Education From Influence

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Education From Influence

Have you ever had an unending drive to learn and succeed, yet certain influences continually prevent such achievement? This is the case for Homer Hickam and his fellow “rocket boys” within the film October Sky. However, they did finally succeed by
persevering to build their rocket and win the National Science Fair. Many encouragements and discouragements provide education for the boys. They each learn something with each new experience while researching, studying, and building their rockets. The different encouragements, or lack there of, affect how the rocket boys achieve their goal of rocket building.

One of the greatest impacts on a person’s drive to achieve is their family and the various practices of each member. For instance, Homer’s father strongly disapproves of Homer’s rocket building. Since Homer’s father is the manager of the town coal mine, he believes that carrying on his work has more importance in the world than rocket building. As a result, Homer and his father’s beliefs always collide as to what Homer should do with his life. In a figurative tug-of-war, Homer desires to pursue his rockets and to win a scholarship to a college, but his father continually argues with Homer to abandon his notions of rockets and work in the mines as most of the town-folk has and will continue to do.

Another aspect of Homer’s negative influence is the success of Homer’s brother as a football player. For example, Homer’s father does not concern himself with persuading Homer’s brother to work in the mines, since his future is already outlined by
receiving a scholarship to play football at a college. This favoring of Homer’s brother almost causes jealousy in Homer because he also wants go to college and pursue his own dream like his brother. However, Homer’s situation changes when his father is injured at the mines. Consequently, Homer quits school, along with his...