Cailey Mastrangelo: Love on the Rails- Kristina Tower
I very much enjoyed reading Kristina’s story. It was based off of the experience of a young girl who became a hobo. But in this case, the girl decided to take on the railroad lifestyle herself compared to some of the other children who were forced into leaving their homes. Kristina’s character was more of an independent girl, going out on her own and moving jungles quite often (sometimes because it just felt more safe that way). There was one man who started following her everywhere, which bothered her at first. But once she realized he was the only one always there for her, filling in that missing family gap, she began to love him. Unfortunately, one day when she jumped off one of the cars, the boy jumped following her and was too slow and crushed to his death. I really liked how Kristina’s story was from the point of view of someone who chose to become a teenage hobo. It also showed the dangers and how risky the lifestyle was for some of the kids. She was really able to get across the feel of how rough it could be living on the rails. Feeling alone, feeling unsafe at times, and how brutal circumstances could get (whether you hadn’t bathed for days or risked your life). They were portrayed really well through the girl and her story of choosing her way of life by leaving home to make changes in her life.
Such a confidence booster Cails!!!!! I enjoyed both Cailey and Edward's stories. The two stories were immensely different but both captured the essence of being a teenage hobo. Edward's story went in depth on the choices of one teenage boy and his sisters and the struggles they faced after their father's suicide. The two teens took to the rails because they understood that there was not enough money to support the whole family any longer. In the end the boy's sister falls off a train car while she is sleeping and dies. The last couple lines in the letter the boy insinuates that he will jump in front of the next train. His story captured that rough times the teenagers had during this period. Cailey's story was a puzzle of people on the rails that ended up being connected. The complicated relationships each had was fascinating and showed that teens went through romantic troubles even during the rough times of the Depression. The entirety of Cailey's story created a painfully interesting plot line and made a great story. Both of the stories truly portrayed what I believe a teenage hobo during the depression could have experienced.
No Goodbye, Hannah Davis - I loved the story! The ending really caught me by surprise. The story was full of details that allowed me to picture the actual situation. You were very descriptive, such as including dates, which made it more realistic. Also, I loved the fifth paragraph where you mention that you don't feel the "emptiness", yet later you find out that you actually have that emptiness when your family leaves. It's not predictable, which is hard to do and you pulled off!!
If I can offer constructive criticism, it'd be elaborate more on your stay in New York. It was fun to hear about how it was a live magazine full of ads, and I wanted the description to continue! Also, a minor detail, possibly mention that your character is male in the beginning. I expected some sort of relationship to form, but I didn't realize it was a guy. All in all it was really good and I enjoyed reading it.
Gram and Papa, Connor Melvin - Connor! This story was awesome. I like your method of writing a letter. I also really liked how you addressed it to your grandparents, which isn't typical and that makes it really unique. I enjoyed how you talk about your brief interaction with your dad while he wastes the family's money on cigarettes. It was also exciting to read that you just left the house with no remark. Finally, I liked how you said you may visit your grandparents, it wrapped the story up nicely.
Criticism- The first paragraph seems somewhat unrelated to me. I know it's the preset to the whole story, and it explains where you are now, but I think it could've been written a little differently. I say this because you mention how something "terrible" has happened, and now you're on the rails. But, later, you mention how you're on an adventure exploring the country... you don't seem too upset about it. Also, I would've liked to hear more about your interactions with the other guys on the train. I think if I were to write to my grandparents I'd assure them I'm with good company and i'm safe. But, all up, it was a fun read!
Edward’s story was told through a letter someone wrote about his experiences. Two siblings first fought with their father’s suicide, then with making the decision to leave to better the lives for their mother and the baby, and finally in finding work, which eventually they decided to head back home because they figured work might be better now and with their ages now more appropriate to be employed. On their ride back home, the sister fell off of the train and the brother watched the next train come that would run her over if she wasn’t already dead. He was so distraught that he wrote this letter at the station when he got off. He ended up laying himself on the tracks to take his own life rather than struggle through the pains of starvation. The story was cleverly connected with comments before and after the letter connecting the events and placing the letter in something other than the author’s point of view. That was my favorite part; reading the letter and then reading the end comments and being able to picture how the situation may have seemed to the other people witnessing or being part of this event.
I read both Nick Hotchkiss’ and Shelby K’s masterpieces and they portrayed Great Depression through tragedy, love, survival, success, and in both stories a trace of suspense. Shelby’s character went from train to train during the Great Depression just like Nick’s, and both characters displayed what it would be like to be a teenage hobo during those times. Both characters were kicked out of there homes by their fathers who lost their jobs and ended up living rail by rail trying to find food to survive. The motivation the character carries is a little different in Nick’s though because his character is trying to get to California, which is suppose to be this state with endless jobs and food. Shelby’s character does not seem to have any major goal in life other than to survive, not to thrive like Nick’s. Shelby’s story about “Slick Willy” tells the tragic side of the Depression as in the end - Spoiler Alert - Willy’s brother Rick and his girlfriend Susana die trying to get on a train. Will’s entire life shifts from surviving together to living alone. Nick’s ending is more of a survivalist’s taste. Within reach of his goal of getting into “Cali” after seeing the weak die from the dust storms Nick’s character and a few others end up at a train station where he has to run from the cops. The character ends his tale when he gets into a car to hitchhike the rest of the way there. Both of the endings sum up the Depression very well: Surviving Alone day by day doing whatever it takes to live another day. A lot of people made the homeless and jobless the lowest social class during the Great Depression and that was shown very well in Shelby and Nick’s stories. Great reads and fantastic endings paint a picture of the extreme and common cases that teenage hobos had to endure during the Depression based on lots of historically accurate events. I cannot wait for the sequels.
First of all I'd like to start off by saying great story and I am glad you took a different path of how to approach this. I thoroughly enjoyed reading something that showed a different perspective of life back during the Great Depression. It really helped me understand what others were going through at the same time like when Bubba was helping people sneak onto the train. He was doing this despite the fact that it could cost him his job which could turn him into a hobo like the people he was helping. I never really thought about what it would be like for the people working on the trains to see what was happening to the hobos. The most gripping moment in your story was by far when the girl was shot by the bull. I can't even imagine what that would be like for the main character especially for someone his age to see a girl get shot and killed just for trying to get on a train to survive.All around this was an excellent story and clearly well thought out on your end and I enjoyed reading it.
First, the picture Jack added really helped set the scene, so I think it was a good idea. When I first started reading Jack's story, I was confused by a couple of things. Mainly, I didn't know why the bulls would suddenly begin chasing three people who were asleep on a train in the middle of a blizzard. And I didn't understand why the two men would have a young boy with them that they had "picked up" two days earlier. But as I kept reading, it was hard to think about the confusing set-up because the story was so interesting. I was really impressed with how in-depth Jack went into his main character's mind when explaining what he did and why. I found myself watching the scene unfold in my head, and I could see the main character putting himself above the boy he didn't know. In order for the main character to justify leaving the boy to be caught, he belittled him in his head, calling him weak and useless in a heartless way. As sad as this idea is to read about, it's a very realistic interpretation of someone fighting for their own life. Also, the story goes on to end in tragedy, with the main character slipping on some snow and actually knocking his friend off of the train. While reading this part, I knew what was coming, but it still made you feel for the main character. And after, Jack's description of him feeling weightless and letting himself fall off the train only to land in a pile of snow while crying was so descriptive I was really surprised at how vividly I could picture this teenager furiously wiping the tears off of his face and looking down onto the city lights.
