Small Boy, Large Impact!

Small Boy, Large Impact!

    Prompt:  Describe your protagonist.  In what ways do you relate to him?  Be specific and explain.

    "The Drummer Boy Of Shiloh" Is about a scared and insecure drummer boy in the Civil War, who goes into battle every day with the soldiers.  He is terrified and nervous at first, since he is only armed with a drum and two sticks to beat it.  But by the end of the story, the drummer boy (Joby) recognizes his importance in the army.  It was a drastic protagonist change.

    This story brought up many questions, and almost all of them, I can relate to.  But one of them really stood out to me.  Joby was talking about how the soldiers felt that they were protected by "raw youth". I've felt that I could get away with anything because I was young, and could get a way with it.  However, raw youth is just what protects you from your own fear, not the situation.  Joby was smart enough to not feel that way.  I've been a spectator, just like Joby, and sometimes, I was just like the soldiers.
    I have definitely felt that raw youth protected me before.  Believe me, it's a great feeling, but it's only a fantasy.  Sometimes, I've had to walk away from something that was falsely protected by raw youth.  I've had many cases like that.  If there's anything that I've learned from Joby, it's that you can't let your fantasized protection take you over.  It can only protect your fear.

Impulse Theme

    Impulse Theme

    I've been reading Impulse by Ellen Hopkins.  I had never read such an intense book before.  So I never saw a message from a book that hit me this hard.  There are actually 3 main messages that come from 3 different people in the book.  And these three messages unite as one theme.  Just like how the three people unite in the book.  One girl, Vanessa, teaches us that love is something primarily needed in life.  It warms the soul in a way that can sustain happiness in your life.  Connor teaches us about acceptance.  His family didn't accept him, which made him try to commit suicide.  Not being accepted, wether it's your peers, or your family, can crush someone inside.  I even went through a mini version of that.  Being a sensitive person, I know how much it can hurt.  And finally, Tony teaches us about trust. This is my favorite one because I can relate to it so much.  Trust is what kept me from going insane in some situations.  Therapy is supposed to make you feel better, right?  And what do you you share with a therapist? Trust.  Trust helps you.  Trust heals you, in times of need.  Sometimes trust can even save your life, as we see in the book.  Love, acceptance, and trust are the most essential things in life.  I believe that if everyone was loved, if everyone did love, if everyone was accepted, and if everyone shared trust with someone else, this world would be perfect.

                                      -Daniel Rentzer

       

                                                  803

Summer Reading Book

From Baghdad With Love

    From Baghdad With Love tells the true story of the love shared between a little puppy and a colonel in the war in Iraq.  The main setting is Fallujah.  While searching an abandon building, the colonels squad find a little puppy, and they keep it and take care of it, and they named it "Lava."  Lava stays with them at their base, and all the soldiers develop a connection with him.  But none of the soldiers had a connection with Lava like the colonel.  The colonel slept with the dog, fed it the most, and got to know it the most.  In fact, when the soldiers were moving out of their base, he couldn't let Lava go.

    The rest of the story consists of the trouble and depression that the colonel went through as he tried to get Lava back to the states.  In the end, the colonel goes back home, and gets to spend the rest of the dogs life with him.

    This book told a story that was very good for me, considering I love dogs.  But that's not all.  The story taught me about the agony most soldiers go through in the war, wether it's about your friends dying, or just a dog.  But my favorite thing about this book is that it tells you two things/two messages:  You can have relationships with anything, like its a relative, and that war can destroy a person inside.  Those are two things I will never forget.

     

                 - Daniel Rentzer 803