Friday, November 4, 2011

Tom Outland

Based on your reading of "Tom Outland's Story," how would you describe Tom? What features define him? What does he value?

16 comments:

  1. I would describe Tom Outland as a young, free American boy. He is defined by purity. He has an innocent mind that sees only right and wrong, black and white. There is no grey area in his recount of his days at Blue Mesa. Because of his child-like innocence, Tom values a history, a sense of family. Because Outland did not have a relationship with his family, he places high value on human and family connections, so he makes those connections readily and terminates them only when they interfere and he is forced to choose.

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  2. Tom is a young adventurous man who has had limited exposure to the world outside of his little "bubble". He is inspired by the unexplored world around him and he wants to use that to make a difference. Tom wants to take what he has found and show it to someone so that a missing piece of American history can be filled in and all of his work will be realized. While on a mission to find someone who cares, Tom finds out that the discoveries that he treasures do not mean anything to anybody outside of him.

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  3. Tom Outland is a kind, caring, and hard-working boy. He fits the "idealistic" American who works hard and rises to success. He knows right and wrong and gives others, despite what their appearance might be, a chance and wants to know their story. For example, he knew what people said of Blake, but he still helped Blake get back home and made sure he was safe. Tom is adventurous and values the opportunity to learn about new culture.

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  4. From reading the novel, I consider Tom Outland to be a very caring and passionate man as well as hard-working and determined. He has an adventurous spirit and he is kind and compassionate when it comes to helping people and respecting them. Even though Blake was thought of as a drunk and a gambler, Tom still made sure that he came home okay. He cares deeply for the blue mesa and admires the culture that inhabited it years ago. He wants to show the nation how amazing different cultures are and he will do anything to protect them.

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  5. Tom Outland is a very nice man with good morals. He is very adventurous and has a strong "American Spirit". He is very inspired by his findings on the Blue Mesa, and will do everything he can to protect them. Towards the end of the novel, he develops somewhat of a reverence for the Mesa, and he finds a peace and serenity in being there all by himself. He does not value wealth, which is seen when Blake sells the artifacts. He holds much more value in sentimental things.

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  6. Tom is a lonely youth who is looking for something to define himself. His motivation towards finding this makes him a hardworking individual who is perhaps too honest and innocent for his own good. When he finds the ruins of the ancient civilization he clings to it immediately, which just goes to show how lost he was culturally.

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  7. Tom is an adventurous young man trying to find out who he is. He works hard for what he believes in and is very passionate toward his finding in the mesa. He admires the culture of the people that lived on that mesa hundreds of years ago. He finds "his" place and peace within himself when he is left alone on the mesa, finding more meaning and depth with what he had grown so close to. He doesn't hold much value in money but what he considers to be "his" ancestors.

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  8. Tom embodies the American hero. He is not a character like superman or a western gunslinger like the term hero might imply; he is instead the essential everyday American. Tom is an example of someone who follows and acheives the American Dream. He started from humble beginings and rose in life despite a lack of common comodoties that someone well off might enjoy. He chased his dreams and did what he wanted, not constrained with worries of finantial security or a proper occupation. He did everything because that was what interested him and brought him joy. He lead a life that many people would envy. In the end he became someone, the inventor of the Outland Engine. His early death was also a testament to the American Hero. In the words of a character from something completely unrelated "It is better to burn brightly for even just a second than go on forever in a dull eternity." He lived his life fast and accomplished more in his short life than many people ever could. The fact that he died in a war also gives him a patriotic aspect. He is the iconic idea of what an American should be, someone who chases their dreams without a care in the world.

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  9. Tom is the ideal American described by Crevecouer. His youth, honesty, and experience are all what an American strives to have, no matter the career or upbringing. His isolation from general society (in a sense) adds to his independence. While America's culture changes often, the Tom Outland type of person is still generally looked up to: making a good living, having good connections, and being a well rounded person. Tom's exposure to Blue Mesa helped shape the person he is. He is also a great example of the fact that a person does not need material wealth, and that experience is also a treasure. He is an excellent model to look at when it comes to being an American.

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  10. Tom Outland is a young man who doesn't know his place in the world. He could be described as the "typical" American with his yearning for adventure, honesty and youth. He is strong, independent and knows the difference between right and wrong.

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  11. I would describe Tom as a rugged cowboy who is used to working for everything he needs. His type of work makes him highly independent and alone, sort of a one man wolf pack. He is also described as ideal American because he worked for everything he has. He has a good heart and wants to preserve things that are special to him. He is used to giving everything he has for the causes that he thinks are right and the pueblo is no exception.

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  12. Tom Outland is an adventurous traditional cowboy type who enjoys being outside and exploring new places. Tom has a great respect for the environment and other cultures. He believes that it is important to preserve and learn from past cultures rather than exploit them for personal gain.

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  13. Tom from the text is a very caring person you can see this first hand when he meets the character Blake at the bar. He babysits this drunk and insures that he makes it home with the money he had won gambling. Tom exhibits this caring attitude later on in the story when he is angered with Blake for selling the relics that they dug up at the Blue Mesa Pueblo. Tom and Blake both represent themselves as hard working Americans that are willing to do anything in search for their dreams.

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  14. Tom Outland is a young adventuous man. He is a very caring, honest, kind man. He refected this in taking care of Blake, not stealing his money and taking him home safe. Tom values family and culture the most, which he did not have as a child. He feels the need to connect himself the blue mesa, giving himself his own culture. He believes that preservation of the blue mesa is a absolute must.

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  15. Tom is the definition of the "American Hero". He is self-sufficient, strong, reliable, caring, and the standard archetype for the American cowboy.He stands as a placeholder for the general American populace, not quite sure of his history and culture, but determined to create one for himself. He not only admires the beauty of the land, he also respects it, and out of that respect he wishes to protect it. He is, quite simply, a self-made man.

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  16. Tom is a classic example of the all American boy. He is adventurous and full of life, but most of all, a patriot. His defining features are loyalty to those around him as well as to his country. He values his friends and the development of his own history. Because he claims to have no history of his own, he adopts the history of the native people that he discovers in the Blue Mesa. He shows his patriotism by traveling to Washington to get protection for the archaeological site.

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