Oren did a really good job on this story. Although not a lot happened in the story action-wise, there was a lot of thinking and inner conflict going on with the main character, which was interesting to read. I think the spontaneity with which the main character left home is a realistic aspect of the Great Depression. Oren's story reminds you that sometimes in order to make hard decisions, you just have to make them and move on as quickly as possible, otherwise you'll dwell on it forever. In his story, Oren showed a main character deciding to take his future into his own hands since his parents could no longer support him. He explains that just about everyone is poor, and it's just not an option to be a weight on his parents' shoulders anymore. Oren describes the main character's thoughts as he realizes that his parents would only be able to buy enough food for two. He walks out of his house without a glance back. He jumps on a train before he can change his mind, and even though he is incredibly upset and lonely, he knows that it was the only option and that he had to do what he did. Oren's story did a good job of showing the inner conflict over the very difficult decision of staying and being a burden or starting one's own life that so many teenagers had to face during the Great Depression.
Gary, the way you set up the first scene was incredibly well done, I could really picture being bumped around in a train car with all their thoughts drowned out by the noises around them. From there you set up the stage of how he became a drifter and this too was masterfully put together. When the father was first introduced in this part I really felt the emotion behind it and how much the loss of his job affected the whole family. I did also like the fact of how close of a family you made them since you had the father not make the kid leave and clearly how much his leaving affected him as well. I have only one real criticism about this story and that is in the part when Tom is introduced. Tom, though you say that he is very similar to the main character and that they could be brothers, I never really felt any connection to him and you didn't go to in depth with a description of him. However other then that it was very well done the ending especially. When I was reading it I felt genuinely shocked and angry, shocked because I just didn't see this coming, I didn't think that Tom would just be murdered over his shoes. Then I felt angry at the bulls themselves just because of what they did, I think that shows how very well this was all written because it created such powerful emotions in the reader. Overall it was well written and was an interesting take on the story of a teenage hobo.
Connor- The letter format succeeds in drawing the reader into the story by introducing the setting and characters through the writer’s words and description, which he includes in his correspondence with his grandparents. The story's specific details are vivid and provide enough information to make the story seem accurate and true. I like the progression of the story as well; it consists of a smooth transition from background information to the action when the main character is riding on the roof of a fast moving train. I also like the title because it raises the reader’s interest to continue reading in order to discover the meaning of “Gram and Papa.” The first time I read your story I thought, "This has nothing to do with grandparents," and then I finished it and realized, “Wow, clever foreshadowing Connor." Overall your story is descriptive, intriguing, and well written. The only thing that puzzles me is whether the main character would actually walk out of his home permanently without saying goodbye to his mother. Even if the father is overbearing and frightening, it seems like the son would go upstairs to say goodbye to his mother. The conflict between the father and son is interesting and it would be good to have it even more dramatic where the father’s anger becomes part of the action. I would also enjoy learning more about the grandparents, but on the other hand, that might make the story too long, or be a distraction. In fact now that I think about it, I like the story length as it is. You concentrate on the central character and his struggles show a lot about the challenges of life during the depression.
Nick- The juxtaposition between wealth and poverty makes the conflict in your story interesting and true to life. The father’s decline and the son’s reaction to it provides the context of the son’s thinking. We see his perspective and understand where he is coming from. It almost feels like we are on the train with him as he travels across the country from Chicago to Nevada. We feel his disappointments and struggles. I particularly like the way you added the CCC at the end and how it was viewed as the “savior” but not to everyone, and so there was a mixed reaction to it. Your story teaches us about the depression and the challenges of living on the rails. I wish they had made it to California because it would have been interesting to read what happened there but it is more realistic that they have to return back to Chicago. I think it might have been helpful to have more details about their experience in Chicago but then again the story has a fast pace and so maybe adding details would slow the story down too much. I like the journal entry style because it allows time to pass without needing transitions. I liked the story and could feel the challenges that the main character faces.
I enjoyed your letter. I could totally hear an old man who had been a teenage hobo recounting the story in a soothing and conversational voice. The letter simply presents the Al's experience, yet it sheds light on the life-changing revelations that Al had during his railroad experience. Before Al became a hobo, he prejudiced against Jim because Jim was a hobo. However, it was Jim who saved Al's life when Al was hopping trains for the first time. Al then realized that Jim might have become a hobo for the same reason he did. After Jim saved Al's life, Al was able to let go of prejudice, truly connect with Jim, and travelled together with Jim. This section showed how the Great Depression affected a wide range of people, who were then united by the pain they shared. Great job in showing that! Another insight I gained from your story was the loss of security during the Great Depression. When Jim taught Al the new way he had to live his life, Al realized how little he knew about survival. The Great Depression took away people 's sense of security and sent them struggling for survival, which they did not have to think about before. I could vividly picture Jim's death. Watching a friend's death must have been an excruciating yet common experience for teenage hoboes. The ending surprised me because it didn't seem like Al had the option to go home as he was travelling and undergoing these pains.It was interesting how some people chose to ride just for fun while it was not romantic at all.
I LOVED the story! The story goes back and forth in time, which makes it engaging. The depiction of the effect that the Great Depression had on the protagonist's family was vivid and realistic. I could totally see the mother hiding the few remaining dollars in the house, as banks collapsed. The father's loss of pride and subsequent suicide epitomized how devastating the Great Depression was for American families. I liked how you told the story from the perspective of a freight train engineer. While the conflict between bulls and hoboes was going on, the engineer was an outsider and was able to see clearly how powerless hoboes were in the face of the bulls. My heart sank when the 13-year-old girl was shot by a bull while she was catching a train. Although you didn't depict characters' inner conflicts that much, the presentation of the story itself was extremely powerful. It clearly showed how the experience along the railroad affected teenagers psychologically. It was sad how people who had had fairly good lives before the Great Depression were struggling even to survive; bulls shot people who hopped trains, but those people had done nothing but to survive. There wasn't an alternative. After reading the story, I understood why you began your story by portraying an interaction with the protagonist's granddaughter. Because those experiences along the railroads were too traumatic, we who live in security and comfort can never come close to understand them. A loophole in the story though (don't get angry at me for pointing this out): if grandfather could get "me" a job, why didn't he get "my father" a job so that he wouldn't commit suicide?
