It sounded like we had conflicting feelings about Coveritlive versus using Blogger to capture our thinking.
To honor both parties, today we'll use Blogger. We'll move back to Coveritlive for fishbowl #3.
To earn full credit for your posts today, be sure to...
- Carefully proofread your work.
- Contextualize your questions with cited quotes and defend your claims with passages from the text as well.
Ben wrote, "Both the Kite Runner and A Long Way Gone start the book off with the protagonist doing mundane and normal things, The Kite Runner having Hassan and Amir hanging out in the tree and A Long Way Gone having Ishmael walking to his grandmother's house (Pg 7-8). Then they both begin to escalate, Long Way Gone a bit faster than the Kite runner which took a few chapters. Why do you think Ishmael Beah jumped so quickly to action?"
And Daniel said, "On page 20 the author says that his memories 'are an important part of what my life is; who I am now,' even though he also says that he regrets his past and actions and wishes it could go away. I made a connection between TKR and this part of the book because obviously both Amir and Ismael's childhood pasts affect their adult life. It seemed that in TKR that all of Amir's memories and regrets were negative and he wanted them gone, whereas in A Long Way Gone it seems that the author in a way embraces his past and accepts that it is a large part of what his life is like now. What are your thoughts on this?
Daniel and Ben both have grammatically sound, well-developed questions that are thoughtfully contextualized with passages from text.
Happy posting!
On page 78 it states, "I should have killed that dog" This starts to show that everyone is starting to resort to violence aka the effects if war
ReplyDeleteYes and it also shows how much of a struggle it is for food.
DeleteThis shows how desensitized Ishmael is becoming to the violence around him. The war has completely changed who he is.
DeleteI agree, war is beginning to bring out Ishmael's violent side, therefore resulting in a loss of innocence, which I believe is a theme of the book.
DeleteI agree that it shows the struggle that exists relating to finding food, but I also think it shows how angry and irrational a person can get when starving.
DeleteThe dog stole the meat, and the only way to get that meet back was to eat the dog.
DeleteThat is an annotation I made, at this point, the boys don't know any other way to solve their problems because they have been dealing with violence on such an extreme level they have forgotten all other ways to deal with a bad or tough situation.
DeleteI agree for example on page 31 they stole the little boys corn and the mother of the boy still gave them each an ear of corn. Beah felt guilty for it but they are still doing what they have to do to surrvive.
DeleteI agree with Daniel because everything was fine before the rebels started to attack villiages and then the boys even lost motivation to eat or look for food anymore. They couldn't get out of their head what they have been through and seen thus far in the war. They're just kind of going crazy.
DeleteAlong with him saying on page 78 "I should have killed the dog" there also was on page 81 where they talk about if they should eat the bird or not and there is also on page 84 where they say that they stole food that night. As Dom says this shows that there are many problems in the country with food and how hard it is to get some. It also shows that Beah and his friends will do whatever it takes just to get some food because of how hungry him and all his friends are. Maybe next time they run across an alive animal like a dog they will kill it just to get some source of food.
DeleteThey they were so despite for food, looking for any kind of fruit that looked edible they were just so despite. However I don´t Alhaji would of killed the dog because it wouldn´t of solved anything. Alhaji just said he would out of frustration caused from the dog eating the only food they had.
DeleteI think that this just proves how Ishmael is dealing with the issues around him. I agree with Brittany that he hasn't learned to deal with tough situations in any other way then resorting back to violence.
DeleteOn page 74, Ishmael talks about the story of the "Bra Spider." What is the importance of this story?
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this, I personally don't think it had any importance to the moral of the story, but only to give the boys a break and give them something else to think about.
DeleteOn page 69, it says "It was much easier to be sad than to go back and fourth between emotions." What do you guys think that means? Especially coming from a little boy. That is so sad that he has to think that way. It brought emotions up for me. Sadness and worry for him because he is only 12 and he is having to deal with loss, death, sadness, and fear.
