Monday, November 11, 2013

Fish Bowl #1, A Long Way Gone, Chapters 1 and 2

Welcome to your first A Long Way Gone fish bowl!

A few reminders if you're looking for an A for the day:

(A) Bring at least one quotation and/or page reference into at least one of your responses.
(B) Explain your thinking thoughtfully and thoroughly (try to avoid the one-sentence response).
(C) Keep it professional, including the usage of proper grammar and spelling.
(D) Comment frequently from the beginning of the conversation to the end.


Remember also that you're welcome to get into a hot seat in the inner circle for a little while and earn some of your daily participation points there.

142 comments:

  1. Before you realized that it was a dream were you confused on where he was and what he was doing? When did you realize that it was all just a dream?

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    1. Yeah I was really confused because he was all of the sudden in the war pushing a wheelbarrow. But what was also very confusing was that he was describing the dream and scenes very very descriptively. Which made me feel like he was there in the flesh.

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    2. I was really confused about where he was because he it said, "When I arrive at the cemetery, I struggle to life it from the wheelbarrow..." (Pg 18) I thought it was unusual for him to be in a cemetery carrying a body so I was confused on that too. I realized it was a dream when he said, "I lift the cloth from the body's face. I am looking at my own." (Pg 19)

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    3. At the beginning I was very confused because the chapter transitioned into something so graphic and brutal and it posed questions as to what caused all the destruction and violence. I realized it was a dream when Beah saw his face on a dead body.

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    4. I was confused about where he was and what he was doing because I had no idea that it was a dream. Till I came to the line saying " I am looking at my own"(P.19). This line made me believe that it was a dream because there is no way he could be looking at his own body in real life.

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    5. I was very confused when I started reading the chapter. I felt as if they rushed into the extreme violence. I started to wondering if it was real because it was so extreme. I realized it was a dream when he saw his own face after removing the cloth from the body.

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  2. What do you think was going through the minds of Ishmael and his friends and they saw all the bloody people and the people coming across the river?

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    1. I feel like they were really over whelmed and traumatized about the whole situation. Being a child, you wouldn't usually experience anything so crazy like this. It is all coming at you so quickly and I think they were in complete shock.

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    2. I also agree with Kaley because kids don't usually see or experience these kinds of brutal things. Because they saw it, they were probably very shocked and frightened. Their brains were probably not functioning quick enough to understand what was going on and probably also became very traumatized.

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  3. What would you do if you were in ishmael's situation figuring out that his family is probably dead and his home town has been massacred by the rebels.

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    1. I would follow the people running away. In this situation your family is most likely dead and the people running away are really your salvation because they are running towards safety and safety means you don't get killed.

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    2. If I were in his position, I would be devastated and I wouldn't know what to do. Also knowing that you could have been there to protect your family but you weren't is the worst feeling. The boys decided to leave for the day and of course, that day, their home got destroyed and their most important people in their life got killed.

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    3. If I was in Ishmael's situation figuring out that my family is dead I would feel much regret, on page 11 Ishmael said, " I could visualize mny father holding his hard hat and running back home from work, and my mother, weeping and running to my little brother's school. A sinking feeling overtook me." This shows he is thinking what his family would be doing in this situation. He feels that maybe he should have been there. I would regret not being able to say goodbye. Especially when it may not have been safe to leave in the first place. If my family was dead I would not be sure what to do with myself, especially when everyone else is dying too.

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  5. If you were in Beah's position when he heard his town has been over run, how would you react? Would you react differently than Beah? How would you feel knowing that you left without saying good bye?

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    1. If I were in his situation I would probably react in the same way that he did . I would be in shock I would have to deal with the fact that I never got to say goodbye to my parents and I would never see them again. I would be in complete shock and I wouldn't be able to process what is going on.

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    2. I would be devastated. Not being able to say goodbye to the people and place you called home. I would feel lost and wouldn't even know where to pick up from after losing the people and places most close to you.

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  6. On page 10 the Beah says "I had not seen him for a while, as another stepmother had destroyed our relationship again." What do you think the significance of this quote is? What do you think happened with the stepmother that could've destroyed their relationship?

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    1. I think that he's trying to show that he and his father don't have a very good relationship, because his father keeps getting remarried. Beah doesn't get along with any of his fathers wives, because he wants his parents to still be together.

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  7. On page 9, when the three boys found out about the rebels attacking their home, what do you think was going through the boys head?

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    1. Initially I believe that this boys were worried about themselves and whether they were in danger, but after they had more time to process what was happening I believe they started getting worried for their family as well and whether or not they were safe.

