The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

The conflict in " The Drummer Boy of Shiloh", by Ray Bradbury is that Joby, the protagonist, feels like his role in the army isn't important. He thinks this because he isn't fighting in battles; he's playing the drums.

The conflict is resolved because the general of the army talks to Joby. He said, " You are the heart of the army. Think about that. You are the heart of the army. Listen to me now." I think what he means is that the sound of the drum represents the army in a way. When the soldiers come back from war, when they think of their experience in the army, what will keep coming up in their head is the sound of the drum. Also, the beat of the drum shows the world that the soldiers are near. In a way, it's sort of like their team mascot. It isn't very cheery, but it's symbolizing the reality of the situation.

I can connect this to my life, because in Drama class when people get cast for the play, there are some big parts, some average parts, and some parts which only have one line. The people who get the very small parts feel like they are not part of the production. But the one line that they have may just be the most powerful line in the entire play. It might also completely change the way an audience member is thinking. I think that every little bit counts because without the small characters, there would only be a few characters in the entire play.

I think Joby needed this encouragement because without it, he would just be going on with his job not thinking it's important or necessary. Now he realizes that the whole army is dependent on his job. He can now perform his job with pride, knowing that it matters to not only the general, but the army.

THEMES

I am reading Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. The conflict is resolving because Annabel, the protagonist, is finally letting loose and letting out her secrets, and her feelings to the people who love and care about her. Before this, she just kept all her emotions piled up inside. This was just making her more angry. Instead of reaching out to the people who love her, she was hiding. She didn't think she could trust anyone. It took a long time for her to realize that there are people who she can talk to, and she isn't all alone like she thinks she is. After being traumatized, it's hard for Annabel to see who is her friend and who is out to get her.

One of the most important themes in the book is to always go deeper. You may think you know someone, but if you look closely, you realize that there is a whole other side to them that you do not know. If you judge before you hear the whole story, it's easy to assume you know who someone is. The truth is, you don't really know everyone. You don't know anything about the quietest people because they are shy and don't really share anything about themselves. But you really don't know the loudest people either. Underneath all of their talking, there could be something awful that they are trying to keep away from everyone. 

Summer Reading Response

During the summer I read A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park. A boy named Salva has to leave his small town in Sudan in order to be safe from the outburst of shootings from the war in his hometown. Salva has such a huge family, and all of a sudden he is forced to leave and doesn't even know where they are or if they are safe. He doesn't even know where he is walking. Salva is alone. He's never been alone in his entire life. He's always either with one of his siblings or with his friends. He is on the biggest walk of his life. He doesn't know what is going to happen, or what will become of him. It isn't any good to think about his family because it will only worry him. And he cannot be distracted from his long walk.

Meanwhile about twenty years later, a girl named Nya in a small village in Sudan is living her day to day life. She has to go on with her chores and look after her sister. But her sister gets sick and no one understands why. They soon find out that the water that she has been drinking is not pure and clean. She continues to have a fever and bad stomach. Nya has always been shy and has just done what everyone orders. Now she is angry. Her sister is sick because they don't have clean water! It's so simple. Why can't they just have clean water? But soon Nya learns things are not as easy to change as they may seem.

In the beginning of the book, Salva couldn't imagine ever being without his family. They were his life. His surroundings. After the shooting occurred at his school, it became an every day routine for Salva not to see his parents. It was so shocking and difficult for him to handle, that I think he tried as best he could to push it out of his mind, but it was always sort of lingering there. It was a dark shadow hanging above him. Constantly reminding him that he was alone.

In the beginning of the book, Nya was shy and never spoke her mind. She didn't even think about the way things could've been if she said something to her family. She just went on with her daily routine. I think when her sister got sick from the dirty water, something shifted in her. It made her angry and confused.