The following are novels studied in the literature component in English Language.

Dear Mr. Kilmer - Anne Elaine Schraff

Captain Nobody - Dean Pitchford
Sing to the Dawn - Minfong Ho

1) Using the details from the novel that you have studied, describe what lessons you have learnt.
From the novel Dear Mr. Kilmer, by Anne Elaine Schraff, a lesson I have learnt is that you
should be proud of who you are. You should also be strong, loyal and upright. In this story we see
that Richard, the main character, had to face many challenges. He loved poetry and though he
wrote poems, he kept this a secret as he was afraid others would make fun of him.

Mr Kilmer encouraged Richard to share his poetry, and when he did, he felt relieved. He was
no longer afraid of what others thought of him. When people were mean to the Schermers and
vandalised their tavern, Richard thought it was unfair. He felt sorry for Hannah and her family. He
was the only one in his class who was brave enough to sign the sympathy card for Hannah.

In spite of the consequences, he continued to be friends with Hannah. He realised if Mr

Kilmer could be brave enough to join the war, he, Richard should be fearless in standing up for
what he believed in. He even decided not to be ‘Doughboy’ in the Liberty Programme just to
support Hannah.

I have also learnt the importance of friendship. Richard became good friends with Mr Kilmer
through their correspondence though they never met each other. He also remained good friends
with Hannah even when the other students shunned her and treated her badly. He knew the
importance of having a friend in bad times.

Another valuable lesson I have learnt is how wrong it is to be prejudiced and cruel. The
people in the town were ignorant and labelled the Schermers as unpatriotic just because they were
Germans. Richard thought for himself and stood by his own beliefs. He had integrity and strength of
character. Mrs Hansen wished more students were more like Richard.

So, I hope I will be strong, loyal and fearless in the face of challenges like Richard.
2) Using the details in the novel you have studied, write about the most memorable episode in
the novel. Provide evidence from the text to support your answer.

The most memorable episode in the novel Dear Mr. Kilmer is when Richard gets the
opportunity to nurture his passion for poetry. This happens when his English teacher Mrs. Hansen
chooses to read a poem by a well-known American poet Joyce Kilmer.

I find this as an interesting event is because Richard finally reveals his secret to everyone,
which is his love for poems. Since a little boy, Richard has written poems on topics that touched his
heart. However, he hides his poems from family members and friends for fear of being ridiculed.

Richard realises this is an opportunity for him to take his poetry to the next level. He decides
to write to Kilmer knowing well the famous poet may not reply his letter. To his surprise Kilmer did
reply his letter and it is the beginning of a unique relationship between the two. Richard has found
someone with whom he could relate to on things close to his heart, nature, people and dreams.

Richard also learns that Kilmer is more than a poet. He is fascinated that Kilmer is a patriot.
When Richard learns more about Kilmer, his admiration grew. Richard reads Kilmer poems in his
class and replies his letters. He is especially over the moon when Kilmer signs off as ‘your fellow
verse maker’ in one of his replies. Richard is encouraged to do his best in improving his poetry skills.
Even Mrs Hansen and Hannah express their appreciation for his poems.

Perhaps the most memorable event is when Pa finally understands why Richard wrote
poems and in his heart, Richard understood why he wrote them too. It has brought closer to his
father and now he can write poems freely and openly.

3. Using the details in the novel you have studied, write about a moral value you have learnt from
the story.

In the novel, Dear Mr. Kilmer, the story highlights some moral values such as family
responsibility, mutual understanding, love and patriotism. Of these, I have learned that love keeps
the knight family together although they appear to have contrasting views..
 Richard’s father dropped out after finishing fifth grade but he is a good farmer and provider.
A single parent, Pa is determined that his older son Gus should one day graduate. He has no
problems with Richard who gets excellent grades. Although Richard yearns to get close with his Pa,
he senses a strange barrier between them. However, both father and son are able to understand
each other in the closing chapters of the novel.

Richard’s older sister Angie was nine when their mother dies. She leaves school after the
eighth grade and immediately takes on the role of full time farm woman. She spent her days
cooking, cleaning washing and sewing; generally looking after her family. This shows her sacrifice
and completer devotion to her family.

On the other hand, Richard’s brother Gus is a self - centered person spending most of his
time playing football and refusing his share of the farm work. Gus is also a goof hunter. Gus often
demeans Richard for his sissy ways preferring not to understand his love for poetry.

