Characterization of Hank the Cowdog

In Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson, the primary protagonist is Hank, a dog who feels he is in charge of the security on a small, west Texas ranch. Mr. Erickson does a fine job in getting us to know Hank, and find him often funny in many situations.

On page 112 John shows Hank to be actually a loyal friend to his sidekick, Drover. Though Hank often speaks poorly of his little friend, when John has Hank say, "You're outnumbered, they'll kill you, run for your life!" he shows us Hank cares more for Drover than he does about himself looking good in front of the coyotes. This shows us what Hank really cares about as a character.

On page 122 author Erickson shows Hank to be still too proud to be wrong about something. Hank tells Drover, "...I figured the only way we could crack the case was for me to infiltrate the coyote tribe." This clearly shows Hank's temperment to be one of pride about himself to the extent he will stretch the truth a long ways to make him look good.

On page 127 Mr. Erickson has Hank asking, "Was it my fault that she happened to be washing clothes that day?" This shows what Hank cares about most, and that is avoiding blame for wrongdoing. He clearly was running away from the skunk's smell, and he clearly ran into the house and got the clean laundry dirty. He is in charge of his actions, but when things go wrong he cares more about not getting blamed than accepting responsibility.

Hank is a funny lovable character, brought to life by John Erickson using much detail and vivid description. We get to know him well, like he was actually in our lives. In some ways, I wish he was.

Week Four

Wow to week four. If the sixth grade picnic wasn't enough, on Wednesday we had an earthquake that seriously moved the ground at campus.

At 2.55 everything began to move. I was still in Q2 talking with a couple of teachers. Students were on their way home, at various stages of boarding buses. Some missed the show, but many reported dramatic movement. Those already seated on buses described the vehicle being rocked side to side as if students were playing a prank.

Fortunately no one on campus was injured and there was only minimal building damage. The news from central Java was not so good, though, with scores dead and much property damage. Living on the Ring of Fire can be perilous.

7.4

Yesterday, about 10 minutes after school let out, we had the largest earthquake since the 21 years since I've been living here. The floor of the Q module was clearly swaying, with everything not securly fastened in motion. Wow! What an experience.

This natural occurance gives us another opportunity to look at our social studies standards in real life. The first standard is about the interactions of aspects that make up our natural environment. Indonesia is on the ring of fire, so of course it would come as no surprise we have earthquakes or volcanic activity. Maybe the amazing part is I've actually felt so few. Immediately there was a tsunami warning for the south coast. Again, another piece of the environment. We have tsunami potential, Afghanistan does not. Landslides? Sure, earthquakes can cause them, but not in Jakarta. Our environment is flat, so even if the ground is loosened, it does not have the potential to slide down the sides of steep mountains. A most interesting occurance in the natural environment was the appearance of a snake at lunch time. There is no doubt in my mind the snake felt the tremors deep in the earth and decided to come to the surface. When he encountered 650 middle school students on lunch break, it did not take him long to decide to take his chances underground. Down he went! I regarded the snake as an isolated event. I'm convinced now it was all part of the same event.

Standard #2 concerns the interaction of people in the environment. When the land shakes, people are often injured, even killed, by falling debris. Mostly this is put above us through building projects for businesses or accomodation. I have heard of no deaths or injuries in Jakarta, but certainly there was much damage to homes and businesses. Earthquakes must certainly be a test of construction quality! I have heard stories there were people injured or killed by landslides in central Java, but I cannot confirm this through news stories yet.

We will look again and again at these standards as our environment gives us opportunity. In time, students will really get these points. I'm convinced of it.

Characterization

In chapter 8 of Hank the Cowdog, John Erickson is still developing Hank's simple, yet complex personality. John has shown us before Hank is likely to think he is a pretty big shot, whether it's with the women or in solving crimes. Early in the chapter Hank is talking about being a writer, yet he can't even spell. He tries to focus on the larger art of writing and excuse his bad spelling, but it just falls flat. Hank is a braggart, and author Erickson allows us to see that clearly.

On pages 84 and 85 John also shows us Hank is lazy. He sleeps 'till noon, then eats what Missy has brought him, then he goes back to sleep. How downright lazy is that?

The last thing John Erickson does in chapter 8 is very, very interesting. He spends the whole chapter, in a way tearing down Hank's reputation in our mind. He's a braggart, a drunk, hangs around wth the likes of Rip and Snort, then Hank totally trashes little Drover, who is slowly becoming our hero. Hank goes back to singing with his new 'friends' and leaves Drover to guard the ranch. Totally bad. But in the last sentence, John allows Hank to have a little bit of a conscience. Singing with the good old boys was not as fun as it previously was. I can imagine an emptiness in Hank. He knows he's done wrong, and his little buddy Drover has shown this to him in clear, easy to understand, language. Hank is not a worthless coyote after all. The force is still strong within him, though right now buried rather deeply.