Character Analysis: My Brother Sam Is Dead

For example, Mr. Meeker and Sam have an argument which leads to Mr.Meeker kicking Sam out. “Go Sam. Go. Get out of my sight. I can’t bear to look at you anymore in that vile costume. Get out. And don’t come back until you come dressed as my son, not a stranger.” (Collier and Collier 22). This quote is an example of the author’s message by showing readers that differing opinions over war or the side a family member takes can cause a disturbance in a family. War also tore the Meeker’s apart by having death occur within their family. War can obviously get someone killed and they cannot be brought back to life. Death can easily hurt a family and affect the remaining family members. For instance, after Mr.Meeker’s death, Susannah, Tim and Sam’s mother, becomes an alcoholic and Tim becomes more mature and responsible. This changed the Meeker’s way of how they act and the way they process information. It makes them take sides and blame others for actions they cannot control. “Bah patriotism. Your patriotism has got my husband in prison and one of my children out there in the rain and the muck shooting people and likely to be dead any minute, and my business is half ruined. Go sell your patriotism elsewhere, I’ve had enough of it.” (Collier and Collier 149) This quote is a perfect example of war ripping families

The book My Brother Sam is Dead is written by the Collier brothers. It takes place during the American Revolutionary War. Tim Meeker is the protagonist and narrator of the story. Tim has an older brother named Sam Meeker, a father named Eliphalet(or Life)Meeker, and a mother named Susannah Meeker. When Sam comes back home from college to Redding, Connecticut. Sam says that he is a Patriot, and Father gets very mad. Father gets mad at Sam because Father is a Loyalist, and feels betrayed that Sam is a Patriot. Father was so angry, he kicked Sam out of the house. He did this by saying, “Go, Sam. Go. Get out of my sight. I can’t bare to look at you in that vile costume. Get out. And don’t come back until you come dressed as my son, not a stranger.”(pg.22) When Father says, “...don’t come back until you come dressed as my son, not a stranger.” I think it means that Father feels like Sam would never disagree with him about something like this, and so he feels betrayed. This is an example of how war is impacting Tim’s family. Tim’s family is now split into Patriots and Loyalists.

One way the authors argue against war is how they show examples of family division. A major conflict in the Meeker family was Mr. Meeker being loyal to the British King and Sam fighting as a patriot soldier in the war. This resulted in Tim being caught in the middle, questioning which side of the war he should support. Either choice, he decided, would be a disappointment to at least one of his family members. “...between worrying about that and being confused over which side was right I couldn’t concentrate on church much” (Collier and Collier 29). The tension between Mr.

Chapter 3 in My Brother Sam is Dead illustrates how war doesn’t necessarily affects everyone, even if you can get news of a battle before nightfall and it happened at noon. In the beginning, Tim talks of how the war is not really affecting the people of Redding. Betsy Read comes by the tavern. Betsy and Tim talk in secret behind the tavern. Betsy makes Tim swear to not tell anyone if Sam were to come back to Redding. As predicted, Sam is coming back to Redding. Betsy doesn’t know when Sam is coming back. Tim doesn’t receive word of Sam’s return for about two months. Betsy gives Tim a signal that Sam is back in October.

Throughout the story, we can prove that the war had a negative effect on the Meeker Family. The Meeker family had many struggles and many major changes that affected them both physically and emotionally due to the war. They did not want to be involved in the war but it ended up devastating there family and changing their whole life.

In the book My Brother Sam is Dead by the Collier Brothers, the main character Tim Meeker is divided within himself by war. Tim has seen war divide him with everything. His Father is a Loyalist, and his brother is a Patriot. He hasn’t chose his side so he is very confused. He admires his brother, and is scared of his Father.

There are a lot of books and movies about the Revolutionary War. Some of them are more historical fiction, which is what I will be covering in this essay. The novel "My Brother Sam Is Dead" and the movie "The Patriot" have many similarities when it comes to the Revolutionary War. However, the two families have completely different experiences during the war. In the end, both the book and the movie do an excellent job at showcasing the experiences of those fighting in the war.

