"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" Blog Post

In the "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh", Ray Bradbury uses the setting and character to create a rich story. He describes everything, from the guns of the soldiers lying on the grass, to the peach blossoms that float down to the ground. I thought more about these things, and I found out they were metaphors for common sayings. The peach blossoms were a sign for change, and how change can be good or bad. The careless guns of the men are symbols of how they are as careless as where they place their guns. It says in the passgae,
"the guns were like eternal lightning in the grass". This shows they are unsure of themselves in war. Most of the soldiers described in the story were described as young men, and even boys. They were unsure of themselves, but hid it with the excitement of war. This connects to one of the main ideas in the story, which is the men are the bones of the army, but bones can be broken.
Another setting metaphor is the drum, which is important several times in the story. It symbolizes Joby's fear, his fear of war. Because Joby is scared of war, and Ray Bradbury suggests in the passage that he dislikes war, than this must be an important detail in the story. About the drum, they are several parts in the story where he remarks how little weaponry he has, and how that is unfair. The drum is the war, so he is afraid of the drum.
The peach blossoms are also a symbol, because several times during the story he mentions how the peach blossoms fell on the drum. He also says that nothing is as it once was, relating to the blossoms. This is similar to the past idea, which is that the soldiers were unsure. Joby is scared, and he doesn't think he is important in life. But when the general talks to him,. he soon realizes his self-importance.Blossoms in general, symbolize  overcoming change and blossoming because of it. Such as getting stronger and weaker.
I can connect to the Joby because I know what it feels like to be unsure of myself. Most people at 13 years old don't have a clear idea of who they are and who they want to be in life. There is also is a lot of stress on 13 year old's because this when you figure what high school you go to and that can be hard. Like Joby, at the end of it all, we realize that everything is going to be okay and when were worrying about high school we really didn't have to worry. Maybe we don't figure out a lot about self-importance in the way Joby did, but we do find a lot about ourselves.

Fellowship Of the Ring Reading Response

I recently read the book, The Fellowship Of the Ring, by J.R.R Tolkien. This book is mainly about a hobbit, named Frodo who goes on a journey with his friends. He has to leave his home and go through many perils only to find there is more danger than he imagined. He and his friends, Sam, Merry, and Pippin find out they are in more danger than they thought.
Some of the ideas of the book are anxiety, depression, and hunger. These are all emotions that Frodo's friend feel when they leave the Shire, which is where they live. When people have to leave a place does not offer much, such as the Shire, they often want to leave. But to go off in a place that is dark and unknown, many decide to stick with the safer choice. To be bored rather than go on an adventure is uncommon, but to have safety over mysterious and somewhat scary environment because will prefer safety.
Frodo was determined to go on the quest, but some of his friends were less enthusiastic about going. They were willing, but as their quest got more and more dangerous, some wanted to turn back. Pippin the hobbit was strongly towards leaving, when they first saw the "Black Riders", who are evil men trying to catch them. This is similar to the real world if someone, is being chased by someone, real or not real, and wants to be safe.
My whole opinion on the book was that I liked it. I liked the acton that was in the book, there was a lot of battles that were deeply described. There was some tricky language in the book, which is fun for me to read because it makes me have to think more about the book. There was a good plot, so you could easily tell who was bad and good, and what was happening in the story.
I would recommend this book who likes the things I said I liked, which were good clear plots, action, and tricky language. And if you have read The Hobbit, than you will probably like the Lord Of the Rings because it is the sequel to these books. The Hobbit is the story Of Bilbo, who is Frodo's Uncle, and Frodo is the main characters of these books.