Francis has a very big secret
about the war.
o
What is the big secret that
Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations for going to war?
o
In your opinion, can Francis
still be considered a hero even though he didn’t intend to do what he did?
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Taylor Davis
ReplyDeleteMs. Drosdick
Period 4
2/11/14
Journal #4 Option B
The big secret that Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations for going to war was that Francis wanted to kill himself and he thought that war would be an easy way to do it. Francis stated on page 113 in the book: “I went to war because I wanted to die.” He also said, “When I fell on that grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I saw my chance to end it all, in a second.” Francis wanted to kill himself because he couldn’t save Nicole Renard from Larry LaSalle. Francis tells Larry this on page 113. Larry asked, “Why did you want to die Francis?” Francis responds, “Nicole. Nicole Renard… I heard what you were doing to her.” Nobody would’ve believed Francis went to war to end his life like this because most soldiers go to war to fight for their country, but not in Francis’ case. He had a dark secret—and it was that war was his way to escape life.
Even though Francis intended to commit suicide, I believe he can still be considered a hero because he saved those soldiers in the process. On page 53, Arthur told Francis, “You’re a goddam hero”…“Little Francis Cassavant. Falls on a grenade and saves—how many men did you save, Francis? How many men were you willing to die for?” I agree with Arthur. Just because Francis wanted to kill himself doesn’t mean he didn’t know he was saving lives in the process. Some suicidal people reconsider suicide like Francis was forced to. Francis reminds me of Oskar Schindler because Schindler wanted to start a labor factory but realized later on that he was saving Jews in the process. Both men are heroes in my book. Francis’ love, Nicole Renard said in the book on page 131, “My good Francis. My table tennis champion. My Silver Star hero…” This shows that even Nicole is able to forgive him and consider him a hero and so do I.
Heroes Journal Entry 4
ReplyDelete“I went to war because I wanted to die.” admitted Francis during a conversation to Larry LaSalle. This is the big secret about going to war, Francis motivations about wanting to die were that he would have been a disgrace to his mother and fathers name. This was a chance for one to kill him for himself because he was too much of a coward to kill himself. “When I fell on that grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I saw a chance to end it all.” revealed Francis as he didn’t even know why he wanted to die in the first place. I believe it was all love, love has shown to make you do not smart things. In the show Victorious, Tori saw her ex-boyfriend Daniel kissing her friend Cat and she ended up jealous enough to cover them up in hot fondue. Francis feared never seeing Nicole again and that led him up to nearly committing suicide fearing she had died in the war.
“Oh Francis. You’re too hard on yourself. You didn’t do anything you should feel guilty about, that shouldn’t make you want to die.” said Larry telling him even if you did see Nicole again or did die, you’re still a hero to those GIs. In my opinion, I think Larry is right about that because even if it was to end his life, Francis was still a hero of the war no matter what happens. It is like Miep Gies, she’s was said to be the Chuck Norris of the Holocaust because she became a hero for helping the Franks, Van Daans and Mr. Pfeffer. This shows that even if your just an average person you’re a hero to others or can become a hero from one small thing.
Boom! In a split second decision, Francis threw himself upon the grenade. His face blew up but his mind remained seemingly intact. The big secret that Francis he reveals to Larry LaSalle about the war is that he went to die because of what Larry did to Nicole that night at the Wreck Center. On page 113, Francis confesses “ ‘When I fell on that grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I saw my chance to end it all, in a second. But a freak accident happened. My face got blown off and I didn’t die…’ ” This is a shocking secret because previously everyone simply thought Francis had sacrificed his life for others but it turns out that all this time, he had just tried to kill himself. Originally, I thought that Francis was just modest and embarrassed of the publicity he was being given. Now, I fully understand why Francis didn’t consider himself a hero or someone who deserved the Silver Star for bravery.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Francis can’t still be considered a hero because he didn’t intend to do it and simply attempted to commit suicide. According to Dictionary.com, a hero is “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities”. In Francis’ case, others considered him a hero for his “courageous” deed during the war, sacrificing his life for others. But, those admirers didn’t know the darker truth that Francis whispered to his previous idol on page 113, “ I went to war because I wanted to die… I was too much of a coward to kill myself. In the war, in a battle, I figured it would be easy to get killed. And I wouldn’t be disgracing my father and mother’s name, I looked for chances to die and instead killed others”. I wouldn’t call Francis a hero since even Francis admitted that it wasn’t his comrades he was think of when he saw the grenade but a opportunity to take his life. A hero sacrifices for others; Francis unsuccessfully sacrificed his life for himself. After Francis’ confessions to Larry LaSalle, I can’t consider Francis a hero due to the fact he jumped on the grenade in order to die without shaming his family’s name.
Everyone has that one big secret that no one else knows. Francis Cassavant's big secret was when he was in the war. His secret is that the reason he went to war was because he wanted to die. He saw the grenade but also saw his chance to end his life. In the story it says, "I went to war because I wanted to die" It also says, "When I fell on that grenade, I wasn't trying to save those GI's. I saw my chance to end it all, in a second." This shows that Francis was only in the war to die. This was his big secret.
ReplyDeleteTo me, Francis can be considered a hero and a coward at the same time. This is because even though he saved his camrades, he didn't do it to save them. He did it to die. He was being a cowrad for doing this; but was a hero to his camrades for saving them from the grenade.
#7eleven8
Everyone has that one big secret that no one else knows. Francis Cassavant's big secret was when he was in the war. His secret is that the reason he went to war was because he wanted to die. He saw the grenade but also saw his chance to end his life. In the story it says, "I went to war because I wanted to die" It also says, "When I fell on that grenade, I wasn't trying to save those GI's. I saw my chance to end it all, in a second." This shows that Francis was only in the war to die. This was his big secret.
ReplyDeleteTo me, Francis can be considered a hero and a coward at the same time. This is because even though he saved his camrades, he didn't do it to save them. He did it to die. He was being a cowrad for doing this; but was a hero to his camrades for saving them from the grenade.