I read Brad’s story, “The Ballad of Bert Miller”, and Nick H.’s story, “Riding the Iron Horse”. I enjoyed reading both of these. I liked how in his second paragraph, Brad showed an extreme of the Great Depression with the father committing suicide. Later on, I liked how Brad’s hobo character, Bert Miller, had many general experiences that a majority if not all hobos had during the Great Depression. This gave a brief but effective insight into the whole time period. In addition, I liked how Brad chose to present his story in a letter which was addressed to the Producers of “Riding the Rails.” However, I think that the introduction/beginning of this letter could have been a little bit stronger, maybe by condensing the first three paragraphs into one. Brad also mentioned his character enrolling in Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). He did a great job of concluding his letter by describing how this institution helped hobos and how it made them feel. Nick also did a great job of giving a general insight into the life of a hobo during the Great Depression. I liked how he described his hobo dealing with different environmental conditions including cold winter, wind and the Dust Bowl. I also liked how that at various points throughout his story, Nick focused on the hobos’ search for food and how they would do just about anything to get some. Especially in the beginning of his story, Nick did an awesome job of using sentences that portrayed the depressed, sad and helpless emotion of his hobo. Again, both Nick and Brad did a great job in depicting the life of a hobo- riding the rails while attempting to survive- during the Great Depression.
Heather’s story was extremely interesting to read, as it shed light on the 1930’s from the perspective of a Bull instead of a Hobo. The story reflects the emotions and thoughts of a Railroad bull in an effective way, making what the Bull sees real to the reader. Heather constructs a character who, despite pitying the hoboes for what they have, hardens his heart and does his job. This really reflects the era where everyone is just trying to survive, and there wasn't much room to help other people. Heather’s story also gives a small snippet of a night in the life of the Bull. Which gives the reader the raw details of what life was like for them, constantly patrolling around looking for hoboes to prey on. Heather conjures a tragic ending, by killing a new born baby by throwing under the train. This tragic scene conveys the sense that many accidents happen on the railroads (Although this accident might be a little too tragic…). But overall it was a great story which portrayed the life of a Bull.
The Day I Left Home – Oren Karp Oren’s story begins with a detailed description of the setting, which really brought to life his character and where he was, allowing the reader to really put themselves into the character’s shoes, staring into the chilly night. This really helped to set the mood as the character reflects on the day he left home. Oren cleverly eases the story into the character’s memory, instead of outright saying, “On the day I left home…”, in the Character’s recount Oren also carefully describes the scene and every action the character does, letting the reader envision themselves as the Hobo who is about to leave home. Oren clarifies the emotions the character is feeling, and focuses on small significant objects that hint at the character’s lifestyle and mental condition, such as the unused banjo and “twenty crumpled dollar bills and sixteen cents”. The banjo seems to be a symbol and a souvenir of his family, it is unknown if the Character actually plays the banjo. These examples really showed how tough the life of the character’s family was and how he clings onto his love for his family. I think the key part of the story is the ending, where Oren takes us back to the train where the hobo currently is and expresses the character’s longing for home as he weeps. But, when the Character looks up at the sky and is filled with hope, we feel happy for the character. Overall the story shows the reader the sad circumstances that forced a hobo to leave home, and the nostalgic feelings that the hobos feel throughout their “adventure”.
Hannah, No Good-bye: Dannah, I really liked the story. I thought it was interesting how the story played out, and I could really get a sense for what your character was like. I especially liked how your character felt so confident about having a place to go home to at the end of the day when the story started, but ended up getting a slap in the face when he/she finally returned home. You were really able to capture what I think was the feeling of the average hobo traveling the rails when you talked about the emptiness they felt. The only comment I would make is that while the story is really good, and I could get a sense of who the character was, I felt it could've been more personal. You manage to describe really well how your character feels, but there isn't a personal touch to the character. An example of how you could fix that would be to answer the question "What was the connection they had with their parents?" Otherwise, it was a great story!
Nick, Only Me: I really liked the format of your writing, Nick. The journal entry style was something I hadn't even thought of using in the assignment, but the connections between the entries and the overall story worked very well. I got slightly confused when I started reading though, because it doesn't seem like a journal entry at first. It seemed like you were writing down a conversation the character was having with someone, or a letter they were writing. The "you know?" is what made me think that, because it's something you'd say when talking specifically to someone. If I were you, I would turn the first part of your writing into an entry on its own, maybe with a date, possibly the day you left, or a week after you left. That would give the reader a perspective on where the story really starts. Otherwise, I think you really nailed the point of view, as well as the personality of your character.
Heather Downing, Two White Moons: Heather, I thought the character you chose for your story was very interesting. Where most other people wrote about hobos themselves, Heather wrote from the point of view of a person whose job was to find hobos and kick them off trains. This gave a very different point of view. You were able to see the hobos from the outside, not knowing what they were feeling, and, just like Heather's narrator, not particularly caring. This gave a rather depressing feel to the story, as it showed the hobos the way that everyone else saw them: disheveled, broken down kids who were trying to catch rides on trains. While the end confused me a little bit, the story was very powerful and a slightly different approach with a great outcome.
Jack Huang, Southern Lights: This story was very powerful. Jack did a great job of talking about his main character's current situation and talking about where he came from and why he was there. Although some of the details were fuzzy, the character's motives and his backstory were fairly clear as a whole. The action at the beginning seemed like a very realistic situation and it showed very well the dangers that could be found on the tracks. The story moved quickly at the beginning, but I thought that Jack did a great job of explaining where his character was, why and how he got there, where he's going next and why he's going there. Overall engaging and interesting.
Love on the Rails - Kristina Tower Kristina, your story did a very good job of showing the dramatic change from a normal life, to a life of lonely adventure that teenagers underwent during the Great Depression. Something I also really liked is that you showed that for many of the teenagers who were going out on the rails, the whole experience of being alone and system of hopping freight trains was something completely new and unknown and that seeing all of the kids quickly piling on and off of the freight trains would be a very odd sight to see for the first time. You also did a good job in showing the loneliness while riding the rails, and how everything around during those times became impersonal. As for what might make the story even better, I feel that since the title of the story is "Love on the Rails," if a larger portion of the story focussed on the relationship between the narrator and the man during their tough times riding the rails, it would cause the reader to feel for the characters more and also make the man's death at the end more significant.
Chasing Jean - Cailey Mastrangelo Cailey, the aspect I liked best about your story was the style it had with switching perspectives between the different characters, as it helped show the feelings between the characters that eventually led to the more tragic and bitter ending. The start of the story with Scott returning home and being unexpectedly kicked out, along with his angry feelings afterwards, gave a realistic representation of the kind of situations that teenagers had to experience when being kicked out of their homes during the Depression. Another aspect I also thought worked quite well was how it had each of the characters speaking from a different point in time, as it showed the progression of the story without constantly giving the perspective of all of the characters at every point. In terms of constructive criticism, the only thing I would mention is that the ending, where Jean decides to be with Donald, may have been even more substantial if the relationship between Scott and Donald as brothers was developed further in the beginning of the story.
