The Drummer Boy of Shiloh By Ray Bradbury

We are reading a book is called “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” by Ray Bradbury.  A 14 year old boy named Joby ran away from his family and went to war. He only had a drum and 2 sticks. He cried and sobbed because he was afraid to go to war. The general then came along and spotted him crying. “Why it’s the drummer boy, isn’t it” he said. The general thought he was just a boy who ran away, until they started to talk. “You want to cry some more, go on ahead. I did the same last night” he would say. Joby thought he is useless that he didn’t matter as much. The general will tell him you are the heart of the army, if he beat slow the heart of the men will beat slowly. If he beat fast the soldier’s legs will stand up straight. The general even admitted that war is wrong. The general convinced Joby that he is not just part of the army he’s the heart of the army.

Joby is really brave to go to war at only 14 years old. In my opinion I understand why he was so afraid and thought that he was meaningless. All he does is play the drums. The general proved to him that he is the heart of the battle. I think Joby thought he was meaningless and useless to the army because he didn’t fight like all the other soldiers did. Also I think joby thought that all he does is beat a drum with sticks. For example in the short story it clearly states “me, I’m the one, I’m the one of all the rest who won’t die. I’ll live through it. I’ll go home”.  That clearly states that he will not die like the soldiers because the soldiers actually fight in war and get shot at. He feels useless for not actually fighting in war. But on the other hand Joby does describe how he has a better chance of dying because he only has a drum and two sticks and no shield. Everyone has a shield accept the drummer boys. I think that Joby is starting to think about his family and how much he loves them. He doesn’t want to die and never see his parents again, or maybe he doesn’t care as much because he did run away from his family. But in the text it stated “the boy felt his family moves yet farther off in the dark, as if one of those great trains had chanted them away”. All, in all Joby is afraid and thinks that he is useless in the battle. In real life people go to war and have to leave there family’s like Joby did.