#7eleven8
Renee Cantor
ReplyDeleteFrancis has a very big secret about the war that he carries with him, like a knife. The big secret that Francis reveals to Larry about his motivation for going to war is that he went so he could die a heroic death instead of committing suicide. He also reveals that his reason for taking the grenade was selfish as well. He hoped that it would kill him but it left him breathing, but without a face. In the book, page 104, it says “Soldiers were dying with honor on battlefields all over the world. Noble deaths. The death of heroes. How could I die by leaping from a steeple?” This shows that Francis’ secret about going to war was that he went so he could die in an honorable way, instead of committing suicide. He wanted to die, and found a different way to do so.
In my opinion, Francis can still be considered a hero, even though he didn’t intend to do what he did. I feel this way because I believe that any one fighting for our country is a hero. Even though Francis went in to the army for selfish reasons, he still did heroic things. In the book, page 113, Larry LaSalle said “‘You saved your patrol. You fell on that grenade…’” This shows that Francis did something heroic. It doesn’t matter why he did it. I also believe it was instinct to help his comrades, like a mother helping a child.
In the book, Francis changes his birth certificate so that he can go to war when he was only 15. Today, children under the age of 18 that go to war are called child soldiers. According to dosomething.org, “In the last 13 years, the use of child soldiers has spread to almost every region of the world and to every armed conflict.” This is a big problem. I believe that children should not have to go to war, just like Francis shouldn’t have.
#oneinamillion6 #oneinamillion
Have you ever had a big secret? Something so big, your heart thumps like a galloping horse whenever you think of it? We all have, and Francis is no different. He revealed his secret to Larry about his motivations for going to war during his mission to kill Larry. Francis says, “I went to war because I wanted to die… I was too much of a coward to kill myself. In the war, in battle, I figured it was easy to get killed. And I wouldn’t be disgracing my father and mother’s name.” Francis has lost a lot in his life. First his mother, than his father, but what hurt him the most was losing Nicole. Nicole was the only thing that Francis still love and he lost her. After this, he had nothing to live for, and he wanted to die. This is why he joined the army. Francis is likely one of the few that actually wanted to die from war. In social studies, we learned about the patriotism the Americans had during the war. One soldier, Nathan Hale said right before he died, “I Only Regret That I Have but One Life to Give for My Country.” His wanting to die for his country is similar to most soldiers, while Francis’s is different, he wants to die for selfish reasons.
ReplyDeleteThere are Heroes, and there are cowards. Heroes are selfless. They put others before themselves. They are brave, loyal, and dedicated. Cowards are selfish. They care only about themselves. They are scared, hesitant, and indecisive. Francis is considered a hero because he won a silver star, but he only received it for cowardly actions, not heroic. The text states, “When I fell on that grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I saw a chance to end it all, in a second.” Francis fell on that grenade because he wanted to die for himself, not others. This makes him selfish, and thus not a hero. Francis was also too cowardly to kill himself. He tells Larry, “I was too much of a coward to kill myself. In war, I figured it would be easy to get killed.” Francis did the right thing for the wrong reasons, hence he should not be considered a hero.
Journal Entry
ReplyDeleteThe big secret that Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations for going to war is that he wanted to die. He thought it was cowardly to commit suicide by jumping off the steeple so he went to war instead to do it. He says on page 113, ‘“I was too much of a coward to kill myself. In the war, in a battle, I figured it would be easy to get killed…”’. He also didn’t want to disgrace his parents name by having another child die in the family, so he thought it would be better to go to war and die on the battlefield like other soldiers. Francis wanted to die because of his love Nicole Renard. He wanted to because Larry sexually assaulted Nicole, the one he loved. Francis stayed back that night and heard everything, but he never rescued her. Nicole thought Francis betrayed her. Francis said on page 114, ‘“What you did to her. And I did nothing. Just stood there and let it happen…”’. He was angry that he hurt Nicole so much that he wanted to die. Larry replies to Francis on page 114 with this, ‘“Oh, Francis. You’re too hard on yourself. You didn’t do anything you should feel guilty about, that should make you want to die.”’ I have to agree and disagree with Larry. Francis shouldn’t feel that guilty about it that he would want to kill himself, there wasn’t a lot that he could have done. No one would probably believe because Larry was the town hero. I disagree with Larry because he caused this to happen; if it wasn’t for him Francis probably would have never went to war and Nicole would stay in Frenchtown. This relates to a chain reaction. Larry is the cause of it; he sexually assaulted Nicole, which lead up to Nicole being angry at Francis for not doing anything. Finally it leads up to Francis joining the war at a young age to die because of everything.
In my opinion, Francis is still a hero even though he did not intend to do what he did. If it wasn’t for Francis jumping in front of the grenade his whole platoon would be dead. He saved them even though he did not intend to. He says he wanted to die and not save the GI’s but he did it and saved his patrol. Some things happen accidentally that was not intended and I think he earned that Silver Star fair and square. I know he didn’t mean to save them, but what he done was extraordinary and he earned the recognition. Larry said on page 112, ‘“And you became a hero…”’. Francis replies saying that he wasn’t a hero, but I think he was. In my opinion I think Francis is being a humble hero. He doesn’t act like one and doesn’t think he is one, but people think he is one. I believe everything happens for a reason, and it was meant for Francis to jump on the grenade to save others and not die. This relates to John McCain. John McCain was a prisoner in war during the Vietnam War. He was beaten every day multiple times as a prisoner of war. Though he didn’t think he was a hero, he was. John never surrendered for his country; all he had to do was to sign a sheet of paper that he betrayed his country. He never signed it and it was like this for four years. This relates to a Medal of Honor recipient Francis S. Currey. He was in World War II in Belgium. He was captured and brought to an abandoned factory. Where he found a bazooka left behind. Sadly, the bazooka had no ammunition; he sprinted to the half-track and loaded the bazooka. He fired it at a close tank and the bullet/rocket hit the exact spot where he wanted it; the vehicle was disabled. Currey shot all the Germans that were in sight. He found a machine gun abandoned and opened fire on retreating Germans. This allowed five Americans to escape from the Germans possession. The crew that Francis was with found an abandoned Army Jeep and used it to get back to American lines. Currey was surprised that he was awarded the Medal of Honor because he didn’t think he did anything special. Francis S. Currey was one of the heroes during World War II.
