Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Blog #3 - Pick one to answer and dig DEEEEEEEP!

This past week or so, we have been revisiting a sad chapter in American history - the settling of the American frontier and the costs to the Native Americans. Many questions came up in our discussions. One of them was:

1. When it looked hopeless for the Indians, would you go down fighting and sacrifice your tribe, family and beliefs? Or, would you agree to go to the reservation knowing that there's a possibility that your tribe might be giving up their way of life, religion, language etc.? Why?


2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.


Here's a couple of stanzas from a song called "The Little Old Sod Shanty of the Claim":


'I am looking rather seedy now, while holding down my claim,
And my
victuals are not always served the best;
And the mice play shyly 'round me
as I nestle down to sleep,
In my little old sod shanty on the claim.



But when I left my Eastern home, a bachelor so gay,
To try to win my way to wealth and fame,
I little thought that I'd come
down to burning twisted hay,
In my little old sod shanty on the claim.


3. What makes America unique? Was it the frontier like Turner said so in 1893? Or is it our reliance on democracy and capitalism? Or is it our stress on the rights of the individual? Or, are we just fooling ourselves and making ourselves out to bigger and better than any other nation in the world, in fact, history b/c we happen to be the most powerful economic and military force in the world at the moment?


Here's an article written by Dinesh D'Souza called "What Makes America Unique". http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/whaat.htm

Sources:

63 comments:

Anonymous said...

Marin Haffey
2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff. I do not think I would be able to live in a sod house. I was living in the sod house when we did the example in class. I might be better off than some people. I am short and would not take up much room. The up sides to living in a sod house would be more family time and it would be worm in the winter. There are more down sides to living in a sod house. Such as living with animals and bad smells. not having any natural light coming into the house, not having running water, and not being able to have peace and quiet. I think I would be extremely bored in a sod house. I think I would last about a week or less. Thinking about this really makes me think of how fortunate we are to have all that we do.

Anonymous said...

Question 2.

I would not be able to handle the sod house. Being in a room with your family for so long would be painful to endure. I don't think that it would be any bonding being with the same people because they get annoying once you have had to see and listen to them every single day. The bathroom conditions are the worst for me. The smell would get terrible after 3 days. Also the hygiene problems is a big deal. Not being able to comfortably shower in hot water and sharing the same water with every person in your family. It would get very cold at night and i am not a fan of the cold. And fighting for a spot near the stove to sleep at. The animals would also get on my nerves. They will add more smell to the bathroom as well and they will be noisy. I just couldn't bare living in a sod house.

Fran Wanetick
3rd hour

Anonymous said...

I am going to answer: When it looked hopeless for the Indians, would you go down fighting and sacrifice your tribe, family and beliefs? Or, would you agree to go to the reservation knowing that there's a possibility that your tribe might be giving up their way of life, religion, language etc.? Why?

I would go down fighting because im not going to just give up my beliefs, religion, laguage, etc. just because someone says so and if i get killed for that then so be it. I would fight also because everything the Indians did coming to the region they did battling the harsh weather and finally get settled and have your land taken from you.

Michael Treacher
5th hour

Anonymous said...

Sod house are way too small in my opinion. I would not be able to handle it, the smell’s alone would make the experience gross , horrible and unbearable. The crowded small spaces would make me very mean and not the nicest person to live with. Coming from another country to such a small nasty home would make be regret moving and eventually I would return. Sod houses are a true symbol of ruff American living. As an immigrant coming into American it would encourage me to do better for myself. It would also make me think of having a smaller family until I thought I could live comfortably. I also think that sod houses would create a lot of illnesses because of the germs spread from the animals to their human owners. In conclusion I would HATE to live in a sod house and I would probably go back to my native land!
Lauren Babb
1st hour

Anonymous said...

2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.

I would not be able to handle it because it is about the size of my room. Just with my family we could do it and it would be bearable. but once you put in all your furniture it would already take up 2/3 of the space you have. then you would have to let the animals in and that takes up even more space. So how could you live in one of the sod house. And you would have no privacy.not to mention the stink. you didn't have indoor plumbing so your family stank. you live with your live stock and they stink. One other thing how sanitery would it be. You keep your kids with your animals and if you have a baby it wouldn't survive. how do you expect to sleep with your kids and animals sleeping in the same room. you would have to work while being half a sleep. I couldn't personally live in those conditions.

Anonymous said...

If my family/people and religion/belief were being taken away from me and I had the choice of fighting or giving up I would fight back. I wouldn’t go all out and go on a killing spree but maybe just defend myself and my family. I’ll use self-defense if I had to which would have happened because they were attacked. But you have to stand up for yourself, your people, and your belief. Without your belief you wouldn’t know what to do. You might as well fight back because giving up all your beliefs and basically leaving everything behind and just start working for the “enemy” sounds much worse than standing up for what you believe in. We’re all equal, we should have the same things, and if that’s not possible then we should fight for it. And it technically was their land at first, because know one owned it. So you should fight for what is yours. And I would fight for what’s mine, my land, my beliefs, and my freedom.

Maher Abou-Rass
1st Hour

Anonymous said...

2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.

NO , I WOULD NOT E ABLE TO HANDLE THA LIVING CONDITIIONS THAT I WOULD HAVE TO FACE BY LIVING IN THE SOD HOUSE BECAUSE I DONT LIKE BEING TRAPPED IN LITTLE SPACE , AND IF I DO HAVE A LITTLE SPACE I DONT LIKE HAVING TO SHARE IT WITH OTHER PEOPLE. ALSO SOMETIME PEOPLE NEED A BREAK FROM EACH OTHER AND IN A SMALL HOUSE LIKE THAT , YOURE NOT GOING TO GET TO FAR. ALSO BECAUSE OF THE ANIMALS, JUST ROAMING AROUND AND USING THE BATHROOM AL OVER THA PLACE. ALSO IN CLASS WE USED COLLIN BUT IN REAL LIFE NOW AND THEN COWS ARE ALOT BIGGER THAN THAT, AND WOULD TAKE UP ALOT MORE SPACE THAN THE LITTLE CORNER WE HAD THE COW AND THE PIG IN. ACTUALLY THEY ALONE TAKE UP ABOUT HALF OF THE HOUSE. NOT TO MENTION THE FURNITURE.ALSO THERE IS MORE OF A CHANCE OF VIRUS 1) BECAUSE OF ANY DISEASE THA ANIMALS CARRY 2) IF ONE MEMBER OF THE HOUSE GET SICK , EVERYONE GETS SICK AND THATS HOPING THAT IT WASNT A DEADLY VIRUS.LAST BUT NOT LEAST NO ONE HAS ANY PERSONAL SPACE AND NO FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT BUT EACH OTHER AND THAT CAN GET VERY BORING AT TIMES.