Drifting-Gary Gary’s story was a great story that really showed the brutality of being a hobo. I really liked his title “Drifting” because it shows how the main character would be drifting into somewhere different; also he drifted away from his loved ones. I really liked the details you put in the first scene with the father. When Gary introduced the father and how he had just lost his job, I could feel how badly it affected the whole family, and I could imagine how much the family suffered throughout the depression. When Gary introduced Tom into the story, I couldn’t bond very well with him because there wasn’t much about him. However, I really liked the imagery at the end of the story as it showed how brutal these hobos were treated by the bulls. When I read the ending, I was sad that Tom died just because of his shoes. The imagery Gary showed throughout the story emphasized how tough the depression was, and how brutal the life of a hobo was. Overall, I really liked the story for the imagery and the reality of what it would’ve been like for a teenage hobo.
Letter from a Drifter- Craig Craig’s story was a good story to read as it showed the hardship of some teens trying to fit into the train life. I liked how he showed the risks living on the rails were, like showing how Al almost died when he first got on the train. The imagery of Al almost dying as he lost grip of the handles shows how dangerous it was to get on these trains. I really liked the description of Al almost slipping off his first train ride. It made the story more intense as I thought he was going to fall off. The idea of how dangerous trains were was clear and I really liked the description of Al seeing his friend Jim fall off the train. Even though it could’ve been more descriptive, I still though it was well written, and showed the dangers of riding the trains.
Earl Graham's Caught Between Two Worlds- Shelbie I loved how the story started off as a former teen hobo talking to his grandchildren about his life as a hobo during the Great Depression. It makes the story so much more interesting as it adds another twist into the story. I liked the language Shelbie used when Earl described about his job and his home life because it made the story more realistic to imagine. When Shelbie talked about how the main character had a job working in the trains, I was surprised at the angle she viewed hobos, but it was a very interesting view because it was different from some of the other stories I read. It helped show how hobos were treated by the bulls. I liked how in the story, Shelbie described how the bull didn’t show any type of emotion when he killed the girl, showing that people really didn’t care for these teenagers. Having the previous engineer being fired for helping a hobo also shows hatred people had towards the hobos. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story as the flashback made my view of the narrator different than if she had written it from a person back in the Great Depression.
The two stories that I read were like all others by Shelby Kuchta and the Ballad of Bert Miller by Brad. Shelby’s story is from the first person point of view and focuses on the personal experience of a teenager during the Great Depression. I find this story quite interesting for a few reasons. First of all I found that all the characters in the story were well described and each had unique characteristics. I felt that none of the characters were added as fillers or undeveloped additions, all of them added interesting flavor to the story. Through the style of writing and word choice Shelby’s story had an authentic feel as if the story was written by a teenage recounting their memories of his/her life during the Great Depression. Like all others shows how there were many teenagers who were on their own throughout the depression. During the story the main character comes to the conclusion that the only that in order to survive they cannot let others hold him/her back. Although the dialogue added an authentic feel there were times when I felt that it detracted from the authentic feel of the story, besides that it was a very interesting story and a great read! Brad’s Story the Ballad of Bert Miller just like Shelby’s was a very interesting story. Brad wrote story in the form of a letter written to the producers of “Riding the Rails” the movie about teenage hobos that we had to watch last week. Brad’s story begins on an intriguing yet sad moment as the father loses his job and is kills himself because he can no longer provide for his family. Although the Bert’s father is only briefly mentioned in the story Brad still provides development and depth for the character by telling the reader that he killed himself with his pistol he used during World War I, creating a story for Bert’s Father. Following the death of Bert’s father, Bert is forced out of his house and must learn to survive for himself. While the story describes in detail the hardships of the Depression it also shows how Bert was a young man at the time and still found hopping onto a moving freight train exciting. Brad also added historical facts such as the Bulls, the CCC and the New Deal, all of these historical references add an authentic feel to the story and I really enjoyed it. Although Shelby and Brad’s stories are different and tell a different experience they both do a great job in showing the difficulties of the Great Depression and the struggles that many teenagers had to endure during that time.
Baron’s approach to his historical fiction short story is different than any that I have read yet. He focused on the emotional challenges that his main character has to endure, like the struggles of leaving his family, which I enjoyed. Now, he has to find his own food, which could prove to be unpredictable, but he has the hope of traveling to California. This man that Baron presented enough background information about his family: David, Rose, and Sarah so that the reader knew that he thought about them and their well-being. His story also represents a smaller percentage of hobos during the Great Depression, who left for the adventure. It is apparent that his character loves being independent and making his own decisions. Baron discusses the struggles of this young sixteen-year-old boy (at least I think the main character is male, but I do not know). When I started to read Baron’s story, I quickly realized that although he described the events happening in his main character’s life and the struggles that he needed to overcome, he was looking back on the 10 weeks in one diary journal instead of one entry a day, which could have lead to more insight into the character. His first encounter with Jack gave him a wider perspective on the troubling times of the Depression. Many kids around Jack’s age were kicked out to support the family, but they were still young and one mistake could be deadly. The main character’s and Jack’s experiences before they left to ride the rails were extremely different, but I enjoyed the way you wrote about the ways a person could become a hobo. In some areas though, you got caught up in the small details that may not be entirely true. For example, what are the chances that he would have been able to sell his jacket for $65? This was a large sum of money back then and I doubt a rich man would have bought a coat from a hobo, no matter its quality. I also don’t think that when he left home, he was not all that concerned about his exams or homework. Families had to pay for school, so they were most likely better off if their children were attending school. Besides these things, I really enjoyed reading your story. Because of the emotional toll this time played on the writer, I felt as if I was a part of the story. In this case, this is something I probably didn’t want to envision, but you brought it to life for me.
Craig Waldie: A Letter from a Drifter
Craig I really commend you for creating a vivid description of your story in my head. It was easy to understand by informing me of the truths of being a hobo during the Great Depression. When you explained that it was Al’s idea to leave home and ride the rails, I thought this was a very mature decision. It showed that although he was only fifteen years of age, he was not afraid to risk his own life so that his sister would have more opportunities and a better chance at survival. You brought up a good point, when Jim, a fellow hobo saved Al’s life on his very first train ride. Prior to this experience, Al did not have much respect for people like Jim because they were bums. This changed when Al became a bum himself. Once Jim saved Al’s life, you portrayed the strong camaraderie that was created because many were in the same position. Essentially, Jim showed Al how to survive no matter the conditions. Through all of this, Al realized that it necessarily wasn’t the person’s fault for being a hobo. Life and the Great Depression just got in the way. With the help of Jim, Al was able to grow. When Jim died from being run over by a train, you made it clear that hobo life, even life in general could be unpredictable. Everything has some chance of risk and it just happened to be Jim’s unlucky day. I enjoyed reading your story and the life lessons that you gave throughout it.
