This summer I choose to explore the book Rocket Boys, by Homer Hickam jr., this book was a jump outside my comfort zone, and I am very glad I took it. One of my reasons for reading Rocket boys was I had a vacation planned for Florida and we had tickets to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitors complex, what better book to use as a comparison! Another reason I was interested in Rocket boys is because it was different and surely a challenge. I assumed from the title that it was going to be a sci-fi based
character called Homer Hickam lives, where almost every boy apart from a select few of scholarship winners escape the main occupation of mining until they are unfit to work. Homer is a young high school student who is inspired by his favourite scientist Dr. Van Braun and the Russian artificial satellite Sputnik to build his very own rocket. However, he has many problems to face such as his father’s disapproval, the lack of
be most seen is the Hickman family. They are very crucial to the story and develop it further. The main thing of the story is of course rockets and the Hickam family at first sees no use in such a thing. Since it is a coal mining town everyone works in the mine as does Homer's father. Firstly Homer Hickam Jr. and his father Homer Hickam Sr. start the story living their normal lives and explains how the town has been at “War with Itself” for quite a long time. Then moves towards the family
The story is located in West Virginia. It is a small coal mining town during the 1950’s. The town's mine is owned by John Hickam (Chris Cooper) who has two sons, Jim (Scott Miles) and Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal). John wants his sons to follow his footsteps to become coal miners, but when Jim gets a football scholarship and Sputnik 1 passed over their little town, Homer gets other Ideas of what he wants to be. His friends, Quentin Wilson (played by Chris Owen) Roy Lee Cooke (William Lee Scott)
The movie “October Sky” is basically about a high school student Homer Hickam and three of his friends inventing a rocket which can actually fly for a long distance. Homer and his friends named each other the rocket boy. Homer Hickam talks about how the rocket boys got inspired, what problems they faced and how they were able to prove themselves innocent. Homer got inspired by watching sputnik go into space. Since, then he got inspired to create his own rocket which can go into space. He was all
Johnston. It is a true biographical story of how Homer H. Hickam, Jr., went from being a coal miner’s son to NASA engineer. The setting takes place in Homer’s home town of Coalwood in West Virginia. Homer (played by the talented Jake Gyllenhaal) starts out as being sort of an unpopular kid in his high school. In his town, kids were destined to either earn themselves a scholarship from sports or do what most families did and work down in the coal mine; Homer was seemingly resistant to both scenarios while
about a young Homer Hickam, who lives in a mining town named, Coalwood. Homer is a young man whose life is ultimately fated by his father, a foreman at the coal mine. His father’s plan is for him to one day become a coal miner, as well. But, that all changes in October 1957 when the first artificial satellite, Sputnik goes into orbit. After Homer sees this amazing satellite across the dark sky, he is inspired to learn how to make rockets. With his friends on board, and the local geek, Homer sets to do
In the movie October Sky produced by Larry Franco, Homer Hickam faces many sacrifices to pursue his dream. Homer lives in a small town, he spends his time with his friends Roy Lee, Odell and a later friend, Quinton. Homer lives in a home where he’s expected to work in the coal mining industry after his dad, but he has bigger plans, as big as rocket science, literally. Homer was inspired by mrs. Reiley his science teacher to build a rocket with his friends while making big choices along the way.
