QUESTION:

Based on the novel that you have read, write about a major character that
you admire.
The novel that I have read is Dear Mr. Kilmer by Anne Schraff. The major character that I admire is
Richard Knight.
Firstly, I admire Richard because he is an honest, gentle, sensitive and compassionate person.
Apart from that, he also loves nature. To illustrate, he wanted to cry when Grandpa shot a deer when he
was eight years old, but he controlled his tears. He dislikes killing animals because he feels sad and says it
is painful to kill them. Besides, he thinks it is not his right to kill them. That is why he silently prays that no
deer will come close to the place where they are hunting. When his father wants him to shoot a dear that is
less than 50 feet away, he purposely misses and later honestly admits to his father that he did not have the
heart to kill innocent animals. Apart from that, Richard likes to admire beautiful wildflowers along the road
on his way home from school. He also enjoys the poem Mr. Kilmer has written about nature as he feels a
sense of connection with another poet who appreciates Mother Nature.
Secondly, Richard is also concerned, thoughtful and empathic. Even though he is a teenager, he is
able to feel the sufferings of others. He empathises with his sister Angie, when he sees her looking very
tired. He realises that she has sacrificed a lot for the family, but his father and brother take her for granted.
After their mother died when she was nine, she quit school and took over the job of a full-time farm woman.
Richard also feels the Schermers sadness and worries. When news from the war-zone is bad, he worries
and prays for the safety of Hannahs elder brother Otto and Mr. Kilmer. Apart from that, when Mrs. Hansen
wanted the class to sign a card to express regret to the Schermers for the vandalism at their tavern,
Richard was disgusted at the troublemakers in his class who picked on Hannah and called her a Hun.