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    2. I think that the first thing that had gone through their mind was fear. Also this feeling of the war isn't as far away as they thought. I think that they were in so much fear that they wanted to go back and find their families but as we read they saw all the suffering and figured it was pointless to go back.

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  8. On page 18 and 19 Ishmael has a dream, what does this dream mainly symbolize?

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    1. I believe that this dream symbolizes everything that he has been through in the war. He was forced to do so many violent things that he basically had no control over, and those things still haunt him today which show how traumatizing they were.

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    2. I think the dream symbolized his life in Sierra Leone being "dead". Of course he had been forced into being a child soldier but what he was doing resulted in that dream and him being killed in the dream. It was a sort of karma in a way.

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    3. The dream symbolized Ishmael's fear in his current situation. He hasn't had very much experience with death, or war for that matter, and now he is face to face with both. He is terrified that something has happened to the people he loves and he has no idea how to react, partially because he is inexperienced and partially because he is so young. Also, when he sees that the body he is carrying is his own, he is realizing that a part of him has died when war came to his town. Nothing will ever be the same now, and he fears for his life.

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    4. I think this dream symbolizes the violent setting of Sierra Leone at this time. Like the Kite Runner "A Long Way Gone" has done a great job of setting the scene not only for this book but for Sierra Leone as well. It is important to put yourself inside the book and become part of the book while you're reading. By adding this dream Beah explains and shows how violent this time period was.

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    5. I think dream symbolizes the guilt he has toward what he did when he was younger. Just guilt over all because in his dream he takes a body that is wrapped in a white sheet to the cemetery, and to me this means he feels guilty about what he did so guilty that he took the time to cover the body and prepare to give the person a proper Burial.

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    6. I think this dream symbolizes what he is think about in his mind. I think the only reason he would dream about this is because he fears that it might happen to him. I think this dream is symbolizing fear.

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    7. I think the dream symbolizes his everyday life. What he see's in his everyday life is some of our darkest nightmares. The dream reflects the darkness he lives in everyday. The darkness that he doesn't know different from.

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  9. I found it very relatable that Ishmael, on the first page of chapter 1 especially, talks about how the war doesn't seem very real unless it has happened to him. He is young and it is hard for him to grasp that it's real. I feel like that happens here in America too, that unless you have been touched by a tragedy or an act of violence it is much harder to understand or imagine than if it hasn't happened to you personally.

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  10. Do you think Beah is the hero in this book so far and Junior is his companion? What makes Beah a hero?

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    1. I don't think he is gonna be a hero yet because he is gonna start killing people without knowing it because he is on drugs, but later in the book I believe he will become that hero figure that Amir was.

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    2. I agree with Clay. Beah isn't necessarily a hero because he hasn't done anything to benefit anything or anyone. He is just in the middle of a really crazy event and he is experiencing all of it. But maybe later on, Beah might become a hero to himself for getting out of the bad situation.

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    3. I think it is to early to tell if Beah is a hero. To tell if he is a hero we really need to learn more about him and see if he does anything to help someone or if he does something amazing.

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  11. "The breeze brings the faint cries of those whose last breaths are leaving their mangled bodies."(pg. 18) This quote, in my eyes, is very symbolic towards the breeze. How is this breeze symbolic and how does it help shape the mood of this chapter?

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    1. To me, I think of the breeze being a symbol of what he's done by killing all those people. I think the quote shapes the mood of the chapter because the chapter is lifeless, literally, and the quote kind of symbolizes that lifelessness.

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  12. "I am looking at my own." why do you think Ishmael decided to include that at the end of his dream.

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    1. I think he choices to add this line to the end of the dream because it lets the reader know that it is a dream and it is not taking place in real life.

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  13. I think seeing the bloody people coming across the river was extremely frightening to Ishmael and his friends. It is also a reality check that violence really is coming into their homeland and they see that they could be directly affected by it.

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    1. I agree with you in it being a reality check and, at the start of the book they didn't really seem to scared. But, after seeing the bloody people coming across the river I feel like it really sank in, and they are probably trying not to freak out on the outside but, they really are scared on the inside because, they know that they are probably next.

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  14. I think the father of the boy is in denial that the boy is dead because the only thing that can counter fear is hope and he is putting hopeful thoughts in his head that his son is not dead and that keeps him sane in this whole situation. I do also agree that it could be a form of grieving because the first step in the grieving process is denial.

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  15. Ishmael's grandma thinks that the quote "We must strive to be like the moon", means to always be good to others and be on your best behavior. Do you agree with that interpretation and why?

