When Ned Begay Was On The Way Home / Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

In Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac, when Ned Begay is on his way home from helping the U.S. in World War 2 as a Marine, he stops at a bar and is treated terribly by some people. After Japan surrendered in World War 2, Ned would finally be returning home after fighting for the U.S. for a long time. As a Marine, he had seen many terrible things, and he had fought for his life for the United States. He returned to the Mainland U.S., where he then took a bus from California, where he arrived on the Mainland, to head to his home which is located in the state of Arizona. The bus stopped at a town for a break very close to Ned’s home, and then Ned goes inside for a drink because he was thirsty. He had basically just left his duties from being a Marine as he still had his uniform on. Immediately upon his entrance, the bartender states, “Can’t you read, you stupid Navajo?”(pg. 229). There was a sign above that said “No Navajos Served here.” Ned, after everything he’s been through in fighting for the United States, gets immediately treated poorly upon arrival. It’s just terrible. Ned replies by saying that he’s just a Marine who wants a coke. The guys in the bar grab him and threw him out. Ned, a very smart person,  “walked away, having realized something”(pg. 229). He simply walks away. He shows that he is strong by walking away from the incident, and not wanting to get involved. What he realizes by walking away, is what makes me angry. He realizes that even though he sacrificed his life for the United States, in the eyes of some, he is just a stupid Navajo. Ned has learned a lot as a Marine. He could’ve attacked those guys in the bar with what he learned, but he didn’t. That takes strength to do. It’s really bad how those people could just blindly attack Ned just because he is Navajo. That is terrible. What makes this especially bad is that Ned was a Marine who fought for the U.S., and look at how some people who live in the U.S. are treating him. Fortunately, Ned moved on and had become a teacher who taught young Navajos and showing the importance of maintaining the Navajo language. Even though Ned knows that some people hate Navajos, he holds on to his identity as a Navajo proudly. He does even after all his bad experiences in school and at some other places, where being Navajo was considered bad. Though Ned realizes that being Navajo did help the U.S. win the war. Despite what people say, it is important to emphasize what people as individuals believe in without giving off a negative feeling. In Conclusion, though Ned Begay helped the United States win a war and was treated badly upon return, he showed strength by moving on and promoting the Navajo language and people.

Iwo Jima / Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

In Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac, Ned Begay, Kii Yázhí’s name when he was in the Marines, mentions that he is going to Iwo Jima, and he made a mistake by stating it would be easier than the previous battles. Iwo Jima is a small island 750 miles south of Japan with volcanic activity. The U.S. wants to obtain the island so they can have an emergency stopover to Mainland Japan for a bombing campaign over the Mainland. The battle that happened there was very brutal, there were a lot of casualties, and the Japanese had the island very well defended. Begay mentions that all of his Marine buddies thought that what they saw on the islands during the Island Hopping Campaign was terrible, and the fighting there was very intense. He and his buddies believed that Iwo Jima would be no way more difficult than the battles they have already been through. It’s only four and a half miles long and two and a half miles wide, the island has been bombed a lot beforehand and since it’s small it shouldn’t be that difficult, right? No, even though it was small, the defenses were strong, and the bombing didn’t have an effect as the Japanese had their tunnels deep enough underground to barely be affected. Begay and his buddies thought at the time, ‘There was no way this little piece of volcanic garbage could be as bad as what they’d been through'(pg. 256 of e-book). He reflects back on it later on, ‘They were right. Iwo Jima wasn’t like those other landings that seemed like bad dreams. It was the worst nightmare of all'(pg. 257). Upon arrival in Iwo Jima, there had been light resistance, but the Japanese were secretly waiting further into the island deep underground in their system of underground tunnels. Begay and his buddies thought that it would be easier, and when they first arrived they thought so because of little resistance. They likely weren’t the only ones that thought this small island wouldn’t be as difficult as prior islands to obtain. Though as it remained too quiet for quite a while, it became clear something was up. A very brutal fight was going to begin. Connecting all the pieces, Begay and many other marines had already been through a lot, and little did they know that Iwo Jima would be much worse in terms of casualties than the battles of previous islands. Iwo Jima was very brutal, but there was still the most brutal battle the U.S. ever fought in the Pacific in World War 2 left, and that’s Okinawa. It’s interesting to see that a very brutal battle was initially thought of as an easy battle, even though it turned out to be much worse. In Conclusion, it is important to never underestimate something just because of its size and very initial expectations.

