With, like, a billion older siblings and friends to look up to, Jethro has a good selection of people to admire in Across Five Aprils. But in addition to that, the people in Jeth's life provide some top-of-the-line role models—and we're not even taking into consideration the Head Honcho himself, Mr. Abraham Lincoln. Admiration is more than just liking someone a whole lot (though it seems like that does help)—it's also seeing a kind of brilliance in them, and wanting to capture it for yourself. Kinda like copying their mojo. Luckily for Jethro, mojo abounds in this book.
Questions About Admiration
- How would you rank Jethro's idols on a scale from most influential to least influential?
- What are the similarities between the people Jethro admires? What are the differences?
- Which character do you most admire? Why?
Chew on This
Jethro is party line blind as two of his heroes (Bill and Shad) end up fighting on different sides of the war, showing that Jeth admires the essence of the man rather than his actions.
Everyone loves Lincoln (Shad, Jeth, Matt, Ross), which places him at the top of the admiration pyramid.