knight. He loves poetry and hates
violence. He began to exchange letters with Mr. Joyce Kilmer who
encouraged and taught him many life lessons. The character who shows
determination is Richard Knight.

First of all, Richard shows his determination when he defended

Hannah. One day, Richard saw Hannah crying in the hallway because her
book cover was sprawled with ‘Dirty Hun.’ This is because she is a German-
American. The Turtle Lake residents were prejudice towards the Schermers
because of the World War I between America and Germany. Richard told his
classmates about Hannah’s misfortune. Instead of sympathising with
Hannah, they badmouthed her and said she deserved it because she is a
German. Richard was determined to defend Hannah when he said that his
classmates were unpatriotic for discriminating Hannah. Later, Mrs. Hansen
brought a card for her students to sign to show their sympathy to the
Schermers. This is because their tavern, Prairie Haus, was vandalised.
However, Richard was the only one who signed it. Some students like Millie
and Herbie wanted to sign but they were threatened by the troublemakers.
Richard also volunteered to send the card despite the troublemakers’ threat.
On his way to the Schermers’ house, Abner and Harry tried to stop Richard
but they were subdued by him. As we can clearly see, Richard was

Prepared by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya, SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
determined to do the right thing which are to sign and send the card even
though he knew the risk of getting beaten/bullied by Abner and Harry.

Another instance of Richard’s determination was shown when he

shared his poetry with others. At the beginning of the novel, Richard was not
confident to share his poetry because his friends and brother, Gus, said that
poems are sissy stuffs. However, after Mr. Kilmer’s encouragement, Richard
began to share his poems. First, he shared his poem with his family. He
received negative feedback from them. Pa said that poetry is a waste of
time. Gus said that poems are sissy stuffs while Angie was indifferent
because she did not understand poetry. Despite the negative responses,
Richard did not give up. He later shared his poems with Mrs. Hansen. His
teacher was surprised and impressed by his poems. She even suggested that
Richard should share it with his classmates. When Richard shared his poem
in front of the class, some of his classmates were also impressed even
though the troublemakers made fun of him saying that he was a sissy. It was
crystal clear that despite the negative feedback and responses Richard might
receive, he was determined to share his poetry after he was encouraged by
Mr. Kilmer.

In conclusion, Richard showed great determination when he defended

Hannah and when he decided to share his poetry despite the negative
outcomes. I hope I can also be as determined as Richard in making life
decisions despite knowing that I might fail.

PAHANG (CLUSTER 1)

The novel I have studied is Dear Mr. Kilmer by Anne Schraff. The novel
is about a social misfit named Richard Knight. He loves poetry and hates
violence. He began to exchange letters with Mr. Joyce Kilmer who
encouraged and taught him many life lessons. The character who was brave
in this novel is Richard Knight.

First of all, Richard was brave when he signed the sympathy card for the
Schermers. This is shown in the novel when Prairie Haus was vandalised. Mrs.
Hansen brought a card for her students to sign to show sympathy for the
Schermers. Richard was the only one who signed the card. The other students
wanted to sign but they were afraid of the troublemakers. The boys were afraid
that Abner and Harry will beat them up. The girls were afraid to lose their
friendship with Peggy and Blanche. Mrs. Hansen did not want to send the card
because there was only one signature. Richard volunteered to

Prepared by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya, SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
send the card even though he knew the risk. On his way to the Schermers’
house, Abner and Harry tried to stop him. They tried to beat him but he
managed to subdue them. The bullies promised that they will not disturb him
anymore. Richard finally delivered the card to Hannah. As we can clearly see,
Richard successfully stood up for what is right by signing and sending the
card by being brave even though he knew that he might get beaten by the
troublemakers.