SYMONNE SMITH 3rd

Anonymous said...

I probably could survive living in a sod house but, I don’t think I would like it. If I grew up and I had to of course I could. I wouldn’t know otherwise, it would just be regular for me. Even if I grew up not knowing about houses today I think I still might have some problems. It would be very hard to live with a horse. They are so big and make really loud noises. I would hate the privacy issue, it would annoy me a lot. I would have no where I could go. Another problem would be that the insects and the mice and other rodents would be very annoying and gross. The biggest problem of all is the space. The regular sod house is smaller than my kitchen. It would be very cramped and I would not be able to do anything. I would have to walk all around everything and everybody just to get to where I wanted to go. And then if I wanted to go to the bathroom I would have to go to a port a potty that isn’t even close to my house. It would almost be like camping which I do for about two weeks every year. To be honest I really don’t like to camp as much as I used to. I like to shower daily, go to nice bathrooms, and like sleeping in my own bed, with no one else around. Also, I think that it would almost be impossible to live in a sod house now.

Pat R
5th hour

fatal said...

Ben Goddard
3rd Hour US History

Question 2: Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.


I know there is no way I would ever want to do something like live in a sod house for an extended period of time. It would be completely unsanitary by today's standards, and would be by my standards too. Living in a extremely small house would not be too bad. But living in one with multiple people, and not getting to take baths very often, and reusing bath water, and not being able to stay clean very often would not be fun. I wouldn't want to have to sleep by a stove to keep warm, or even be around my family that much. I would never get any alone or private time, and people would always be in my personal space. In the winter, bringing the animals in, that would stink too. Literally. It would smell horrible because they can't go to the outhouse to use the bathroom like we can, and you always have the good chance they would go inside your house. You would start too smell as bad as the animals after a couple days, but after a whole season if they were kept alive that long? I for sure wouldn't be able to stand that. I can definitely say that there is no way almost at all I would be able to handle being in a sod house, not as long as I knew what clean and sanitary felt like.

Anonymous said...

Would you be able to handle living in a sod house? Why or why not? Don�t forget the animals, the pleasant smells, and the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.


I personally don�t think that I would be able to live in sod house, because I hate living is cramped areas and I can�t stand when something stinks. I might be ok for a little bit, but after it got to the point of bringing the animals in during the winter or at anytime when we would have to bring in any of the animals, and they started making problems for me that is where I would draw the line. When it rained I would not be able to live with stench of the mud and grass. It would also be really bad for me is not being able bath for long periods of time, I generally take showers every morning, and having that feeling of dirt and sweat on top of me would make me want to vomit. I think that if I had to live in a sod house, I would get sick a lot, because I have really bad allergies, so when the weather was weird and changed a lot and I would get really stuffed and not be able to breathe, so I might not be able to survive. Although the worst thing about the whole situation would be the small amount of space that I would have to share with the rest of my family, I am hardly able to make it with being upstage and the rest of them are downstairs, so having to share only one room with them that would make me go crazy. So in conclusion I could never survive in a sod house, because I like my space, and I can�t stand bad smells.


Matt Whitney
5th Hour

Anonymous said...

Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.

I would not be able to bear with the hardships of life in a sod house. Their would be a great chance I will get a disease. It very dirty and lots of animals you have in the house. People also have bad hygiene in a soddy. They don't shower very often and when they do it is very quick. Soddies are also very small and crowded, so on hot days it must its gonna stick from all the sweaty people and animals. When it rains it’s also gonna stink because sod stinks when it gets wet. Life in a sod house was tough and this is why I don’t want to live in one. Robert 5th

Anonymous said...

I don’t believe that I would be able to handle living in a sod house. In the beginning I would say great more together time with my family, and yay it’ll be warm in the winter and cold in the summer. However after a few months I would become tired of having no privacy and having no alone time to reflect. I also believe that I would get sick of my family because they are all I see day in and day out. If you’re not able to spend as much time with the people you love, the time that you do have with them becomes more special. Sure, the sod house is good for some of the seasons, but it also has a lot of drawbacks. First of all the sod house was a breeding ground for insects and other vermin. Personally I don’t enjoy waking up to a rattlesnake sleeping next to me. Another drawback to living in close quarters is that when one person gets sick, soon the rest of family would become ill. In addition to illness I think that I would be afraid that my roof would collapse onto my head, which was common for sod houses. One of the worst parts of the sod house is in the winter when the animals have to come inside the house. Not only would it smell horrible, but also the hygiene of the house would be even worse than before. The last thing that would bug me is the confinement. Because I’m an athlete I like to walk around and have space to move. Sitting still for hours on end in a tiny space with cows, chickens, family, and furniture would drive me crazy.

Barbara Moore
3rd hour

Anonymous said...

I would not be able to handle to conditions that one would go through while living in a sod house. Now don't get me wrong, im not someone that needs to be pampered by today's top materials and accessories, but i do have necessities. I just wouldn't be able to handle the lack of sanitization inside the house. Even without the farm animals, it would still be horrifying. The fact that I have no personal space is just killer, and not in a good way, literly, killer. I'm one of those people who takes alot of vitamins and medicine so I don't get sick, and it works pretty good. In the sod house situation, I wouldn't be able to get all those vitamins and medicines during the winter, and if someone did get sick, i would be face to face with them. Also, theres the farm animals. I'm not an animal hater, but who likes a cow in their living room? The fact is that they're dirty, they carry disease, and they stink! Above all that, I don't like to be wet when im wearing my clothes, which would be a problem since i would get wet whenever it rains.

Jake B.
5th hour

Anonymous said...