Cailey Mastrangelo: Love on the Rails- Kristina Tower
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed reading Kristina’s story. It was based off of the experience of a young girl who became a hobo. But in this case, the girl decided to take on the railroad lifestyle herself compared to some of the other children who were forced into leaving their homes. Kristina’s character was more of an independent girl, going out on her own and moving jungles quite often (sometimes because it just felt more safe that way). There was one man who started following her everywhere, which bothered her at first. But once she realized he was the only one always there for her, filling in that missing family gap, she began to love him. Unfortunately, one day when she jumped off one of the cars, the boy jumped following her and was too slow and crushed to his death. I really liked how Kristina’s story was from the point of view of someone who chose to become a teenage hobo. It also showed the dangers and how risky the lifestyle was for some of the kids. She was really able to get across the feel of how rough it could be living on the rails. Feeling alone, feeling unsafe at times, and how brutal circumstances could get (whether you hadn’t bathed for days or risked your life). They were portrayed really well through the girl and her story of choosing her way of life by leaving home to make changes in her life.
Such a confidence booster Cails!!!!! I enjoyed both Cailey and Edward's stories. The two stories were immensely different but both captured the essence of being a teenage hobo. Edward's story went in depth on the choices of one teenage boy and his sisters and the struggles they faced after their father's suicide. The two teens took to the rails because they understood that there was not enough money to support the whole family any longer. In the end the boy's sister falls off a train car while she is sleeping and dies. The last couple lines in the letter the boy insinuates that he will jump in front of the next train. His story captured that rough times the teenagers had during this period. Cailey's story was a puzzle of people on the rails that ended up being connected. The complicated relationships each had was fascinating and showed that teens went through romantic troubles even during the rough times of the Depression. The entirety of Cailey's story created a painfully interesting plot line and made a great story. Both of the stories truly portrayed what I believe a teenage hobo during the depression could have experienced.
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ReplyDeleteNo Goodbye, Hannah Davis - I loved the story! The ending really caught me by surprise. The story was full of details that allowed me to picture the actual situation. You were very descriptive, such as including dates, which made it more realistic. Also, I loved the fifth paragraph where you mention that you don't feel the "emptiness", yet later you find out that you actually have that emptiness when your family leaves. It's not predictable, which is hard to do and you pulled off!!
ReplyDeleteIf I can offer constructive criticism, it'd be elaborate more on your stay in New York. It was fun to hear about how it was a live magazine full of ads, and I wanted the description to continue! Also, a minor detail, possibly mention that your character is male in the beginning. I expected some sort of relationship to form, but I didn't realize it was a guy. All in all it was really good and I enjoyed reading it.
Gram and Papa, Connor Melvin - Connor! This story was awesome. I like your method of writing a letter. I also really liked how you addressed it to your grandparents, which isn't typical and that makes it really unique. I enjoyed how you talk about your brief interaction with your dad while he wastes the family's money on cigarettes. It was also exciting to read that you just left the house with no remark. Finally, I liked how you said you may visit your grandparents, it wrapped the story up nicely.
ReplyDeleteCriticism- The first paragraph seems somewhat unrelated to me. I know it's the preset to the whole story, and it explains where you are now, but I think it could've been written a little differently. I say this because you mention how something "terrible" has happened, and now you're on the rails. But, later, you mention how you're on an adventure exploring the country... you don't seem too upset about it. Also, I would've liked to hear more about your interactions with the other guys on the train. I think if I were to write to my grandparents I'd assure them I'm with good company and i'm safe. But, all up, it was a fun read!
Cailey Mastrangelo: The Last Train- Edward Hacala
ReplyDeleteEdward’s story was told through a letter someone wrote about his experiences. Two siblings first fought with their father’s suicide, then with making the decision to leave to better the lives for their mother and the baby, and finally in finding work, which eventually they decided to head back home because they figured work might be better now and with their ages now more appropriate to be employed. On their ride back home, the sister fell off of the train and the brother watched the next train come that would run her over if she wasn’t already dead. He was so distraught that he wrote this letter at the station when he got off. He ended up laying himself on the tracks to take his own life rather than struggle through the pains of starvation. The story was cleverly connected with comments before and after the letter connecting the events and placing the letter in something other than the author’s point of view. That was my favorite part; reading the letter and then reading the end comments and being able to picture how the situation may have seemed to the other people witnessing or being part of this event.
I read both Nick Hotchkiss’ and Shelby K’s masterpieces and they portrayed Great Depression through tragedy, love, survival, success, and in both stories a trace of suspense. Shelby’s character went from train to train during the Great Depression just like Nick’s, and both characters displayed what it would be like to be a teenage hobo during those times. Both characters were kicked out of there homes by their fathers who lost their jobs and ended up living rail by rail trying to find food to survive. The motivation the character carries is a little different in Nick’s though because his character is trying to get to California, which is suppose to be this state with endless jobs and food. Shelby’s character does not seem to have any major goal in life other than to survive, not to thrive like Nick’s. Shelby’s story about “Slick Willy” tells the tragic side of the Depression as in the end - Spoiler Alert - Willy’s brother Rick and his girlfriend Susana die trying to get on a train. Will’s entire life shifts from surviving together to living alone. Nick’s ending is more of a survivalist’s taste. Within reach of his goal of getting into “Cali” after seeing the weak die from the dust storms Nick’s character and a few others end up at a train station where he has to run from the cops. The character ends his tale when he gets into a car to hitchhike the rest of the way there. Both of the endings sum up the Depression very well: Surviving Alone day by day doing whatever it takes to live another day. A lot of people made the homeless and jobless the lowest social class during the Great Depression and that was shown very well in Shelby and Nick’s stories. Great reads and fantastic endings paint a picture of the extreme and common cases that teenage hobos had to endure during the Depression based on lots of historically accurate events. I cannot wait for the sequels.
ReplyDeleteShelbie McCormack- Caught Between Two Worlds
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I'd like to start off by saying great story and I am glad you took a different path of how to approach this. I thoroughly enjoyed reading something that showed a different perspective of life back during the Great Depression. It really helped me understand what others were going through at the same time like when Bubba was helping people sneak onto the train. He was doing this despite the fact that it could cost him his job which could turn him into a hobo like the people he was helping. I never really thought about what it would be like for the people working on the trains to see what was happening to the hobos. The most gripping moment in your story was by far when the girl was shot by the bull. I can't even imagine what that would be like for the main character especially for someone his age to see a girl get shot and killed just for trying to get on a train to survive.All around this was an excellent story and clearly well thought out on your end and I enjoyed reading it.
Southern Lights by Jack Huang
ReplyDeleteFirst, the picture Jack added really helped set the scene, so I think it was a good idea. When I first started reading Jack's story, I was confused by a couple of things. Mainly, I didn't know why the bulls would suddenly begin chasing three people who were asleep on a train in the middle of a blizzard. And I didn't understand why the two men would have a young boy with them that they had "picked up" two days earlier. But as I kept reading, it was hard to think about the confusing set-up because the story was so interesting. I was really impressed with how in-depth Jack went into his main character's mind when explaining what he did and why. I found myself watching the scene unfold in my head, and I could see the main character putting himself above the boy he didn't know. In order for the main character to justify leaving the boy to be caught, he belittled him in his head, calling him weak and useless in a heartless way. As sad as this idea is to read about, it's a very realistic interpretation of someone fighting for their own life. Also, the story goes on to end in tragedy, with the main character slipping on some snow and actually knocking his friend off of the train. While reading this part, I knew what was coming, but it still made you feel for the main character. And after, Jack's description of him feeling weightless and letting himself fall off the train only to land in a pile of snow while crying was so descriptive I was really surprised at how vividly I could picture this teenager furiously wiping the tears off of his face and looking down onto the city lights.
