Geronimo by Joseph Bruchac
Bruchac, Joseph. Geronimo. New York: Scholastic Press, 2006. Print.
Summary
The book Geronimo is told from the perspective of Geronimo’s grandson. Geronimo is very old and is nearing the end, but the narrator, who is Geronimo’s grandson, was visiting Geronimo at Fort Sill where Geronimo was held captive by the US government. Geronimo told his grandson all his stories, and asked for them to be retold. So in this book, the stories are retold. The stories were all about how the Apache Indians were treated, how they were forced to move because the US wanted gold that was in their land. It talks about the great mans cunningness, his strategies, and how he was able to defeat his enemies. Geronimo should be honored and should never be forgotten for standing up for his tribes’ rights.
Historical Setting
This book is about the Apache Indians and the different places they were forced to move to between the 1800s to the 1900’s. The Apache Indians were located in the Southwest deserts, in countries like Arizona, Texas, New Mexico. Some Apaches were located on the Mexican border. One band of Apaches, live away from the others, in Oklahoma and they still live there till this day. They lived almost completely off buffalo, and were one of the first tribes to learn how to ride the horse.
Sources: "Apache Indian Fact Sheet." Facts for Kids: Apache Indians (Apaches). N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. <http://www.bigorrin.org/apache_kids.htm
"Apache Indian." Learn more about the and their culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. <http://www.indians.org/articles/apache-indian.html>.
Historical Setting Effect on Characters, Plot, or Theme
The historical setting of this book played a huge impact on everything since the whole story revolved around the history of the Apache Tribes. It affected Geronimo as shown on page 2, “ He held up his right hand to show his third finger had been bent back from being struck by a bullet. Then he thumped his chest, his shoulder, his thigh, touching places where bullets and knives had pierced his flesh in the past.” This shows how the wars he’d been in because he was in the Apache tribe had affected him.
Major Characters
The book revolves around Geronimo, and he’s basically the only major character. Geronimo is a brave, smart, and strong man. He is said to be strategical, aggressive, and almost impossible to kill. He was captured only because he turned himself in after his brother was imprisoned. Geronimo also wanted to send a message, he told his great grandson to retell all the stories of how unfair the Apaches were treated.
Characterization Techniques
One of the characterization techniques used is dialogue, as shown on page 16,” Fight, run, hide, fight again.” Another technique is action on page 3,” He raised both his hands to the top of his head to feel the favorite hat that had been there all along.”
Point of View
The point of view is first person. This helps develop the main character because it is him himself who is speaking. So he knows how he feels, and this helps develop him.
Theme
The theme of this book is knowledge vs ignorance. This is because the knowledge(Geronimo and the Apaches) are trying to stand up to the ignorance(US government). I say the US government is ignorant because all they want is gold, and they killed, captured, and destroyed peoples’ homes to get gold. Where as Geronimo and the Apache tribe only care about love and being united.
Reflection
This book matters because it brings up a point. It shows how people were treated and it was very unfair. This book matters because it gives us pieces of history, and teaches us about the Apaches. I liked this book because it was fun and action packed even though it could get boring at times. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history and action. I would rate this book a 7/10.
Vocab
1) Kernel: Seed
2) Quarrelling: A disagreement
3) Gleamed: Shined
4) Cradleboard: A board that an infant is strapped onto
5) Wickiup: An American Indian hut
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