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About Me
- Paul Aleckson
- I’m Paul Aleckson. I am the District Social Studies Coordinator. I also teach an Advanced Placement U.S. History and a pre AP Seminar Class. I am the Project Coordinator for our Oral History Project (www.dceoralhistory.com) which received the Beveridge Family Teaching Award. I have coached both boys and girls basketball for many years. I am fortunate to work with an amazing social studies staff. They are dedicated to teaching social studies in a fun, exciting manner and to truly helping students become historians and active citizens. I really like to push students to do their very best!
JUST A REMINDER TO ALL STUDENTS THAT YOU NEED TO DO TWO THINGS FOR EACH SECTION OF THE BOOK. FIRST CREATE YOUR OWN POST USING THINKING LIKE A HISTORIAN OR READING THOUGHTS. SECONDLY YOU NEED TO RESPOND TO THE PREVIOUS PERSONS COMMENTS. THANK YOU AND ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE!
ReplyDelete(Dylan Brushaber) While reading The Glorious Cause I was able to make many connections to my own life. At the beginning of the book Washington was faced with multiple failures. His army was falling apart, but he remained persistant and eventually prevailed at the Battle of Trenton. I relate this to my own life and the stuggle to find employment. It is a great challenge for me to find a job at the moment, but I know that with the same persistant as Washington I must be successful.
ReplyDeleteAlso while reading The Glorious Cause it became very easy for me to visualize. Jeff Shaara does a great job of describing every situation and character with amazing detail. Washington's retreat across the Delaware was told as if I was there. Every character was given their own personality which only helped to increased the strength of the visuals.
One of the very first things that I noticed while reading the Glorious Cause was the used of differing perspectives. As the reader I was given the view of both the American and British officers and patriots. I found this esspecially interesting as each battle was given two sides. The "cat and mouse" chase after Washington's army was extremely interesting when being told by Cornwallis.
Cause and effect was ever present in the Glorious Cause. The most prominant example of this is the morale of Washington's troops. Crushing defeats would send them fearfully running for their lives with no thoughts of their country. However, a victory did quite the opposite. It raised the morale of soldiers and allowed them to band together and once again join the cause of liberty.
Dylan, I liked how you used the reading though connections,especially since you connected Washington's problems to your own problem regarding employment. Your perception that Washington succeeds due to persistence is very thoughtful and accurate and we can all learn from that! As far as visualizing, I would like to read about what you visualized in your mind?? Also what questions did you develop as you read. Secondly you really did a nice job with the TLH, using 2 inquiry categories ( perspectives, Cause and effect). Its always interesting to see what the other side is thinking ( Cornwallis in this case) Sharra does a nice job of this , but remember he is taking some liberties and this is why we must consider this book historical fiction. Keep up the good work. Mr. A
ReplyDelete(Hailey Marie Nuthals) The Glorious Cause contains many instances of change and continuity. As an example, near the end of part one of the novel, the entire direction of the war was changed by the actions of the American army on Christmas night. Leading up to that point, the war had been a game of cat-and-mouse, lead by the British army. General Washington reversed this dynamic by attacking the town of Trenton and obliterating the British forces still resting from their holiday celebrations. The United States were now in the lead, with hundreds of British or Hessian prisoners and several more dead. Previously, the British had regarded their rebellious counterparts with disdain. The events of December 26, 1776, forced the empire to view their opponents now with some form of respect, and not just as ignorant settlers. The U.S. may not have won the war, but they had put a sizeable dent into the armor of the British. The U.S. was still an outnumbered, overpowered force, but they were on their way to turning the tides. This was a serious turning point for the Revolutionary War. The true abilities of not only General Washington, but also his men, were now revealed. The British now had a formidable opponent. No more could General Howe simply use flashy displays of power and the skills of their Hessian allies to show the rebels who was in charge.
ReplyDeleteThe Glorious Cause also contains a “big idea” that stood out, even this early in the novel. Time and time again, the soldiers of the United States army learned that the war is no longer about the individual injustices dealt by the British empire; America is now fighting for the rights of every man in their emerging country. The United States had the lesson shoved upon themselves that we all must learn- eventually, it is not about the individual, but the community. The motivation for independence had changed from high taxes and illegal quartering to fallen comrades and the freedom of their country.