Sources:

Social Studies Notes

Code Talker(Some of the facts here were stated in the book)

History.com Editors. “Iwo Jima.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima.

Georgia Boy / Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

Georga Boy is an interesting character in Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac. He comes and goes throughout the book. He’s been with ‘Ned Begay'(Kii Yázhí’s English name) since training camp, and now he’s somehow come back with him when he’s a marine in the Pacific. Back in training camp, he was in trouble as he had lied to the officers about not knowing how to read. Begay helped him learn to read, so he saved Georgia Boy from being kicked out. Since Georgia Boy keeps reappearing here and there, it seems that he is significant in some way. At this point, it isn’t one hundred percent why he is important, it could possibly mean that Georgia Boy will save Begay. Begay saved Georgia Boy at camp, maybe in the future, Georgia Boy will save him. Georgia Boy is a protagonist because he makes appearances often in the book, and is a friend of Begay. He is there through the tough moment Begay experienced. When Begay first landed at an enemy-controlled territory, Georgia Boy was there. ‘It was Georgia Boy. I hadn’t known that he was in the landing craft with me, but it must have been his hand on my shoulder'(pg. 176). The quote shows how Georgia Boy cares for Begay and is there for him. Begay is very happy when he sees Georgia boy. He’s a nice friend who isn’t Navajo. Georgia Boy’s background is what makes him special. He’s a boy who made it from not much to a strong marine. He speaks English in a difficult to understand way, and it doesn’t look like he received an education. It can be inferred that he grew up on a rural farm in Georgia. From his farm, he made it all the way to a marine. Georgia boy is thankful for his friend Begay for teaching him to read. In essence, they are friends in combat, and with Georgia boy appearing in the book so often, it seems he may be important soon in saving Begay.

Quote Developing Idea / Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac

In Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac, Kii Yázhí lives in a Navajo Native American community within the United States. He is sent to a boarding school run by white Americans, which is different for him as he used to be homeschooled by his family. In general, he is treated poorly by the white teachers and staff. He has received a bad impression on the United States by these people. Despite that, he says, ‘I was eager to go and sign up for the Marines…'(p 86 of the e-book). At the time, Kii Yázhí was 16 and was going to boarding school. He was underage, but he said he was 17 and signed up. Kii Yázhí is the second person in his family to attend a school and not be homeschooled for his entire childhood. Several years prior, he had been sent to a ‘white man’s’ boarding school. Upon arrival, many of his traditions such as having long hair, his name, and his language were taken from him. He had been given a new name, had his long hair cut, and was banned from speaking Navajo and could only speak English which he initially didn’t know any words. The teachers were also mean to him and beat him or put soap in his mouth if he spoke Navajo. They also said that his language was useless and unimportant. Despite all these negative introductions to the United States from his own community, he really wanted to become a Marine in World War 2. The teachers had not been nice to him, but he’s being nice to them by becoming a Marine. It’s very interesting how despite what he has experienced, he is very optimistic about fighting for the country he lives him. It’s significant about how he wants to help the United States, and possibly they’ll help him back in respecting the Navajo people rather than telling them that their language is bad and that they must change. The quote doesn’t directly show foreshadowing, but it is linked to foreshadowing. His teachers always repeated to him that Navajo is useless. However, maybe when he is in the Marines he will prove them wrong. This quote is the transition from everything Kii Yázhí has learned at how the U.S. functions in terms of school and English to using that along with his Navajo traditions in the Marines and proving the world how Navajo is useful and how they deserve respect. 

Capstone #7: Capstone Completed

Yesterday we presented our final projects to our parents. Here is what I felt:

All of my classmates were sitting on the tables waiting, then suddenly BOOM! The whole room flooded with parents. I felt uncomfortable. I felt very nervous. Once all the parents took their seats Drew S. took her position next to the smart board ready to present. As each presentation went by I became very nervous and uncomfortable, I started to move around a bit, it just felt so nerve racking.

Suddenly Elliott was up. He is the person right in front of me, which meant I was next. As he presented I prepared my flashcards, my business cards, etc. Suddenly, I’m up. take a deep breath and walk to the front. Once I arrive I put my stuff down and pick up my cards. I take another deep breath, three, two, one. Then I began. Once I started I spoke loud, clear, everything was perfect! I was confident! EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING! I basically memorized it. I was so happy.

Once I finished my last two words, “Thank You.” I got a billion claps, Ms. Boyer whispered to me, “Chris, GREAT JOB! Great Job!” I was proud. I walked back to the back of the room and took my seat because l need to be respectful to Rush, since he is presenting next.