ReplyDeleteI think he is referring to the escaping moments. Like on the beach or when they find food. It's too hard for him to go from happy and laughing, to sad and miserable.
DeleteI think that since everything is so tragic and hard for him, anytime he is happy, he will soon be upset because something else happened.
DeleteSorry, the unknown comment was me, I wasn't signed in
DeleteI think that when he talks about staying in one emotional state is easier, he says this because if he becomes happy or anything but sad, eventually he will end up seeing more rebels and realize that he is not in a good situation and worry about his family more and more and then he will fall into a deeper sadness state. Also with how much he moves villages, Beah might come across a village where he thinks he will survive and be happy but then the rebels just attack that village and make him sad again. So overall it is easier for him to be in one state of mind so that he doesn't have to deal with the mental stress of all that is happening in his country.
DeleteI think that what he means by this is that the moments he has with his brothers when they are happy during this really bad time are important, but he doesn't want the happy moments to stop. Like Natalie said, the beach moment. He was happy there but he realized that it wasn't going to last and it really affected him. I think he is afraid of being happy and afraid of loosing the happy feelings.
DeleteThe death is affecting Ishmael in a very deep sense. He thinks about every event before he died. For example on page 81 it talks about the bird and Ishmael states, "After Kanei stopped humming, the world became eerily silent" Foreshadowing his death
ReplyDeleteHow do emotions affect this journey? I believe that as a young child in the middle of war, emotions rule their decisions, so they act out of emotion, and therefore survive. The dogs come into play when danger is imminent.
ReplyDeleteI believe fear is the emotion that plays the biggest factor in their journey, especially fear of death. Ishmael is scared, therefore he is acting out violently because he doesn't know what else to do in order to survive.
DeleteOne part of the text said that he began to let in memories of his family and it made him unbearably sad, I think that he is trying to get through his these problems and bad times and by letting him self feel emotions it causes weakness
DeleteThere has been so much violence and death that has been seen by Beah and this must have really effected him. On page 32 when the old man was getting beat right in front of him he was so shocked and was just standing there trembling.
Deletethroughout the book Ishmael and his friends find ways to keep going and stay happy even for a moment. since we know the rebels are going to capture him do you think he will still have hope or give up?
ReplyDeleteI believe Ishmael will continue to remain hopeful based on the way the book ends. If Ishmael were to lose all hope, he wouldn't end up living a normal life, which we know he does.
DeleteI think he will always have hope. He is a little kid and little kids are much more resilient and have an easier time finding hope
DeleteI think he would give up temporarily if he gets caught by the rebels but I think that eventually he finds a way to gain back the hope and that is how he ends up having a normal life in the end.
DeleteHow do you think the story of the spider that one of the boy tells on page 74-75 relates to the war and what is happening to them?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it does I think it is just something to give the boys something else to think about and distract them in the bad times.
DeleteI do not think he will see his family again because on page 43 it states "It was the last time I saw Junior, my older brother"
ReplyDeleteWhat do y'all think the rap song have represented so far?
ReplyDeleteLike Ashley said, they represent escape. When he listens and dances its an escape from reality, from war. Also, they have helped him escape from villages multiple times.
DeleteI feel like the rap songs represented his life before the war, when he was happy and with his family; but the last time he had to perform he said he didn't like the music, I think he was talking about how he knows he wont see his family again and that happiness was gone
DeleteGreat Question! I believe that rap songs are being used as an escape from reality. Those rap cassette are the main things helping he to ignore all the gory and violence going on around him and that´s why he choose to keep them and carry them through the long journey.
DeleteHow do you think these events in Ishmael´s life during the war is gonna affect him after the war ends?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, especially mentally and emotionally. It is very possible that Ishmael could develop PTSD because of the amount of violence and death he has been exposed to.
DeleteIt depends on who in his family is alive, I have a feeling some of the family could be reunited at some point but nothing would ever be the same emotionally with the family.
