TOW #8 - IRB: "They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky"

Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak

     The journey of the three Lost Boys of Sudan continues in They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky. After years of separation, the brothers and their cousins are finally reunited in a rebel camp. However, their harrowing experiences have yet to cease as death remains a commonality in their daily life. This book serves to honor those who died by this conflict that the adults who dragged the innocent into the war. The extent of their horrors are effectively portrayed by their use of diction. 

     Throughout this memoir, Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin take turns in recounting their individual experiences. Because they were all of a very young age, the details and the diction they use to share their experiences have an air of innocence that sharply contrasts with the brutality they discuss. For example, when the youngest boy Benjamin recalls the time he and the other refugees were forced into the Gilo by the Ethiopian government troops, "whether or not you could swim you had to dive into that water. Even if you could swim, a lot of people stepped on you. Many people died. [His] leg wound was so bad, but the Lord God helped [him]" (145). This boy is talking about being stomped to death or being shot. But he so simply tells it because as a child, it would have been difficult for him to fully comprehend the situation. All he could understand was that people were dying, and he had to pray for survival. The diction that he uses is very limited and not particularly sophisticated, but it effectively emphasizes his innocence in contrast to the brutality that he experienced at such a young age. Although there is no figurative language that provides the reader with a context to form a visual, the innocence emanating from the boy is enough to show how horrific the event was. 

      Every moment the boys encounter a dangerous event, the reader will cringe at how horrific of an experience they had, especially at such a young age. Because of the war conflict the boys were separated and then reunited many times. There heartfelt story tells war from the side of the children, the innocent, who had no say in the war plaguing their lives. They could only fight for their survival and hope to God that their lives would turn for the better.