NOTES ON DEAR MR KILMER

Dear Mr Kilmer by Anne Schraff
(Notes)

Prepared by [email protected] (SAMBBST)

WHAT
happened?

WHERE did When WHO was
it happen? writing your there? Or
response, Who was
answer these involved?
questions:

WHEN did WHY did it
it happen? happen?

Understand the following:

Terms Meaning

Event / Incident Peristiwa
(What happened?) Peristiwa / kejadian yang berlaku di dalam
sesebuah cerita

Cause Penyebab

(Why did it happened?) Mengapa sesuatu peristiwa berlaku.

Effect Kesan
Apakah kesan-kesan kepada watak-watak yang
terlibat apabila sesuatu peristiwa berlaku.

Character Watak di dalam sesebuah cerita.

Characteristics / Qualities Perwatakan / Sifat / Kualiti seseorang watak.
/ Personalities

We must love our family. We must be protective.
(MV) (MV)

We must be brave. (MV) FAMILY LOVE (T) We must be kind.
(MV)
PATRIOTISM (T) THEMES / MORAL
VALUES / LESSONS We must be helpful.
(TEMA / NILAI MURNI / (MV)

PENGAJARAN)

FRIENDSHIP (T) We must
be brave.
We must be fair. (MV)
We must be patriotic. (MV) (MV)

We must stick to our We must be
principles to do what protective. (MV)

is right. (MV)

(7) Richard wrote a (1) Richard purposely
poem as a tribute to Mr missed shooting a buck.

Kilmer. In the poem, (2) Richard wrote his
Richard likened Mr first letter to Mr Kilmer.
Kilmer to the “world”.

(6) Hannah declined IMPORTANT
the role of Lady Liberty. EVENTS

Richard declined his (3) Hannah Schermer
part as the Doughboy. cried at the school
hallway.

(5) Richard told his (4) Richard was the
family and Mrs Hansen only student who
that he wrote poetry signed a sympathy card
and wrote a letter to for the Schermers.

Mr Kilmer.

CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Richard thought that hunting was 1 Gus, Richard’s elder brother, was upset with Richard
not important. because Richard purposely misfired.
Richard purposely missed
Richard could not kill animals. shooting a buck. Richard’s father, Pa, was also disappointed with
Richard.

Pa asked Richard why he purposely missed shooting
the buck.

Richard told Pa that he had no right to kill it.

Richard told Pa that he felt painful and sad to kill an
animal.

Pa told Richard not to go hunting anymore if he did
not like it.

CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer 2 In his letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote
when Richard’s English teacher, poems too. However, he kept this as a secret from
Mrs Hansen read a poem to the Richard wrote his first letter to everyone.
class. The title of the poem was Mr Kilmer.
“Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice . He wanted to
know whether he should tell his secret to
Mrs Hansen told the class that Mr everybody.
Kilmer was a famous poet. He
worked for “The New York This was how Richard became friends with Mr
Times”. Kilmer. They always exchanged letters with each
other.
Richard regarded Mr Kilmer as his
new hero because Mr Kilmer Richard always sent a poem with his letters. Mr
loved poetry and was brave to Kilmer would praise Richard and make suggestions
enlist in the army. to improve the poem.

Richard got Mr Kilmer’s office
address.

CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Someone scrawled “Dirty Hun” 3 Richard told some of his schoolmates about it.
all over her book cover.
Hannah Schermer cried at the Richard realised that his schoolmates were mean to
school hallway. Hannah and her parents.
• They said that the Schermers were Huns.
• They said that the Schermers were unpatriotic

because they spoke German and served Hun
food at their tavern while a war was going on
against Germany.

Starting from this incident, the Schermers were
always being mistreated by some of the Turtle Lake
people.

CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Mrs Hansen asked her class to 4 After school, Richard took the card from Mrs
sign a card for the Schermers. Hansen. He wanted to give the card to Hannah.
• Someone vandalised the Richard was the only student
who signed a sympathy card for On Richard’s way to Hannah’s home, Abner and
tavern owned by Hannah’s the Schermers. Harry was waiting to hit him. They called Richard a
parents. Hun lover. Their cruel intention was in vain as
• They painted “Dirty Huns” all Richard fought them back. They promised to leave
over the walls. Richard alone.
• Mrs Hansen brought a card to
express regret for what had Hannah accepted the card reluctantly. Later,
happened. Hannah apologised to Richard for being rude.
This was the beginning of their friendship.
The troublemakers like Abner,
Harry, Blanche and Peggy refused
to sign the card.

