Code Talker - 3/10/16

Code Talker

Author: Joseph Bruchac

Pages: 0-118

Prompt: In 4-6 sentences, describe several things you learned from your reading.

          In the Code Talker you follow a Navajo boy's life through boarding school, boot camp, and World War II as a Navajo code talker. Since, you follow a born Navajo I learned a lot about the Navajo people, traditions, culture, and language. One thing I learned was that the Navajo language is a very difficult language to learn. Ned, the Navajo you follow in the book, said that you can try saying one thing, but easily say something else. On top of that there are also many slightly different variations of Navajo. I also learned something very interesting about Navajo's in war. It is a rule to never cry out in pain during war because they never want to give away their position and their weaknesses.

          I also learned more about how the Navajo people introduce themselves to each other and religion. I find it very interesting how they introduce each themselves to each other because they have different clans and houses. For instance, Ned would introduce himself with his real name and say he was born for Mud Clan and born to the Towering House. He would also say where he was born and who his father was. This is very different to how we introduce ourselves now. I also learned that in the Navajo religion has different gods for different things.

          From reading this book I also learned more about the boot camp for marines and the secret code the Navajos made. I learned more about what the future marines had to go through like carrying heavy packs, in the heat, for five miles. I found it interesting how the Navajo found this easy, while others found it hard. I also found it interesting that the peaceful Navajos were the platoon that scored the highest in the pistol and rifle range. Even though they did this easily. what was the hardest for them was the swimming test. Some of the Navajo people that made it through the boot camp were chosen to learn the secret code. Ned was one of those people, so I got to learn more about the code words, phrases, letters, etc. I also got to learn more about code talkers in general like the equipment they use.