Moreover, Richard was also brave when he shared his poems. This is
shown when he was afraid to share his poems at the start of the novel. After
Mr. Kilmer encouraged Richard to share his poems, he began to have more
confident. He began by sharing his poems with his family. However, the
feedback was negative. Pa said that poetry is a waste of time. Gus said that
poems are sissy stuffs while Angie was indifferent because she did not
understand poetry. Richard did not give up and he later shared his poems
with Mrs. Hansen. His teacher was surprised and impressed by his poems.
She asked him to share it in front of the class. His classmates were also
impressed with his poems. At the end of the novel, Richard regularly publish
his poems in Turtle Lake Weekly. It is crystal clear that by being brave,
Richard finally managed to share his poems with others despite the risk of
being called ‘sissy.’

In conclusion, Richard successfully stood up for what is right and

shared his poems with others because he was brave. I believe I can also do
many things successfully if I am brave.

SARAWAK (KUCHING)

The novel I have studied is Dear Mr. Kilmer by Anne Schraff. The novel
is about a social misfit named Richard Knight. He loves poetry and hates
violence. He began to exchange letters with Mr. Joyce Kilmer who
encouraged and taught him many life lessons. The important relationship in
this novel is the friendship between Richard and Hannah.

At the start of the novel, Richard and Hannah were only classmates. One
day, Richard saw Hannah crying in the hallway because her book cover was
sprawled with ‘Dirty Hun.’ Richard told his classmates about Hannah’s
misfortune. Instead of sympathising with Hannah, they badmouthed her saying
that she is an enemy because she is a German-American. Richard defended
Hannah saying that it was unpatriotic to discriminate Hannah. Later when
Prairie Haus was vandalised, Mrs. Hansen wanted her students to

Prepared by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya, SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
sign a sympathy card for the Schermers. Nobody signed the card except
Richard. He also volunteered to send the card. At first, Hannah was skeptical
about Richard. She thought Richard was like everybody else. Hannah later
apologised when she realised that Richard was different. They soon became
friends.

During the Liberty Bonds incident, their friendship became closer. This
is shown in the novel when Hannah won the Lady Liberty role during an
essay competition. Many people were unsatisfied with Mrs. Hansen’s
decision because Hannah is a German-American. Some parents came to
complain to the principal. Hannah decided to decline her role because she
did not want to start a war in Turtle Lake. Richard was shocked with
Hannah’s decision but he respected her decision. To show his support,
Richard also declined his role as the Doughboy. As a result, Richard was
called unpatriotic and a traitor because he supported Hannah.

At the end of the novel, Richard’s best friend and also his idol, Mr.
Kilmer, was killed in the war. When Richard was devastated to hear the
news, it was Hannah and her family that consoled and comforted Richard.
Later, Richard wrote a tribute to Mr. Kilmer entitled “In Memory of Sergeant
Joyce Kilmer.” However, Richard was afraid to share it with others. It was
Hannah and her family that convinced Richard to publish the poem in Turtle
Lake Weekly.

In conclusion, friendship between Richard and Hannah was very

important to the ending of the novel because when Richard was sad and lost
after Mr. Kilmer’s death, it was Hannah who was always there for him. I
learnt something very important from their friendship. In our life, we need
friends and people whom we can rely on when we are facing difficulties.

MELAKA

The novel I have studied is Dear Mr. Kilmer by Anne Schraff. The novel
is about a social misfit named Richard Knight. He loves poetry and hates
violence. He began to exchange letters with Mr. Joyce Kilmer who
encouraged and taught him many life lessons. The character who shows
appreciation towards family ties is Richard Knight.

First of all, Richard shows his appreciation by helping Pa and Angie.

Richard helped Pa at their family farm. He helped Pa to gather eggs, pitch hay
to the horses and herded the cattle during summer holiday. He spent his

Prepared by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya, SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
entire day with Pa at the farm. When he was at home, he would help Angie
in the kitchen even though work in the kitchen is usually for women. He
helped Angie to set the table for dinner, wash the dishes and can the food.
Unlike Gus, Richard is more responsible and empathetic. Even though he was
tired at school, he still helped around the farm and at the kitchen because he
loves and appreciates his family.