Statistically, any two things you compare have something in common—in this case, the events portrayed in The Glorious Cause and the deteriorating state of the global economy. On the hand of the novel, General Howe had chance upon chance to defeat the United States army once and for all. Yet each time, he squandered away the opportunity and allowed the rebel men to escape to relative safety. Likewise, we have had multiple chances to recover-or prevent- the fall of our economy. Each time we passed it by, instead either focusing on some other looming event or trying to repair the lines of our economy with entirely the wrong tools, poor methods and unqualified workers.
In response to Dylan’s comment, the visual effect of Jeff Shaara’s writing was indeed stunning. His powerful word choice and life-like personalities applied to his characters gave an entirely believable and imaginable impression to the reader. The visuals were particularly powerful during the battles depicted- the men falling, and the strain and stress of each individual. Dylan’s connection was also quite accurate; feeling the strain of finding employment myself, I can easily see the correlation between the search for work and General Washington’s persistence in fighting against the seemingly unbeatable British forces.
(Victoria Beda)In The Glorious Cause Jeff Shaara uses vivid word choices. In one section of the book I could really visualize the time period in which the book and the Revloutionary War took place. On page 45 it goes into great detail on how Bejamin Franklin was going to meet with Lord Howe. Shaara shows how weather was a big factor in transportation, not only with Franklin, but throughout the whole war. Going through the first part of the book I made many predictions based on prior knowelge, but on page 146 the event of General Lee being captured by the British made me really stop and think about how Washington was going to solve the problem. I predicted that he was going to take part of his troops (because it said earlier that most were discouraged and weak) and go to Philadelphia.
ReplyDeleteThe Glorious Cause has really shown me how much has changed since the beginning of our country, and how some practices haven't changed. Going back to Bejamin Franklin and Congress' meeting with Howe, it shows how much Congress has and has not changed. The main purpose in meeting with Howe was to come to some sort of compromise. Instead it basically ended in the Congress declaring war, which is one of the jobs they still have today. What was very different, however, was how disconnected Congress was to each other. They knew each of the members, but they never sat down and planned out their meeting with Howe. The whole book is set up in differing perpectives, one part being told by a British point of view and another by a pariot's, but one place where Shaara really made it stand out was on page 92 when he was writing about Nathan Hale. After Hale was caught and was sent to be hung, there was differing perpectives even in the British camp. Cunningham behaved like one would expect an enemy to behave toward a prisioner. He treated Hale with no respect or honor. However, Montresor showed some sympathy and even some admiration for the dangerous task he took on. In fact, Montresor showed more respect for Hale then some of the Rebels.
In reponse to Hailey's comment, I agree that the whole book and war was basically the British chasing the Rebels. It always seemed like the British had the upper hand and it was just a matter of time before they would defeat the Rebels. However, the fact the Rebels in the end win goes to show how unpredictable wars can be and how if everyone joins together for the same cause the results can be tremendous.
Hailey, You are the first to use change as a historical reading tool. You predict or see change as a result of the American victories at Trenton and Princeton. But I think you might find that their is some continuity to the war as the cat and mouse game will continue as Washington, although the aggressor on Christmas night, will find that to win, the American's must continue to fight a defensive war. You mention community as a Big Idea, perhaps it is Unity, or perhaps the colonists truly see themselves as Amerians with a separate identity. Do you think the historical fiction format allows Sharra more latitude to allow readers to visualize the battle scenes? Nice work Hailey. Mr. A
ReplyDeleteVictoria, You have used several reading thoughts and TLH categories to analyze the first section. You are absolutely right about the importance of prior knowledge. It really helps your understanding and even allows you to make accurate predictions. I enjoyed your assessment of Congress as being Disconnected. Of course the fact that Sharra writes from differing perspectives makes the story so much more intriqueing to study. You do a really nice job citing the text as well. Keep up the good work. Mr. A
ReplyDelete(Marissa Hanson)
ReplyDeleteWhile reading The Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara, I particularly enjoy the vivid word choice used by the author that allows me to visualize the actions that are taking place. For example, on page 168, as Shaara is describing Washington’s escape from Trenton he states, “… Washington had ordered four hundred men to continue their noisy work all night long, stoking the campfires, clanging their shovels against the stumps of cut trees, all a very good show of an army digging itself in.” When reading this, I could picture these tired men working hard through the night so that they could successfully escape in the morning. I am also fond of Shaara’s detailed descriptions of each circumstance which causes me to feel as if I am working alongside these men during every situation that they endure. Although this book is historical fiction, it is very eye opening to read of these events in such detail, detail that you may not get to witness in a textbook or nonfiction book. The detail that Shaara adds to the story adds to the impact of the reading.