In conclusion I think my Capstone presentation was PERFECT!! It was amazing! This capstone project was so cool and fun. I am glad it is over, but also sad because I was working a month or two on this amazing capstone presentation. I did a great job.

You can see my capstone presentation here, enjoy!

Capstone #6: Working On Our Final Projects

After weeks of research and answering my main Inquiry question, we had to put it all together in one script and a slideshow, since I am doing a TED Talk. This script and slideshow was in fact our final projects for the big Capstone project.

I worked and worked on my script, since my research was so good and I had a lot, I wanted to put all of it in my script, which I did. However, my script became 1400 words! WAY TO MUCH. So Ms. Boyer had me remove parts and then I had 800 words, I wrote a little more and ended up with 1200 words. After time passed I was told to move my script from paper to some keywords on index cards, it took me a while but I did so. I ended up with 9 index cards with keywords. My original time when I recorded saying my script was 12 MINUTES!!! My next time went down to 10 Minutes. After I put my script on index cards it went down to 8 minutes and stayed around that time. After that I kept practicing and practicing.

My slideshow for my Capstone was a hit. After I wrote my script, first draft, I started making my slideshow. I got images that were in black and white for the early years of aviation slides, that was really cool. It was really cool because back then a camera could only take black and white images so I thought it was cool to get images taken at that time. I pulled all my images together with some text on the slide. Let’s skip the boring part about the process…  After I completed the slideshow I then had to work on my script…

Finally after I completed my script and slideshow I had to work on practicing… I practiced for a week, and then I knew that I knew my script well and now I had to clean up my slides, I added some animations. I needed to check everything, I needed to check if everything is ready for my presentation. I needed everything to be almost perfect for my presentation in a 2 weeks, then I practiced for another week. I got the idea from my fellow teachers and classmates that I should make business cards. They actually look SO COOL! If you want to see my business cards make sure to come to my Capstone Presentation!

Now I need to keep practicing and polish my slides, script, blogs, etc. I think I am in a really good position for my project. In conclusion, working on my final projects is really fun, and that is what I was working on for my final project. I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading! 😉

Capstone #5: Answering My Main Inquiry Question

Finally, after all these weeks of researching I finally finished my research. I finished my research because I answered my main Inquiry Question. My main Inquiry question is, “How Has Aviation Improved?”

Here is what I’ve Done to Answer My Main Question:

I’ve looked and several websites, videos and books to get all my information. I’ve had a interview with Rudi and a Site Visit hosted by Rudi as well. All this information added up and finally answered my main Inquiry Question. Here is some facts of how aviation has improved:

Aviation luxury use to be VERY luxurious and as time went on they made things less luxurious due to safety reasons and for making more money. Aviation has become safer because of better technologies being invented and because of more accidents so they could learn more and improve from them. Even if tragedies happen, like 9/11, but we learn a lot from them so they won’t happen again. A United Airlines flight and a TWA flight mid-air collided over the Grand Canyon causing the invention of the Air Traffic Control system that still exists today, and 9/11 created a better security system called the TSA, this made better security systems so this incident wont happen again AND the cockpit doors got locked so that If the terrorists get on the plane they cant enter the cockpit because it will be locked.

We learned a lot from accidents and new technologies, but we need to know what to do for the future. In the future many aviation experts have goals to make aviation better for the environment.

In conclusion, I am proud to have answered my main Inquiry Question.

Capstone #4: The Site Visit

This is a follow up on my interview. Make sure to read that blog post before you read this one, LINK: Capstone #3: The Interview

After my interview was done we walked back downstairs to the level were we checked in. Then we saw some pictures with text and suddenly I felt like I was in a art museum and who I interviewed was my tour guide. What we did next was like I was on a tour, we walked around looking at some pictures, Rudi told me facts about it and told me little stories and fun facts and I must say It was quite interesting. I tried to write down every little detail he was saying and luckily my mom was there to help me. I learned new things about Westchester County Airport and about planes themselves. After we looked at pictures and Rudi told me about them for several minutes we walked into a room, not just a public room but a private one. It said, “Only Authorized people are aloud beyond this point.” We walked in and then we walked through another door and the room was HUGE!

