Response to "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh"

In the short story "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury, the protagonist is Joby, a young man who is enlisted in the Civil War army as the drummer boy. One main conflict of the story is obvious, and that conflict is war in itself. Evidently, war is going to be a problem for Joby and the soldiers who fight. But a lot of this conflict that Ray Bradbury sets up is an internal conflict for Joby, and I think this internal conflict is what forms the theme. One internal conflict going on in Joby's head is him questioning his importance to the rest of the army. I think this helps form the main theme, which in my opinion, is that everyone is important to a team and brings something special about themselves to the table.

During this story, Joby cries because he basically states he is nervous and anxious for the battle to come the following day. But I think the plot initially takes a turn and the story reaches its climax when the general informs Joby that he is important and needed for the army to run smoothly. The General says, "..and for that, boy, I need you. You are the heart of the army." I think this is where Joby's internal conflict, just for him, is turned around and he realizes that he actually is important. Hense, Joby's internal conflict is the main debate of the story. This is where Joby takes his changing moment in the text.

In this section, I began to see some of the resolution beginning to peek through. You could tell that the internal conflict for Joby was shrinking. I think that the internal conflict was important to solve for the rest of the army to solve the external conflict or the conflict around them. For example, if Joby's internal conflict wasn't solved (according to the general), the soldiers wouldn't have performed as well in battle and hence they would be closer to losing the war which was a main conflict of the story as well. I think when Joby's internal conflict was initially solved for him in the climax towards the falling action, it helped solve the other main conflicts in the story.

The Daughters Conflict Resolution

In the very beginning of my book, The Daughters by Joanna Philbin, I started to notice the conflict, which was how Lizzie always felt like her Mother's shadow, and even being so wasn't high enough for her mom's standards. As this concept developed more and more through the story, you could see how Lizzie saw the situation through her own eyes and how she was going to deal with it. I really admired Lizzie's strength to move on and do the right thing, which at the moment was be herself and not worry about the comparison of her to her mother, because that would keep the conflict going. When Lizzie decided to try modeling the way SHE liked it and not her Mother, I think that was the overall climax of the story.

The reason I thought this was the climax was because this was the moment Lizzie began to live her life the way she really wanted to, and so she decided to turn the story around. I think the first part I started to notice the climax was when Lizzie did the modeling that her mom told her not to. This proved that Lizzie was her own person and not someone who was going to live her mother's life, which showed the plot taking a turn. The climax kept going on in my opinion until Lizzie told her mom about the modeling she was doing, and then the falling action started. I think in the falling action is when the conflict begins to get resolved for not only Lizzie but her Mom too, when her Mom realizes that Lizzie can lead the life she wants.

I think the conflict is overall resolved because it was something the characters involved in the conflict really both wanted. Although the antagonist (in this case Lizzie's mother) seemed as though she might want Lizzie to lead a similar life and be as worldwide famous as she was, I think Lizzie's mother realized throughout the whole story that Lizzie was to be who she wanted. I think Lizzie confused her mom wanting the best for her, for her mom wanting her to be an exact replica of herself. The conflict gets resolved when the misconception is revealed for Lizzie and both characters can lead their own separate lives.

The Daughters by Joanna Philbin

            Over the summer I read The Daughters by Joanna Philbin. The book is about Lizzie, daughter of famous super model Katia Summers, and life as being a daughter of an amazingly beautiful woman. While reading, I noticed this book had some really important principles tucked in it. One theme that was consistent throughout the book was the issue of comparison. Lizzie seemed to have often compared herself to her gorgeous mother. I think in doing so, this made her lack confidence for herself and was a set back. Also, Lizzie seemed to be pressured to following in her mother’s absolutely perfect footsteps. As I was reading, though, I noticed Katia insisting on exactly the opposite. She never wanted Lizzie to be an exact replica of her; she just wanted Lizzie to be happy. I think Lizzie interpreted this differently than her mother because of the way her Mother sometimes unintentionally made her feel as if she was not good enough, which wasn’t her mother’s initial thought.

            I think the overall message of this book, as cliché as it is, was to just be yourself. While Lizzie sometimes tried to act like her mother, I think at the end of the book it clicked that Lizzie wasn’t her mother, she was just Lizzie. I think it was harder for her to deal with that realization because she thought she’d be letting her mom down. I realized at the end of the story that Katia’s original mind set was never to have Lizzie be the same person as her, and what was more important was to have Lizzie just be comfortable. When Lizzie realizes she doesn’t have to live up to anyone’s expectations (besides her own) and stops worrying so much and comparing herself to her mother, I think she becomes a lot more comfortable and confident. I think the theme of the book is to always be yourself, because in the long run, making yourself happy is the key to being confident.