Gary Paulsen

Gary Paulsen is the author on many fictional stories such as “Hatchet” or “Brian’s Winter”. However, “Winterdance The Fine Madness Of Running The Iditarod” is Paulsen’s own story about when he entered the 1,180 mile Alaskan sled dog race called the Iditarod. Gary Paulsen’s book is the true story of when Paulsen rode in the Iditarod for the first time. Paulsen often rode with his dogs before, but he had no experience racing them. When he had just entered the Iditarod, he had no idea what he was…

Three articles that were referenced for this essay are, I Never Had It Made By Jackie Robinson, Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Beals, Guts:The True Stories Behind Hatchet, and The Brian Books Made By Gary Paulsen. Some people who have had life-changing experiences are Jackie Robinson, Melba Beals, and Gary Paulsen. Jackie Robinson was the first african-american to be accepted onto a major league baseball team. Jackie Robinson’s turning point was that he was the eye of a significant breakthrough,…

Drexton Robinson Mrs.Baker Language Arts Gary Paulsen's Woodsong is a personal detailed account of his experiences competing in The Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race held in Nome, Alaska. The Iditarod race is enduringly intense, affecting the participants both mentally and physically. Throughout the race, participants may feel sleep-deprived and experience hallucinations worse than an ordinary nightmare. On the day that Paulsen competes, he is one of the seventy-three mushers who finishes number…

theme, and there can be multiple themes in a work. Usually the theme has to be inferred if not directly stated in the text by the author, leading to several different interpretations of theme in one piece of literature. In the novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, many themes are conveyed, such as man vs. nature, power of positive thinking, and city vs. nature, that give the book greater meaning. The main theme that is seen throughout the novel Hatchet is man vs. nature. The main character…

The Vietnam War was the longest war in the United States history. This historical event took started on 1954 and ended on April 30, 1975 making this a 21 year war. This war that took place in the country of Vietnam hence the name, was fought between North Vietnam, Soviet Union, and China, versus South Vietnam, the US, the Philippines and other communist allies. The reason this war started was because the Vietnamese leader, Ho Chi Minh, rose to power in North Vietnam; his goal was to make Vietnam…

In the story “Stop The Sun” by Gary Paulsen, Terry changes dramatically, going from a young boy thinking that there is no real understanding of Vietnam Syndrome to learning more about it directly from his father. Terry eventually learns what went down on the battlefields of Vietnam and accepts that you can never unsee what happened there. This change reveals the story’s theme that in order to become a better person you must understand what others have gone through. In the beginning of the story,…

because she’s a slave. But one night everything changed when NightJohn came along and taught her a few letters a night. Even though she now knows how to read and write there can be consequences for that and there were. The book “NightJohn” written by Gary Paulsen is about a slave Sarny who has the guts and bravery to learn letters and realizes that bravery can help you do anything. The first example of this is when NightJohn tells Sarny the next letter even though he has been punished(Page 79).…

“It was better than a circus.”(Paulsen, 1). Charley from Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen thinks that the Civil War will end soon at the beginning of the book and thinks the war is a circus. The title Soldier's Heart refers to the syndrome that the men have when they come back from the Civil War. Soldier's heart, equal to what is now PTSD, affects many men when they came back from the Civil War. By the end of the book, Charley comes home from the war with soldier's heart. Charley develops from a…

TIQA Essay The story “The Dogs Could Teach Me” by Gary Paulsen demonstrated the best example of description. In the story, it says “As I did, I kicked sideways, caught my knee on a sharp snag, and felt the wood enter under the kneecap and tear it loose.” This description of how his knee was torn makes you wince and clutch your own knee in pain as he describes how the injury happens. The explanation he gives makes you picture the vivid scene in action. Description is also shown where it says…

In NightJohn by Gary Paulsen, John, Sarny, and Mammy are all slaves, and live difficult lives, while trying to expand the practice of reading. With barely anything John teaches slaves to read and write. Through everything he’s been through, being free, but came back to teach which is a vast risk, getting his toes cut off, and escaping the second time, then come back to create a school, the reader can tell that Gary Paulsen wanted the theme of this book to be, in order to help more than just…