How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I am sorry to show you these gruesome bodies, especially with your children present. But then again, all of us here have seen death or even shaken hands with it." He turned to the bodies and continued softly: "This man and this child decided to leave this morning even though I had told them it was dangerous. The man insisted that he didn't want to be a part of our war, so I gave him his wish and let him go. Look at what happened. The rebels shot them in the clearing. My men brought them back, and I decided to show you, so that you can fully understand the situation we are in." (12.29)
Hmmm… Lieutenant Jabati sure doesn't sound sorry. He's given the people a choice—fight or be sent away from the village. Now he's shown them the consequences of making the "wrong" choice. He's using terror as a tactic to control them. Well, if that doesn't sway them, nothing will.
Quote #2
"They have lost everything that makes them human. They do not deserve to live. That is why we must kill every single one of them. Think of it as destroying a great evil. It is the highest service you can perform for your country." The lieutenant pulled out his pistol and fired two shots into the air. People began shouting, "We must kill them all. We must make sure they never walk this earth again." All of us hated the rebels, and we were more than determined to stop them from capturing the village. Everyone's face had begun to sadden and grow tense. (12.30)
Propaganda speeches are Lieutenant Jabati's favorite way to manipulate his boy soldiers. This is a classic technique—dehumanize the enemy. If they're just rampaging monsters then killing them isn't something you need to feel bad about, right? In fact, it's a virtue.
Quote #3
We were taken to a nearby banana farm, where we practiced stabbing the banana trees with bayonets. "Visualize the banana tree as the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you," the corporal screamed. "Is that how you stab someone who had killed your family?" he asked. "This is how I would do it." He took out his bayonet and started shouting and stabbing the banana tree. "I first stab him in the stomach, then the neck, then his heart, and I will cut it out, show it to him, and then pluck his eyes out. Remember, he probably killed your parents worse. Continue." He wiped his knife with banana leaves. When he said this, we all got angry and drove our knives in and out of the banana trees until they fell to the ground. "Good," he said, nodding and pondering something that made him smile longer than usual. Over and over in our training he would say that same sentence: Visualize the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you. (12.41)
Lieutenant Jabati is a sick genius. He knows these boys are devastated by the loss of their parents, so he uses their helplessness and rage and channels it towards destroying the enemy. He's turning kids into killers.