The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

     I read The Drummer Boy of Shiloh in class. The story is about a boy named Joby. He is only about 14 years old and he is in war. I really don't think that is fair at all. That is like me going to war in about 5 months which is something no 13 year old should be thinking about.
     Joby is in war but he is only the Drummer Boy. Joby doesn't want to be a drummer boy because he has no protection and no weapons to be able to fight. He is mad about that and upset. I can tell because he pushes his drum away from him, like he doesn't want to see it. I understand Joby, or at least i understand why he feels upset. I mean who would want to be in war with no protection or weapon or anything?
     It is the middle of the night in the story and the General walks over to Joby. He talks to him and boosts his self confidence. He helps him understand that being a drummer boy is very important and he should stay confident and motivated. I think that the General means well and wants Joby to be ready for the next day. I also think the General really does mean what he says, I don't think he would lie. Why else would he sit down next to Joby and talk to him for a long time? He even admitted to crying last night and why would he tell Joby that if he was lying?
     I think Joby looks up to the General as a father figure. He helps Joby and Joby's real dad isn't around so maybe he replaced him with the General. I think he does look up to the General because otherwise his speech wouldn't have effected him. I think the General really inspired Joby and the relationship of those two characters are more then just a general and a solider. Maybe when the General fist started talking to Joby he didn't think much of him, but by the time he started his speech, you could tell it was really meaningful and wise.
     I think that everyone looks up to the General. I mean he is the one who leads them everywhere. But the way Joby was effected by the speech was special. At the beginning of the story it was almost like joby was afraid of the General. The quote, "The boy shut his eyes to hide inside himself but it was too late," shows that Joby didn't want to talk to the General at first.
     I am wondering what will happen to their relationship after their talk. Will the General forget about Joby? I don't think he will. Joby isn't just a solider, he is a drummer boy. And the General helped Joby realize that. By the end of the story, Joby has stopped crying. He kind of accepts who he is, the drummer boy. He even embraces the drum, like he is accepting it.
     To prove that Joby thinks of the general as a father figure i used one of my favorite quotes. "He smelled like all fathers should smell, of sweet tabacoo, horse and boot leather, and the earth he walked upon." Joby knows what fathers smell like. Maybe he misses his father and looks up to the General to remind his of his father.
     Overall, the way that the General and Joby connect in the story is very important. Or at least it could be the start to something important. I think its amazing they can have a relationship in war, its a strong bond. They can count on each other, and of course it isn't a strong relationship but it can be, definitely.