Intentions and motivations. They are what separate the cowardly from the brave. The big secret that Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations for going to war is that Francis had made the decision to join the army in order to put an end to his life. In the text, Francis states, “I was too much of a coward to kill myself…I looked for chances to die”, Francis then states why he wished to bring death upon himself, “Nicole. Nicole Renard.” Francis was guilty about his helplessness during Larry’s assault on Nicole, and found suicide as an option to help him out of his misery. Francis reminds me of Halle Berry, an actress, who attempted suicide because of a failed relationship. Halle Berry’s actions were alike to Francis’s which were caused by a failed relationship as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat is a hero? A hero is someone who doesn’t desire self-profit, but still takes actions that have positive effect on the lives of others. In my opinion, Francis cannot be considered a hero because he didn’t intend to do what he did. It was true that Francis had saved the lives of many by taking a grenade. Although his intentions were not to save those around, but they were to put an end to his own life. Francis admits to Larry, “When I fell on that grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I saw a chance to end it all in a second. But a freak accident happened.” Francis’ action may look similar to bravery, but they were manifested and taken through the perfect solution of selfishness and regret that boiled inside of him. Francis can be compared to Dawn Manning. During her hiking trip, Dawn Manning saved her own life by chasing off a wild cat. This event simultaneously stopped her son Simon from being attacked, although she was trying to save her own life, she simultaneously was able to save her son’s life. Dawn manning and Francis are similar because they are both accidental heroes.
4musketeers18
1, 2, 3, Jump! Francis leaps onto a grenade. Francis was at war and he had just become a hero for jumping on that grenade and saving the lives of many other people. Even though he survived, he had many injuries that he must now overcome. But, was Francis’s reason for going to war really to fight for America? Or was there more to it? On page 113 while Francis is talking to Larry he states, “’When I fell on the grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GI’s. I saw my chance to end it all, in a second,’… ‘Why did you want to die Francis?’ … ‘Nicole, Nicole Renard.’” This shows that he went into war with the intention of dying. Ever since Larry sexually assaulted Nicole and Francis let it happen, Nicole didn’t trust him anymore and Francis didn’t believe there was anything else to live for. He loved Nicole as much as a mom loves her baby and it was hard for him to watch her get hurt and then blame it on him. His motivation for going to war was that life would be easier if he was dead. Today, there are many people who believe the same thing and that leads to a lot of suicides. In the end, you must remember that life will always get better and ending your life forever is never the answer to any of your problems.
ReplyDeleteWhat is a hero? This question may be going through many peoples head at this moment but, does anyone really know the answer. To me a hero is someone who does a little thing to help another person. On page 131 it states, “Hero. The word hangs in the air. ‘I don’t know what a hero is anymore, Nicole.’” This shows that Francis who is being called a hero doesn’t even know what it means. I think Francis is and is not a hero. To the world he is a hero for saving the lives of the GI’s by jumping on the grenade. He is a hero to them because they do not know the real reason. I do not think Francis is a hero to himself though because even though he did save people’s lives he didn’t do it for the right reason. He did it because he didn’t want to be alive anymore. Today, many heroes do not believe they are heroes. They believe that what they did was the right thing. In the end, a hero is a strong word that will be remembered by everyone.
The room is dark and crowded. A figure shaded from the sunlight coming through the window sits in front of me. Memories flood back to me of the Wreck Center games and plays, her face looking at me through the crowd, that terrible night, and my despair. He is the reason for all of those memories, both good and bad. Larry LaSalle sits in the crowded room in front of me, my champion and idol, now the person I plan on killing. It was his fault that I felt so much pain and guilt, and why my face got maimed. The big secret Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations for going to war was to kill himself. Francis was extremely depressed and planned on joining the army. If he was in the war, it would have been easier to be killed, and he would not die as a coward. He would not be disrespecting his parents, and instead would be honored. As the text states, “I looked for chances to die and instead killed others, the two of them kids like me…” Francis was only in the war because he wanted to kill himself. If he was surrounded by guns and bombs, there would be a greater chance to get killed. Standing in a war zone, getting shot at and getting bombed, would be less cowardly, and would not be known as a sinner. Francis is like Benedict Arnold. Benedict was a brave soldier fighting for America in the Revolutionary War. He won many battles and was a great patriot. Then, America found out that he had gone behind his army’s back and helped the British. Francis is like Benedict Arnold because they had bad motivations, and did the wrong thing. Even though Francis saved lives, he didn’t care about others. Francis’ acts were like a mask. On the mask, he was known as a hero, saving many lives. Behind it though, you see the true face. You see the real reason for his heroic act.
ReplyDeleteA hero is someone known for saving lives. They risked their life, and got hurt. Like a veteran, they save lives, and possibly even get killed. Someone who is strong, smart, and kind is always the characteristics of a hero. Is that what a hero really is? Is that their true identity, someone who is perfect? In my opinion, Francis can still be considered a hero even though he didn’t intend to do what he did. Francis explained to Larry LaSalle that his reason for joining the army was to kill himself. He had jumped on the grenade because he saw his chance and took it. I do not think that makes Francis a terrible person. Even though Francis wasn’t planning on saving lives, he still did. In the text it states, “”You saved your patrol. You fell on that grenade…”” Francis did save lives. If Francis hadn’t jumped on that grenade, his platoon members would have been the ones with the face damage, or even dead. Not every hero is perfect. That is just what comic books describe as their hero. A hero is still a person, just someone who had the chance to save lives. If everyone had the chance to jump on that grenade, many would have. Francis is like every other hero in this world. Everyone has the potential to be a hero. No matter how old or how big. Short or tall, strong or weak, girl or boy, someone would have been Francis, jumping on that grenade in a second decision. A hero is inside everyone, like a little flower sprouting inside. Each day that flower grows bigger and more beautiful. Francis is a hero, a hero with the wrong mindset but still a savior.