The Day I Left Home by Oren Karp
ReplyDeleteOren did a really good job on this story. Although not a lot happened in the story action-wise, there was a lot of thinking and inner conflict going on with the main character, which was interesting to read. I think the spontaneity with which the main character left home is a realistic aspect of the Great Depression. Oren's story reminds you that sometimes in order to make hard decisions, you just have to make them and move on as quickly as possible, otherwise you'll dwell on it forever. In his story, Oren showed a main character deciding to take his future into his own hands since his parents could no longer support him. He explains that just about everyone is poor, and it's just not an option to be a weight on his parents' shoulders anymore. Oren describes the main character's thoughts as he realizes that his parents would only be able to buy enough food for two. He walks out of his house without a glance back. He jumps on a train before he can change his mind, and even though he is incredibly upset and lonely, he knows that it was the only option and that he had to do what he did. Oren's story did a good job of showing the inner conflict over the very difficult decision of staying and being a burden or starting one's own life that so many teenagers had to face during the Great Depression.
Gary Lai-Drifter
ReplyDeleteGary, the way you set up the first scene was incredibly well done, I could really picture being bumped around in a train car with all their thoughts drowned out by the noises around them. From there you set up the stage of how he became a drifter and this too was masterfully put together. When the father was first introduced in this part I really felt the emotion behind it and how much the loss of his job affected the whole family. I did also like the fact of how close of a family you made them since you had the father not make the kid leave and clearly how much his leaving affected him as well. I have only one real criticism about this story and that is in the part when Tom is introduced. Tom, though you say that he is very similar to the main character and that they could be brothers, I never really felt any connection to him and you didn't go to in depth with a description of him. However other then that it was very well done the ending especially. When I was reading it I felt genuinely shocked and angry, shocked because I just didn't see this coming, I didn't think that Tom would just be murdered over his shoes. Then I felt angry at the bulls themselves just because of what they did, I think that shows how very well this was all written because it created such powerful emotions in the reader. Overall it was well written and was an interesting take on the story of a teenage hobo.
Connor- The letter format succeeds in drawing the reader into the story by introducing the setting and characters through the writer’s words and description, which he includes in his correspondence with his grandparents. The story's specific details are vivid and provide enough information to make the story seem accurate and true. I like the progression of the story as well; it consists of a smooth transition from background information to the action when the main character is riding on the roof of a fast moving train. I also like the title because it raises the reader’s interest to continue reading in order to discover the meaning of “Gram and Papa.” The first time I read your story I thought, "This has nothing to do with grandparents," and then I finished it and realized, “Wow, clever foreshadowing Connor." Overall your story is descriptive, intriguing, and well written. The only thing that puzzles me is whether the main character would actually walk out of his home permanently without saying goodbye to his mother. Even if the father is overbearing and frightening, it seems like the son would go upstairs to say goodbye to his mother. The conflict between the father and son is interesting and it would be good to have it even more dramatic where the father’s anger becomes part of the action. I would also enjoy learning more about the grandparents, but on the other hand, that might make the story too long, or be a distraction. In fact now that I think about it, I like the story length as it is. You concentrate on the central character and his struggles show a lot about the challenges of life during the depression.
ReplyDeleteNick- The juxtaposition between wealth and poverty makes the conflict in your story interesting and true to life. The father’s decline and the son’s reaction to it provides the context of the son’s thinking. We see his perspective and understand where he is coming from. It almost feels like we are on the train with him as he travels across the country from Chicago to Nevada. We feel his disappointments and struggles. I particularly like the way you added the CCC at the end and how it was viewed as the “savior” but not to everyone, and so there was a mixed reaction to it. Your story teaches us about the depression and the challenges of living on the rails. I wish they had made it to California because it would have been interesting to read what happened there but it is more realistic that they have to return back to Chicago. I think it might have been helpful to have more details about their experience in Chicago but then again the story has a fast pace and so maybe adding details would slow the story down too much. I like the journal entry style because it allows time to pass without needing transitions. I liked the story and could feel the challenges that the main character faces.
Craig,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your letter. I could totally hear an old man who had been a teenage hobo recounting the story in a soothing and conversational voice. The letter simply presents the Al's experience, yet it sheds light on the life-changing revelations that Al had during his railroad experience.
Before Al became a hobo, he prejudiced against Jim because Jim was a hobo. However, it was Jim who saved Al's life when Al was hopping trains for the first time. Al then realized that Jim might have become a hobo for the same reason he did. After Jim saved Al's life, Al was able to let go of prejudice, truly connect with Jim, and travelled together with Jim. This section showed how the Great Depression affected a wide range of people, who were then united by the pain they shared. Great job in showing that!
Another insight I gained from your story was the loss of security during the Great Depression. When Jim taught Al the new way he had to live his life, Al realized how little he knew about survival. The Great Depression took away people 's sense of security and sent them struggling for survival, which they did not have to think about before. I could vividly picture Jim's death. Watching a friend's death must have been an excruciating yet common experience for teenage hoboes. The ending surprised me because it didn't seem like Al had the option to go home as he was travelling and undergoing these pains.It was interesting how some people chose to ride just for fun while it was not romantic at all.
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Shelbie,
I LOVED the story! The story goes back and forth in time, which makes it engaging. The depiction of the effect that the Great Depression had on the protagonist's family was vivid and realistic. I could totally see the mother hiding the few remaining dollars in the house, as banks collapsed. The father's loss of pride and subsequent suicide epitomized how devastating the Great Depression was for American families.
I liked how you told the story from the perspective of a freight train engineer. While the conflict between bulls and hoboes was going on, the engineer was an outsider and was able to see clearly how powerless hoboes were in the face of the bulls. My heart sank when the 13-year-old girl was shot by a bull while she was catching a train. Although you didn't depict characters' inner conflicts that much, the presentation of the story itself was extremely powerful.
It clearly showed how the experience along the railroad affected teenagers psychologically. It was sad how people who had had fairly good lives before the Great Depression were struggling even to survive; bulls shot people who hopped trains, but those people had done nothing but to survive. There wasn't an alternative.
After reading the story, I understood why you began your story by portraying an interaction with the protagonist's granddaughter. Because those experiences along the railroads were too traumatic, we who live in security and comfort can never come close to understand them.
A loophole in the story though (don't get angry at me for pointing this out): if grandfather could get "me" a job, why didn't he get "my father" a job so that he wouldn't commit suicide?
