Dear Mr Kilmer -issues

The issue in the novel.
Questions.
1) Tell about what happen to Hannah Schermer in the novel.
2) Draw a dialogue between Hannah and Richard Knight.
3) Why did the people harass the family?
4) Why didn't Abner want to sign the card.

• Richard, a tenth-grade student
• Mrs Hansen, Richard's favourite teacher (besides History teacher) The school's only English teacher, strict , but cared a lot about what she was teaching.
• There are 18 students in his English class.
• The troublemakers : Abner Lewis and Harry Carver
•  One day, Mrs Hansen begins her class by reading a poem by Joyce Kilmer ,Abner Lewis commented that it was sissy stuff but Mrs Hansen said that Mr Joyce Kilmer , the poet , has volunteered for service in the Army and will go to the front and fight for his country. This shows that he is not a sissy. 
• At this moment , Richard found his new hero; a poet who felt the way he did about nature and also brave enough to go overseas and fight for his country. 

Chapter 2, pg 22 - 25
This chapter tells why Hannah is being harassed again and again.

• Hannah was a pretty, blue-eyed girl with blonde hair that looked like corn silk. Most boys would look at her twice - quite attractive to many boys.
• Someone had scrawled the words 'Dirty Hun" all over the book cover. (pg23) paragraph 3.

Chapter 3, pg 29

• someone vandalised the tavern owned by Hannah Schermer's parents. They painted terrible things all over the walls.
• Hannah was upset - did not come to school that day
• The Schermers are originally from Germany. So some ignorant people thought it was patriotic to harass an innocent German family.
• The Schermers are actually loyal American citizens. Otto, their son, is now fighting for America in the war.

Chapter 2, pg 23 - 24:  Why did some people find it okay to harass Hannah and her family.

Abner Lewis : She is a Hun. Her parents are both German.

Blanche Freebold : The Liberty Bonds posters tell that The Germans are Huns - which means they are barbarians who have to be stopped or they'll take over the world. (They cut people in two when they marched through Belgium)

Blance :

• The Schermers talk German, so for her , they might be plotting something and they don't want their neighbours to know what it is.
• and her Uncle Steve who is in the army said he will be fighting the Germans soon

Richard said it's just their language, so that is why they are using German language.

Abner said : he bet that the Schermers hope Germany will win the war.

Harry : His father went to the tavern Hannah Schermer's parents run and they are still serving sauerkraut, a German dish. Even though the name has been change to 'liberty cabbage' so as not to offend anybody. For Harry , he does not care what they call it, but it is still Hun food and it is unpatriotic to serve it while there is a war against Germany.

Richard : For him, being mean  to Hannah is not being patriotic also.

pg 26.
Richard went home, read the "Trees and Other Poems" and enjoyed reading the poems as he thinks  that the poems seeme to speak directly to him. He started to write a letter to Mr Kilmer.