Francis’ very big secret about the war was revealed to Larry on page 113. Francis tells Larry that his motivation for going to war was, “I went to war because I wanted to die.” I agree with Francis that he is a coward. The first time I thought Francis was a coward was when he didn’t save Nicole. He was standing right there and he could have called for help! He was weak as a baby! Actually, a baby would have been stronger than him! At least babies cry out. The next time Francis is an obvious coward was when he didn’t want to jump from the church steeple. He says, “I was too much of a coward to kill myself.” No wonder he hates it when people call him a hero. I don’t think he’s a hero because he just thought about killing himself. I don’t think people who kill themselves are heroic. Unlike him, the Japanese kamikazes in the war died more heroically. At least they had died for their country. Francis reminds me of today’s suicide bombers. Like Francis, the suicide bombers’ motivation is death.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Francis cannot still be considered a hero even though he didn’t intend to do what he did. His motive was originally to kill himself, so stepping on the grenade was a selfish action. Motives are as important to me as actions. Francis agrees with me. On page 134, Francis is thinking about who he considers real heroes. He thinks that the guys who were in his platoons were heroic, “And didn’t receive a Silver Star. But heroes, anyway. The real heroes.” Clearly, this supports my opinion that Francis cannot still be considered a hero even though he didn’t intend to be a real hero.
#musketeers23
Journal Entry #4
ReplyDeleteThe men and women that enlist in the war everyday have true courage and should always go to war for the right reasons. Francis did not have the right motivations to go to war. He wanted to go to die. When Francis was younger he almost committed suicide but he said to himself “I thought of my mother and father, could I really disgrace their name this way?” He knew that it was wrong to jump off of a steeple and end his life. So he went to war in hope that someone else could kill him. Francis had admitted that to Larry LaSalle. He had the wrong reasons to go to war. He jumped on the grenade that took off his face to kill him never to save the lives of the other soldiers. He was being self centered and wanted his life to end. Never expecting that he would live to tell the story and receive a Silver Star for his actions.
Heroes are those that do good deeds not for the reward but, because if the situation was switched they would want another person to help them. Francis was not a hero. He may have not planned to jump on the grenade before time but when he did, he wasn’t thinking of the lives he would save. Francis was only thinking of the one life he would end… his own. “I have always wanted to be a hero like Larry LaSalle and all the others, but have been a fake all along.” Francis knew that he didn’t jump on the grenade for the right reasons. Yes he was deserving of the Silver Star because he saved so many lives, but never had the right motivations. Thousands of men and women all around the world are killed everyday defending their countries. Some to never even be found, but they joined the war to defend what is right. Many never received praise because they don’t tell of their heroic stories. That is a true hero a humble soul who does what’s right not for a reward.
#4musketeers24
Have you ever taken the easy way out, but you knew it was the wrong thing to do? Francis Cassavant has. The big secret that Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations to going to war is that he joined to look for an easy way to die rather than suicide. He also went to keep his family name from being made fun of. On page 104, Francis says,” I thought of my mother and father- could I disgrace their name that way?” He is saying this because he would disgrace his family and ruin their reputation if he committed suicide. There was a kid in my town who was so nice, as well as his parents. I knew him but I wasn’t that close with him. One day I saw his name on the Mahwah Patch and it said he was going to court. This ruined his reputation and his family’s reputation. I pray for him because I know that he is a good kid deep down inside. He relates to Francis because if Francis jumped, his family would have be disgraced.
ReplyDeleteA hero is a person who has a desire to be unselfish to the point of death. Did Francis Cassavant have a desire to be unselfish? No. In my opinion, Francis cannot still be considered a hero because even though he saved people’s lives, he didn’t intend to. On page 113 Francis states,” When I fell on that grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs” This is as clearly as a 1080HD TV, showing that Francis didn’t want any business with his fellow caring soldiers, but all to kill himself. When I played basketball in the 4th grade, there was a player on my team who just wanted to score. Our coach always stressed that basketball was a team game, and this player just wanted to was score as many points he could. He is selfish like Francis.
Francis didn’t just go to war because he wanted to fight. Francis reveals to Larry on page 112 and 113 that he made a fake certificate to get into the army because he wanted to die. Francis states on page 113, “I was too much of a coward to kill myself. In the war, in a battle, I figured it would be easy to get killed. And I wouldn’t be disgracing my father and mother’s name. I looked for chances to die and instead killed others and two of them like me…” This shows that Francis wanted to end his life any way he possibly could, but it didn’t work out. This is true because later on page 113 Francis states “When I fell on that grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I saw my chance to end it all, in a second. But a freak accident happened. My face got blown off and I didn’t die…” Francis tried committing suicide a different way to end his life but basically something worse happened in his case.
ReplyDeleteFrancis joined the war for the wrong reasons, and the wrong reasons only. In my opinion Francis was not a hero because he didn’t want to join the army to protect the citizens of his country or his country. He joined because he wanted to die, and he thought it would have been less disgraceful. Francis wanted and still wants to die because of what happened to Nicole Renard. Larry did something horrifying to her that Francis hasn’t been able to get out of his head. It shows this on page 113. Larry says “Why did you want to die Francis?” Francis responds “Don’t you know?” He continues “Nicole. Nicole Renard.” It’s a terrible thing to think that someone would be willing to die because of what someone else did to another person. This situation reminds me of an episode in Glee when Fin and Rachel (the main characters) are about to get married but Fin brings Rachel to the airport to fulfill her dreams of being on Broadway and she couldn’t have done that if they got married. Francis and Fin are basically doing the same but in different situations with different concepts.