War can have an immense effect on an individual's life. Warfare can create opportunities by ending tyranny or providing people with freedom. On the other hand, war puts innocent lives at risk and causes families to be torn apart. Depending on how greatly a person is affected, individuals choose how to view war; particularly, in My Brother Sam Is Dead, James and Christopher Collier write about Tim’s horrendous experiences during war. Tim’s decision to be neutral is ultimately decided when war inflicts death upon his friends and family; in this case, Ned, his father, and Sam.

To be engaged in war is to be engaged in an armed conflict. Death is an all too ordinary product of war. It is an unsolicited reward for many soldiers that are fighting for their country’s own fictitious freedom. For some of these men, the battlefield is a glimpse into hell, and for others, it is a means to heaven. Many people worry about what happens during war and what will become of their loved ones while they’re fighting, but few realize what happens to those soldiers once they come home. The short stories "Soldier's Home” by Ernest Hemingway and "Speaking of Courage” by Tim O'Brien explore the thematic after effects of war and how it impacts a young person's life. Young people who

One way the authors argue against war is it tears families apart. “No, you’re going to get yourself killed. Well you might as well. Let’s have it all done with at once. How does the old line go? Men must fight and women must weep, but you’ll get no more tears from me. I’ve done my weeping for this war.” Mrs.Meeker is basically saying she’s over the war, and does not want anything to do with it. Tim and Mrs.Meeker are having an argument, which is showing how their family is broken. “They can murder who they like, church who they like, but I’m not going. For me the war is over.” This line from the book says it all. That quote is the thing that shows a broken family. Not going to see your son one last time before

Hundreds of bodies littered the ground. Sounds of explosions and endless gunfire filled the air. Soldiers, with their uniforms splashed in crimson, fought viciously and ruthlessly. Their main objective, which was to win the battle, took a backseat to their newfound desperation to stay alive. After all, war is not a game, especially one such as the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and left its survivors haunted by a multitude of atrocious events. Terry Erickson’s father and George Robinson, who were two fictional characters from the short stories “Stop the Sun” and “Dear America”, respectively, were veterans of the Vietnam War. The differences and similarities between Terry’s father and George Robinson are striking, and they merit rigorous scrutiny.

    One way the authors argue against war is through the minor theme of war tears families apart. In the beginning of the novel as the conflict of Sam going to war is introduced, the reader learns that Father and Sam differ in opinions of war. In one of the first few pages Father and Sam are already in an argument as Sam mentions the event of Paul Revere’s ride. Sam argues, “Sir it’s worth dying to be free.” (Collier and Collier, 7). Mr. Meeker is yelling by this point in the argument, “Free? Free to do what, Sam? Free to mock your

War can destroy and divide individuals. For instance, when Tim is asked by Mr. Heron to deliver a secret message, but his father doesn't want him to. The reason Tim was doing this is because he wanted to impress Sam, but father wouldn't let him because he could get lost or hurt. When Tim said,” … I didn't mean I have any opinion.” This shows that he doesn't know if he should go

War forces young soldiers to grow up quickly. In Stephen Crane’s Civil War novel, The Red Badge of Courage, Henry Fleming is no exception. He is faced with the hard reality of war and this forces him to readjust his romantic beliefs about war. Through the novel, the reader can trace the growth and development of Henry through these four stages: (1) romanticizing war and the heroic role each soldier plays, (2) facing the realities of war, (3) lying to himself to maintain his self-importance, and (4) realistic awareness of his abilities and place in life. Through Henry’s experiences in his path to self-discovery, he is strongly affected by events that help shape his ideology of war, death,

In contrast, the author uses George as a metaphor for those who would fight, kill, and die in the war; this element is an important part of the author’s persuasive strategy. W.D. Howells wants to appeal to the values and the emotional sensibility of his audience, for this reason, Howells portrays George as passive and unsure of himself. George is fearful of the war and he sees no glory in it. He believes that God is peaceful and the idea that God would advocate for war runs counter to George’s belief in peace. In short, the author uses George’s story to illustrate the consequences of war for the reader. This strategy works to persuade a resistant audience to relate to George, hence, lowering their resistance to the anti-war message of this piece.