2) If I had to live in a small, crouded, smelly, and loud so house, I would probably go insane. Since they werent as technologically advanced as were are today, I wouldnt have anything to do. I would not be able to stand the smell that the animals would give off or even the smell of the other people in the house because we would only bathe about once every three weeks. The animals would constantly make noises and get in my way, children would cry because they are either too hot or they they cant stand the noise. Food would also have to be split amongst all the family and the animals. Life would be tough in a small sod house and I dont think that I would be able to cope with it. The song is saying how mice would crawl under you as you try to sleep in the little space you have. If I was to live in a sod house, I would pick a corner not to far away from the stove and make a small barrier around myself to keep the mice and other pests away. I like to have a lot of space for myself and would not be able to cope with little space.

1st Hour

Richard Widdett

Anonymous said...

2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.


I do not think that I would be able to survive living in the typical sod house. It would be so crowded with people in my house because there are 6 people in my family. Each of us would only be able to bathe about once every one or two weeks so the hygiene in the room would be awful. If we lived in a sod house we probably would own some land, meaning we have animals. During the winter the animals would have to come into the house in order to keep warm. The smell from all those people, animals, and animal waste would be unbearable. Not only would the conditions be hard to live with, I'm sure we would all get very bored. A positive of living in a sod house is that during the winter the house would probably be very warm considering all the body heat of the family and animals.

Anonymous said...

I think that I wouldn’t be able to live in a typical sod house for the whole year for a few reasons. First off having all of my family members like my wife and probably 2 kids living in the small sod house together would be very tough. We would get annoyed of each other after a while and we would all be in each other’s personal space. During the harsh winters we would have to bring in the important animals that we own like the cow, pig, chickens, and goat. Having all of those animals along with my family in the sod house together would be very cramped and smelly from the animals. If someone in our family got sick it would be hard to retreave medicine for them during the winter because it would be very cold and far away from the doctor. I couldn’t live in a sod house for a full year and it is unbelievable how people back then could live in them.

Stefanos T. 3rd Hour

Anonymous said...

I don’t think I would be able to handle living in a sod house. This is because, of the small area, the bad smells, and no privacy. Having to live with about three other people and cows, pigs, and chickens would be very hard. There would not be very much room to sit or sleep. Also it would smell terrible; the people living in the sod house with me would only get to take a bath about once a year. They would smell terrible and in addition to that, in the winter some animals would have to be brought in for food. The animals were also brought in so that they would not die in the harsh winter on the prairies. The animals would smell worse then the people and take up even more room. The only good things about living in a sod house are that it conserves the prairies resources, and in the summer it is cool and the winter it is warm.

Allison Knoll
3rd Hour

Anonymous said...

I do not think that i would be able to live in a sod house. My reason being is because the house is to small and there is no room to just relax. I also do not like the fact that animals would have to be brought into the house. If it was up to me I would jus kill the animals to just to live and not worry about being hungry. There are some positive facts about living in a house like that. An example would be more bonding time with your family. You also dont have to worry about never being alone. But then again you would have to worry about shower time. Based on that you would have to showere in the same water as your other family members which means a whole bunch of germs which could cause you to become sick. Overall I would not want to live in a small shack like the sod house.
Tommy Syrkett 3rd

Anonymous said...

Sod houses were very common for people who moved west in the late 1800s. The size of sod houses was usually close to 14 feet by 12 feet. This is very small for an average family back then. Other things that they would have in the sod house were furniture like a table and a couple chairs, and probably a stove. This was a very tight space for a whole family to live and sleep in. Depending on the season and if they had a stable for their animals, the animals would live in the house with the family. This caused even less space for the family, would make a complete mess, and would smell very bad. I’m not sure if I could survive that now because I am so accustomed to the way we live. If I lived back at that time, I’m sure that I could adjust to the living conditions of the sod house. I can live without most technology in my life right now. The only thing that I couldn’t live without is my guitar. That would be the only thing that could get me through living in a sod house. I would spend most of my time outside trying to entertain myself and help out the family by working. It’s hard to really know if you would survive living in a sod house because I have never experienced it, but if I was put in that situation I think I could survive.

Jason S.
1st hour

Anonymous said...

1. When it looked hopeless for the Indians, would you go down fighting and sacrifice your tribe, family and beliefs? Or, would you agree to go to the reservation knowing that there's a possibility that your tribe might be giving up their way of life, religion, language etc.? Why?

If I was a Native American back in the West then, I would go down fighting. Even if I die, I still know that I did my best to keep my way of life. I know I tried to save my honor and my tribe. But most importantly, I tried to save my family and myself in a way. The settlers had no right to force me off my own land. They need to know that I am not a pushover. I will not jump when they tell me to, and I will not move to a little five mile corner in the back in the booth in the dark, while they get my sacred lands and tear down my house and everything I worked to get in life. I was here first. We have just as much right to be here as they do. They wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for our ancestors helping them survive by giving them corn to eat and showing them how to survive the harsh winters. They have the nerve to call us savages. It’s not fair. I would fight and die with honor, than being a pushover and letting them push me off the land I worked so hard at to develop and raised a family on. That’s my opinion.

Whitney S.
1 st hour

Anonymous said...

I would not be able to stand the sod house back when they were in existence. First of all the house was only 14ft by 16ft, and that is still to small for a whole family to live in. The house is the size of my bed room. In the winter they had to bring the farm animals in to keep them warm. When they came in they made the place stink even more. Normally the house already stunk because people only took baths once a month. When they took baths they used the same water over again for the rest of the family members. They never put new water in. They probably didn't change clothes everyday either. So when the farm animals got in during the winter they pooped and peed everywhere. They couldn't leave the cow outside because they needed it for milk. During the night when they went to sleep they usually slept by the furnace because it was cold. They really couldn't sleep anywhere else because it was the only room. Overall I would not be able to handle the living conditions that these people didn't in their sod houses.

Ryan Feist
3rd hour

Anonymous said...

I don’t think I could handle living in a sod house. I love my family, but I don’t think I could handle being with them that much. There are days where I feel like I just need my space and I don’t think I would get it living in a sod house. I also get cold really easy. A sod house in the winter isn’t going to be a warm pace to be. And if the weather was really bad, having the animals in the house with the rest of the family wouldn’t be the best smelling place either. Plus the animals would take up allot of room and that would mean less space for the family.

Alex Gilbert 3rd hour

Anonymous said...