Francis’s mind overflowed with thoughts of death. He stared at the grenade with pain in his eyes, and a whirlwind of memories. Nicole’s face flashed through his mind, her tear-stained face full of terror and hurt. Now, Francis stood, his identity mistaken (considering he lied about his age), his regrets constantly paining him, and death as his main focus. He was the only one who he really was, a boy who just wanted to be free, forget the past, and just die. Without second thoughts, Francis stumbled onto the grenade, with his last thoughts swarming about Nicole, Larry, and death. As Francis revealed to Larry while confronting him before he attempts to kill him, he joined the army and fought in the war with hopes of dying a quick death, a noble death. A death that people considered him brave for, perhaps even a hero. However, he only wanted to die because of the regrets he held with him. Hurting Nicole, letting Larry hurt her…and Francis knew he couldn’t die so easily, he wanted his death to be noble. As the text states on page 113, “when I fell on that greande, I wasn’t trying to save those GI’s. I saw my chance to end it all, in a second. But a freak incident happened…” (Francis to Larry). This quote explains the reason Francis joined the war and jumped on the grenade. To “end it all,” all of the pain that constantly teased Francis wherever he went. Francis saw war as a place to die, and the grenade as his opportunity to escape.
ReplyDeleteWaking up to life wasn’t exactly what Francis expected. He had hoped to not have the chance to open his eyes again. Francis had one chance to end everything, and fate chose a different path. The path Francis was headed down was full of heroism, revenge, and even more pain. Nothing changed when Francis woke besides his appearance, and the fact that he was now considered a hero. Francis had hoped he would be a hero known for his death, but here he stood, accepting an award for saving a group of men’s lives, which weren’t even his intentions. As the text states on page 117, “you would have fallen on that grenade anyway. All your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades.” (Larry to Francis.) This quote makes you wonder, would Francis have saved all the men, even if he didn’t want to die? After all, Francis had always wanted to be a hero like Larry. Isn’t jumping on a grenade and saving a team of men heroic? Even though Francis had only wanted to die and had no intentions of saving anyone but himself from his pain, I still consider him a hero. Francis saved the life of all those men, whether he intended to or not. It’s not necessarily someone’s intentions that defines them, it’s their actions. And even if Francis jumped on the grenade to die, he still saved a group of people. And how does saving other’s lives (and risking your own, whether you wanted it or not), make you anything but a hero?
the big secret that Francis tells larry is that he went to the army to kill himself. Francis was really upset that he didnt stay with Nicole and as a result she was sexually abused by Larry. but when he gets back people say hes a hero when it was just a failed suicide attempt.
ReplyDeletein my opinion i do not think Francis is a true hero because he jumped on that grenade because he wanted to kill himself. he wasnt thinking about saving the people around him he just wanted to die and instead of facing his fear and solving the problems that could make everything better he just wanted to end all possible good thing that he could have gotten.so no Francis is not a hero.
Have you ever done something for the wrong reason but it ended up as a good deed? In chapter 16 Francis reveals to Larry his motivation for going to war. Francis discloses to Larry that he didn’t fall on the grenade to save the GIs. Francis fell on the grenade to commit suicide because of the guilt he felt from not saving Nicole when she was alone with Larry at the Wreck Center. One quote that supports that Francis wants to commit suicide is on page 113 when he states “When I fell on the grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I saw it as a chance to end it all, in a second. But a freak accident happened. My face got blown off and I didn’t die . . .” This demonstrates Francis feels so much guilt that he thought he would be doing himself a big favor by dying in battle on purpose. Larry replies, on page 113 “Why did you want to die Francis?” Francis replies, “I stayed behind that night. I heard what you were doing to her.” This shows Francis’ guilt and that he thought suicide was the only option to overcome his guilt.
ReplyDeleteIf someone did a magnificent deed unintentionally, would you still consider them to be a hero? I think Francis can still be considered a hero even though he didn’t intend to do what he did. Francis is still a hero since he saved his patrol’s lives. Larry says to Francis on pg. 118,” All your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades.” He sees the good in Francis and knows that he would have sacrificed his life anyway. I think that in a time of battle, his choice would have been to save his comrades, like he did, and risk his own life. He wrestles with if he is a hero for the remainder of the book. Francis ends up taking the high road and decides not to kill Larry which makes him a hero and Larry the coward. He even recognizes that Nicole admires him and he is a hero in her eyes when she says “My good Francis. My table tennis champion. My Silver Star hero . . .” on page 131. Nicole doesn’t care if he is a hero in the end when she says on pg. 132, “Be whatever will make you happy.” She inspires him to move on and look at the future. A time when I felt like Francis, was when I was dating my first girlfriend, we got into a fight, we broke up, and I felt like a worthless ripped up 1000.00 bill. I was devastated and was inspired by my friend who told me I have a lot of good qualities and I need to focus on them. Francis, in the end realizes after seeing Nicole that he needs to move forward, let go of his guilt, and it doesn’t matter if he is a hero or not.
Journal 4: option B
ReplyDeleteThe big secret that Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations of going into the army is that Francis wanted to die. After he witnessed the attack on Nicole from Larry, he didn’t do anything about it and that hurt Nicole even more. She got mad at him and felt as if he betrayed her. Francis felt so bad about not helping his only love that he enlisted into the army, hoping he would die on the battle field. He knew soldier’s deaths were considered brave, so he thought it was the right way to be put out of his misery. On page 113, Francis says, “I went to war because I wanted to die.” This shows that he thought he would die in the army. His mistakes and regret caused him to want to die. And that’s his secret for enlisting in the war. In a book I read, a man purposely chose to remain in the burning house because he believed he had nothing to live for. He didn’t want to kill himself so he went down with the burning flames. Francis did the same. He chose to put himself in a dangerous situation in hopes of death, just like the man in the book I read did. They both wanted to end it, but didn’t have the heart to do it themselves.
In my opinion, Francis can still be a hero even if he didn’t intend to do what he did. One might not plan on saving someone’s life or rescuing someone. It just happens. We act in emergencies and sometimes it makes us heroes even if we don’t purposely try to be them. Francis may not have tried to save the GIs and wanted to die instead, but he still did end up saving the GIs. Therefore, he is still considered a hero even if it was an accident and not planned. Page 113 states, “You saved your patrol. You fell on that grenade.” This shows that even though Francis’ intent wasn’t saving lives, he still did in the end. I read an article of a woman who was walking on a street when she saw two children in the middle of the rode. A fast car was approaching and she jumped in front of the car and took the hit instead of the children. She survived, and when interviewed she said she never planned on being a hero and saving those children, it just happened. This shows that heroes are heroes because they benefited society and did good deeds. It doesn’t matter what their intent was, as long as they helped out.
