Thank you for participating in Summer Reading 2011. Our discussion forums, which ran from June 17-August 20, have closed. If you've finished your assignments and would like to take a quick, five question survey about this year's summer reading experience, please click here.
Was father the sam as Sam?
  • cfinnegan August 2011
    "He isn't a boy anymore,"Mother said.
    "He's sixteen years old, that's a boy, Susannah."
    "He's seventeen, Life. How old were you when you left home?"
    "That was different," he growled "There were eight of us, remember, too many mouths to feed as it was."
    "Still, you went off at sixteen, Life."
    "Sam's too headstrong."
    "And your not?"


    I think the reason father doesn't wan't sam to go off to the army is because he is too overprotective that he will get killed of course every parent doesn't want there son or daughter getting killed but father is still a little over protective as it is.
  • catherine06 August 2011
    I don't think Sam should be able to make an important decision like going to war when he is sixteen. I understand that a sixteen year old got to do a lot of adult things in 1776, but he should have asked his family before making such a big decision.
  • ccruz August 2011
    I think Sam's parents should let him decide if he wants to go to war. At that age back than guys at that age were adults. Besides, Sam just wants to fight for what he believes in just like his father believes they should stay loyal to the king. Sam and father aren't so different.
    CCruz
  • HP August 2011
    I think Sam should've listened to his father because he had experienced war before. However, Sam was considered a grown man at the time and his parents should have had less control over him. It's hard to decide whether Life was too over protective or not.-Henry S
This discussion has been closed.
← All Discussions