ReplyDeleteOn page 43 Ishmael says,¨It was the last time I saw Junior,my older brother¨ I think that throughout the rest of the book he might be reunited with his family but I definitely believe Junior is either died or he never found him again.
DeleteThere would have to be a serious healing process if Ishmael reunited with his family, but I think that healing would lead to some reconciliation for Ishmael and his family, which is what they need.
DeleteOn pages 80-81 they all share stories of their experience when the rebels attacked. Which one was the worst circumstance in your opinion.
ReplyDeleteI think they are all awful in their own way, but Saidu's is really hard to hear because while he was safe in the attic, he was also conflicted because he had to listen to his sisters get raped. That lived with him until he died.
DeleteI totally agree.
Delete@Catie G. I think that one of the worst stories that was told was Saidu story. His story describes when the rebels came in his village and took everything describing the things they took such as people and food. He also describes how he was hiding from the rebels in the attic. His own family was taken from him. While he was hiding the book describes how his two sisters were being raped by the rebels. This story made me feel sad and what Saidu has been through, what he has experienced. I think Saidus story was the worst circumstance that was being told on pages 79-80.
DeleteOn page 85 "This will do it." The man sprinkled some of the cold water from his bucket on Saidu. But Saidu didn't move... His palms were turned upside down and they were pale." This is the only quote that does not describe the rebels killing people. Why did the author describe death in the book? Why did the author describe a boy that is 15 that died on his own in his sleep instead of one of the rebels killing him?
ReplyDeleteBecause we know that the rebels kill people in disgusting ways and they laugh about it, and at this point we expect it, and when he is describing this scene, it is a way to bring up a different emotion in the reader.
DeleteI think it shows that even though the rebels didn't kill him directly, they still had everything to do with his death. It shows how much power the rebels have
DeleteI agree with you Brittany it is nasty that the rebels laugh at people that are being killed. But, I am still confused on what emotion that the author wants to bring the reader to.
DeleteHow do we see Ishmael change over the past few chapters. Violence has such a huge impact on the human brain and how we react to situations. Do we see Ishmael reacting diffrently and possibly more violently to diffrent situations? What does this mean for his future in Africa? And what about his life in America?
ReplyDeleteHe looses his innocence. He looses his childhood and fun and lightheartedness. The war changed him as a person. The violence that he has seen and will see in the text, it gives him PTSD and he doesn't have a home, he is starving and running and hiding. And that gives him fear. It says on countless occasions that he no longer sleeps. And that is because he has endless amounts of fear. And I think that he will always have hope, but he will begin to act with Violence if it continues this way.
DeleteIshmael definitely becomes more violent. I believe that this is because he is starting to lose hope and he is almost just wanting to resort to violence because is comes easily. I think that this will help the rebels in convincing Ishmael to be on their side later on.
DeleteTo answer Natalie's question I think rap signifies a little part of innocence that could be given back to them even though most of their innocence was stripped from them when the war started. I also think it is a fun hobby for them and it also shows African American people doing something and being very successful that they look up to and strive to become possibly.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the crow that fell from the sky was a curse like one of the boys suggested? If not, what do you think the crow signifies?
ReplyDeleteWhere is this in the book?
DeleteGoing off of Mac's question, I think it symbolizes the power of the rebels and how they can kill you indiretly
DeleteOn pages 61-65 there was a man who was hosting them and getting them food and helped them with their feet injuries. Why do you think this man was so kind to help them get better?
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book we have seen the elderly man figure represent "the protector", or someone who is kind and eager to help the boys.
DeleteTo give them hope, to show them that not everyone has fallen to the rebels and the war, that there is still kindness and hope to be had.
DeleteI think that he was so kind because usually old people or things symbolize the idea of how wise it is and I think that the man being old was wise enough to realize that they are just a group of kids trying to survive on their own so he invited them in because he did not see them as a threat unlike most of the people in his country.