#7eleven3
Francis has a very big secret about the war. Francis decided to go to war because he wanted to die because of what Larry did to Nicole and how he did nothing. On page 113, Francis and Larry have a conversation.
ReplyDelete“’Know why I went to war?’ (Francis)
‘Why does anybody go to war, Francis?’ (Larry)
‘I went to war because I wanted to die.’” (Francis)
This shows that Francis’s motivation for going to war was death. This could portray Francis as a runaway. He could be compared to a runaway because he is trying to escape his life by going to war just like a runaway would try to escape their life by running away.
I believe that Francis can still be considered a hero even though he didn’t intend to do what he did. I think this because even though he fell on the grenade on purpose, he did a very heroic action. On page 117-118, Larry says, “’Let me tell you one thing before you go, Francis. You would have fallen on that grenade anyway. All your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades.’” This shows that Francis would’ve still fell on top of the grenade even if it wasn’t an attempt at suicide. I wonder why Francis still doesn’t accept himself as a hero, because even though it was an accident, it doesn't seem like Francis will even admit that he saved his patrol.
I am not a hero; I do not deserve the applause; for I am a coward, a coward wanting to end his misery. The love that was once a snow white rose had been tainted by the shadows. After seeing the betrayal in Nicole’s eyes as she realized that Francis had known of the incident, Francis wanted to flee from the reality of the world. But when he tried to end his life, he choked as he thought about the disgrace his family name would receive. The immense secret Francis reveals to Larry is that his true motivations to going to war were to end his life in an honorable way. On page 104, Francis considers suicide but changes his mind as he states “I could not die that way. Soldiers were dying with honor on battlefields all over the world. The death of heroes. How could I die by leaping from a steeple?” Francis reveals that he did not want to die a discreditable death. Instead, he wanted to be remembered as a hero, a crusader who took his life for the wellbeing of others. Something similar to Francis’ intentions is showed in Hercules, the Disney animated film. Hercules, the main character, was allowed to go to Heaven only if he completed a heroic deed. Therefore, Hercules did a “heroic” deed. However, his true intentions while doing the deeds were to get back to heaven. Both Francis and Hercules had alternative motives while doing something heroic. Francis reveals that he went to war for the sole purpose of going dying with honor.
ReplyDeleteA grenade came into view. This is it, Francis thought, in a moment’s notice his suffering would cease. Although Francis jumped on the grenade and saved the lives of his comrades, I believe he should not be considered a hero. As Francis explains to Larry why he jumped on the grenade he says “When I fell on that grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I saw my chance to end it all, in a second.” Francis tells Larry that he did not think of saving the soldiers’ lives. He only fell on the grenade to rid his own. A true hero would land on the grenade to protect others; however, Francis did it for himself. In my opinion, a hero’s intentions must be as pure as their actions. Likewise too Francis and his “heroic” action, can a person with cosmetic surgery be classified as beautiful? In both scenarios, the person was artificial; whether in physical appearance or objectives. In conclusion, I believe Francis cannot and should not be considered a hero because his motivation for jumping on the grenade was for his own purpose, not for the purpose of saving others.
Today’s world is filled with people that put their life on the line for their country and people they don’t know exist in it. When a person dies when fighting for their country it has a very big ceremony because what they did was so special. The big secret that Francis reveals to Larry is that the only reason why he joined the army was because he wanted to die, but die an honorable death. On page 113 the text states “I went to the war because I wanted to die.” This shows that Francis only joined the war because he wanted to die an honorable death. A man named Thomas Kennedy was a major in the US Army and acted like an angel on earth, was killed in action by a road side bomb. His death was mourned around the US because he left a wife and two children behind. Thomas Kennedy died an honorable death and Francis thought taking his own life would be cowardly, so he jumped on the grenade and tried to let the grenade do it.
ReplyDeleteAll heroes make mistakes, big mistakes or small mistakes. Francis made a mistake by going into the war to die. However, what Francis did saved the lives of multiple members of his platoon. On page 118 it states “All your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades.” This shows that Francis is a hero any way because he would have saved his platoon members because that’s what his instincts would have made him do, making Francis still a hero. In the movie “Forrest Gump” the main character Forrest is fighting a war in Vietnam and saves multiple members in his platoon. Forrest has some mental issues and really didn’t know what he doing, but his instincts told him to save his fellow platoon members. Francis is like Forrest because he is hero even if he didn’t know it.
What if your motivations for doing something were things no one expected? What if you accidently became a hero for it? In Heroes Francis reveals to Larry his truer motivations for going to war. Francis tells Larry, “’I went to war because I wanted to die.’” As it turns out, after what happened to Nicole Renard, Francis felt so bad about it that he wanted to kill himself. He tried to commit suicide, but backed out of it in the fear of disgracing his parents’ name. Francis finally decided that it would just be easier to be killed in war. This situation is similar to one in The Hunger Games series. In one of the books, Katniss wants to die but she decides that she can’t leave her family.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion Francis shouldn’t be considered a hero. I believe this because his intentions weren’t to save all the people—he just wanted to die. In the book, Francis admits to Larry, “’I’m not a hero.’” This shows that Francis doesn’t even view himself as a hero, not that anyone does. When Francis saved all of those people, it was only an accident. He never actually meant to. I feel that if you were not trying to do the right thing and you do it on accident, it should count for something but you shouldn’t be viewed as a hero. In The Hunger Games, Katniss pretends to be in love with Peeta in order to save herself. She was viewed a hero for saving him but she never meant to—she just wanted to live herself.
