EDUC 567 Children's Lit discussion
Hatchet
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Hatchet Reflection
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Ritsa
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Sep 22, 2010 05:42AM
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Hatchet remains one of my favorite books from childhood. Gary Paulsen does an excellent job of packing this novel full of important values while combining the ultimate sense of adventure! He discusses patience, determination, and hope in a way that all people, even children, can comprehend and relate to. He shows the importance of patience when talking about how to catch a foolbird. Patience, Brian thinks, is “so much of all this, so much of all living was patience and thinking” (136). He shows the importance of determination through Brian’s character, who despite having nothing except for a hatchet, managed to live for fifty-four days alone in the Canadian wilderness. He shows the importance of hope, eloquently, in Brian’s thoughts: “He could not play the game without hope; could not play the game without a dream” (112). I really enjoyed Paulsen’s writing style and loved a lot of the quotes that came from this book. My favorite, over than the ones already mentioned, come from a moment when Brian is sent back to “square one” due to the tornado and moose. “But there is a difference now, he thought—there really is a difference. I might be hit but I’m not done. When the light comes I’ll start to rebuild” (147). This passage would provide a great class discussion—what does it mean to have a hope that when you’re “hit” you know you’re not “done?” I also personally think this passage could be a metaphor, even though the author might not have intended it that way. “When the light comes I’ll start to rebuild,” could easily be a metaphor for Christianity.
I remember my brother reading Hatchet when we were both younger. He was never a big reader. I was. And he loved, loved, loved this book. I think I might have tried to read it but just could not get into it. And I was definitely an outdoorsy little girl. I could never into it. Reading it for the first time as a twenty-year-old, I don't think I was able to appreciate it as much. I am in love with the movie Castaway- I cried when he lost Wilson. I found the humanity in that movie so moving--I guess I wasn't able to gain the same appreciation from this novel. The one thing, however, that I did love is how Gary Paulsen honed in on the process of Brian realizing what were the bare necessities. And how he slowly started to integrate himself into his environment--feel more part of nature, working both with it and against it. I liked how Paulsen kept nature realistic--both generous and unforgiving. This is particularly emphasized in the last part of the book when Brian is attacked by a moose and then nearly taken away by a tornado. All within the span of a day, everything that he worked for is turned upside down. There is a really interesting dynamic between man and beast. When Brian gets attacked by the skunk, he comments on how aloof the skunk remains while he thrashes in pain in the water. Nature is never conscious of the pain that it causes him. I thought that this was a very cool point made by Gary Paulsen. Lastly, I'm fascinated (just as I was in Castaway) by how jaded and disconnected from society people who are put through these kinds of situations become. Brian didn't like the feeling that the gun gave him when he received the survival pack. When he was finally rescued he had become so internalized with a one track mind for survival, that he didn't even seem relieved. He had successfully adapted to a new way of life and didn't understand what it meant to be back in the "real world." But really, his world seems more real than our world, where we can walk into a grocery store and have an abundance of food at our fingertips. His world was the natural world.
Hatchet has always stood out as one of my favorite books that I've read in elementary school. I keep finding that throughout this class I am re-reading books more and more and enjoying/gaining a whole new perspective the second time around and seeing a deeper message. This books shocks me that it was written in the 70's because I think it has stayed with society throughout the years for good reason and should continue to be read in the classroom. It send a great message to young kids that states that no matter how bad your situation or your day, for that matter, may be, there is always a way to conquer the situation and see yourself through. A lot of times in life there are times when you have to figure out problems on your own and with Brian overcoming such a large obstacle, it shows kids that they too can conquer whatever the issue may be that is relative to them. Writing about nature and adventures is also always interesting to kids, especially boys. Gary Paulsen lists many different events that happen to Brain that should be very engaging for kids. Although some of the material may be a little dramatic for kids to understand, the book only touches on things and if the students are mature enough in maybe 6th grade, this should not present too much of a problem. I think this is a great book to have a class read and I throughly enjoyed experiencing again even though it has been years since the first time that I read Hatchet.
Having never read Hatchet before, I found this book to be especially intriguing. It's interesting to sit in the big discussion group and to hear us bring up topics in the book which we now see as being difficult subjects or ideas for children to grasp, yet I know that if I was in late elementary or early middle school reading this book, I doubt I would have questions about the affair. What really struck out about this book was Brian's attempted suicide. This was a very scary part, even at the age I am now! It was Brian's overcoming fear and perseverance which brought him through everything, and I do think that that is a good lesson for kids. The only part that worried me was how deep in his depression he truly got, and how exactly to address that in class if a student were to ask me about it. I think that Gary Paulsen did a magnificent job writing Hatchet, and I know that this book will remain with me for years to come.
