How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"They say that the whole colony of Massachusetts is ready to fight and if Massachusetts fights, Connecticut will fight, too."
Finally my father lost his temper and slammed his hand down on the table, making the plates jump. "I will not have treason spoken in my house, Sam."
"Father, that isn't treas—" (2.36-38)
Sam has come back from college with some new-fangled ideas. He wants the American colonies to be free, and he's ready to join the fight. Check out how he thinks tons of other people will be just as patriotic as him. But clearly Mr. Meeker disagrees; what Sam calls patriotism, his papa calls "treason." What do you think of this distinction?
Quote #2
I still hadn't made up my mind which side I was on in the war, and I didn't care whether Sam was a Patriot or a Tory or what. All I could think about was snuggling up to him and listening to him talk about scoring telling points. (3.21)
So the contest goes like this: patriotism vs. Sam. And who does Tim choose? Sam, of course. To Tim, this is a no brainer. Sam may be all caught up in being a Patriot, but Tim just wants his brother to be home again.
Quote #3
I wondered, if I went for a soldier, which army would I join? The British had the best uniforms and the shiny new guns, but there was something exciting about the Patriots—being underdogs and fighting off the mighty British army. (5.8)
Patriotism isn't an easy peasy decision for Tim. He's not sure which side he should support. But instead of focusing on big issues like taxation, Tim focuses on, well, something else. He's more interested in uniforms or excitement. Is Tim taking this decision seriously? Or is he too young to make this decision at all?