Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Analysis of October Sky
Introduction of october sky
Introduction of october sky
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Analysis of October Sky
In the novel, October Sky, it is a story about a boy who has a dream to make rockets and not just be a coal miner. After graduating high school, the boys of Coalwood would normally go into the career of coal mining or be lucky enough to get a football scholarship. Sonny had no interest in coal mining and was not athletic; both of those choices were out of the picture for him. He is the son of Homer, a coal miner, and Elsie Hickam. He also has an older brother named Jim who was an amazing football player. Sonny and his five friends wanted to be something other than coal miners. They formed a group called the Big Creek Missile Agency aka the BCMA. The six of them worked very hard to learn calculus, test different types of fuels, and get a textbook about rockets for the school, to make the best rocket. Sonny was a product of the setting he made, he broke free from the Coalwood setting, and he was successful doing it.
Sonny created his own setting. He found interest in rockets when Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite was launched from Russia. Even though Sonny wanted to purs...
What date divides Sonny’s life into two distinct phases? Why? *Why do you think this event has such an impact on him? October 5 1957 The day before Sputnik, and the day after Sputnik. If Sputnik had never it happen Homer Jr probably would have never got into Rockets. Page 16
During the late 1950’s the space race began. This was a race to see who could achieve the most space firsts, between the USA and Russia. Sonny, O’Dell, Sherman, Roy Lee and Quentin live in Coalwood, West Virginia.The space race inspired these boys, who decide to call themselves the Rocket Boys, to make their own rockets. The BCMA (Big Creek Missile Agency) was born when Sonny called a meeting with his friends in his room and discussed how he wanted to build rockets. With the help from the a man at the town’s machine shop, Mr.Bykovski, the BCMA built its first rocket, called Auk I. The rocket was named after an extinct bird that was unable to fly. Auk I was equipped with a wooden bullet shaped nose cone, an aluminum tubing body, fins, and a soldered washer at the bottom. The boys mixed together black powder and postage stamp glue to act as fuel for their rocket. The rocket flew up 6ft, and then fell back down. The rocket boys later found out that the reason their rocket stopped flying was because the solder melted. The BCMA was happy with the result from the rocket, because it was their first ever rocket to fly.
In the novel, October Sky by Homer Hickam, Sonny’s parents have two different views on what Sonny should be when he is older, his dad, Homer Hickam Sr., says a coal miner, but his mom, Elsie Hickam, says he can be anything he wants. Although Sonny’s dad wants him to be a coal miner, Sonny wants to build rockets and him mom understands that, so therefore his mom understands Sonny better than his father. Sonny lives in a coal mining town and most men or boys who live in the town are or are going to become coal miners. It is a tradition in their society. If their father is a coal miner, the boys in the family become coal miners. But, Sonny doesn’t want to become a coal miner. Sputnik inspired him to build rockets. His mother believes that Sonny should be able to be whatever he wants, no matter what his father does.
In Night, by Elie Wiesel, a rather prevalent theme of the novel is the idea of silence in place of justice. This is exhibited numerous times throughout the book, usually following a tragic incident where, in a modern society would be answered by punishment of the wrongdoer, but is instead answered by nothing.
Homer Hickam was a teenage boy from a mining town in West Virginia called Coalwood. He inspired to build rockets when he seen the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, streak across the stars. With his friends and the local nerd, Homer sets out to do just that but with many errors and trials. Along with the town, Homer's father thought they were wasting their time with their rockets. He wanted Homer to be a coal miner just like everyone else but Homer knew he didn't belong there. As time went on, some people from town became interested in seeing the homemade missiles launch into the sky. The boys became popular and were known as the "Rocketboys" around town.
The Space Race is remarkably similar to that of the arms race because of the parallel between the creation of the atomic bomb and the goal of reaching the moon. The United States’ bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki effectively established its place as the technologically superior nation; however, major milestones in space achieved early by the Soviets damaged America’s reputation. In 1957, Soviet scientists shocked the world by successfully launching the Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, beyond the Kármán Line (the boundary of space). This amazing breakthrough “rattled American self-confidence. It cast doubts on America’s vaunted scientific superiority and raised some sobering military questions.” This blow to national pride along with the fear that the Soviets could potentially launch ICBMs from space led to “Rocket fever”. The sudden wave of nationalism and the desire to build a space program worthier to that of the Soviet Union led to the...