I read Brad’s story, “The Ballad of Bert Miller”, and Nick H.’s story, “Riding the Iron Horse”. I enjoyed reading both of these. I liked how in his second paragraph, Brad showed an extreme of the Great Depression with the father committing suicide. Later on, I liked how Brad’s hobo character, Bert Miller, had many general experiences that a majority if not all hobos had during the Great Depression. This gave a brief but effective insight into the whole time period. In addition, I liked how Brad chose to present his story in a letter which was addressed to the Producers of “Riding the Rails.” However, I think that the introduction/beginning of this letter could have been a little bit stronger, maybe by condensing the first three paragraphs into one. Brad also mentioned his character enrolling in Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). He did a great job of concluding his letter by describing how this institution helped hobos and how it made them feel. Nick also did a great job of giving a general insight into the life of a hobo during the Great Depression. I liked how he described his hobo dealing with different environmental conditions including cold winter, wind and the Dust Bowl. I also liked how that at various points throughout his story, Nick focused on the hobos’ search for food and how they would do just about anything to get some. Especially in the beginning of his story, Nick did an awesome job of using sentences that portrayed the depressed, sad and helpless emotion of his hobo. Again, both Nick and Brad did a great job in depicting the life of a hobo- riding the rails while attempting to survive- during the Great Depression.
ReplyDeleteTwo White Moons – By Heather Downing
ReplyDeleteHeather’s story was extremely interesting to read, as it shed light on the 1930’s from the perspective of a Bull instead of a Hobo. The story reflects the emotions and thoughts of a Railroad bull in an effective way, making what the Bull sees real to the reader. Heather constructs a character who, despite pitying the hoboes for what they have, hardens his heart and does his job. This really reflects the era where everyone is just trying to survive, and there wasn't much room to help other people.
Heather’s story also gives a small snippet of a night in the life of the Bull. Which gives the reader the raw details of what life was like for them, constantly patrolling around looking for hoboes to prey on. Heather conjures a tragic ending, by killing a new born baby by throwing under the train. This tragic scene conveys the sense that many accidents happen on the railroads (Although this accident might be a little too tragic…). But overall it was a great story which portrayed the life of a Bull.
The Day I Left Home – Oren Karp
ReplyDeleteOren’s story begins with a detailed description of the setting, which really brought to life his character and where he was, allowing the reader to really put themselves into the character’s shoes, staring into the chilly night. This really helped to set the mood as the character reflects on the day he left home.
Oren cleverly eases the story into the character’s memory, instead of outright saying, “On the day I left home…”, in the Character’s recount Oren also carefully describes the scene and every action the character does, letting the reader envision themselves as the Hobo who is about to leave home. Oren clarifies the emotions the character is feeling, and focuses on small significant objects that hint at the character’s lifestyle and mental condition, such as the unused banjo and “twenty crumpled dollar bills and sixteen cents”. The banjo seems to be a symbol and a souvenir of his family, it is unknown if the Character actually plays the banjo. These examples really showed how tough the life of the character’s family was and how he clings onto his love for his family.
I think the key part of the story is the ending, where Oren takes us back to the train where the hobo currently is and expresses the character’s longing for home as he weeps. But, when the Character looks up at the sky and is filled with hope, we feel happy for the character.
Overall the story shows the reader the sad circumstances that forced a hobo to leave home, and the nostalgic feelings that the hobos feel throughout their “adventure”.
Hannah, No Good-bye: Dannah, I really liked the story. I thought it was interesting how the story played out, and I could really get a sense for what your character was like. I especially liked how your character felt so confident about having a place to go home to at the end of the day when the story started, but ended up getting a slap in the face when he/she finally returned home. You were really able to capture what I think was the feeling of the average hobo traveling the rails when you talked about the emptiness they felt. The only comment I would make is that while the story is really good, and I could get a sense of who the character was, I felt it could've been more personal. You manage to describe really well how your character feels, but there isn't a personal touch to the character. An example of how you could fix that would be to answer the question "What was the connection they had with their parents?" Otherwise, it was a great story!
ReplyDeleteNick, Only Me: I really liked the format of your writing, Nick. The journal entry style was something I hadn't even thought of using in the assignment, but the connections between the entries and the overall story worked very well. I got slightly confused when I started reading though, because it doesn't seem like a journal entry at first. It seemed like you were writing down a conversation the character was having with someone, or a letter they were writing. The "you know?" is what made me think that, because it's something you'd say when talking specifically to someone. If I were you, I would turn the first part of your writing into an entry on its own, maybe with a date, possibly the day you left, or a week after you left. That would give the reader a perspective on where the story really starts. Otherwise, I think you really nailed the point of view, as well as the personality of your character.
Heather Downing, Two White Moons: Heather, I thought the character you chose for your story was very interesting. Where most other people wrote about hobos themselves, Heather wrote from the point of view of a person whose job was to find hobos and kick them off trains. This gave a very different point of view. You were able to see the hobos from the outside, not knowing what they were feeling, and, just like Heather's narrator, not particularly caring. This gave a rather depressing feel to the story, as it showed the hobos the way that everyone else saw them: disheveled, broken down kids who were trying to catch rides on trains. While the end confused me a little bit, the story was very powerful and a slightly different approach with a great outcome.
ReplyDeleteJack Huang, Southern Lights: This story was very powerful. Jack did a great job of talking about his main character's current situation and talking about where he came from and why he was there. Although some of the details were fuzzy, the character's motives and his backstory were fairly clear as a whole. The action at the beginning seemed like a very realistic situation and it showed very well the dangers that could be found on the tracks. The story moved quickly at the beginning, but I thought that Jack did a great job of explaining where his character was, why and how he got there, where he's going next and why he's going there. Overall engaging and interesting.
Love on the Rails - Kristina Tower
ReplyDeleteKristina, your story did a very good job of showing the dramatic change from a normal life, to a life of lonely adventure that teenagers underwent during the Great Depression. Something I also really liked is that you showed that for many of the teenagers who were going out on the rails, the whole experience of being alone and system of hopping freight trains was something completely new and unknown and that seeing all of the kids quickly piling on and off of the freight trains would be a very odd sight to see for the first time. You also did a good job in showing the loneliness while riding the rails, and how everything around during those times became impersonal. As for what might make the story even better, I feel that since the title of the story is "Love on the Rails," if a larger portion of the story focussed on the relationship between the narrator and the man during their tough times riding the rails, it would cause the reader to feel for the characters more and also make the man's death at the end more significant.
Chasing Jean - Cailey Mastrangelo
Cailey, the aspect I liked best about your story was the style it had with switching perspectives between the different characters, as it helped show the feelings between the characters that eventually led to the more tragic and bitter ending. The start of the story with Scott returning home and being unexpectedly kicked out, along with his angry feelings afterwards, gave a realistic representation of the kind of situations that teenagers had to experience when being kicked out of their homes during the Depression. Another aspect I also thought worked quite well was how it had each of the characters speaking from a different point in time, as it showed the progression of the story without constantly giving the perspective of all of the characters at every point. In terms of constructive criticism, the only thing I would mention is that the ending, where Jean decides to be with Donald, may have been even more substantial if the relationship between Scott and Donald as brothers was developed further in the beginning of the story.