I chose to answer the question about living ina sod house for a long period of time. If Sod houses were the only form of shelter, than of course I would live in one. Whether or not I go crazy while liveing in it. Some reasons that would make a sod house almost unbarable to live in are. 1. No room. You would constantly be bumpimg into one another, and you would hardly have any room to stretch your legs out when you sleep. 2. Privacy. If you did anything, your family would know abou it, and you would get no time to your own. 3. Sickness. Sickness is probobly the worst of them all, and it could be fatal in those days. If one person got sick, everybody would, and back then there wea not very good medicine, so you could end up dying. These are al reaosns why, if I had the choice, I would not want to live in a sod house.

Sara Dziubek
3rd hour

Anonymous said...

Usually, sod houses measure out to be approximately 10 feet by 12 feet. That is only about 120 square feet, which is the size of a good sized bedroom. In contrast, my house is around 3600 square feet. This means my house is about 30 times bigger than a sod house. In class, we did a demonstration of just how crowded sod houses actually were. Considering there were 6-8 people per household in that time, it seems very crowded. Plus, in the winter, all of the farm animals need to come into the sod house so they don’t die. That makes things even worse. I’d imagine it being a loud house. I learned that people only showered once per week or month. Sleeping arrangements were probably very uncomfortable and unsanitary. In most cases, you would be touching something while sleeping. If you rolled over then you would either wake someone up or roll over someone. I would probably not be able to handle it. I like things neat and in place. This house would be a room of mass hysteria and I would go crazy. It would smell very bad and would be hard to handle. If I was put in that situation, I probably would have panicked and tried to build my own sod house next door. I think that people living on the prairie should’ve had 2-3 sod houses per farm. That would have helped the situation.

Sam C. 1st hr

Anonymous said...

If I happened to be a hopeless Indian I think I would agree to go to the reservation knowing that there's a possibility that my tribe might be giving up their way of life, religion, language etc. I feel this way because personally I wouldn't want to risk people’s lives over something that eventually time and technology would change the way our tribe lived. If we went down fighting then people would loose family members through not only death but also if they were hiding from being killed, they would not be able to find each other. Also, it would cause unnecessary wars and troubles amongst the Indians, which fighting would be giving up a part of their beliefs. I understand that some people may feel that if you go down fighting than you will have a large recognition of being known as the person who took a stand, but I think that I would rather be known as a person who had to go through situations that were life changing, rocky and unstable rather than knowing I was going to die and still go to fight. Not only that, but during that time period sooner or later they were beginning to form and have new technologies that were helping to improve people’s lifestyles. With that being said, I feel that in the long run the Indian tribes lifestyles were going to change. Personally, I don’t see teepees and Indian tribes scattered throughout the modern day, so why should you kill yourself and your tribe over something that you know in the end is going to happen? Violence is should not be the answer, regardless on whom it is involving.

Melanie Shaw
3rd hour :)

Unknown said...

I think the thing that makes American unique is Americans. There is no where else in the world that someone would do things that Americans do. Things such as all the nonsense that we have with lawsuit and no sense of pride and dignity. You can not go anywhere else and find law case such as suing a company for making you fat by eating there food. Another reason we are unique is all of our priorities such as looks and what other people think. Even though we are the fattest nation in the world we still want to look good with all the lipo and plastic surgery. We are so fat and seem to do nothing about it. In our country the small fry at Mcdonalds is the large in Europe. All we care about here is ourselves mostly. This is not al our fault it is a lot of who we come from and how our countries are made. The killing of the Indians and taking their land is such a selfish thing to do and it is almost promoted in our country by the killing of the Indians because we want their land. So in the end it isn’t the country that is unique is the people and the thing that makes the people unique is the upcoming of the country.

C Elliott
1st hour

Anonymous said...

To ask someone of the modern day to live in a sod house, would probably be like asking the president to move out of the White House, and into a Motel 6. With the harsh conditions, not to mention the other 5 or 6 people who are living with you, I don't think I would be able to handle living in a sod house. I'm sure at the time the sod houses were used, they were probably efficiant and normal, but after imagining living in one I wouldn't be happy. One thing I pride in having is alone time for doing things such as showering or just getting away. It would be unbearable to to have to be with the whole family 24/7. Speaking of showering, I'd prefer not to get bacteria infections just because the whole family just had to shower on Thursday. This modern day, the majority of people would say they own a dog or a cat, but sleeping next to the cattle and chickens is another thing entirely. Plus since there really is no hose to take out back to wash off the animals, it would be sad that I would probably be used to their stench. Overall, I'm sure one night in the sod house might be a fun adventure, but to call it home is way to much of a stretch.

Julia Henning 5th Hour

Anonymous said...

I would not be able to live in the sod house for many reasons. One reason is privacy. Living in a small, one room house with your family and animals. I would not be able to live with them all the time. Another reason is I would not be able to stand the bugs and rats that lived in the sod. The bugs and rats could steal the food and get in to it. The harsh winters and hot summers would be hard to live with. In the winter it would be hard to keep warm with only a little heat from the fire. It would be hard to keep cool in the summer with no pool or air conditioning. I would not be able to live with the smell. It would be easier to get sick in this kind of condition with no medicine etc. The house would be really crowded with everyone, which would make me feel claustrophobic.

Emily C. 3rd Hour

Anonymous said...

In the time where thousands of Americans were moving west, the homes people lived in had to be modified. One way that many Native Americans and Americans lived was in a sod house. Sod houses were home dug out of the ground. As you could imagine at this time when farming was the most important thing to develop, there was little time before bitter winters to build these homes. Most sod houses were only around fifteen feet long. Lots of families in this time were very large. People had many children to benefit their farming success. The homes would be very crowded, with even farm animals joining in during the winter. The hygiene of the families would be very poor, and there was not much you could do. I’m not sure if I would be able to handle living in a sod home at this time. When the goal is to begin a new life, moving across the country it becomes less, and less motivating when you must live in difficult conditions like in sod homes.

Paige D.
1st Hour.

Anonymous said...

1. When it looked hopeless for the Indians, would you go down fighting and sacrifice your tribe, family and beliefs? Or, would you agree to go to the reservation knowing that there's a possibility that your tribe might be giving up their way of life, religion, language etc.? Why?

