Student Question
Compare the drilling boss and Salva's people skills in A Long Walk to Water.
Quick answer:
In A Long Walk to Water, the drilling boss has very good skills in working with people. When his crew are discouraged by leaks, he keeps them going and encourages them by laughing and joking with them. Salva also shows himself to be good at working with people. He collaborates with Scott on putting together his project to bring water to the people of his native Sudan.
One day, some men arrive in Nya's village and consult with the village elder. At first, it's not clear what's happening. But Nya soon realizes that the men have come to build a well that will provide her village with a regular supply of clean, drinkable water for the first time ever.
In practice, however, this remarkable feat of engineering proves to be easier said than done. Building a well is by no means a straightforward task, not least because the men building a well have to drive back and forth between the village and the local pond several times a day.
And then there are leaks; lots of them. The water from the pond is piped into what looks like a giant plastic bag. But the bag springs a leak, which of course has to be patched up. And the patch itself also springs a leak. It seems like...
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the project is doomed to failure.
Thankfully, however, the boss of the drilling crew doesn't give up easily. He has great people skills and the remarkable ability to get the best out of the men working under him. Instead of succumbing to despair, he keeps his men going, even though they want to stop, so discouraged as they ae by all the leaks.
The boss tries a number of different ways to get his men to keep working, from joking and laughing with them to gentle persuasion, to outright anger. However, he doesn't need to get angry, as the men are finally able to patch up the leaking bag and commence drilling.
Salva also shows himself adept at working with other people as part of a common endeavor. Once he's back in the United States after a short trip to his native Sudan, he starts working on his big idea to bring water to those who need it.
Although Salva has big plans, he also recognizes that he can't do everything by himself. A huge project like the one he plans to undertake requires a lot of help and support from others. With that in mind, Salva sits down with Scott, who has experience in getting large projects off the ground, and spends long hours figuring out the details of his big plan. He also has to raise money for the project, which involves him talking to people and asking for donations.
Salva may not have the natural ease with other people that the boss of the drilling crew has, but he does understand the importance of people working together to fulfill a common purpose.