Outside Reading Week 3 Part A

Vocab:
galvanize (152)- to coat with rust-resistant zinc.

entropy (160)- inevitable and steady deterioration of a system or society.

Appeals:
"Another traditional miners' vacation spot was Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. At Mom's insistence, that's where we went. It was the one time of the year she got Dad off to herself and out of the mountains....Mom cried when we loaded up the Buick to come home" (157). The miners of Coalwood usually got two weeks off in early July for a vacation. Homer's family went to Myrtle Beach, his mom's favorite place. This is an emotional appeal because Homer connects to the reader by talking about his family life. Not only do we learn more about his home life, we also know or can imagine what it would be like if our parents never talked or got along. Besides building rockets, I think Myrtle Beach must have invoked happy memories from Homer's childhood when things were simple and easy.

"He smiled. 'Because even though I know it to be true, I don't want it to be true. I hate that it's true. I just can't imagine," he concluded heading back inside his office, "what God was thinking.'" (160). The thing that Homer's dad is talking about in this quote is entropy which he goes onto explain is that no matter how perfect something is, it will all be destroyed eventually. This gives the reader a lot to think about. Is the fact that Homer Sr. knows about entropy the reason he has such a bland outlook in life? Is that the reason why he didn't originally support Homer's rocket building or the reason he decided to support it anyway? Is this the reason that causes him to become such a "company-man" and somewhat doom his marriage because of his work? Although it might not seem like it, this quote reveals a lot about Homer's dad and the reason why he lives his life the way he does.

"I thought how ironic that Jake's telescope could see stars a million light-years away, but not the town it was in. Maybe I was that way myself. I had a clear vision of my future in space, but the life I led in Coalwood sometimes seemed to blur" (162). Being a teenager I can definitely relate to what Homer says here. Most of our lives are dedicated in living in the present. We don't always think about our future or reflect on the past. It's not always clear to us what we want to do or what we've been doing, but there have always been those moments when we realize exactly what has been happening. For Homer, this is one of these moments and it makes a great emotional appeal. There are always those times in one's life where we feel lost, but occasionally, we're able to find ourselves.

Quote:
"I considered the implication of what O'Dell was saying. Was Dad helping us?" (152). Homer's father had let him have some cement for his launch pad at Cape Coalwood. He had said it was ruined, but when O'Dell and Homer discovered the cement, it wasn't ruined at all and there had been exactly four bags, the amount Homer thought he needed. Even though Homer Sr. has never shown any open support towards his son's rocket building, it seems that he is beginning to turn around. Maybe he's just interested in seeing what Homer Jr. can accomplish. Or maybe he wants to know that someone can beat the Russians. Or maybe, he wants to support his son.

Theme:
A theme that's becoming more evident in my memoir is that of teamwork and friendships. The Rocket Boys couldn't have done what they managed to accomplish if they hadn't worked together. Building a rocket is one thing, but to build a team of people who can work together and accomplish a task is another. "One by one Sherman, O'Dell, Roy Lee, and Quentin placed their hands on top of mine. 'Rocket Boys,' I said. 'Rocket Boys forever!'" (156).