I am not sure which option I would have picked had I been a Native American during these times. On one hand it would seem wrong not to stand up for your rights even if your chance at success is slim to none. I think that I would have leaned towards fighting just because giving up your way of life for no reason is wrong. The white settlers were violating basic human morals which then makes it boil down to good vs. evil. The good being the Indians fighting for their people and evil being the white settlers taking what isn’t theirs. If you were to look at it that way then of course you would fight. We are taught to stand up for what is right ever since kindergarten and based on those values I would stay and fight.
However if you look at it from the other perspective it becomes cloudy. Rationally thinking you should do everything possible to protect your family and if that means giving up your land then go with it. But then that causes me to become even more unclear. Do I really want my family to lead an oppressed life? Would they lose respect for me if I wouldn’t stand up for our society? Would they then adopt a giving in state of mind? All of these questions make me lean back towards fighting. However fighting comes with its own set of questions as well. Would my family survive without me? What would they have to go through? Would they resent me for causing it?
Overall I am very conflicted but do believe that if it really came down to it, and I had enough support, I would fight it just because I couldn’t stand not fighting it.

Sarah Zamler

Anonymous said...

If i was told to leave my home to go to a reservation, and there might be the possibility that my tribe will have to give up our way of life, religion, and language? Both choices can really turn around and bite me in the end. On one side, if my tribe and I do fight, we would be fighting for our family's and friend's beliefs and religion. I would also be sacrifices their lives and hope. I could fight and die trying or I could end up being severely injured. On the other hand, if I choose to leave my home and discard my beliefs to move to the reservation it would seem that I was going against the gods. On both sides there are good things that come out of it, for example; if I do fight I would die with pride. If I moved there is a greater chance that I will not be killed.
In the end fighting or not you cant win.

Anonymous said...

When it looked hopeless for the Indians, I would not go down fighting but would have agreed to go to the reservation. Yes by going I'm practically saying I will try to act like a white settler, but isn't that better than dying? If I were to go down fighting I would be leaving my family all alone. This would be bad because my children would have no mother. Also, no one would be able to take care of them while their father was at work, so in the end they could get hurt. When you know that your going to die why would you go? Wouldn't you rather "give-up" and then maybe if you can create a bigger rebellion, die trying then?

Katie R.
3rd hr.

Anonymous said...

The question that I am doing is the second question.
“Would you be able to handle living in a typical modest sod house?”
I don’t think I would be able to live in a sod house because I live with 9 people and 2 animals. I wouldn’t handle it because I need my space and my family just gets on my nerves sometimes. Plus the sod house would be way too small for my family and it would be so uncomfortable and hard to get from one part of the house to another part of the house. I would have to wait so long to take a shower and use the bathroom. And also my 2 dogs are annoying and one of them will play ball with you all day long and the other pees when it sees new people or when it gets excited. The sleeping conditions wouldn’t be fun at all. We would all be on top of each other and I know that I move around and I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. That is why I couldn’t handle living in a sod house.

Annie Sovran
5th Hour

Anonymous said...

When it looked hopeless for the Indians, would you go down fighting and sacrifice your tribe, family and beliefs? Or, would you agree to go to the reservation knowing that there's a possibility that your tribe might be giving up their way of life, religion, language etc.? Why?

If I was a Native American and the Americans were settling the frontier, I would fight for sure. I would fight because the Native Americans had a lot of pride and the white people took that from them. All The land that the Native Americans were pushed off of by the whites where their home lands. They had been living off of and preserving that land for thousands of years. I do not agree with the way that the Americans dealt with the issue of westward expansion. It was wrong of them to kill and force out that many Native Americans.
Another reason why I would have fought is because the land that America gave the Native Americans was terrible compared to the wide open plains, tall mountains, and deep canyons they had been living off of prior to this. The Native Americans were sent to reservations in places like Oklahoma. The land in Oklahoma was bad compared to their original lands. Overall I would definitely fight because it would be for a great reason and you would die for what you believed in. There would also be the chance that if the Native Americans had fought, the whites would have taken them more seriously. It would be an honorable way to die.

Matt Merrifield
3rd hour

Anonymous said...

To say what would I do if I were an Indian, I would probably literally need to be one of them. We can read and study about the wars that happened between white men and Indians, but none of us can really say what life for those poor and unaware people was like. Their entire life was closely connected to nature and every single component of it. Their people, their fathers, their family and their children grew up with a kind of life style which had definite traditions, ways of being and thoughts that were completely different from the white men. Because of the places where they lived, they learned and were accustomed to living in peace and harmony with nature and animals all around them. Every single creature was respected. Every single gift of nature was considered important and precious. Because the Indian’s and the White men’s language was different, most of them didn’t know why at a certain point White men wanted to take their land and their homes. One day because under their feet were found precious stones, they had to start leaving their houses: that was all they knew about the reason given by the White men about their eviction. Day by day things were getting worst for those tribes. On the battle field, White men could use guns and cannons, while the Indians could only fight by using horses, bows and arrows. The supremacy of the White was unquestionable. Indians HAD to leave their home. They had to leave their land. They had to change part of their traditions. Even if it was hard for them to change their life as they did in the first period of fighting, but it wasn’t enough to satisfy the White men’s power thirst. White men wanted more. White men claimed more. They didn’t care about the effects of their behavior. The White men reasoned, “To have more gold we have to make people leave their houses? So be it. Who cares. We need this money. To travel easily we also have to build new roads. What? Are we destroying trees and polluting rivers? Yes, maybe, but roads are more useful than trees and running water. An entire tribe lies right upon a gold deposit? What are we waiting for? Let’s chase them away!”. What I think is that the Indians didn’t have as many choices as we think they had. They probably could have accepted the white men’s conditions if the latter were really going to be faithful to their words. However, with every new deal came new problems. The choice was more simple: fight and probably die soon, or start to lose your personality and your traditions. Finally, if I were an Indian I would probably have chosen to fight for my ideals. There was no guarantee that if we went to a reservation our family will remain intact, because the White men kept lying and could not be trusted.

Anonymous said...

I do not think that i would be able to handle living in a sod house because there is not enough space for my family and many of the animals that we own to live in a small place with no space. The animals always smell and add to the smells that linger in the house from people, who only shower about once a week, and that is in a tub of hot water that is barely big enough for one person to take a bath. Also i would have to go to the bathroom outside of the sod house, and those smells would linger also into the house and add to the conditions that are already pretty bad. It would be very uncomfortable and difficult to move around without getting on eachothers nerves.

Ian Perfitt
U.S. History 1st hour

Anonymous said...