As for Richard, he comes across as someone with a soft heart. He helps Angie to clean up in
the kitchen, enjoys working long side Pain the field and helps around the farm whenever he can.
Although the Knight family is without a mother figure to run the family, it is clear they can stay
together as a caring family.

4) Using the details from the novel that you have studied, describe what happens at the end of
the novel.  Explain why you find the ending either happy or sad. (SPM 2008)

The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. At the end of the story,
Richard’s father finally supported his passion in writing poetry. This was a happy ending.

Richard Knight had a secret. Nobody knew that he wrote poetry including his family,
teachers and schoolmates. One day, Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s English
teacher, Mrs Hansen read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer.
Mr Kilmer was a famous poet. He enlisted in the army. He wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. In his letter,
Richard told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems too. Richard asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted
to know whether he should tell his secret to everybody. A few days later, Richard received a letter
from Mr Kilmer. In his letter, he advised Richard to overcome his fear. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to
share his poetry with people around him. Nobody was interested when Richard told his family
about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr Kilmer was famous. Pa did not
believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard asked whether his family members wanted to read his
poems. Nobody was interested so Richard felt sad.

One day, Richard received a bad news about Mr Kilmer. He was killed in the war between
the Allies and the Germans. Richard wrote a poem as a tribute to Mr Kilmer. In the poem, Richard
likened Mr Kilmer to the “world”. The tribute was printed in the local newspaper, “The Turtle Lake
Weekly”. Richard’s 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. 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 tribute. 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.

In conclusion, the ending of this story was truly heart-warming when a father and a son
finally got along through the love of poetry.

5) Suggest one character in the novel you have read who you think is a good role model for
teenagers. Briefly describe the character and give reasons for your choice with close reference to
the text. (SPM 2015  Similar to SPM 2007)

The novel that I read was ‘Dear Mr Kilmer’ by Anne Schraff. A good role model for teenagers
was Richard, a 15-year old farm boy from Turtle Lake, Iowa who loved poetry. He was tall, pale and
slender. Richard was Mr Knight’s son and the younger brother of Angie and Gus. He was Mr
Kilmer’s pen pal and Hannah’s best friend. There are several reasons why I chose Richard.

Firstly, I chose him as a good role model because he was kind. One day, Mrs. Hansen asked
her class to sign a card for the Schermers. Someone vandalised the tavern owned by Hannah’s
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. 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.
However, Richard was the only student who signed the sympathy card for Hannah Schermer. After
school, Richard took the card from Mrs Hansen. He wanted to give the card to Hannah. Hannah
accepted the card reluctantly. Later, Hannah apologised to Richard for being rude. This was the
beginning of their friendship.

Other than kind, Richard was also brave. This was shown when Richard told his family he
wrote poetry. Before telling his secret to his family, Richard wrote a letter to Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer
was Richard’s pen pal. Richard learnt about Mr Kilmer when Richard’s English teacher, Mrs Hansen
read a poem to the class. The title of the poem was “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer. In his letter, Richard
told Mr Kilmer that he wrote poems too. However, he kept this as a secret from everyone.  Richard
asked for Mr Kilmer’s advice. He wanted to know whether he should tell his secret to everybody.
One day, Richard received a letter from Mr Kilmer. Mr Kilmer advised Richard to overcome his fear.
Mr Kilmer advised Richard to share his poetry with people around him. Nobody was interested
when Richard told his family about Mr Kilmer’s letter and his secret. Gus did not believe that Mr
Kilmer was famous. Pa did not believe that Richard wrote poetry. Richard asked whether his family
members wanted to read his poems but nobody was interested which made Richard felt dejected.
Gus advised Richard not tell anyone he wrote poetry. He wanted Richard to fit in with other people
as everyone at school called Richard a ‘Hun Lover’ after he signed the card for Hannah.

The third reason is Richard was supportive. 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. Many students were angry when Hannah won the role. They regarded Hannah as an
unpatriotic German although she was an American citizen. Hannah told Richard that her essay
started a little war in Turtle Lake. She did not want to cause any more problems. So she declined
the role of Lady Liberty. Richard wanted to support Hannah. Therefore, Richard declined his part as
the Doughboy. His family, his schoolmates and the Turtle Lake people criticized him for turning
down his role. They called him unpatriotic and a traitor. These criticisms never stopped Richard
from standing up for what was right.

In conclusion, Richard was a good role model for teenagers because he had good
personalities.