Castles #6: Back Home

Situation:
Imagine that at 18, you enlisted (like John) or you were drafted into the Army and were sent overseas to fight in a war. It was a long, bloody, drawn-out war, and you saw many comrades, friends, and enemy soldiers die - some right in front of or next to you. Living conditions were poor, and the threat of death, capture, or injury was foremost in your mind the entire time you were fighting. You, like John, didn't fight for democracy. Didn't fight for freedom. You fought to survive. You fought to keep your buddies alive.
Now, it is a few years later, the U.S. has been victorious, and you - 21 years old now - are sent back home, a hero to your friends and family.

Prompt:
Describe what it feels like to be home. Are you the same person you were when you enlisted at 18? How have you changed? How have the people around you changed? Are you glad to be back home? What do you think about your family and friends calling you a hero?

Castles #5: Disagreement with Your Sweetie

Situation:
There is a war going on, one that the U.S. is involved in. You are 18 years old and about to enlist in the military. You are looking forward to enlisting; you feel it is your duty as an American to fight for your country and for our freedom. You are proud to be able to serve your country in such a time of crisis.
However, things are not all cheery. Your significant other, the person you're crazy in love with, does not share your feelings of patriotism. She/He would rather you stay out of the war, register as a Conscientious Objector (CO), and not enlist in the military. Up until now, the two of you have gotten along so well, seeing eye-to-eye on everything, but this issue of your enlisting has divided the two of you.

Prompt:
Write about how you feel towards your significant other when she/he begs you not to enlist and to instead register as a CO. What do you think this disagreement will mean for the two of you? Is there a way to compromise? Does this make you feel differently towards her/him?

Castles #4: Death of a Friend

Situation:
Imagine you are John Dante, right after chapter 7 in the novel. You're still at home, having yet to enlist in the military or leave your family. You've just been given word that your best friend, Tony - the one you admired for his strength and courage, the one who was the first to enlist in the military - has died in battle. He was just 18.

Prompt:
What is your reaction to the news of Tony's death? How would you be feeling towards your family? Towards Tony? About his decision to enlist? How would you feel towards the military? Towards the war? Towards the world or life in general? Does this news change your decision to enlist, or does it bolster your decision?

Castles #3: Diane

Situation:
In chapter 5, John talks about how each member of his family did their best to support the war. Dad goes off to UCLA to work, mom gets a job, and John's going to enlist. John mentions how his sister Diane became the most important thing to several of the neighborhood boys who were getting ready to go off to war. Over the course of weeks, she goes out on several dates with them. John says, "How could she say no when they asked her to a movie, to a dance, to walk along the city streets with them? She could not say no" (29). He mentions how after only a few dates, "Diane would come home distracted, worried" and that he "could sometimes hear her weeping softly in her room" (30).

Prompt:
Explain: Why did Diane go out with these boys? Why did she not turn them down? What was she hoping to do? Why do you think she ended up crying in her room after a few dates with each boy? What was going on?

Castles #2: Chapter 4 Quote Response

Choose 1 of the following quotes from John in chapter 4 to respond to. Suggested response questions are below each quote, but don’t feel tied down to answering just those questions. What you should make sure to focus on are the following:

Explain the meaning, the importance, of the quote.

What message does the quote give?

What does it reveal about our main character?

Keep in mind that this is being graded, so your response should be in complete sentences and include appropriate grammar & punctuation. Show that you actually put some thought into your response!


a. “Everything became desperate; all decisions profound, all emotions fierce” (19).

-Everything? What does John mean by that?
-Look up the meaning of ‘profound.’ What decisions might he be referring to?
-In the context of chapter 4, what emotions might John be referring to?


b. “My life slipped and shifted each time someone I knew climbed aboard a crowded Greyhound and headed for boot camp” (24).

-What was changing in John’s life at this time?
-Why the word slipped? Why not just ‘changed’?
-How might this have affected the way he pursued Ginny?

c. “I wasn’t at all sure of any future, so I wanted a life as quickly as possible, before it was my turn to board the last bus out” (24).

-What does John say about his far-from-now future?
-What does he mean, or what’s he referring to, when he says, “I wanted a life”?
-What does John see in his immediate future?

d. “I didn’t feel the luxury of time and subtle courtship; I had to start things now” (24).

-Why was there no luxury of time for John?
-Look up the meaning of ‘subtle.’ Why might John think subtle courtship didn’t apply at this time in his life?
-Why the emphasis on the word now?

Castles #1: Going Off to War

Situation:
Imagine you are a high school senior who is about to turn 18 years old. There is a war going on, which in fact has just recently started. You are speaking with your parent(s) about the military draft. Right now the draft age is 21, but with the war just starting and manpower low, everyone is sure the draft age will be lowered to 18 - the age you're about to turn.

Prompt:
What are your thoughts about the possibility of being drafted into the military? Are you afraid? Worried? Happy? Will you enlist right away, or wait to be drafted? Are you anxious? Nervous? Hopeful? Do you feel proud to be able to serve your country and fulfill a patriotic duty, or not so much? Are you urgently awaiting your 18th birthday, or wishing it would never come?

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