Another thing I enjoy while reading this book is the different perspectives given of each event. It is interesting to think of the non-American points of view throughout the war. For example, I have heard the colonists’ view of King George being unfair and unreasonable. However, from a British perspective and description, King George sounds like a great guy: very plain, did not get drunk, and remained faithful to his wife. This just shows that different perspectives tell different stories, which remains true throughout this novel.
I agree with Hailey’s and Victoria’s comments that in the cat and mouse chase of a war the British always seemed to have the advantages: the nicer uniforms, the bigger troops, the better and more accurate weapons, more experience, etc., but because the Rebels are willing to stick with it and fight until the end, it shows that having the nicest things doesn’t win you the war. This is stated on page 190, “You cannot achieve your independence if you do not have the spirit to fight for it.”
(Nate Woznicki)
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara, I saw that very early on they refered to the Hessians. The first time I saw this word I was confused as to the meaning. I later asked my friend who had taken APUSH last year and he informed me that they were sort of German mercenaries. This seems to be a hardship in Historical Fiction as you aren't always able to relay the information while keeping the story coherent and through a specfic characters eyes. However it does somewhat help show the confusion regular citizens are put through expecially in times of war, as shown the by the first chapter, "The Fisherman".
Another thought I had while reading this section was a connection between the respect that went through many of the main officials and the level of respect that is set now. it seemed that expecially in the first meeting between Franklin and Howe, in this novel, that while they were on opposing forces, they had a certain politeness and sense of respect towards eachother which seems to be missing often times in this day in age.
When reading this book and expecially the first chapter that really spoke to me as how the normal civilians saw the war through their eyes. It seemed that most of the civilians that didn't live in large cities had no idea as to the strife that was headed towards them expecially due to the fairly sudden eruption of it. This view is most likely affected, I assume, by the speed of communication and how blatantly slow it was. This luckily does not ail us in today's society.
The two main perspectives are between the rebels in the colonies and the British. The British seem to think that the taxes are fair for the support that goes on between the two areas, while the rebels believe they are being treated with less importance but still having to pay the same prices of being a citizen. There is no obvious correct side as the morals of both seem to being held to a high esteem, however I would have to agree further with the rebels as paying equally but not being treated as such is quite unjust expecially when the two areas are so incredibly different. However both of these sides could be defended as such.
I think Marissa's comment on the vivid nature of the word choice in this book is spot on and I praise her great quote usage. It does seem that Shaara makes a point to really put you in the situation. This really intensifies the book and makes the reading more interesting and in turn better. A definite positive for Historical Fiction reading.
(Nate Woznicki)
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara, I saw that very early on they refered to the Hessians. The first time I saw this word I was confused as to the meaning. I later asked my friend who had taken APUSH last year and he informed me that they were sort of German mercenaries. This seems to be a hardship in Historical Fiction as you aren't always able to relay the information while keeping the story coherent and through a specfic characters eyes. However it does somewhat help show the confusion regular citizens are put through expecially in times of war, as shown the by the first chapter, "The Fisherman".
Another thought I had while reading this section was a connection between the respect that went through many of the main officials and the level of respect that is set now. it seemed that expecially in the first meeting between Franklin and Howe, in this novel, that while they were on opposing forces, they had a certain politeness and sense of respect towards eachother which seems to be missing often times in this day in age.
When reading this book and expecially the first chapter that really spoke to me as how the normal civilians saw the war through their eyes. It seemed that most of the civilians that didn't live in large cities had no idea as to the strife that was headed towards them expecially due to the fairly sudden eruption of it. This view is most likely affected, I assume, by the speed of communication and how blatantly slow it was. This luckily does not ail us in today's society.
The two main perspectives are between the rebels in the colonies and the British. The British seem to think that the taxes are fair for the support that goes on between the two areas, while the rebels believe they are being treated with less importance but still having to pay the same prices of being a citizen. There is no obvious correct side as the morals of both seem to being held to a high esteem, however I would have to agree further with the rebels as paying equally but not being treated as such is quite unjust expecially when the two areas are so incredibly different. However both of these sides could be defended as such.
