Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} I Have Words to Spend Reflections of a Small-Town Editor by Robert Cormier I Have Words to Spend: Reflections of a Small-Town Editor by Robert Cormier. From and To can't be the same language. That page is already in . Something went wrong. Check the webpage URL and try again. Sorry, that page did not respond in a timely manner. Sorry, that page doesn't exist or is preventing translations. Sorry, that page doesn't exist or is preventing translations. Sorry, that page doesn't exist or is preventing translations. Something went wrong, please try again. Try using the Translator for the Microsoft Edge extension instead. I Have Words to Spend: Reflections of a Small-Town Editor by Robert Cormier. Free Study Guide for The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. THE CHOCOLATE WAR FREE CHAPTER SUMMARY / ANALYSIS. THEMES. Major Theme. The destructive potential of unchecked authority. Cormier creates a metaphor for a government in this novel. Trinity is a microcosm of a nation. Leon, the leader, is completely corrupt. The students are the nation�s citizens who are coming of age and realizing that authority does not have all the answers and is often corrupt. Much like American citizens during the 1970s, the boys are leaving their blissful childhoods during which they believed in heroes. For many Americans the 1970s was the first time that they truly questioned the authority of government. They once believed that their leaders had America�s best interests at heart. However, after Vietnam and Watergate, it was apparent that those in positions of power did not have all the answers and were often looking out for only themselves. Minor Themes. Guilt. Cormier compares the unfounded guilt (for not selling chocolates) with guilt placed on Catholics by the teaching of the Church. It is a common criticism of the Catholic Church (with which Cormier himself was disillusioned) that it uses guilt to coerce its followers into doing what the Church wants. Historically, the Catholic Church has often guilted its followers into donating money which, ultimately, served corrupt causes. War/Battle. Sports in general, and aggressive sports such as football in particular, are often used as a metaphor for battle or war. Cormier has several chapters, which are dedicated entirely to football plays. Jerry�s battle against, and subsequent victory over, Carter (also the President of The Vigils) foreshadow his later encounter with the organization. The other war references include the battle for power between Leon and Archie (such as the event in Room 19 in which Eugene was an innocent casualty) and the actual chocolate war. The mood, or tone, of this novel is serious bordering on disturbing. Because it is geared toward teens, the disturbing nature of the novel is not overly emphasized; however, characters such as Emile Janza, Archie Costello and Brother Leon should alarm the reader, particularly because they are so real. The serious tone of the novel is derived from the nature of the plot--a young boy�s discovery of the world. The outcome of the plot, in which the bad guys win, is all too common in real life and should cause contemplation in the reader. Robert Cormier - BIOGRAPHY. Robert Cormier was born, lived, and died in the small town of Leominster, Massachusetts. He was born the second of eight children in 1925. By the time he was in seventh grade, Cormier realized that he was a writer, and was declared so by his teacher, Sr. Catherine. However, not all of Cormier�s Catholic School experiences were so positive. A year after �becoming a writer,� in the eighth grade, Cormier saw his own house burning from his classroom window and was not allowed to see that his family was safe until his prayers were said. This event created a lasting impression on Cormier and can be seen in his many of his novels. Cormier continued writing throughout his youth and eventually became a professional writer. His first paying piece was a story he wrote while attending Fitchburg State College. A teacher secretly typed a short story that Cormier had shown her (written in pencil) and submitted it to a magazine; he was paid seventy-five dollars. After college, Cormier wrote ads for radio and, eventually, became a journalist. In 1948 he married. Cormier and his wife raised four children. He worked as a writer and editor, earning numerous journalism awards. However, it is the work done during the evening for which he is best known: in the evenings he worked on his novels. The Chocolate War was published in 1974 and began Cormier�s career as a young adult author. While the book was well received at first, it soon became a subject of controversy. Due to it �inappropriate content� the novel became banned in libraries and schools across the nation. For