4Muskteers15
ReplyDeleteFrancis thinks it’s all over as he falls on the grenade. But he is wrong. Francis reveals to Larry his motivation for going to war before he is going to kill him. His motivation was to die in the war, fighting for his country, than committing suicide. One passage that supports me is found on page 104, it states, “I could not die that way…How could I die from leaping from a steeple? The next day…[I] became a soldier in the United States Army.” This means, my implying, that instead of committing suicide, he wanted to die fighting for his country. Another passage that supports me is found on page 113, it states, “[Do you] know why I went to war... Because I wanted to die.” This also proves my point because it shows how he wanted to die as if he was a soldier, fighting for his country. This reminds me of when people say they want to do one thing for a reason, but secretly they want to do it for another reason. Like, you join a computer class and you say you want to be there because you want to learn more about computers, but you really are doing it to be with your friend. This relates to each other because both people have a secret reason for going somewhere.
Francis is still a hero. In my opinion, Francis can still be considered a hero, even though he didn’t intentionally do it. I say this because even though he tried to kill himself, he could have died at any time, but he chose the time when it would kill other people just to kill himself, showing his non selfishness. One quote that supports me is found on page 113, it states, “[Do you] know why I went to war?... Because I wanted to die.” This supports me that he wanted to kill himself. But, this quote that is found on page 113, supports the heroism, it states, “You saved your patrol.” This means that he saved lives, sacrificing his own. He is a true hero. This reminds me of when people always say how someone is a hero, but people never can describe what it takes to be a hero. This relates to Francis because he feels he is not a hero, but everyone else knows that he as much as a hero as Captain America.
The petals of the hero fall off, revealing the stem of what looks to be a coward. The big secret that Francis reveals to Larry of why he went to war was that hopefully in war, Francis could die. Overwhelmed with what Larry did to Nicole, young Francis joined the army to die, instead of taking his own life. When he saw the grenade, Francis saw a golden opportunity. Francis states in the novel,” ‘I went to war because I wanted to die… I was too much of a coward to kill myself. In the war, in a battle, I figured it would be easy to get killed.’” Francis saying this clearly reveals his motives about going into the war. Francis is just like many other suicidal people, with thoughts of taking their own lives. Many follow through with it, and many don’t succeed. I find it fortunate that Francis was unsuccessful in his suicide attempt.
ReplyDeleteEven though the petals have fallen, there is a chance of them re-attaching. In my opinion, Francis can still be a hero after what he did. Regardless of his motive, Francis’ subconscious act of falling on the grenade to protect his fellow soldiers was truly heroic and courageous. It states in the novel,
“ ‘Let me tell you one thing before you go, Francis. You would have fallen on that grenade, anyway. All your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades.’” This quote supports the fact that despite any motive, Francis’ personality alone would have resulted in his brave act. Francis’ action reminds me of a firefighter running into a burning building to save a child. There are dire consequences in each person’s case, but pure instinct and human nature allows for a heroic act to be performed.
If you were going to war what would be your motivation? Francis’s motivation to going to war was to die. He wanted to be killed instead of killing himself. On page 113 it states “I went to war because I wanted to die.” This means that Francis’s motivation all along was to go to war to die. Going to war was like Francis’s ticket to death. This was exactly what he wanted the entire time. I can predict that Francis will eventually give up on trying killing himself because he has already tried to do it and it didn’t work. I also predict that he will move on with his life and not think of living to die.
ReplyDeleteCan you be a hero for something you didn't intend to do? I think that Francis can still be considered a hero because he jumped on the grenade and tried to kill himself, but in the process he saved his comrades. On page 118 it states "All your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades." This means that Francis would have dove onto the grenade even if he didn't want to kill himself. He was as brave as a veteran going into war. I predict that Francis will finally realize that he is a true hero even though he didn't intend to save his comrades. He will finally realize because those were the last words that Larry gave to him.
During Francis’ conversation with Larry, he reveals his true motivations for going to war. His reason for going to war, he said, was that it would be an easy and honorable way to get himself killed. After the Incident with Nicole, he tells Larry, he just wanted nothing else but to die. During his conversation from pages 109-118, he says that when he saw the grenade, he found his chance to “end it all, right there.” He says, “…but something went wrong. I was not dead, and my face was horribly disfigured.” This made me wonder whether or not some people in real life join the military to die or not. It’s an interesting question, but hopefully it is a question where the answer is no.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Francis is still a hero for what he did, regardless of his motivations. His actions may have been a way to try and kill himself, but the fact stands that he saved his entire squad. If a lemming were to fall off a cliff but accidentally land on a murderer to knock him out, sure it was an accident, but it still happened and he was the hero. Larry is right when he said, “You are very brave, Francis. You would have jumped on that grenade to save your squad no matter what.” I haven’t heard of an event like this happening in real life. I wonder if anybody has ever tried to commit suicide but in doing so actually saved a life.
The big secret that Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations for going to war was that he wanted to die. “I went to war because I wanted to die” Francis states this on page 113 when he confronts Larry and is about to kill him. After the incident between Nicole and Larry Francis decided to jump off the steeple but he thought that he couldn’t do that because it would be a very stupid death compared to those who fought in the war. He then let his mind take him to the battlefield in which he jumped in front of a grenade to end his life; this plan failed causing him to damage his face.
ReplyDeleteFrancis can still be considered a hero even though he didn’t intend to do what he did. “…All of your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades” this means that if you did not plan on being a hero one day but you did manage to earn that title. Because of something you did then you are still considered a hero. Francis might not be considered a hero in his eyes, but in others he is definitely considered a hero.
Sk8-15
The big secret that Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations for going to war was that he wanted to die. “I went to war because I wanted to die” Francis states this on page 113 when he confronts Larry and is about to kill him. After the incident between Nicole and Larry Francis decided to jump off the steeple but he thought that he couldn’t do that because it would be a very stupid death compared to those who fought in the war. He then let his mind take him to the battlefield in which he jumped in front of a grenade to end his life; this plan failed causing him to damage his face.
Francis can still be considered a hero even though he didn’t intend to do what he did. “…All of your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades” this means that if you did not plan on being a hero one day but you did manage to earn that title. Because of something you did then you are still considered a hero. Francis might not be considered a hero in his eyes, but in others he is definitely considered a hero.