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    1. I think "We must strive to be like the moon" is another way of saying shoot for the stars. To strive to be your best. Saying that the sky's the limit. Also when you look at the moon it seems so peaceful. So maybe it means that we should strive to be at peace just as the moon is.

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    2. I agree with this interpretation because you should always be good and on your best behavior. It is important that we be good to others, even though they might not be good to us. And be on the best behavior because they are young boys traveling and should be respectful of other people. It seems kind of ironic with all the problems that are occurring in their country now.

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    3. I do agree with that interpretation because the moon is "good to others" in a way. When the sun goes down, the moon lights up the night sky just enough for people to see therefore it is "good to others".

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  16. I think the father was not excepting his soon was dead so he was in denial of the actually event because he said "I will get you to the hospital, my boy, and everything will be fine." Based on the quote I think he was in denial of the actually death of his son.

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    1. I agree with what you are saying hear but i believe that it might have been more of a choice to not accept reality because even though no one suspects the death of a loved one, it is obvious to see when some one is no longer alive. The man seemed to have shown denial in a way to keep his sanity for maybe his son was the only thing he had and to lose that was too painful as Beah said "Perhaps it was necessary that he cling to false hopes,.." on page 13

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  17. Ishmael seems to have different relationships with his parents, would this affect who he is wishing to find alive after the news of the war?

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    1. "I had not seen him for a while, as another stepmother had destroyed our relationship again. But he smiled up at me....."pg 10. I mean yeah I think he would be looking forward to hopefully seeing his father after the war and not all of his stepmothers. The stepmoms have all ruined his relationship with his father so maybe he would want his stepmothers either gone or dead and find his father alive.

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    2. I think that Ishmael had had a connection and wanted to see both of his parents alive after the news. Although he had some trouble with both his dad and his mom when he was younger, he still cared about both of them. I think that he had rough times with both of his parents but he wouldn't want to see either of them deadkeven though they had rough times.

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  18. In these chapters I really feel sad for Ishmael because he has lost his innocence after seeing all of the violence from the war. The rebels inflicted much upon him and turned his life upside down, so it is quite sad how abruptly his life changed, and that no matter what he will never be the same happy little boy.

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    1. I agree with you! I think as a child, you shouldn't experience all of this violence at such a young age. I think that in your entire life, you shouldn't experience what Beah has already experienced.

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  19. On page 7 "Before we parted to carry out our evening chores of fetching water and cleaning lamps, we would say 'peace, son' or 'I'm out,' phrases we had picked up from the rap lyrics." How do they use peace in their language but live in such a violent place? Have they been around true peace?

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    1. In the way Beah describes life before the war came to his town, his life was very peaceful. He described his father relaxing "[sitting] in a hammock under the shade of the mango, guava and orange trees.."(pg 7). I felt as if his life was carefree and happy in the time before the war. I think Beah also felt this way as he wrote those first few passages describing life as he remembered, and it was peaceful. That being said, the terms could also be solely used for the purpose of mimicking the rappers that they idolize.

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  20. "The father was covered with his sons blood..." Like any good parent, this father wishes that he had died instead of his son. The parents should feel like they need to die before their children, because they have more to live for and they are still very young in the real world.

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  21. I think violence has a huge affect on our societies today, especially with the role that media has. I know for me it is extremely disheartening turning on the news and seeing another act of violence that has happened. However, I do not think that violence can define a society. There is also much good where there is violence.

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  22. On page 7 the apparel of a rapper is described. What do you think the significance of rappers and their apparel is in this book so far? Due to its repetition its significance becomes a question. What do you think makes it important?

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    1. The fact that they wanted to be rappers shows their connection to the modern world. Being that they are in Sierra Leone there is the expectation that they are not quite connected with the modern world, especially with something like rap music which has continued to grow in popularity over the past years. However, I think it shows that they are still able to connect with the modern world and it provides them some happiness, which is important, especially what is going to happen later on in the book.

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  23. on pg 14 there is a qote "I didn't want to go back to where that woman was from ; it was clear in the eyes of the baby that all had been lost" What do you think this quote shows what Ishmael is thinking? do you think there is deeper meaning behind this quote?

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    1. This quote is showing that there was no life in the baby's eyes, and that represents that the town that they once knew, is no longer the same, and will never be the same again.

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    2. Ishmael was thinking that there was no more hope for his town. Even if his family was alive he doesn't want to see the condition they were in after seeing the look in the baby's eyes. If he can see the look of fear or whatever he saw in the baby then it must be obvious that there is no possible way the would be returning home. It will be worse for the older people in the town.