One day during class we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house, and I couldn’t believe how small with was. The size of a typical sod house is about twelve feet by fourteen feet, and many of us have bedrooms the size this house. These sod houses had to support families of around five people and if it was a cold winter then animals also stayed in there, and then if you add a table, a couple chairs, a stove, you already are going to be bumping shoulder to shoulder each way you turn. Back to the question, could I handle living in one of these sod houses? No, I couldn’t handle living in a sod house because with your family, animals, and furniture there is no room whatsoever. You also can’t forget about showering and being clean, the mother of the house would boil up water and then every one takes a turn and cleans up, I couldn’t handle that because it would be way too unsanitary. How about where to sleep, if you think it would be hard to make it through the day, how about at night trying to sleep on a dirt floor that is cold, with your family rolling back and forth and smelly animals, I don’t know how many people survived in these sod houses. I wouldn’t be one of the many people that did survive in sod houses because I just wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Derek M.
1st Hour

Anonymous said...

Blake Bogart
5th Hour
Question 1
I would agree to go to the reservation because it gave my family and myself some hope. My tribe and I would not live as freely or with as much land but we would be alive. I would want to become a citizen because I would have freedom of religion as a citizen along with the rest of the freedoms given to citizens. This means I could still practice my religion and meet with my tribe. The tribe could stay together except we would have individual land plots rather than tribal lands. Living on the reservation would be bad but I would take advantage of the Dawes Act when it was approved. This means I could start a new life for myself with the land I needed to provide for my family without the fear of being killed by white settlers or soldiers.

Anonymous said...

I chose to answer the following question:
2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.
I do not think that I would be able to live in a sod house. It would take a lot of energy and effort that i don't think I could handle just to build the house. And all the effort would just make a really stupid house that would suck to live in. It would smell really bad. There would be animals that would come in and they would scare me and i would be afraid. The rain would come thourgh the hosue and it would be muddy and bad.
phil 5th Hour

Anonymous said...

2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.

I would not be able to live in a sod house because it is too dark. I also have asthma and the air circulation i sod houses is bad. I like my privacy and in a sod house i wouldnt get enough privacy becasue it is all one room. Sod houses are also too dirty for me. I need running water in my house and electricty sod houses dont have either one of those. HAving a bathroom that far from the house would be a huge in convinence, es[ecially when it is cold outside or night time. I would get very annoyed with peaople i life with if i had to always be in the same room as them. I would really hate having to have farm animals in the little house with one room, it would smell very bad in there.

Allie WOlfe 5th hr.

Anonymous said...

If I lived in a house like a Sod House, I don’t think I would be able to handle it. Me personally I believe once you get used to something and a certain lifestyle it’s hard to adapt to some drastic changes, such as living in a sod house. Another reason why I would not be able to handle it is for the simple fact that it is too small, and too crowed. From the animals, to the smells, not to mention the winter time and how cold it can get. To me it is somewhere I could not see myself living there then or now. It is almost not realistic. But than again, I guess I would have had to been there in there shoes to know what it was like and how it really was to go through what they went through. In conclusion I would like to say, being the type of person I am I know I would not be able to handle it and probably would show a lot of animosity and would be very mad on a day to day bases. Also I would say that I would like to commend them on all that they had to go through, including living neck to neck in such a small place that they would call home. In my eyes they are warriors ,hero’s, and definitely survivors!!!

Alyssa T.
3rd.

Anonymous said...

I don't think I would be able to handle it. It's so small, there is no privacy. Even when my family and I are in an hotel, in the same room, it's annoying me. Plus, with the animals in the same room, I cannot imagine what it would be. Sometimes, I just want to be alone, so I'm going to my bedroom, but you can't do that in a sod house, because there is just one room. I'm sure the animals will be so noisy, how could we sleep ? The furniture take lots of space too. And If someone of your family gets sick, then you're sick too...

Stephan, 5th Hour.

Anonymous said...

I would not be able to handle living in a sod house with my family. At the moment I can barley live in the house I am with my family, so I can’t even start to imagine living in a sod house. The sod house would be the size of my room maybe a little smaller. We don’t have any animals but back then there would be a lot of farm animals. I don’t handle smells very well. I can’t even take out the garbage without gagging so I wouldn’t survive living in a crowded house with not only smelly humans but animals. Not being able to take showers often and re-use water just makes me sick thinking about it. People these days take advantage of what they have. I am so fortunate that I have a house and a indoor bathroom. Not living in a little room with family members, animals, bugs, water, and bacteria. You would have no personal space, and would know everything that everyone was doing. When it rained your house would flood, and it would be sticky and slimy. Also not very much light was let in the house, so if you needed light let’s say to read you would have to do it outside. In the winter you could freeze to death from being snowed in. Also there’s no electricity and running water. I see it as kind of a little death house, because if one person gets sick, you all get sick. In winter no heat or barley any, you freeze to death. Also with animals living with you inside you can get diseases. Not having running water, re using bath water could cause sickness. Only having outhouse, in winter not being able to get to outhouse could cause bacterial sicknesses. I wouldn’t last a day in a sod house and my family members probably wouldn’t survive either.


Emma

5th Hour U.S History

Anonymous said...

A sod house was a house that was about 12 by 14 feet. Families would live in them, but also their animals. I don't think I would be able to handle that kind of lifestyle because I wouldn't be used to all the noise and smell of the animals and the tight space of the house. In the house would also be some furniture like tables a chair or two and a stove. They did't have much sleeping or living space. I am a little clausterphobic so I don't think living in a sod house would be the right place for me because of its tight space. I also don't like animals and all the noises and mess they make. I would probably not enjoy the smell either. I would probably have no choice though, back in that day and age. I would have to spend all day outside with nothing to do but work on the crops or taking care of the animals. Their would be nothing fun to do except probably play little games with my brothers and sisters. We would have to make them up of course which is pretty lame to me.

Anthony Deza
1st Hour

Anonymous said...

Imagine these nine people living in the sod house in front. Remember that the walls on the soddy are three feet or so thick. There was probably only one room with one door and perhaps four windows. Then look at the wood frame house. Then imagine the number of rooms in the wood frame house in the background. Is it any wonder that wood frame houses became popular.

ashley davis

Anonymous said...