Moreover, Richard also shows his appreciation towards his family by

joining the Knight’s hunting party even though he hates violence. The Knights
went on a hunting party as part of their family tradition whenever a male
member of the family comes out of age. Richard was supposed to make his
first kill as a proof that he has become a man. When they saw a buck, Pa told
Richard to shoot it. Richard hesitated. Gus wanted to kill the buck but Pa told
him not to. Richard purposely misfired and the buck escaped. Gus was
furious but Pa asked Richard why he missed. Richard told Pa the truth that he
does not like killing living things. Even though Pa was a bit disappointed, he
understood Richard’s feelings and did not show his disappointment. We can
clearly see that Richard appreciates the family ties because he still joined the
hunting party even though he hates killing living things as a sign of respect
for his family tradition. Richard could also tell a lie when Pa asked why he
misfired but he told the truth because he respects and loves his father so
much.

In conclusion, I chose Richard because he loves and appreciates his

family that he would go out of his ways to help them and also to lighten their
burdens. Richard is also a good role model for teenagers like me who should
appreciate their family.

PERAK (PERAK TENGAH)

The novel I have studied is Dear Mr. Kilmer by Anne Schraff. The novel
is about a social misfit named Richard Knight. He loves poetry and hates
violence. He began to exchange letters with Mr. Joyce Kilmer who
encouraged and taught him many life lessons. The character who undergone
personal growth is Richard Knight.

At the start of the novel, Richard was afraid to share his passion for
poetry with others. One day, Mrs. Hansen read a poem entitled ‘Trees’ written
by Mr. Joyce Kilmer. Even though some boys called poetry as “sissy stuffs,”
Richard was captivated by the beauty of the poem. He borrowed the poetry
book from Mrs. Hansen. At home, he wrote a letter to Mr. Kilmer. In
Prepared by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya, SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah
his letter, he told Mr. Kilmer that he wrote poems too. However, Richard did
not share his poetry with others because nobody appreciates poetry like he
did. Later, Richard received a reply from his idol. Mr. Kilmer encouraged
Richard to share his poems with the others. As expected, his family did not
appreciate his poems. Pa said poetry is a waste of time. Gus said poetry is for
sissies while Angie said she does not understand poetry. Next, Richard
shared his poems with Mrs. Hansen. She was surprised and impressed with
Richard’s poems. Hannah was another person who also appreciates his
poetry. From here, Richard began to feel more confident to share his poems
with the world. In fact, at the end of the novel, Richard published his tribute
to Sergeant Joyce Kilmer in the Turtle Lake Weekly. As we can clearly see,
Richard has grown more confident about sharing his poetry throughout this
novel.

Richard also became more confident and outspoken after he exchanged

letters with Mr. Kilmer. When he saw Hannah being discriminated, Richard
bravely defended Hannah. This is shown in the novel when Richard saw Hannah
crying in the hallway. Her book cover was sprawled with ‘Dirty Hun.’ Richard
told his classmates about Hannah’s misfortune. Instead of sympathising with
Hannah, they badmouthed her saying that Hannah is an enemy because she is a
German. Richard was brave when he told them that it was unpatriotic to
discriminate her. A few days later, Prairie Haus was vandalised. To show
sympathy and support for the Schermers, Mrs. Hansen brought a card for her
students to sign. However, only Richard signed it. Many students wanted to sign
the card but they were afraid of the bullies. Richard’s decision to sign the card
shows that he was brave despite the bullies’ threat. Richard also volunteered to
send the card to the Schermers even though he knew the risk. On his way to
Prairie Haus, he was approached by the bullies, Abner and Harry. They wanted
to stop him from sending the card because they were prejudice towards the
Schermers. Richard managed to subdue them. If Richard did not exchange
letters with Mr. Kilmer, he probably would never be brave enough to defend
Hannah.

In conclusion, Richard’s personal growth as shown in this novel is

important to me. Richard showed me that we need positive influence like
Mr. Kilmer to help us to grow into a better person. As a teenager, I need a
positive influence like Mr. Kilmer to inspire and encourage me to become a
more confident person.

Prepared by: Hafizuddin bin Yahaya, SMK Dato’ Syed Ahmad, Kedah