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  24. At the beginning of Chapter two, Beah is dreaming. He is dreaming about the war. "I am pushing a wheel barrow in town where the air smells of blood and burnt flesh. The breeze brings back faint cries of those whose last breaths are leaving their bodies." I think that this is an unconscious warning that he might be scared of the war that is happening over back in his home country, but he isn't there in his home country, so he cannot do anything about it. It also shows a sense of guilt for not being able to be there to do something. He is half a world away in New York City.

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  25. The description of the bodies in the dream is a very vivid interpretation as to Ishmael's scarred mental state, this is also a sign of post-dramatic stress.

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    1. I had never really thought of him or anyone who went through this to have post-dramatic stress but, that's a really good thought. That actually helps me understand the dream and understand why it was so vivid and brutal to him. Because he can't escape the past and he can't forget what he saw.

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  26. On page 16 an old man says, "We must strive to be like the moon." After thinking about this a lot I have come to realize that this quote is very valuable and people should strive to be like the moon because everybody likes the moon. However this raises the question, how will the moon impact Ishmael in the later chapters?

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    1. I think the moon will serve as a reminder that there is still good, and that he can still be that good person. It could also remind him of the times before the war and of his family, so that when he is extremely sad he still has memories to help him find happiness.

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    2. I think this quote will be a really important part of Ishmael's personality. I think that the moon will remind him of how he should act in a situation.

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  27. Do you think that Ishmael shows signs of braveness by traveling back to his home where the rebels had attacked? Or do you think that he was just following his brother? Do you think Ishmael shows signs of being a hero, similar to Amir in "The Kite Runner"?

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    1. I think it's a little bit of both. It's instinctive to follow a brothers actions, as most kids look up to their older siblings, but it also requires lots of bravery.

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    2. I think that Ishmael is acting out of fear and a desire to find his family rather than being brave. He is worried about his family and his home and wants to at least gain closure, an answer to his questions. I think that if we look at the early stage of a heroes journey, particularly the "call to action", Ishmael shows the potential to be a hero. His call is the attack on his home and an invasion of his way of life.

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  28. The inner circle just brought up the question of why are people violent? I believe that people's personalities are a product of their environment and what values their parents bestow them. There are also psychopaths, but discount them because they are a special topic. So my question is what is your perception of how violence comes to be in a person?

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    1. You bring up some good points. I also think that someone is violent because their parents have passed it down as a trait. It has been proven that children (mostly males) with violent tendencies is caused by their parents violent tendencies.

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    2. This is a big question to answer in a single blog response. I think that it is an important question to think about while reading this book though. I think that a common way that violence comes to be in a person is by exposure. If someone is exposed to violence for so long they will begin to accept it, and think nothing wrong of it. I think that this is the case with child soldiers, because I'm sure that not many of them want to be soldiers, but they are brainwashed and trained by the military leaders to be violent and to be ruthless. If Ishmael is not strong in his near future, he will become just like the other boys in the army.

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  29. Throughout the first chapter why and how does rap influence his behavior and life so far?

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    1. I think influences the way he acted for sure. when knows because he tells us that he and his brother would dressed different to like fit in with the type of music their were listening too.

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  30. On page 19, he is still dreaming. The book says he lifts the cloth from the dead body's face- he says he is looking at his own. I think that this would be significant because it shows that he is literally looking death in the face in his dream, and it also shows evidence of fear.

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  31. I think that from the beginning of the book we can already see the bravery that Ishmael has. It must have been so frightening to go back to his homeland where the rebels had invaded and violently attacked, but he went anyway and did not let his fears stop him.

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  32. "Crickets, frogs, toads, and owls followed them, all calling for night while leaving their hiding places" (p.16) In the pages before this, the sun has been hot and unforgiving when bad things happen to Ishmael. At night, most animals are in sanctuary because they feel safe enough to go out of their hiding places. Do you think that Ishmael will take to the night to find his sanctuary?

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  33. In the first dream that Ishmael has he is shot in the side and a man had pointed a gun at him and pulled the trigger. I think that this shows that just by what he saw with all the people in desperation and families being torn apart because of this war. I think it also showed how much fear Ishmael is feeling after all that had happened in the day. What do you think this dream means?

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  34. Can a human ever truly forget their past?

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    1. I feel like a human can forget some of their past except for the ones that leave a major impact on your life or affect your life negatively or positively.

