TOW #12: IRB They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky

     They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky depicts the life of three boys who are fleeing from the civil war in Sudan. It describes the terror brought on from the war and illustrates the couple thousand mile journey for these boys. The book is split into four sections, I finished The Village of Juol and Like Ants Spewing from the Nest. In the beginning they discuss how their village used to be, peaceful and happy for them. Then a good portion of the book was dedicated to describing the bombings and other attacks on the village. The first section keys in on their escape and encounters with the Sudanese People's Liberation Army. In an encounter with the SPLA one soldier told them, “That is a skulls tree where you can see all types of bones from a lot of people who went to rest in the cool shade and never got up to continue on their journey” (80). Throughout the entire first half of the book the author appeals to pathos. This is because since the entire story is so heart-wrenching and intense, the reader is left with sympathy and sorrow for what the three boys, and many others had to endure. The stories progress when they start to describe their horrific encounters with hyenas, lions and lice that could eat them alive. Also, they faced malnourishment and heat exhaustion which made it often unbearable to continue. The three boys constantly are moving from camp to camp to stay safe. The sickness and hardships they face create a wonderful storyline in which it is difficult to stop reading. Th authors conveyed the story in such a way that was completely effective. The ultimate pathos created from the story was enough to make this story known and get a reaction of true sympathy.