Dear Mr Kilmer by Anne Schraf

(Notes)
Prepared
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(SAMBBST)
 Understand the following:
Terms Meaning
Event / Incident Peristiwa
(What happened?) Peristiwa / kejadian yang berlaku di
dalam sesebuah cerita
Cause Penyebab
(Why did it Mengapa sesuatu peristiwa berlaku.
happened?)
Effect Kesan
Apakah kesan-kesan kepada watak-
watak yang terlibat apabila sesuatu
peristiwa berlaku.
Character Watak di dalam sesebuah cerita.
Characteristics / Perwatakan / Sifat / Kualiti seseorang
Qualities / watak.
Personalities
 CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Gus, Richards elder brother, was upset

with Richard because Richard purposely
misfired.

Richard Richards father, Pa, was also

disappointed with Richard.
thought that
hunting was 1
Pa asked Richard why he purposely
not important. Richard missed shooting the buck.

purposely
missed
shooting a Richard told Pa that he had no right to kill
it.
buck.
Richard could
Richard told Pa that he felt painful and
not kill animals. sad to kill an animal.

Pa told Richard not to go hunting anymore

if he did not like it.
 CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

In his letter, Richard told Mr Kilmer that

Richard learnt about Mr he wrote poems too. However, he kept
Kilmer when Richards this as a secret from everyone.
English teacher, Mrs
Hansen read a poem to the
class. The title of the poem
was Trees by Joyce
Richard asked for Mr Kilmers advice . He
Kilmer.
2 wanted to know whether he should tell his
secret to everybody.
Mrs Hansen told the class
that Mr Kilmer was a
famous poet. He worked Richard wrote his first
for The New York Times. letter to Mr Kilmer.

This was how Richard became friends

Richard regarded Mr Kilmer with Mr Kilmer. They always exchanged
as his new hero because letters with each other.
Mr Kilmer loved poetry and
was brave to enlist in the
army.
Richard always sent a poem with his
Richard got Mr Kilmers letters. Mr Kilmer would praise Richard
office address. and make suggestions to improve the
poem.
 CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Richard told some of his schoolmates

about it.

3
Richard realised that his schoolmates
were mean to Hannah and her parents.
They said that the Schermers were
Someone scrawled Dirty Hannah Schermer cried Huns.
Hun all over her book at the school hallway. They said that the Schermers were
cover.
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 sign a card for the
Schermers.
Someone vandalised the
tavern owned by
Hannahs parents.
They painted Dirty
Huns all over the walls.
Mrs Hansen brought a
card to express regret
for what had happened.
The troublemakers like
Abner, Harry, Blanche and
Peggy refused to sign the
card.
After school, Richard took the card from
Mrs Hansen. He wanted to give the card
to Hannah.
4
On Richards way to Hannahs home,
Richard was the only Abner and Harry was waiting to hit him.
student who signed a They called Richard a Hun lover. Their
sympathy card for the
cruel intention was in vain as Richard
Schermers.
fought them back. They promised to leave
Richard alone.

They warned other Hannah accepted the card reluctantly.

classmates not to sign the Later, Hannah apologised to Richard for
card. being rude.
The boys were afraid This was the beginning of their friendship.
Abner and Harry would
hit them.
The girls worry that
popular girls like Peggy
and Blanche would not
speak to them.
 CAUSES EVENT EFFECTS

Nobody was interested.

Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was
famous.
Pa did not believe that Richard wrote
poetry.
Richard asked whether his family
Richard received a letter members wanted to read his poems.
from Mr Kilmer. Nobody was interested. Richard was sad.

5
Gus advised Richard not tell anyone he
wrote poetry. He wanted Richard to fit in
Richard told his family with other people . Everyone called him a
Mr Kilmer advised Richard
and Mrs Hansen that Hun Lover after he signed the card for
to overcome his fear.
he wrote poetry. Hannah.

The next day, Richard told Mrs Hansen

that he wrote poetry. He showed her Mr
Kilmers letter.
Mr Kilmer advised Richard
to share his poetry with Mrs Hansen helped Richard to choose a
people around him. poem. Richard would send the poem to Mr
Kilmer.

As advised by Mrs Hansen, Richard

shared Mr Kilmers 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
 CAUSES
Hannah and Richard won the roles
of Lady Liberty and the Doughboy
respectively because they wrote
the best essays. Mrs Hansen asked
the class to write an essay as one
of the activities for a patriotic
programme which helped sell
Liberty bonds.
Hannah wrote the best essay so Mrs
Hansen asked Hannah to read it.
After she read the essay, only
Richard clapped his hand.
Many students were angry with Mrs
Hansens decision. They regarded
Hannah as an unpatriotic German
although she was an American
citizen.
Some parents complained to the
principal and demanded Mrs Hansen
to choose someone else. Mrs
Hansen did not change her mind.
Hannah told Richard that her essay
started a little war in Turtle lake. She
did not want to cause any more
problems. Richard wanted to support
Hannah.
EVENT EFFECTS
Gus told Richard that all students said
that he was unpatriotic and a traitor.
Pa was disappointed when Richard
declined the role of the Doughboy.
Pa advised Richard not to side with the
Schermers.
Influenced by Abners father story, he
6 thought that the Schermers wanted the
Germans to win the war.
Hannah declined
Richard told his father that the
the role of Lady
Liberty. Richard Schermers were patriotic.
declined his They wanted the Allies to win.
part as the Hannahs brother, Otto, was an
Doughboy. American soldier.
Hannahs friendship with Richard became
stronger.
Hannah invited Richard to her house.
Richard got to know Hannahs parents.
Richard visited the Schermers
whenever he felt lonely.
The Schermers understood his dreams.
Richard shared Mr Kilmers 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
Mr Kilmer was killed in the
war between the Allies and
the Germans.
Mr Kilmer was Richards as a tribute to Mr
penpal.
In the poem, Richard
likened Mr Kilmer to the
world.
EVENT EFFECTS
The tribute was printed in the local
newspaper, The Turtle Lake Weekly.
Richards father read the poem.
Richard was afraid that his father was
going to be angry at him. His father did
not like Richard writing poems.
7
After reading the poem, his father told
Richard about what happened to
Richard wrote a poem Richards uncle, Roland.
His father never told Richard about this
Kilmer.
story.
Roland was killed in a war in Cuba. His
father regarded Roland as his world.
His father was amazed how Richard
Richard
could continued writing
use the same poems
word in hisabout
poem.
farm life for the local newspaper.
Richard got his fathers 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 Richards
passion in writing poetry.