Drummer Boy of Shiloh by Ray Bradbury

     In "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh", a short story I read recently by Ray Bradbury, a boy named Joby is worried about how unimportant he, the drummer boy, is to the war. He is worried about dying because of his lack of protection. Ray Bradbury shows this in this excerpt: "'Me,' thought the boy, 'I got only a drum, two sticks to beat it, and no shield.'"
     When the General approaches him and talks to him, it makes me think about how no one wanted this war to start in the first place, and no one was prepared for it, either. The General tells Joby that he is very important to this war because he is the one who makes the army fight with everything they have. This makes me think that the General is a very caring person, and so that's why he came over to Joby in the first place. I feel like the General  is the mentor of this story, but rather than teaching Joby how to fight, he teaches him how to lead. The General and Joby have a good relationship in this story because the General is sort of like Joby's father figure when Joby is lost and afraid. If I was lost and afraid in a strange place, I would like someone to guide me along and comfort me. Sometimes, people are unprepared for things they have to be prepared for, and all they can do is hop for the best and prepare for the worst.