blog post #4 Drummer Boy of shiloh

     In the book, The Drummer Boy of Shiloh by Ray Bradbury the main character Joby faces two problems. One of them is that he lacks self confidence and the other is that the general puts a lot of pressure on Joby for the battle. I can relate to Joby because in 7th grade your parents and teachers put a lot of pressure on you to get good grades and get into a good high school. But the general is telling Joby that he is the heart of the army and if he doesn't play good the army could do something wrong or lose.
     One of the problems that Joby faces is that he lacks self confidence. Joby lacks confidence in the story because he has to play his drums in the army but has no weapon or shield. The story says, "Me thought the boy, I got only a drum, two sticks to beat it, and no shield." I think this means that Joby doesn't want to go out to battle with only his drum, two sticks and no weapon or shield because he is positive he will die. This quote shows that Joby doesn't want to do his job.
     Another problem that Joby faces during the story is that the general puts a lot of pressure on him throughout the story. The general puts a lot of pressure on Joby by telling him hes the heart of the army and he needs to set the pace for the army or the soldiers will fail. In the story the general says "You boy, You are the heart of the army. You are the heart of the army listen to me now." This puts a lot of pressure on Joby because now if Joby messes us or plays the wrong beat the army could get distracted and people will die. If Joby beats slow then the heart would be slow in the men.
     Joby resolves the first problem by talking things over with the general. The general shows Joby that its ok to be afraid and scared by telling him its ok to cry. When the general tells Joby how important his job is to the army he builds his confidence and knows that he has to stay strong and play a good beat to help his side win the battle. Joby resolves the other problem by embracing the fact that he has to go out in the battle the next day and play his drums so he thinks he might as well play them well and stay strong for the army.
     The story The Drummer Boy of Shiloh by Ray Bradbury is about a drummer boy named Joby and how he needs to play his drums in the battle of shiloh during the civil war with no weapon or shield. My essay is about how Joby faces and resolves problems during the story. His problems are lack of self confidence and that the general is putting a lot of pressure on him. In the story I think Joby is very brave because he goes to a battle and plays the drums with no shield or weapon. I think Joby's drum is a symbol of hope. Its a symbol of hope because in the beginning of the story Joby was hiding behind it and then at the end he was holding it up towards the night sky confidently. He did this because the general taught him that his job is just as important as the soldiers. In the end, Joby gains confidence and believes in himself. He also realizes his job as the drummer boy is important too.