Question # 2

There is no way that I could last over a week in a sod house. There was no room in there, no personal space, not even any hot water (which probably led to the majority of the house smelling bad). When winter comes around, you would have to share your already cramped space with farm animals, like pigs, cows, and chickens. Not to mention that the entire house was made of dirt, which pretty much invited all the small creatures of that are to come right in to your eating and sleeping space. There are so many problems to deal with when you are living ina sod house, and personally I do not think that I could andle them.





TJ Hyland
5th Hour

Anonymous said...

If I had to live in a sod house, I don’t think that I would be able to handle it. I am the kind of person that needs my personal space, and the size of that house is about the size of my own room. I also hate when things smell bad, so I don’t think that I would be able to live in a house with many different animals and their smells. I also would hate having to share one bath tub with my family and having the possibility of being last in the tub with gross water and having to walk outside to go to the bathroom. I don’t think that I would be able to live in a house that smelled and felt terrible every time it rained. I also think that it would be a little weird to sleep in the same place in which you ate your meals, played games, and spent family time together.
Megan 5th

Anonymous said...

FORGOT MY NAME
2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.


I do not think that I would be able to survive living in the typical sod house. It would be so crowded with people in my house because there are 6 people in my family. Each of us would only be able to bathe about once every one or two weeks so the hygiene in the room would be awful. If we lived in a sod house we probably would own some land, meaning we have animals. During the winter the animals would have to come into the house in order to keep warm. The smell from all those people, animals, and animal waste would be unbearable. Not only would the conditions be hard to live with, I'm sure we would all get very bored. A positive of living in a sod house is that during the winter the house would probably be very warm considering all the body heat of the family and animals.

Rachael Tyndall
1st hour

Anonymous said...

When it looked hopeless for the Indians, would you go down fighting and sacrifice your tribe, family and beliefs? Or, would you agree to go to the reservations knowing that there’s a possibility that your tribe might be giving up their way of life, religion, language etc? Why?



The American Indians didn’t have a chance against the settlers of the western states. The U.S. government troops were more organized and had better equipment for fighting the Native Americans. The love of gold, silver and farm land were all good reasons to try to move the Native Americans off of their land and put them on reservations. In my opinion, the only way that the Native Americans could survive and keep their culture was to give in to the U.S. government’s demands. Fighting would only lead to more death and destruction of the Indian nation. Trying to save lives and save my culture would be my reasons to give up and not fight a hopeless war.

Justin Laffer
5th hour

Anonymous said...

2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.
I f I were to live in a sod house, after awhile I don’t think that I could handle it. My family is not as big as many other families back then, but it would still be hard to put up with. I can barely handle being in my house with my family. I like being by myself sometimes so I know if we all were living in the sod house I would have nowhere to go to have my time alone. But I’m sure that I would be a lot closer with my family if we were to live in a sod house together because it’s a small, enclosed space. I am a very clean person and I know that if I were to live in that small, gross, damp house I would probably get very frustrated and disgusted. The bathrooms are outside which is really annoying and I would hate to go outside and go to the bathroom. I hate camping, so I know that I would get so disgusted and frustrated if I were to live like that. Also, taking showers, they don’t do that. They take baths in one tub without cleaning it after one takes a bath. So, I would defiantly try to be the first one in the bath. Also there is no electricity. At my house when the power goes out its kind of fun for awhile, but when I need light or the microwave or something, it’s hard not having electricity. I’m sure I could put up with it for a couple weeks, but after a while I would be so aggravated. I get sick really easily, so I know that living all together I would get sick fast. If we were to have animals living in the house with us, it would smell so bad. I HATE the smell of farm animals, so I would go crazy. When I think about how people had to live like that, it makes me think how lucky I am to have what I have.


Lauren O'Shaughnessy
3rd hour
9-26-07

Anonymous said...

-I think that if I was an Indian I would definitely try to fight for my land, even if it looked like there would be no hope for us. I think that it is worth the risk of getting your family and tribe killed over. Going to a reservation is not worth giving up what your way of life is.

If there was no hope left for the tribe, the tribe should not just give up like that. This is their land and they should fight for it with pride. Even though they will probably not make it out alive they can go down with dignity. I think that if they went down fighting, it would show the world how courageous they are and they would be remembered for years to come.

I think that being forced to a reservation is not worth it. You would be living in different conditions than you would be used to. There is a high possibility that you would be giving up your religion, language, and pretty much your way of life. That is something I could never get used to.


Matt B.
5th hour

Anonymous said...

Both ways you are sacrificing you tribe, family, religion, and ways of life. Personally I don’t really care too much about my culture and religion if it is going to cause so much trouble for me and my family. I would stay at the reservation. I would be too scared to fight. I’d get hurt right away. Instead of me dyeing out fighting I could stay with my family, hopefully safe at the reservation. If I stay at the reservation I might get run out of it but I can go and live somewhere else with my family and still be alive. I might not have my culture but I still have my family so that is all that really matters to me.
-Theresa 3rd hr

Anonymous said...

What makes america so unique than any other country is the land of opportunity. A perso n living in America has a better shot at success than anywhere else. Also very few people have to wonder when their next meal is coming and even sick people who dont have insurance or money will recieve medical care at hospital emergency rooms. Poor people arent torn down or humiliated by having to wear torn clothes either.Every child in America is offered an education and most people have a chance to go to college.
Taylor
5th hr

Anonymous said...

Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.


With this blog i would have to say that i wouldn't be able living that close to my parents. Me and my mom would prolly kill each other but if it was me and my dad we would be fine. i Also have a dog two cats and a horse so i could mange the animal smells im kinda used to it. i don't think i would like to be that close to things in my house i would get really frustrated and i would want to go live out side. Im an only child so i would also get bored and lonely because there would not be anyone for me to play with. since they lived really far away from other people i wouldn't be able to make any friends.

Jessie Best
5th Hour

Anonymous said...

2. Within the first few hours of living in a sod house, I don’t think that I would mind it too much. However, as the days would go by, I would become very irritated by the whole thing. One of the major downs of living in a sod house, is that it contains no privacy and very few, if any, personal space. Both of these things, privacy and personal space are very important to me and would be very hard to live without. Having no room to go to when you want to be alone can be very difficult. Also, having no personal space means that you are around your family within the entire house. That can become very irritating itself. Also, the living conditions would be the worst part of the whole ordeal. Bathing in the same water as your family members is just disgusting. The smells of the animals inside the house would drive me to near insanity. The only plus that I can think of, that might be good about living in a sod house is the fact that they are cool in the summer, and warm in the winter. However, this is not enough to convince me that I could stand living in a sod house.