October Sky is set in the small mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia during the 1950s, the time of the space race between America and Russia. The film tracks Homer Hickam, a young boy interested in creating and building rockets. Homer eventually gets a group of three friends from school to help him create a rocket. Unfortunately, Homer faces a lot of challenges including trouble getting the right materials for the rocket and he faces pushback from his father who disapproves of his dream of building
Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam Jr., a theme that often appears is family relationships. This relates to Homer as he and his family have a very conflicting relationship with one another. Homer has a different relationship with each member of his family; he has a loving and supportive mother, a bully of a brother, and a workaholic, unsupportive father that is embarrassed of his son. Homer’s only support in his family comes from his mother. Since the beginning of the book, she told Homer to follow his
How much a person will risk out of their life in order to reach their goals? According to research dome on this topic, people will sacrifice things like their education, their valuable time, pride, and even the very important relationships they had with their family members. It takes of hard work and dedication to reach any goal that you may have, but risking the above are some of ultimate extents that people will go to I order to be blissful. In the novel, Count Down by Steve Olson, the kids that
Homer Hickam was a teenage boy from a mining town in West Virginia called Coalwood. He inspired to build rockets when he seen the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, streak across the stars. With his friends and the local nerd, Homer sets out to do just that but with many errors and trials. Along with the town, Homer's father thought they were wasting their time with their rockets. He wanted Homer to be a coal miner just like everyone else but Homer knew he didn't belong there. As time went on,
relationships that have fallen apart because they stood in the way of someone’s aspirations. In Homer Hickam’s case, in the movie October Sky, it was the relationship with his father that fell apart. Homer had dreams of building rockets, and winning the National Science Fair; doing anything to escape the harsh life of coal mining in the small town of Coalwood, West Virginia. As a result of this disagreement, Homer grew even farther from his already estranged father, and even threatened to run away forever
they want. Some people may find having a lot of determination dumb or stupid. They may think that the reality of risking everything you have for something that you may never get and that may seem unlikely to be able to receive or achieve. Homer “Sonny” Hickam and his friends show large amounts of determination throughout Rocket Boys and throughout their lives. In Coalwood, most every young man either goes into the military or goes to work in the mines after they finish high school. While there are
Coalwood would normally go into the career of coal mining or be lucky enough to get a football scholarship. Sonny had no interest in coal mining and was not athletic; both of those choices were out of the picture for him. He is the son of Homer, a coal miner, and Elsie Hickam. He also has an older brother named Jim who was an amazing football player. Sonny and his five friends wanted to be something other than coal miners. They formed a group called the Big Creek Missile Agency aka the BCMA. The six of them
1. The most important quote of the book is on page 361:” A rocket won’t fly unless somebody lights the fuse.” 2. This quote is definitely one of the most important quotes in this book, but it doesn’t contain the main theme. It does, however contain one of the minor themes in the book, and this quote is directed at all parents and guardians. This quote actually has two ways of interpreting it. The first is the answer that you get by just looking at the quote, which is, you must actually
Sky High (2005) directed by Mike Mitchell is both an entertaining and creative take on an epic hero film. The film follows the basic epic hero story structure with a hero and supervillain and centers around a young teenage boy, “Will Stronghold,” who lives in a generation of superheros and sidekicks. Will attempts to develop his powers, which is a huge deal for him because his dad has super strength and his mom can fly. He faces the challenge of choosing to be popular or remaining loyal to his true
Winston Churchill once said, “Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.” Effort and pure determination is a key part of the success of the rocket boys throughout Homer Hickam’s October Sky. Due to the effort and determination that Sonny had to use in order to pursue his dreams throughout the memoir of October Sky, the theme in this book can be used to help any 21st century student in achieving their dreams. If Sonny did not put towards the effort or
from a coal mining town in West Virginia, Homer Hickman, is inspired by the Russian satellite Sputnik. He dreams about building rockets. People in his town fail to support Homer, including his father and older brother. Homer changes from a kid without an identity into a successful man because of his success of a rocket engineer. Most young boys in Coalwood have the expectation growing up and becoming a coal miner, or being a great football player. Homer is not good at football like his
was inventive” (Hickam 177). Just like Miss Riley, the dream-chasing Rocket Boys do everything they can with what little they have. The Rocket Boys have every right to blame their failures on their unequal opportunities, but they don’t. Sonny, who is notorious for bad grades in math, takes it upon himself to learn trigonometry. His math teacher discourages him by bringing up his past failures, “‘... you had trouble understanding algebra. And if you didn’t understand algebra, Mr. Hickam, you’re lost