Shray Bagga Mrs. Honegger 7th Grade ELA, Period 4 30 January 2023 Salva Mawien Dut Ariik: A Role Model Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a famous activist, once showed the most important quality of a human when he said, “The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience, but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges” (Springboard 6). In Linda Sue Park’s realistic fiction novel, A Long Walk To Water, Salva, an 11-year-old boy, shows this quality and exhibits peak performance while he is running from the war in the African country of South Sudan. Salva changes due to his decisions and becomes an independent, resilient, and caring person, which is important because understanding choices and their consequences can change how people perceive themselves and the world. For instance, Salva changed due to his choices and their consequences by becoming more independent. To illustrate this point, after Salva’s group abandoned him with an …show more content…
In one situation, when Salva is at the refugee camp in Sudan, he is caring for the efforts of the refugee workers when “He had taken as good care of them as he could but there were still holes in the shirt and the waistband of the shorts was stretched out and threadbare.”(Park 92). Evidently, Salva understands and cares for the efforts of the refugee workers. He uses his clothes for as long as possible so that the refugee workers can work less. This shows how humans are kind to others. In another example, as soon as he finds out that his father is alive, “Salva immediately began planning to travel to Sudan”(Park 101). Salva’s love for his father had increased because he was no longer there for him. His love compelled him to come to him immediately when he found that his father was still alive. Human love grows when we cannot express it. Hence, Salva’s choices and consequences made him