Reading Hatchet for about the fourth time didn't really change my views on the book. It has always been one of my favorites and I enjoyed reading it just as much. There are quite a few scenes, looking back on it, that I would not like for my students to read (depending on what maturity level). There are some scenes which are very graphic and would raise many questions in children who aren't knowledgeable about survival or death. It would be difficult to explain to a child who has been sheltered or not exposed to such topics. Other than that, I think this would be a great book for a child who is interested in survival techniques, the outdoors, or just likes a good story.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book for the second time. I found myself engrossed in the book at times. It was such an interesting and easy read. I practically read it in one setting. I remember really enjoying the book when I was younger but could not remember exactly what happened in the book. I was shocked with some of the content when reading it this time. When I was younger, I didn’t catch on to some of it or understand it, but this time, I was really taken aback by some of it. Brian talked a lot about the affair his mom had with the man with the blonde hair. Some children reading this book may not know what an affair is or they may have experience a divorce with their parents and it could cause questioning or be very difficult for some children. However, I think Gary Paulsen had good intention when writing about this affair. From what I learned about him in the forward, he had a rough childhood and it seems he thought some children could relate better to the book if he included the divorce. The other thing that was disturbing was the image of the dead pilot on several occasions. I can imagine this being a disturbing image for many children. However, I think this is an intriguing book for children with a great theme on “sticking with it” or overcoming hardship.
Hatchet remains one of my favorite books. I read this book when I was younger, fourth or fifth grade, and loved it. There are many things I see valuable in this book. Brian shows strength and independence at such a young age. Brian gets stuck in many bad situations in this book. I think his courage and maturity shine through in these situations and feel many children can learn from his experiences. During our group discussion, a few other students mentioned Gary Paulsen's personal experiences and knowledge that he incorporated into the book. I had not known this before last week. For me this really makes the book more special. I was a fan before I knew this about Paulsen and am even more of one now.
I would recommend this book to most people. I can see myself not recommending it to some who really dislike survival stories/the wilderness. I would also only recommend it to upper elementary and lower middle school students.
I never read this book in school, and I must say, with this being the first time that I read the book -- I really liked it. I thought it was a little unrealistic and to this moment, I still don't understand why Brian didn't just turn the plane around in the opposite direction to get back on track, but hey, then we wouldn't have had a story! During the group discussion, it was interesting to note about the author's personal life and how it seems like for a lot of his writings he integrates his own experiences. With that said, maybe the story wasn't THAT unrealistic after all!
I would read this book with a class because I think it would be a great way to integrate science. Nature plays a huge part in this story, and I think that would be a great opportunity to talk about nature with the class.
I don't think this is too gender-biased, because I think boys and girls would both appreciate the book for what it is.
Reading Hatchet once again did not really change my views on the quality of the novel. I still loved it and found Brian an inspiration. He still made me think I could go out into the woods and survive and prosper independently. I enjoyed how in our group we discussed the author's own experiences in the woods, I think a class would find that very interesting. Using this book in a class gives a teacher many options as to how to use it. We discussed using it to integrate science into a book discussion. I also think it could make a great writing/false journal assignment. Students could use their imagination to create a journal chronicling their time in the woods. This novel could also be used in group settings or as individual reading assignments, especially for students who are not as interested in reading. The book appeals to both boys and girls because of the themes of independence and self motivation in the novel.
Like a few of you, I hadn't read Hatchet either until now. Honestly, I loved it! From the first page, it was an incredibly gripping novel. I did find some of the scenes to be a bit graphic, but that's what makes it so intriguing! I talked to one of my coworkers today about it, and he told me that it was his absolute favorite book growing up. When I asked him why, he talked about how cool it was that this boy his age (at the time) was living and surviving this adventurous life and he was able to live vicariously through Brian. I would love to teach this book to my middle school students. I think that many of the concepts of adventure and individualism are pertinent to students during that time of their lives, and this is a suspenseful and engaging novel that addresses these topics.
I did not miss this book at all. I think it is a great book to teach with boys, especially since they seem to be more interested in playing video games than seeing what is outside their window. However, it would likely be hard to engage the typical female student in this novel. I thought the plot was really original compared to some of the other things we've read, and also, the issue of divorce is something that is far more common than it used to be. That is an aspect of the book that makes it really relateable to a lot of kids, however it would also be a touchy subject, therefore hard to address in class.