They warned other classmates
not to sign the card.
• The boys were afraid Abner

and Harry would hit them.
• The girls worry that popular

girls like Peggy and Blanche
would not speak to them.

CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Richard received a letter from Mr 5 Nobody was interested.
Kilmer. • Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was famous.
Richard told his family and Mrs • Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry.
Mr Kilmer advised Richard to Hansen that he wrote poetry.
overcome his fear. Richard asked whether his family members wanted
to read his poems. Nobody was interested. Richard
Mr Kilmer advised Richard to was sad.
share his poetry with people
around him. Gus advised Richard not tell anyone he wrote
poetry. He wanted Richard to fit in with other
people . Everyone called him a Hun Lover after he
signed the card for Hannah.

The next day, Richard told Mrs Hansen that he
wrote poetry. He showed her Mr Kilmer’s letter.

Mrs Hansen helped Richard to choose a poem.
Richard would send the poem to Mr Kilmer.

As advised by Mrs Hansen, Richard shared Mr
Kilmer’s latest letter and his poem with the class .
• Some of his classmates, including Blanche and

Peggy, were deeply moved by his poem. They
started to respect Richard.
• Hannah suggested a different ending to Richard’s
poem.

CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Hannah and Richard won the roles of Lady 6 Gus told Richard that all students said that he was
Liberty and the Doughboy respectively unpatriotic and a traitor.
because they wrote the best essays. Mrs Hannah declined the
Hansen asked the class to write an essay as role of Lady Liberty. Pa was disappointed when Richard declined the role
one of the activities for a patriotic Richard declined his of the Doughboy.
programme which helped sell Liberty bonds. part as the Doughboy. • Pa advised Richard not to side with the

Hannah wrote the best essay so Mrs Hansen Schermers.
asked Hannah to read it. After she read the • Influenced by Abner’s father story, he thought
essay, only Richard clapped his hand.
that the Schermers wanted the Germans to win
Many students were angry with Mrs Hansen’s the war.
decision. They regarded Hannah as an • Richard told his father that the Schermers were
unpatriotic German although she was an patriotic.
American citizen. • They wanted the Allies to win.
• Hannah’s brother, Otto, was an American soldier.
Some parents complained to the principal
and demanded Mrs Hansen to choose Hannah’s friendship with Richard became stronger.
someone else. Mrs Hansen did not change • Hannah invited Richard to her house.
her mind. • Richard got to know Hannah’s parents.
• Richard visited the Schermers whenever he felt
Hannah told Richard that her essay started a
little war in Turtle lake. She did not want to lonely.
cause any more problems. Richard wanted to • The Schermers understood his dreams.
support Hannah. • Richard shared Mr Kilmer’s letters with them.
• He read his poems to them.
• During Christmas, Hannah baked cookies for Mr

Kilmer.
• Mrs Schermer knitted a scarf to cheer Mr Kilmer

up.

CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Mr Kilmer was killed in the war 7 The tribute was printed in the local newspaper, “The
between the Allies and the Turtle Lake Weekly”.
Germans. Richard wrote a poem as a
tribute to Mr Kilmer. Richard’s father read the poem.
Mr Kilmer was Richard’s penpal.
Richard was afraid that his father was going to be
In the poem, Richard likened Mr angry at him. His father did not like Richard writing
Kilmer to the “world”. poems.

 After reading the poem, his father told Richard
about what happened to Richard’s uncle, Roland.

 His father never told Richard about this story.
 Roland was killed in a war in Cuba. His father

regarded Roland as his “world”.
 His father was amazed how Richard could use

the same word in his poem.

Richard continued writing poems about farm life for
the local newspaper.

Richard got his father’s help as he was an
experienced farmer. Every night, Richard read his
poems aloud. His father would correct or give
suggestions to improve the poems.

His father finally supported Richard’s passion in
writing poetry.