Sk8-15
After a grenade is planted, you have a short time limit to react. For some people it’s enough time to realize that the grenade was planted, but it’s never enough time to run away from it. Yet for Francis Cassavant, his mind reacted right away; when he saw the grenade he ran for it. He jumped on top of it, and saved many soldiers, but in the process, his face was blown up. But was his goal to save those soldiers? Or was there a different reason why he jumped on top of the grenade? Francis’ big secret that he told Larry LaSalle about his motivations for going to war was that he was looking for a way to die. After what had happened to Nicole, Francis was looking for a way out of this world. He told Larry that he didn’t want to die from jumping off a church’s steeple. If he was going to die, he wanted to die with honor, on a battlefield, fighting for his country. So, when Francis saw the planted grenade, he thought this was his opportunity to end it all. Francis told Larry, “I wasn’t trying to save those GIs.” Unfortunately, Francis survived the explosion, but his face did not.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I would still consider Francis a hero after finding out about his real goal in that situation. Even though Francis’s intentions were not to save the lives of many, he still saved those lives. It is like how most heroes don’t even consider themselves a hero. Miep Gies never considered herself a hero even though she hide them. Like Miep, Francis doesn’t consider himself a hero even though he saved those lives. On the other hand, I still think that those who would find out the real reason why he jumped on the grenade not a hero. Also, I think he is still considered a hero by those who lives were saved in his doing. Even Francis knows he isn’t a hero because he said, “I am not a hero,” after Larry told him he was. Francis knew that what he did, and for the reason he did it, could never be described as heroism.
I’m boarding the bus to Fort Delta with my fake birth certificate, not knowing what lays ahead of me… Francis had motivations for lying about his age and becoming a United States soldier at the age of fifteen. As stated in the text, “‘I went to war because I wanted to die. I was too much of a coward to kill myself. In the war, in a battle, I figured it would be easy to get killed. And I wouldn’t be disgracing my father and mother’s name.’” Francis said this to Larry when confronting him on his past actions. I believe that when Larry heard this, he blamed himself for making Francis go enroll in the war. Larry should feel guilty for what he did because he almost cost Francis his life. Francis’ secret motivations for going into war is that he went to war. He was planning on dying, hoping, actually. One time I was at my friend’s house and I broke a pool table stick and she hadn’t noticed, so I just put it back. When I saw her at school the next day she told me she was in trouble for breaking her pool table stick but she didn’t do it. I felt so much guilt when I went home that day that when I got home I broke into tears, and later told her the truth. This relates to how Francis feels, guilty. Guilty for not stopping Larry from attacking Nicole, guilty for just letting her walk out of his life, and guilty for killing those two Germans. I can’t imagine how horrible he must have felt and I could understand why he wanted to take his life and enroll in the war, he was living with too much guilt.
ReplyDeleteI want to die, but not by killing myself. I need to honor my family’s name. I feel that enrolling in the United States Army is the only way. Most likely, I will be easily killed in the army, and this way I will be known as “the soldier that died”, not “the boy who killed himself”… In my opinion, Francis is still a hero even though he did not mean to fall on the grenade. In the text is said, “You saved your patrol, you fell on that grenade.” This is what Larry says to Francis to explain why Larry finds him a hero. Even though Francis’ intention for going to war was to kill himself, he still saved his patrol, accident or not. Also, Francis is a hero for another reason. That reason is because he has lived through many horrible things and has had to keep all his guilt trapped inside of him. I must have been extremely difficult to deal with the attack of his childhood love from his childhood hero which resulted in his love leaving him because he did not do anything to stop it. Francis was on top of the church wanting to commit suicide, but he was strong and he didn’t. I am reminded by a book I once read called War Heroes, which was about strong soldiers who keep fighting until they have won, which I felt Francis had done by not giving up through all he has gone through. In my eyes, Francis is a true hero because he shows people that you need to be strong when times get tough, and even though he had thoughts of suicide, Francis came home to realize that he needed to overcome this shadow that was always following him.
Reading Journal 4 (pgs. 104-135)
ReplyDeleteThe big secret that Francis reveals to Larry about his motivations for going to war is that Francis had intended on joining the army, in expectation of killing himself. Francis was very upset when Nicole Renard was furious with him for not reacting to what was happening to her. He thought he should commit suicide by jumping off the church steeple. The thought of suicide was an option, but then Francis realized soldiers were dying on the battle field in honor, the death of heroes. Francis then joins the army hoping he would die there. Page 113, Francis says, “I went to war because I wanted to die…I figured I was too much of a coward to kill myself. In the war, in a battle, I figured it would be easy to get killed.” Francis wanted to go to war to die, instead of committing suicide. Many people today face problems similar to Francis’s. Some people think the only way out of a problem is suicide. But there is always a solution to every problem. Many people will kill themselves, do self-harm, or do drug overdoses. If Francis died in the war, this could affect people around him. Nicole would probably feel terrible knowing she was the reason someone killed themselves. Francis’s friends could have been hurt and heartbroken finding out their best friend killed himself on purpose, even though it was done in a way of disguise.
I don’t think Francis can still be a hero even though he didn’t intend to do what he did. I think this way because he didn’t mean to save those lives of those who were close to dying. Everyone thinks Francis is a hero because he jumped on a grenade heading for soldiers. Everyone thinks he did that to save them from getting hurt, when his intention was to die by blowing up from the grenade. The text states on page 113, “When I fell on that grenade, I wasn’t trying to save those GIs. I saw my chance to end it all, in a second. My face got blown off, and I didn’t die.” Francis didn’t even care about the soldiers, he just cared about himself. This shows a little bit of selfishness on his part. All he was concerned about was himself, and not even thinking about others. Some people do that as well. Some people don’t care about what they are doing as long as they get attention from it, and a reward. Most people expect something out of everything they do, whether it’s attention or a reward. A true hero doesn’t care about the award they get or the attention they receive from doing what they did. A hero cares about the effect it has on other people, and as long as it is improving the world, someone’s life, or someone’s home they care about the good thing they have done. Not the good thing they will receive.
4musketeers#13