his great contribution to Young Adult literature, Cormier received the Margaret A. Edwards Award. Robert Cormier passed away in November of 2000; he was 75 years old. His works include: After the First Death Beyond the Chocolate War The Bumblebee Flies Anyway The Chocolate War Eight Plus One Fade Frenchtown Summer Heroes I Am the Cheese I Have Words to Spend: Reflections of a Small Town Editor In the Middle of the Night Other Bells for Us to Ring Rag and Bone Shop: A Novel Tunes for Bears to Dance To We All Fall Down. LITERARY / HISTORICAL INFORMATION. This novel was published in 1974, which is very important to its overall theme of corruption and the destructive potential of unchecked authority. The 1960s were a particularly tumultuous decade in American history when many people began to distrust government. For many Americans in this time period, it was the first time they questioned the honesty of authority. The Vietnam War and Watergate were two major factors that made many Americans lose faith in the integrity of their leaders. The Vietnam War was the longest and probably most unpopular war the United States ever fought; 58,000 Americans died in the war. Students, and other activists, throughout the nation protested the war. The United States became involved in the war in 1955 and stayed in until 1973. Many Americans believed the government was sacrificing their sons for its own agenda. This theme can be seen in The Chocolate War when Brother Leon coerces the boys into selling chocolates (the chocolate war ) to cover up his mistakes. Watergate refers to political scandals under the administration of President Richard Nixon between 1972 and 1974. Watergate directly refers to the hotel that burglars broke into, seeking the offices of the Democratic Party�s National Committee (Richard Nixon was from the opposition republican party). Essentially, this scandal illuminated corruption at the very highest level of the government: the President. Nixon subsequently resigned, and America was left jaded and the trust we placed in our elected officials was forever impacted. These events expose a nation much different that the idyllic post-war 1950s (which, in truth was idyllic for only a few). Cormier writes The Chocolate War within the context of these larger issues. Robert Cormier. Eugene is remembering the summer of 1938 in Frenchtown, a time when he began to wonder what I was doing here on the planet Earth. Here in vibrant, exquisite detail are his lovely mother, his aunts and uncles, cousins and friends, and especially his b. IT IS THE summer of 1938 when young Paul Moreaux discovers he can “fade.” First bewildered, then thrilled with the power of invisibility, Paul experiments. But his “gift” soon shows him shocking secrets and drives him toward a chilling act.�. Rag and Bone Shop. Twelve-year old Jason is accused of the brutal murder of a young girl. Is he innocent or guilty? The shocked town calls on an interrogator with a stellar reputation: he always gets a confession. The confrontation between Jason and his interrogator fo. Beyond the Chocolate War. The school year is almost at an end, and the chocolate sale is ancient history. But no one at Trinity School can forget the Chocolate War. Devious Archie Costello, commander of the secret school organization called the Vigils, still has some tor. Heroes Free Reader's Companion with Other. Tenderness. Eighteen-year-old Eric has just been released from juvenile detention for murdering his mother and stepfather. Now he's looking for some tenderness--tenderness he finds in caressing and killing beautiful girls.Fifteen-year-old Lori has run away from . In the Middle of the Night. Eight years before Denny Colbert was born, his father was involved in a tragic accident that killed 22 children. Now Denny is 16, and all he wants is to be like other kids his age. But he isn't allowed to answer the telephone or have a driver's licen. Tunes for Bears to Dance To. A masterful portrayal of hatred, prejudice and manipulation that challenges readers to examine how they would behave in the face of evil. Henry meets and befriends Mr. Levine, an elderly Holocaust survivor, who is carving a replica of the village whe. I Have Words to Spend: Reflections of a Small-Town Editor. In the tradition of those by William Allen White and Russell Baker, Robert Cormier’s essays, originally written as newspaper columns, offering touching, humorous, and intensely personal observations and anecdotes about small-town life in America. C. A Little Raw on Monday Mornings. The Bumblebee Flies Anyway. Sixteen-year-old Barney can't remember life before the Complex, an experimental clinlc. He knows he's different--he's the control subject. Then he uncovers a terrible secret about himself, a secret that drives him to fulfill his and his fellow subjec.