It was a plane hangar. It stored about 4 – 5 planes in it. It was very big, however the planes were private jet, but was still really cool! We walked around the planes and touched different parts of it and Rudi told me facts and stories about these planes, while my mom was trying to write every single little detail down. We walked around the hangar and it was really cool. I have never been in a hangar before. I thought the hangar was cool because it had the supplies that you need to fix a plane, on the side. It had all this equipment and it feels crazy when you actually see it in person instead of watching it on a video. After we walked around inside the hangar, we walked outside the hangar. We walked onto the airport tarmac, that is where planes taxi to the runway and has active planes all day and all night. We walked around and walked up to a big area with loads of small planes. The planes there were about the size or a car, pretty small.

As we approached the small planes Rudi said something, he said “Do you want to go in the plane and see what it’s like??” And of course I said, “YES!!” We walked to a plane that was different then the others, it didn’t have the sun protection screen on it, so all we could do was open the doors and walk in. Well, that is exactly what we did. We opened the doors as we walked into the plane. They had all these advanced computerized screens. It was amazing! We looks around inside the cockpit as Rudi told us facts, how to fly it, how easy it was to fly, and a funny, true story about the plane. After we learned a LOT more, we closed the plane doors then Rudi said, “Want to see a old plane built in 1950 and compare it to that plane we were just in??” And again, I obviously said, “YES!” As we walked quickly down the taxiway to the plane, I finally could be able to see the plane. It looked like the odd one out. As we approached the aircraft I could see how old it was. It had it’s wings over the cockpit and inside the cockpit, there were no computer screens, just old switches and dials, and a car wheel instead of a joystick. It was also very cramped in there! It was really cool to see how technology advanced over the past 67 years. I was amazed by the difference between the 2 aircrafts.

After we saw this cool plane, our time was sadly up. We ran out of time so we had to say goodbye. We had a really fun time for the interview and the site visit. Overall, this site visit helped me a TON in Capstone, I really couldn’t find a better person to teach me all this crazy cool stuff.

Capstone #3: The Interview

On Friday, May 12th I told Ms. Boyer I did not have my interview scheduled yet. On the way home from school my mom told me I had my INTERVIEW and SITE VISIT SCHEDULED ON SUNDAY!!! I was SO happy! I had my interview and site visit in 2 days!

The days past by quickly as I am really excited for this event. It was time for the interview and site visit. I remember it was Mother’s Day, I gave my mom my present then we got in the car, to drive to the airport, where I will have my site visit and interview. While we drove for a while, we finally arrived at Westchester County Airport. However, we got lost. We came 20 minutes early BUT then we got lost so we had to find out where we were. After a while we finally figured out our way and drove there. We arrived 5 minutes late because we got lost earlier. As we exited our car we walked into a building that said, “Million Air”, as we checked in they told us the person we are interviewing is waiting upstairs. I got SO nervous! As we walked upstairs I trembled on every step. We turned left and opened the door and said, “Hello.” Then I saw someone come walk to us and I Knew this is who we were interviewing. I said, “Hi, I’m Christopher…” I was really nervous so I couldn’t exactly speak. He said “Hello, my name is Rudi.” Then we talked a bit more… about boring things like saying hello and talking about each other. But then we walked into the meeting room, and we got settled.

I told my mom gave my some whispers about getting set up and everything. After a minute later everything was set up, so I decided to talk a little bit about my school project, aka Capstone. Then after I told him a bit about it, it was time to start asking the questions. I asked, “Is it okay if I record?” And he responded, “Yes.” Then I got my phone to hit the record button and we started, but then I noticed something. He was holding several sheets of paper, then he put it on the table. I said, “Okay let’s begin with question one. Question 1: What is your full name?” He said, Rubi Hiebert, so wrote it down, then I noticed something… he had written questions 1 – 6 already! So I said, “I see you wrote questions 1-6 down so let’s start from question 7. I asked him questions and he gave really good answers. As we got to question 10 I realized something else. He wrote ALL the questions down and put ALL the answers to them and they were GREAT! I put a smile on my face and asked the rest of my questions.

After I finished question number 20 we stopped recording and I told him something… I told him that I could not have found a better person to interview. He smiled back. Then he told me that he found that my questions were great! He LOVED them and told me that I wrote questions like a adult and he was impressed. I told him I was thinking about making a TEDtalk for my final presentation and he told me that he know college students learning how to do a TEDtalk! I couldn’t believe that.

After we talked a bit more we wrapped up our stuff and prepared for the site visit. Overall, his answers were GREAT answers, and long ones. I was really happy to find a great, nice person to interview.