David Mohan
3rd

Anonymous said...

Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.

The typical modest sod house is half the size of the classroom. These homes were built out of the land itself. I don’t think I would be able to handle living in a sod house. I don’t think I could manage because of the space, convenience and smell. Sod houses don’t help the health of the people living in them. The sod houses put people in danger, because of the animals that had to stay in the house during the cold and brutal winter. The animals wouldn’t leave much room for the rest of the family and it would cause arguments and cause loss of food, because the animals weren’t useful during the winter. There were havens of snakes, insects, and other pests, which leaked into the sod home when it rained. These homes offered little light and air. Floods, blizzards, and fire caused major damage to a simple built home. The smells would become a threat to the people living in the home because they may get sick due to the unusual condition of the animals that aren’t meant to be In a home. The living capacity would exceed what it could hold if the family was larger than 4 people, because if you add in the furniture and animals, there wasn’t much room left. Small families most likely survived more than large ones.


Mary Mc Keon
3rd hour

Anonymous said...

2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.

I think that I wouldn't be able to handle a sod house for very long. They are very small and very crowded and I am a little bit claustrophobic. Also, back than, the families were generally really big so that would make it even more crowded. They would also probably be very boring for children because they would be too small to play games in. In the winter, if I didn't have a barn, than the animals would have to sleep in the house as well. The animals would stink up the house and they would also be very noisy. If I lived in those conditions, I would probably get sick because the animals would make it very unsanitary and I would never be able to get enough sleep because I would be squished and it would be too loud. Also, in the song it says that mice run past you as you sleep, which I would not be able to tolerate because I absolutely hate mice.

Amanda Biondo
1st Hour

Anonymous said...

I personally don’t think that anyone who lives in the present 21st century could live in a sod house that they lived in back then. They sad that their warm in the winter, and cold in the summer but I don’t know how that’s possible. They are also very small, even smaller than my room. There is no bathroom inside the sod house, so they have to walk to a porter potty outside. Due to the fact that the house is small, everyone in it will be very hot and there would be very limited space. Also in the winter they have to move the cattle inside the house! To me that’s just crazy to have to live in those conditions. There are some benefits of owning a sod house. Their fireproof so they won’t burn down from an attack. A bad thing is that they leak in the rain. I don’t know how many times these people get to bathe a day, but if mud is leaking from the ceiling it won’t help. Sods are handmade though, so it can’t be that difficult to repair them when something goes wrong. The smell of all the family, and the animals, and the mud would be unbearable. It would also be unhealthy for anyone that was claustrophobic or had asthma. Living in a sod house would be horrid, but it was the best that people could get.

Gabe D.
5th Hr.

Anonymous said...

2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.
I think that if i were to live in a sod house back then i would be able to because i would not know about all the stuff i have now like computers, games, moves and toothpaste.But if i were to go back in time i think i would have a hard time getting used to living in a little house next to all my family members and animals in the winter. Also if it rains them you would probebly get wet. I dont think i would live without my video games eather.

Anonymous said...

I think that it would have gone down fighting as a Native American rather then trying to “resolve it peacefully.” Some might think that it’ll be selfish if I have children and a wife but if I wouldn’t fight I could give them a chance to live a better life than what they were given them. The Americans already treated the Native Americans like dirt and trash almost like the slaves but worse. Even if there was a way we can resolve it in peace, already the Trail of Tears have taken place where many of men, women and children have died along the trail. Also you have had countless wars where the white man has killed many of women and children for no reason. Also the Americans were pushing the Native Americans back where there was less land and most of the time had been forced off of their former land. To me fighting back would have been the only way to ensure that my wife and children were safe from the attacks of the white settlers. It wouldn’t be protecting your family to just hope for a peaceful way of living in America when they are at risk at almost all the time.

Papa Parson
3rd Hour

Anonymous said...

I definitally do not think I could handle living in a sod house. For one, it is very dirty. There are pigs running around and no real floor. People showerd once a week TOPS. Also, it was very, very crowded. I voulenterd and was "Pa" in class. Sitting in there with everyone was really croweded, I could never emagine living in there! There is no personal space what-so-ever, not to mention walls. With famlies being biger "back in the day" it would make it even more crowded! Being a child back then would be bad because you have no room to run around and play in when the weather is too bad outside to be there. But being an adult would be even worse, becasue you would have to deal with all the children running around, even though there is no room to run around in. Another really annoying thing would be that whenever it rains, your promised to get wet..inside or outside.

-Jenna 1st hour

Anonymous said...

2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.

I would not be able to handle it because it is about the size of my room. Just with my family we could do it and it would be bearable. but once you put in all your furniture it would already take up 2/3 of the space you have. then you would have to let the animals in and that takes up even more space. So how could you live in one of the sod house. And you would have no privacy.not to mention the stink. you didn't have indoor plumbing so your family stank. you live with your live stock and they stink. One other thing how sanitery would it be. You keep your kids with your animals and if you have a baby it wouldn't survive. how do you expect to sleep with your kids and animals sleeping in the same room. you would have to work while being half a sleep. I couldn't personally live in those conditions.

Carter Kingery
sorry I forgot my name

Anonymous said...

after measuring the size of the sod house, i dont think that i would be able to handle it with my family. one of the reasons i couldnt is because my room is larger than the size of their whole house and i feel like i need more space here, but that could be because of the size of my bed, and other things that they probably wouldnt have during that time. my personal oppinion on what would be the worst thing out of all the conditions would be the smell of everything, especially if you have animals inside the house. if the animals would have to use the bathroom inside the house i dont know if i could handle it, especially if it were alot of small animals like chickens. if a larger animal like a horse or cow would be inside the house, that would take up alot of space inside and would also want to move around too which might not be the best thing to happen if in the kitchen area you have pots and plates out, or a shelf with some family valuables. another thing that would make it hard to handle would be almost no ventilation and keep smells, heat, and moisture inside. one thing that would help me tolerate these conditions would be in the warmer months, the animals could be outside and so could the family, so if you wanted to stay inside, there would be plenty of room.

Ryan L.
5th Hr.