DeleteI think that they will get captured suddlenly and very unexpectedly, but I'm not sure when they will be captured.
ReplyDeleteOn the cover of the book it says "memoirs of a boy soldier"so he definitely gets captured and maybe even forced to join the soldiers
DeleteI'm not sure if Ishmael gets captured. His journey through this war requires him to become a soldier of his one. A soldier fights, and Ishmael has to fight for his innocence and his life throughout the book. But don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be surprised if Ishmael was captured but it's a choice of thinking of the title literally or figuratively.
DeleteI think this book and Ishmael's experiences are driven by reactions and decisions, for an example earlier in the book the village reacting to the rebels not attacking and then the decision to return that ends up resulting in many deaths and chaos, "Another ten days of hiding...conclude they weren't coming...when the rebels finally came..." (Pg 22-23). For a more recent example the reaction of the village chief to the rap music and his decision to let the boys live. The book highlights the importance of the relationship between reactions and decisions, some that have positive outcomes (like saving their lives) and some that don't (the village being destroyed). The book seems to say that indecision can be the downfall of many because it has gotten the boys in trouble on more than one occasion and even if you make the wrong choice at least your acting in some regard. And it is Ishmael's potential reaction to the rebels will either kill him or save his life.
ReplyDeleteSo the question I want to ask is, what reaction do you think will be the right one when or if Ishmael encounters the rebels?
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ReplyDeleteOn page 79 the boys see two people walking with cloths under their arm. When saidu wakes up from his weird trance like episode he says that those two people were ghots and the boys agree. I don't get this. For so one who does can you explain it to me?
ReplyDeleteDo you think Ishmeal wants to die with his family?
ReplyDeleteYes, if Ishmael were to die, he would prefer to have it with his family even though I don't necessarily think Ishmael wants to die.
DeleteIn chapter 10 they mentioned that there were dogs crying. What do you think the dogs crying sounds signify? One quote that sticks out to me at this part is when one of the boys says it sounds like human cries.
ReplyDeleteI think that the dogs represent the humans in the story. It can represent the hunger they are facing as well as the human in the war are facing. The dogs are the feelings for the humans.
Delete"I should have killed that dog" on page 78 is an important quote. There's only six words in the quote, but it means so much more. These young people are being filled in the heart by the darkness of war. They're surrounded by violence and nasty things. You can only resist for so long. The violence and darkness in war will fill you up until there is no hope, or innocence left. After that, there's nothing to enact or reflect in your life, but that darkness. This is starting to happen to the characters in the book. The only escape is death, or complete removal from the situation, and there's still healing involved after. This is why this book saddens me so much. Because these characters have no control over what they are exposed to. Their exposure is then reflected back out of them. It's like an epidemic. War is such a nasty thing.
ReplyDeleteWe see Ishmael struggling to hold on to his memories. There's multiple times where he has flashbacks to times with his family. At one point in the text, he claims that he is trying to remember their faces but they almost seem distant, and he is forced to remember the more painful memories to keep them in his mind. Do you think that all these new gruesome memories will eventually override the memories of his family?
ReplyDelete"She told me that Junior had come to the village a few weeks earlier.." (83) This gave him hope and lots of it, and as this book had played out, each time he gets a little bit of hope it is ripped away from him. And I really don't want him to get false hope from this lady because if he comes across a village and his family is slaughtered he will be destroyed and I'm not sure if he'd be able to handle it. Do you think that he is getting false hope? Or do you think he will be able to see his family again?
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think will happen in the future of this book? I feel like Ishmael will get captured by the rebels and turn into a soldier since the book says "memoirs of a boy soldier"
ReplyDeleteOn page 55 there is a passage where Ishmael talks about how his dad gave him this piece of wisdom and this gave Beah hope in the hard times. Do you think he will keep referring to these words?
ReplyDeleteIt seems like they are only afraid of three things. The rebels, starvation, and dying. Do you think that the author always brings up these three things that Ishmael is afraid of?
ReplyDelete