Drifting-Gary
ReplyDeleteGary’s story was a great story that really showed the brutality of being a hobo. I really liked his title “Drifting” because it shows how the main character would be drifting into somewhere different; also he drifted away from his loved ones. I really liked the details you put in the first scene with the father. When Gary introduced the father and how he had just lost his job, I could feel how badly it affected the whole family, and I could imagine how much the family suffered throughout the depression. When Gary introduced Tom into the story, I couldn’t bond very well with him because there wasn’t much about him. However, I really liked the imagery at the end of the story as it showed how brutal these hobos were treated by the bulls. When I read the ending, I was sad that Tom died just because of his shoes. The imagery Gary showed throughout the story emphasized how tough the depression was, and how brutal the life of a hobo was. Overall, I really liked the story for the imagery and the reality of what it would’ve been like for a teenage hobo.
Letter from a Drifter- Craig
Craig’s story was a good story to read as it showed the hardship of some teens trying to fit into the train life. I liked how he showed the risks living on the rails were, like showing how Al almost died when he first got on the train. The imagery of Al almost dying as he lost grip of the handles shows how dangerous it was to get on these trains. I really liked the description of Al almost slipping off his first train ride. It made the story more intense as I thought he was going to fall off. The idea of how dangerous trains were was clear and I really liked the description of Al seeing his friend Jim fall off the train. Even though it could’ve been more descriptive, I still though it was well written, and showed the dangers of riding the trains.
Earl Graham's Caught Between Two Worlds- Shelbie
I loved how the story started off as a former teen hobo talking to his grandchildren about his life as a hobo during the Great Depression. It makes the story so much more interesting as it adds another twist into the story. I liked the language Shelbie used when Earl described about his job and his home life because it made the story more realistic to imagine. When Shelbie talked about how the main character had a job working in the trains, I was surprised at the angle she viewed hobos, but it was a very interesting view because it was different from some of the other stories I read. It helped show how hobos were treated by the bulls. I liked how in the story, Shelbie described how the bull didn’t show any type of emotion when he killed the girl, showing that people really didn’t care for these teenagers. Having the previous engineer being fired for helping a hobo also shows hatred people had towards the hobos. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story as the flashback made my view of the narrator different than if she had written it from a person back in the Great Depression.
The two stories that I read were like all others by Shelby Kuchta and the Ballad of Bert Miller by Brad. Shelby’s story is from the first person point of view and focuses on the personal experience of a teenager during the Great Depression. I find this story quite interesting for a few reasons. First of all I found that all the characters in the story were well described and each had unique characteristics. I felt that none of the characters were added as fillers or undeveloped additions, all of them added interesting flavor to the story. Through the style of writing and word choice Shelby’s story had an authentic feel as if the story was written by a teenage recounting their memories of his/her life during the Great Depression. Like all others shows how there were many teenagers who were on their own throughout the depression. During the story the main character comes to the conclusion that the only that in order to survive they cannot let others hold him/her back. Although the dialogue added an authentic feel there were times when I felt that it detracted from the authentic feel of the story, besides that it was a very interesting story and a great read!
ReplyDeleteBrad’s Story the Ballad of Bert Miller just like Shelby’s was a very interesting story. Brad wrote story in the form of a letter written to the producers of “Riding the Rails” the movie about teenage hobos that we had to watch last week. Brad’s story begins on an intriguing yet sad moment as the father loses his job and is kills himself because he can no longer provide for his family. Although the Bert’s father is only briefly mentioned in the story Brad still provides development and depth for the character by telling the reader that he killed himself with his pistol he used during World War I, creating a story for Bert’s Father. Following the death of Bert’s father, Bert is forced out of his house and must learn to survive for himself. While the story describes in detail the hardships of the Depression it also shows how Bert was a young man at the time and still found hopping onto a moving freight train exciting. Brad also added historical facts such as the Bulls, the CCC and the New Deal, all of these historical references add an authentic feel to the story and I really enjoyed it. Although Shelby and Brad’s stories are different and tell a different experience they both do a great job in showing the difficulties of the Great Depression and the struggles that many teenagers had to endure during that time.
Baron Lee: March 15 1935
ReplyDeleteBaron’s approach to his historical fiction short story is different than any that I have read yet. He focused on the emotional challenges that his main character has to endure, like the struggles of leaving his family, which I enjoyed. Now, he has to find his own food, which could prove to be unpredictable, but he has the hope of traveling to California. This man that Baron presented enough background information about his family: David, Rose, and Sarah so that the reader knew that he thought about them and their well-being. His story also represents a smaller percentage of hobos during the Great Depression, who left for the adventure. It is apparent that his character loves being independent and making his own decisions. Baron discusses the struggles of this young sixteen-year-old boy (at least I think the main character is male, but I do not know). When I started to read Baron’s story, I quickly realized that although he described the events happening in his main character’s life and the struggles that he needed to overcome, he was looking back on the 10 weeks in one diary journal instead of one entry a day, which could have lead to more insight into the character. His first encounter with Jack gave him a wider perspective on the troubling times of the Depression. Many kids around Jack’s age were kicked out to support the family, but they were still young and one mistake could be deadly. The main character’s and Jack’s experiences before they left to ride the rails were extremely different, but I enjoyed the way you wrote about the ways a person could become a hobo. In some areas though, you got caught up in the small details that may not be entirely true. For example, what are the chances that he would have been able to sell his jacket for $65? This was a large sum of money back then and I doubt a rich man would have bought a coat from a hobo, no matter its quality. I also don’t think that when he left home, he was not all that concerned about his exams or homework. Families had to pay for school, so they were most likely better off if their children were attending school. Besides these things, I really enjoyed reading your story. Because of the emotional toll this time played on the writer, I felt as if I was a part of the story. In this case, this is something I probably didn’t want to envision, but you brought it to life for me.
Craig Waldie: A Letter from a Drifter
Craig I really commend you for creating a vivid description of your story in my head. It was easy to understand by informing me of the truths of being a hobo during the Great Depression. When you explained that it was Al’s idea to leave home and ride the rails, I thought this was a very mature decision. It showed that although he was only fifteen years of age, he was not afraid to risk his own life so that his sister would have more opportunities and a better chance at survival. You brought up a good point, when Jim, a fellow hobo saved Al’s life on his very first train ride. Prior to this experience, Al did not have much respect for people like Jim because they were bums. This changed when Al became a bum himself. Once Jim saved Al’s life, you portrayed the strong camaraderie that was created because many were in the same position. Essentially, Jim showed Al how to survive no matter the conditions. Through all of this, Al realized that it necessarily wasn’t the person’s fault for being a hobo. Life and the Great Depression just got in the way. With the help of Jim, Al was able to grow. When Jim died from being run over by a train, you made it clear that hobo life, even life in general could be unpredictable. Everything has some chance of risk and it just happened to be Jim’s unlucky day. I enjoyed reading your story and the life lessons that you gave throughout it.