What Really Happened On April 3rd, 1778

(Authors's note: This piece is comparing the book The Fighting Ground by Avi to the time in history it was set in)

The book “The Fighting Ground” by Avi is about a young boy who wanted to be a soldier. He found his chance when the Hessians were invading his town. He was excited to join, despite his age of 13. When he got to the actual battle, his attitude changed. He was deathly afraid when his colonel told him to lineup in the front. Many people in this time period were afraid of fighting the British, but they did it anyway because fighting for freedom was a more then worthy cause. This book is obviously fiction, but some qualities about it describe how it was in the late 1770’s.

The Hessians were the best soldiers money could buy. They were hired mercenaries that were loyal to King George III. The Hessians were German and the king was from Germany. They were highly trained and ready to kill. They were like this in both the book, and real life. The Hessians were brave and determined because they were being paid and they fought for a career. Some Hessians were highly paid, but others just got their daily bread. It seems that in the book, the oldest Hessian was the commander and he seemed the most determined of the bunch, so he probably got paid the most. The youngest one though, wasn’t very sure of what he was doing, so he must have been the lowest ranked, receiving the lowest pay.

The Hessians were dedicated, but so were the Americans. The Americans weren’t getting paid, but they were fighting for freedom of Britain’s tyranny. Jonathan is a perfect example of this dedication. His greatest wish was to help fight along with the rest of the patriots. Without people like him, America wouldn’t have won the war. It was the heart and spirit of the Americans that drove them to victory. This is a major point that the book got right.

Along with the similarities, there were differences too. One big reason was that this battle never happened in history. On April 3^rd, 1778, there were no battles in the setting of a New Jersey town. Clearly, Jonathan never existed, but there wasn’t another kid out fighting in the revolution. The youngest soldier recorded to ever enlist in the continental army was 17 years old, much older than Jonathan. Also, the hugest difference was that the Hessians didn’t capture soldiers. Where would they take them? They didn’t have a ship ready to take all prisoners of war to Germany. They didn’t have any use for them either. They didn’t have any prison camps for them to send them to.

In conclusion, I believe that this book is more similar to real life than not. Some differences of this story to real life make this book hard to believe, but it is still accounting on what the time looked like through the eyes of a patriot. Jonathan’s character is far-fetched, but he is the picture of the bravery and courage that it took to make this country what it is today.

Choices

(Author's note: This is a text structure piece about the cause and effect of the Book "The Fighting Ground")

Jonathan was a boy who just wanted to prove himself. He didn't have to though, he could have just stayed at home while the adults went to fight. By responding to the call of arms, Jonathon plunged himself into a predicament, he was captured by the enemy. He eventually escaped, and was forced by his corporal to lead a troop of men to the place where they held him. The climax to the story is when Jonathan walked into the house where the Hessians were and warned them about the Americans outside. Instead of surrendering, they accepted sure defeat and were killed. This is the climax, because this is the peak of the book and the resolution follows.

Jonathon could have done many things differently. He fled into the woods when the other Americans stayed and fought. The Hessians captured him because he gave himself away. He should have stayed in his hiding spot and caught up with the other Americans later. After he was captured, he had the opportunity to kill his captors  in their sleep, but decided against it. He just wanted to go home, and the only way to do that at this point was to run away. It was an extreme stroke of luck that he found the American soldiers. They thought that he was dead, and gave up looking for him. Everyone was happy to see him, but instead of going home immediately, he was given an assignment by his corporal to lead them to the Hessians.

Jonathon's actions in the book did not go unpunished. It was a terrible mistake by him for answering the call of duty, but running away was his worst fault. He committed to the Americans Army and shouldn't  have back down from his promise. If he wouldn't have ran away, he never would have been captured. He could have just stayed with the Americans and been home before he knew it. Instead, he wimped out and eventually had to lead a mission to kill three people. If he would have just stayed at home, he wouldn't have had three deaths on his conscience.

Jonathan's Situation

(Author's note: This piece describes the point of view of the protagonist of the book "The Fighting Ground")

Jonathan can’t resist the call of the tavern bell, despite his parents’ warnings. He enlisted as a Minute Man the first chance he got. At this time, he had no idea how much this decision would impact him. He got himself way over his head. He was expected to kill or be killed. When he couldn’t take getting shot at anymore, he ran into the woods and got himself captured. He was so afraid and wished he was back in his loving parents’ arms.

The book is told from the view point of Jonathan. He tells it like a scared kid who wants to be brave. He wishes that he could do his country good, but always seems to chicken out at times he is needed. As the book goes on, he tries to kill his captors, but then questions if they care about him or not. He believes that they are his friends and ends up warning them about the Americans surrounding the house they were in. He believed that since he ran away from the rest of the Americans, they were his only friends left.

His captors, the three Hessians, didn’t feel the same way. The oldest one thought him more as a prize to bring to his commander. The only Hessian who even interacted with Jonathan was the youngest one. He tried to teach him a little German. The last one completely ignored him altogether. The Hessians weren’t afraid to be in war. If the book was in their point of view, it would be much less exciting. The story would be more focused on getting paid, not fighting for what is right. The Hessians were fighting for money.

Jonathon’s decision to fight was influenced by his pride in his country, not money. His outlook on the war is that he is afraid of it, but deep in his heart he knows it is necessary. In the war, he didn't kill anybody. He escaped with his life, and his innocence. He is one of the lucky ones. I'm sure that he will never enlist into the army ever again