The men and officer of the firing squad do not want to kill Charlie, but they know their orders. After Charlie's death, everyone mourns him. Thomas is glad to find that Sergeant Hanley was killed, but his happiness is short lived. That horrible man has finally gotten what they all felt that he deserved, but Thomas is upset that it came too late to save Charlie. He hopes that Charlie knows that Hanley is dead, as it might give him a slight comfort. After saying good bye to his brother for the last time, Thomas feels as if a part of him has died with Charlie.

1. Do you think the men in the firing squad should have obeyed the order to kill Charlie? Why or why not? Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

2. Do you think Hanley being killed was a just exchange for the sergeant basically being responsible for Charlie's death? Why or why not? Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

3. What do you think is the difference between socialization in the early 1900s and the present time that a soldier would be shot and killed for disobeying a dangerous and stupid order? Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Thomas sees a dead crow hanging from the fence. The crow reminds Thomas of his father's death. Thomas's father used to take Thomas out into the woods with him in the mornings to cut timber. Thomas would play in the woods while his father worked. One day, Thomas was playing in the woods and a tree almost fell on him. Thomas' father yells at him to run, but Thomas is scared and can't run. Thomas' father runs to him and throws him out of the way of the falling tree. The tree crushes Thomas' father, killing him instantly. At the funeral, Thomas keeps his terrible secret. If Thomas had only run when his father told him to, his father would still be alive. Thomas feels that he killed his father.

1. Discuss the implications or the situation of a father taking a very young boy with him when cutting timber, a very dangerous job even for adults. Why do you think the father did this? Why might the mother have allowed it? What does this say about the difference between the early 1900s and the present? Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

2. Discuss some of the ways in which Mr. Peaceful's death affected Thomas for the rest of his life. Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

3. Discuss the differences with which Thomas' family handled his father's death compared to how it might be done today. For example, is it more likely now that if a very young boy witnesses his father's death the boy would be taken to counseling? What other differences might occur? Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

4. Why do you think the dead crow reminded Thomas of his father's death? Use examples from your own life and Private Peaceful to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

There are a number of interesting questions raised by Private Peaceful. Questions that Morpurgo most likely wants readers to consider and think through carefully. Discuss the following:

1. What does the term "author agenda" mean?

2. Name one idea/concept you think may have been a part of the Morpurgo' agenda. Analyze that idea throughout the book and discuss Morpurgo' probable agenda concerning that idea.

2. Do you think writers who have an agenda for writing should point it out in a preface?

3. How often do you think fiction is written with a clear agenda in mind by the author?

4. Research the life of Morpurgo and see if/where his life may have influenced his writing.

(see the answer keys)

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