The Strength In What Remains By Tracy Kidder: An Analysis

Deo, a young boy with many dreams and hopes of making in it a America, but what he wants most of all is to attend Columbia University. Deo, from the book The Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder, has so many impeccable traits to offer to Columbia University. Deogratias is a hardworking person, he loves to go to school and to learn, has dreams to improve the world, and was discriminated back in Burundi. Some might disagree however, because he lied to get into the US and in Burundi the schooling system isn’t as intense as it is in America.

For starters, Deo excels in his academic work and loves doing it. In his interview, he stated that “Deo received a very high grade on the national post-secondary school test.. He got offered a scholarship

When Sharon, Deo’s nice “friend”, was looking for Deo to stay, Deo kept saying all he wanted was to go back to school. He also was ecstatic when he met the wolf’s and they said they could help him get back into college. The Wolf’s later enrolled him in English classes at a university, to help him improve his speaking. Deo also talks about how “During his eleventh year in high school, Deo started his own project, an attempt to build a clinic in Sangaza that would serve the surrounding hills,” (Kidder 87). He also said “ He dreamed of inspiring other countries,” (Kidder 87). Deo deep down really wants to help people and wants to pursue his dream of going into

Deo was a Tutsi, who in the beginning of the war the Tutsi controlled it. Until, the Hutu took over. Deo constantly lived in fear of the ten Commandments put in place by the Hutu, because it told them to “ stop having mercy on the Tutsis,” and “ The Hutu should be firm and vigilant against their common Tutsi enemy,” (Kidder 94). Deo, attending college in Bujumba at the time, started to get worried and didn’t know who was a Hutu or a Tutsi. He began hearing violent sayings coming from some of his Hutu friends like “Invino nu gutwi” which means at ear level, the target of the machete, (Kidder 96). He was also hearing “Suzuka” which mean warm them up, as putting gasoline on the Tutsi and lighting a match, (Kidder 96). The Ten Commandments also said that all Tutsis are “cockroaches”, belittling the Tutsis’ rights of being a human, (Kidder 96). Also, while flying out in Burundi Deo feared that his plane would be shot down, which shows how horrible and cruel the war has become, (Kidder 4-5). Deo had to deal with the horrifying events of a war shaping him