The Smallest Dragonboy .

538 Words3 Pages
Have you ever gotten picked on by a bully, and then one day you just crack and you tell the bully to stop? If so, you’re just like Keevan. The story “The Smallest Dragonboy,” by Anne McCaffrey, follows Keevan as he learns to overcome his fears, work hard, and show his courage by standing up to the bully Beterli in order to prove himself worthy of being a dragonrider. In the beginning of the story Keevan has many fears, mainly because he is the smallest dragonboy candidate, and he is constantly being picked on by Beterli, the senior of the boys. “Maybe if you run fast enough,” Beterli taunted, “you could catch a dragon. That’s the only way you’ll make a dragonrider!” Furthermore, Keevan fears that his small size may eliminate him from the impression, and he shares this concern with his foster mother. However, instead of giving up, Keevan decides that he must work hard to Impress a dragon in his first hatching. He even reassure himself that no one really knows exactly what Impresses the baby dragons as they hatch from their shells. This shows that Keevan is starting to build up the courage he needs to do well at the Impression, and to earn the respect of the other dragonriders, despite his size. Meanwhile, as the taunting from Beterli continues, Keevan leaves the Hatching Ground and works hard at completing his evening chores. He replenished the “glows” in the caverns, fills the firestone sacks, and brings black rock to the kitchen hearths. Fear starts to set in again, as Keevan becomes overwhelmed with everything there is to remember about being a dragonrider. He doesn’t dare ask any questions; for fear that the other boys would once again think he was too small to participate. Keevan shows courage by standing up for himself. Unexpectedly, as Keevan is hard at work shoveling black rock in to the barrow as fast
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