In the 1950s Homer Hickam's future was heading one way and that was too the coal mines like his father until he saw Sputnik 1 (which is the very first satellite in space ever) fly across the sky and then he knew he didn’t want to work in the coalmines.
The most influential person in Sonny’s life has to be Elsie, his mother. Elsie continuously influences Sonny to become more than a coal miner when he grows up, because she believes that Sonny has more potential. People who should be role models to Sonny overlook him because of his failure to succeed in academics and athletics. Fortunately, Elsie pushes him to continue trying because she has hope for Sonny’s future out of Coalwood, West Virginia. Sonny has a passion for building rockets that could someday, go into space. So far in Rocket Boys, Sonny has failed to be successful for even lifting his rockets over three feet high. Homer Sr. does not believe in Sonny, and instead, puts all of his effort toward Jimmy, Sonny’s older brother, because
Soon after seeing Sputnik 1 pass over their town Homer starts building rockets with his friends. At first no one thinks much of it until Homer's father realizes that he doesn't want to become a coal miner. Upoun knowing this Homer's father forbids building rockets all along the coal mining properties. So he and his friends, build rockets in the next town over, in Snakehead which at first was a 12 mile hike until they could get someone to drive them. When Miss Riley (Laura Dern) hears that Homer
In Bright Star, Keats utilises a mixture of the Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnet forms to vividly portray his thoughts on the conflict between his longing to be immortal like the steadfast star, and his longing to be together with his love. The contrast between the loneliness of forever and the intenseness of the temporary are presented in the rich natural imagery and sensuous descriptions of his true wishes with Fanny Brawne.
But sonny wants to keep on going with rocket building and learning more and more. Sonny’s father does try to help his son and make him happy with supplying him with supplies to build his own rocket range and cares for what he wants and hopes he is
Sonny was different, though. His mom had opened his eyes in telling him that he should go to college and get out of Coalwood. All he had to do was prove to his father that he was smart, and could do it. “Show him you can do something! Build a rocket!” (Hickam 45). When Sonny begins experimenting with, building, and launching rockets, the town is definitely being stirred up and thrown off balance. People actually started called Sonny “Rocket Boy” (Hickam 51). The town itself affects Sonny because he doesn’t care about high school football, and it was never his dream to be a coal miner when he graduates. His dream was to create rockets. “Only coal mining was more important in Coalwood than high-school football. Sputnik, and anything else, was going to always come in a distant third” (Hickam 27). He wants to be someone. Someone who attends college and someone who can live a normal life without being trapped inside one small, dirty, coal mining town. "You can't count on the mine being here when you graduate. You need to do everything you can to get out of here, starting right now" (Hickam
up images of boring history lessons. Few of us think such a movie could be enthralling and action-packed. Apollo 13, however, is just that. This 1995 film directed by Ron Howard, is an incredibly accurate portrayal of an event in United States spaceflight history, meant to strengthen the public’s opinion surrounding similar missions and commemorate the crew and mission control who partook in Apollo 13.
Launius, Roger D. "Sputnik and the Origins of the Space Age." 1997. NASA. Accessed 2 Apr. 2003. < a href="http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/sputnik/sputorig.html>
“Oslo, August 31st” is a film by Joachim Trier's that deals with the uncertainty and self-consciousness of those trying to get a foot in this world after making some wrong choices but not knowing where to start. While the main character Anders is allowed to go into the city for a job interview through his rehabilitation program he uses this to his advantage to visit some old friends. Throughout the day, Anders seems to be struggling with his personal issues and his old past that still follows him around while he may have a chance at love and a new life. “Oslo, August 31st” is a decent film about an individual who is unable to come to terms with life, turns to drugs, and shows what the effects of those choices are. Though “Oslo, August 31st” is a good movie that touches on those who are not able to come to terms with their life, the effects of drugs and bad choices, I personally felt as though this film was dull and difficult to grasp what Anders was going though due to the lack of background to what lead him to his current state “Oslo, August 31st” opens with individuals sharing their memories of the Norwegian capital city.