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Theme: Resilience

During the last moments of his father's life, Will made a promise to fight for change so his people and children could move up in the world. This gives Will determination to continue fighting for justice and equality for his people. His promise to his father keeps him motivated to strive and solve challenges that he faces along the way. This moment gives Will resilience and a passionate for activism because he is fighting for his father.

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Theme: Evils of Racism

When Will is trying to enlist in the army, he is faced with the brutal racism when wanting to fight and serve for his country. During this time he starts to realize the Evils of Racism in the world. This opens his eyes to the harsh inequity and injustice that colored people have to face everyday. This connects to the central theme of racism and discretion faced throughout the novel.

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Theme: Injustice of Equality

After Will injures himself due to a bombing accident, he is taken to an infirmary. At the infirmary he is denied morphine during his treatment. McKenzie claimed it was for severe cases and colored soldiers do not feel pain to the extent that white soldiers do. Reverend gave his watch to McKenzie to convince him to give Will a shot.

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Theme: Fighting on the Inside

In this moment Will found out he would be working by planting potatoes meaning he would be handed a shovel not a rifle in relation to the title of the novel. This part of the novel gives the reader an idea of what Will and the No.2 soldiers are feeling when denied to fight for their country. This passage connects to the title "Shovels not Rifles" in two ways: Words not Weapons standing for having to "fight" with words not weapons, as well as them being handed shovels (showing racism) as them being a part of the working class. Whereas they were not handed a rifle showing there are not trusted.

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Theme: Loss of Innocence

Arthur was found in the cold. He was taken to the infirmary, but was denied access, since his condition wasn't considered serious. Watson claimed he was making excuses to get off work, and that he should get back. This resulted in Arthur's death, showing the true colors of the army and their racism. Will felt great pain towards the tragic passing of Author, he was sick and tried of getting unfair treatment from the officers in this war. He wanted to make a change, take action to fulfil his fathers promises.

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Theme: Non-Violent Activism

After the tragic death of Author, Will and his friends decided enough was enough, and wanted to start a protest about the unfair treatment colored soldiers faced in the army. At this this Will was trying to get people interested in protesting for justice and equality however not many people were interested. Will put himself in their shoes and saw that they were all scared of getting in trouble. He used the strategy of saying "If we stick together, I can assure you that you won't get into trouble..." (Wesley 146). This made many soldiers notice him, and led countless soldiers to part, in this protest to hopefully get the officers to notice them.

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Theme: ______

Description (3-5 sentence)

What happened (context of the movement)

Why it important (why is it relevant to the timeline)

How does it connect to the central theme (activism, racism, equality)