World History Quarter Book Project 

Please submit to Canvas by the end of the quarter. Worth 55 summative points

 

General Information – 10 points

Title of Book: Soldier X

Genre of Literature (historical fiction or nonfiction): historical fiction

Author: Don Wulffson

Publisher: The Penguin Group

Copyright Date: 2001

Number of pages (150-page minimum): 225

Setting(s): Seattle, Washington and Europe (it took place all over Europe)

 

Main Characters – Name and give a brief description of 3-5:

Erik Brandt- An older man that wants to be young again. He feels like now that he has lost all of his young style and fling, all people know him for is as a professor. He was a soldier, he was in WWI and WWII. 

 

Book summary/point of view – 10 points

In about 100 words, provide a brief summary of the plot of the book. Include the time period in which it takes place.

 

He prefers to be called X instead because of all the injuries he has suffered and the sheer amount of machinery there is throughout his body. He believes that he is no longer a young man with blonde hair and blue eyes, but now a man without his boyish charm. His hair, now a fizzy gray. His eyes, now has reading glasses on them. He wears his beard long to cover the scars from the machinery put in his face. The book takes place during WWII. He tells people that a German shot his arm off, it’s the other way around. He was a German soldier.

 

From whose point of view is the book told?  How does this influence the story?

 

It is written from the point of view of an ex German soldier, now American History teacher. This influences the stories view on who the bad guy was in the war and why he ends up in America.

 

Application questions – 35 points 

5 points each – each answer should be a minimum of 50 words)

What is the most important event in the book?  Why is it the most important? When does this event take place in the book (page numbers)?  

When Tamara finds out that Erik is German and she can’t stand him. P. 188

 

Choose one character – Give a more detailed description of their role in the book, and then compare them to someone you know personally today.  Use two quotes from the book to help illustrate your description – cite page numbers where the quotes are found.

Tamara

She is a Russian nurse in the middle of the war that comes to America and search for new life. Ends up marrying Erik and hates Germans.

“It just so happens that I am in love with a German.” P. 210

“I am not here to frighten you… I am here to save your lives.” P. 103

 

Use two quotes from the book to show new things you have learned about this time period in history.  Explain what each quote helped you to better know or understand – cite page numbers.

“You are nothing-your Volk is everything.” P. 4

“Stupid children. Never even got to fire their rifles” P. 27

 

How might our world be different today if the historical events in your book had turned out differently?  Use two different examples to explain your answer.  

Germany could be ruling the world and we might speak German.

 

What are three life lessons that can be learned from this book – how does each apply to your life?

Be true to who you are. Don’t change what you think for others. And never doubt your mind.

 

If you were to give this book an alternate title, what would it be?  Explain why.

The stow away, I would name it that because the ex German soldier is a “stowaway” in America.

 

Explain in about 50 words why you would or would not recommend this book to your classmates.

I would recommend this book to my classmates because it gives you an appreciation for the life that you have. This man was severely injured to the point that he has machinery  all throughout his body. We complain about the little things and we should learn to not complain ever and to just be happy with yourself and the things you have been blessed with. 

 

Cite any sources beyond the book that you used to complete this project.

 

Luke Stroud

Ms. B

World History

September 5, 2019

River Valley Civilizations

        The four river valley civilizations were Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China. Each civilization had individual achievements and some achievements they all accomplished at one time or another. They all created their own way of writing and language. But I believe that India is the River Valley Civilization that left the most impact. 

        I believe India left the most because of their sewer systems, their innovation in algebra and calculus, and multiple story high stone buildings. The sewage systems that they left behind push modern day people to modernize their base structure and make them more efficient. Their innovation of algebra and calculus pointed the way to the even more advanced math we have now like geometry. Their multiple story high buildings gave us an insight to where the main support beams and what materials to build our buildings out of. 

        A reason someone could say that Egypt left the most behind would be because of the sundial and the 365 day calendar they brought into existence. A reason someone could say that Mesopotamia left the most behind would be because of the irrigation systems that they invented and brought to fruition. A reason someone could say that China left the most behind would be because of The Four Great inventions of Ancient China, those being gunpowder, paper, printing, and the compass. Without these we wouldn’t be able to have firearms or document anything with writing.

        The 3 major things that Ancient India left behind were algebra and calculus, their sewage systems, and and their multiple storie buildings made out of stone.