I think Marissa's comment on the vivid nature of the word choice in this book is spot on and I praise her great quote usage. It does seem that Shaara makes a point to really put you in the situation. This really intensifies the book and makes the reading more interesting and in turn better. A definite positive for Historical Fiction reading.
(Nate Woznicki)
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading the first section of Jeff Shaara's book, The Glorious Cause, I had a question that came up almost immediately. What was a Hessian? To answer this question I asked a friend who had previously taken AP US History and I was told that it was a sort of German Mercenary. This is one of the negatives to the Historical Fiction genre. It's hard to relay all the information you need to and keep a story flowing and coherent. However it does interestingly enough represent a sense of not knowing your enemy well as shown by Chapter One, "The Fisherman".
Another though I had was a connection between respect between people in the past and now. A major spot where this clicked was the meeting between the congress and Lord Howe starting on page 45. It seemed that while they did not agree with eachother on the main idea of the conversation they had a definite sense of respect for one another. This often seems to be missing in life today. A lack of respect, expecially in war is often shown and I find it interesting how much it has changed over the years. This book makes a point in that regard.
This book very accurately describes the confusion that seems to be going on through the citizenry and the ignorance that has run amok. It seems the people viewed their world much differently expecially due to the lack of communication. Word was not able to spread to people as fast and so the conflict that was beginning to boil was not made known to many normal people. This is very well portrayed in the first chapter as the fisherman views the British's appearance as no big deal until he is attacked directly.
There is also two main perspectives through the rest of the section. These are the rebel leaders and the British Leaders. The Rebels seem to believe that they are being treated as lesser beings when compared to the British motherland, but still having to pay major taxes. Where as the British are imposing their taxes with no real moral dilema moving through their minds. Both perspectives have postive morals stemming their ideas, but I would have to relate the the rebels as they are in a much different situation from the motherland and therefore should be treated as such, instead of just to a lesser extent.
I feel that Marissa's comment about visualization was spot on. Her quote portrayed Shaara's blatant skill for word usage extremely well. It seems that it definitely integrates you into the story, putting an extremely positive spin on Historical Literature as it makes it extremely interesting and fun to read.
(Nate Woznicki)
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading the first section of Jeff Shaara's book, The Glorious Cause, I had a question that came up almost immediately. What was a Hessian? To answer this question I asked a friend who had previously taken AP US History and I was told that it was a sort of German Mercenary. This is one of the negatives to the Historical Fiction genre. It's hard to relay all the information you need to and keep a story flowing and coherent. However it does interestingly enough represent a sense of not knowing your enemy well as shown by Chapter One, "The Fisherman".
Another though I had was a connection between respect between people in the past and now. A major spot where this clicked was the meeting between the congress and Lord Howe starting on page 45. It seemed that while they did not agree with eachother on the main idea of the conversation they had a definite sense of respect for one another. This often seems to be missing in life today. A lack of respect, expecially in war is often shown and I find it interesting how much it has changed over the years. This book makes a point in that regard.
This book very accurately describes the confusion that seems to be going on through the citizenry and the ignorance that has run amok. It seems the people viewed their world much differently expecially due to the lack of communication. Word was not able to spread to people as fast and so the conflict that was beginning to boil was not made known to many normal people. This is very well portrayed in the first chapter as the fisherman views the British's appearance as no big deal until he is attacked directly.
There is also two main perspectives through the rest of the section. These are the rebel leaders and the British Leaders. The Rebels seem to believe that they are being treated as lesser beings when compared to the British motherland, but still having to pay major taxes. Where as the British are imposing their taxes with no real moral dilema moving through their minds. Both perspectives have postive morals stemming their ideas, but I would have to relate the the rebels as they are in a much different situation from the motherland and therefore should be treated as such, instead of just to a lesser extent.
I feel that Marissa's comment about visualization was spot on. Her quote portrayed Shaara's blatant skill for word usage extremely well. It seems that it definitely integrates you into the story, putting an extremely positive spin on Historical Literature as it makes it extremely interesting and fun to read.
Marissa H.
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts. washington's escape did save the army from capture and help him to win the war. Different perspectives are important to understand if you want to have the complete picture. Patriots, moderates and loyalists all had their strong points and they all believed they were correct.
Nate:
ReplyDeleteGreat information and understanding. Different perspectives give us the whole picture. Ordinary people are some what ignorant when it comes to large scale events, they have their local points of view and sometimes do not understand the entire picture.