Poverty in Rocket Boys By: Lilly, Maria, Molly, and Aoife

Our References

What do these references to poverty have in common?

• Coalwood completely depends on coal. Working in the mine is the only job in Coalwood. “Coalwood, West Virginia, where I grew up, was built for the purpose of extracting the millions of tons of rich bituminous coal that lay beneath it.” (1)

• Money is hard to get. • Everything is company owned so miners didn’t

own their homes. “Our house, like every house in Coalwood, was company-owned.” (2)

What does not fit together neatly about the references to poverty?

• Myrtle Beach and the rockets do not fit with the references to poverty because they are dreams, not a reality. ▫ Elsie’s desire to live at Myrtle Beach is in sharp

contrast to her life in Coalwood. Poverty is stressful and the beach is not. “She was putting a house on the beach.” (225)

▫ The rockets are Homer’s dream but its not practical because he is going to end up working in the mines. Poverty can make you take a job you don’t want.

Homer Hickam Jr. thinks the Company is the cause of the poverty in Coalwood.

• The rich people in the company do not understand the poor miners. “The company is selling the houses because they hired some fool effciency expert who told them it’s cheaper to sell them than to keep them.” (271)

• “The Company and Coalwood were one and the same” (5)

Homer Hickam Sr. devotes his life to being a miner even with the low wages. “The black phone interrupted my thoughts. Dad had probably just let his head touch the pillow when it rang. I heard his muffled voice as he answered it and then let out a string of what I was certain were curses. Within seconds, his door banged open and I heard him thumping down the stairs almost as if someone was chasing him.” (46)

Homer Hickam Jr. feels responsible for his friends because the rockets are their opportunity to get out of the poverty in Coalwood.• Elsie feeds Quentin because he cannot afford food. “…they

just barely keep me and my sisters in clothes and cornbread…” (231) “While we worked, both of us ate out of my lunch bag.

• “While we worked, both of us ate out of my lunch bag. He told me he usually skipped lunch because eating too much was unhealthy. I noticed, however, that his health regimen didn’t keep him from eating more than half my food. When I mentioned this to my Mom, she started putting in an extra sandwich because, she said , “You’re a growing boy.” I wasn’t fooled. She might of well have written QUENTIN on it in big capital letters.” (78-79)

• “You’re the key, Sonny. You’re our ticket into college.” (231)

What other subjects must you address in thinking about poverty?

•Economy- What are the jobs available?•Education- How much education do the

workers have?•Love- Does poverty affect love

relationships?•Family- Do the families stick together in

poverty?•Work- Do people enjoy their work? •Food- Do the workers have enough food? •Passion/Hope- Are the people hopeful that

their lives will get better?

Conclusions

• Homer Hickam Jr. thinks the Company is the cause of the poverty in Coalwood. “The Company and Coalwood were one and the same” (5)

• Homer Hickam Jr. feels responsible for his friends because the rockets are their opportunity to get out of the poverty in Coalwood.

• Homer Hickam Jr. thinks that poverty is a common thing because he grew up surrounded by it.

Overall Conclusion

• Homer Hickam’s memoir, Rocket Boys, proves that poverty does not stop dreams from coming true.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZezvNWgi4M

Citations• "Google Images." Google Images. Google Images, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=coal>.• "Google Images." Google Images. Google Images, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?

q=mining+cart&hl=en&safe=active&biw=1920&bih=985&tbm=isch&tbnid=TAWff4B9NMlmzM:&imgrefurl=http://www.michaeljohngrist.com/2009/09/the-lonely-ore-cart-of-seigoshi-mine/&docid=OjRR8ujExbFHsM&imgurl=http://www.michaeljohngrist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/seigoshi-mine-ruins-haikyo-abandoned-cart-urbex-lonely-ruined-21.jpg&w=900&h=598&ei=pSlSUK2JHvLU0gHqx4CwCw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1088&vpy=648&dur=2024&hovh=183&hovw=276&tx=215&ty=156&sig=102341607811673103424&page=1&tbnh=149&tbnw=199&start=0&ndsp=45&ved=1t:429,r:32,s:0,i:173>.

• "Google Images." Google Images. Google Images, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=no+money&hl=en&safe=active&biw=1920&bih=985&tbm=isch&tbnid=6-sRtg46G3juHM:&imgrefurl=http://www.tipbuster.net/ideas-for-staying-happy-with-little-or-no-money-at-all/&docid=Q5UOcFk20jHH4M&imgurl=http://www.tipbuster.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/No-Money.jpg&w=250&h=249&ei=SypSUK6OLpGs0AGM9IGQDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=197&vpy=307&dur=1419&hovh=199&hovw=200&tx=92&ty=93&sig=102341607811673103424&page=1&tbnh=156&tbnw=157&start=0&ndsp=50&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0,i:103>.

• "Google Images." Google Images. Google Images, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=firing>.• "Google Images." Google Images. Google Images, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?

q=rocket+boys&hl=en&safe=active&biw=1920&bih=985&tbm=isch&tbnid=w6BiEY5WgneskM:&imgrefurl=http://www.nmoe.org/gallery/keynote/key1999r.html&docid=ltbN3XhTi0apHM&imgurl=http://www.nmoe.org/gallery/keynote/images/rb1.jpg&w=597&h=386&ei=vytSUOnvJs6x0QH4moDYCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=387&vpy=157&dur=1959&hovh=180&hovw=279&tx=179&ty=120&sig=102341607811673103424&page=1&tbnh=140&tbnw=219&start=0&ndsp=48&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0,i:75>.

• "Google Images." Google Images. Google Images, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=train+tracks+with+iron&hl=en&safe=active&biw=1920&bih=985&tbm=isch&tbnid=0TgxDhgoy9EyzM:&imgrefurl=http://www.africaknows.com/photo/train-tracks-and-iron-bridge-8791.html&docid=wO-kjzdj75i9mM&itg=1&imgurl=http://www.africaknows.com/content//user_6672/8791/thumb2.jpg&w=400&h=261&ei=jixSUKCzAqbh0QHr4YCQDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=408&vpy=163&dur=697&hovh=181&hovw=278&tx=166&ty=155&sig=102341607811673103424&page=1&tbnh=127&tbnw=195&start=0&ndsp=46&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:78>.

• "Google Images." Google Images. Google Images, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2012. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=myrtle+beach&hl=en&safe=active&biw=1920&bih=985&tbm=isch&tbnid=AHBz_PwJjuMAZM:&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrtle_Beach,_South_Carolina&docid=NmGFaWMfURWAAM&imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Myrtle_Beach,_8_a.m..jpg/250px-Myrtle_Beach,_8_a.m..jpg&w=250&h=333&ei=4yxSUPf4BOaJ0QG7_4DYAw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=271&sig=102341607811673103424&page=1&tbnh=149&tbnw=111&start=0&ndsp=43&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:72&tx=42&ty=75>.