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    2. I don't think that a human can ever forget their past. They can't forget but they can mask over it with other memories and actions. the people who try to forget have the hardest time forgetting because they will never forget.

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  35. Violence is a huge concept that human see as normal and would expect it sooner or later. Earth would have worldwide peace if there wasn't any violence and that is what every president wants. But violence comes from lower level concepts such as greed and jealousy. Like terrorists. They have the need to be stronger than the United States, because we are the biggest world power out there.

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  36. Often times it is easy to predict that any person standing behind the pulled trigger is evil and a monster, but often times it is the most peaceful and unnoticed that can do the most damage. So far in this book I have had an opinion towards the rebels that has been nothing short of positive but I also think that there is much more history going on behind this war and destruction that we haven't been aware of yet.

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  37. When Ishmael and his brother and their friend saw people running away from the town where the rebels had attacked why would they run towards it why not wait ? What would make them want to do this?

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    1. The boys wanted to run back because they wanted to see their families. They wanted to have the reassurance to know that they were okay. It meant the world to them to know that the boys wouldn't be without a family because there would be nothing left. Once the people started running back it kind of started to make Ishmael feel that there was no hope, that all of his family is probably dead, or fighting for their lives.

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  38. What is the significance of rap music in this book?

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    1. I think they are going to turn to music in this book. They are going to use music as an escape. I know when I am having a really bad day a good song can make me feel a lot better. I also think they will be able to rap about some of the stuff they are going through and that will be a good way to get their feelings out.

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    2. Hip hop music is just a way for Ishmael to escape and express himself through the poetry.

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  39. Could his dream lead to something that is going to happen in the future?

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    1. I think the dream could be foreshadowing an event in the future. Of course it wouldn't legitimately be him since the book is a memoir but maybe it could be foreshadowing the same event but with someone other than himself, like a relative or loved one for example.

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    2. I think that this dream could be foreshadowing events that will happen to him in his later life, because we already know he is forced to kill. This could soon be who he becomes in the later chapters.

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    3. I don't think so. There could be a certain event in his dream that foreshadows of what's really going to happen in the future.

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  40. So far in the book music, especially rap, has been a huge part of Ishmael's life. Do you think music will continue to be a big part of his life, and if so will the type of music he listens to change?

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    1. I do think music will continue to be a big part of his life. It seems to mean a lot to him. It will let him escape the real world and the struggle he is/will be living in. The rap music will change his mood form bad to good, or maybe just calm him down. Rap music will always be a home for Ishmael. His music preference may actually change, but he will always live rap music.

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  41. In chapter one, Beah is telling the Americans about the war. They think that it is "cool". I think that the Americans only think of the war as "Cool" because they have never been in a life threatening situation like war. I don't really understand why someone would think of war as "cool"

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    1. I agree, why would someone think that war is cool. But, since they are teenagers and do not know the entire story, I think they mean the people running around and shooting guns was the cool part just like all those video games that teenage boys play.

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  42. "The last casualty that we saw that evening was a woman who carried her baby on her back. Blood was running down her dress and dripping behind her, making a trail. Her child had been shot dead as she ran for her life." Why do you think Ishmael decided to include this story in the book, and what do you think it means?

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  43. "In the back of the van were three more dead bodies, two girls and a boy, and their blood was all over the seats and the ceiling of the van." pg 12-13. Just as kids they are seeing such brutal things. How do you think it will effect them emotionally in the future?

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    1. I believe that they will never be able to forget what they have seen, they will remember it vividly for the rest of their lives. This might effect them by making the kids want to stand up for what's right, or it might make them feel even more afraid.

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  44. On page 23 Beah describes the significance of cooking with his mother and begins to get emotional. How will the things Beah's mother said to him as a child about cooking help him later on?

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  45. On page 19 the quote "We took their ammunition, sat on their bodies, and started eating the cooked food they cad been carrying." Shows the savagery of war and how children can be influenced by a higher power in their lives. This quote is disgusting behavior in humans, but the kids were told to do these things by an intimidating power.

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  46. "My imagination at 10 years old did not have the capacity to grasp what had taken away the happiness of these refugees." (Page 6) - What is the significance of this quote? What does he mean that "his imagination doesn't have the capacity"?

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    1. When you were little and someone said that something bad had happened, did you really understand what that meant? Take 9/11 for example. Now yes, we were all around 4 years old when that happened, but even as we got older into grade school it was still a hard concept to grasp. We understood that terrorists had flown into the trade center and killed so many people, but even though we knew what had happened, I doubt anyone felt it affect them personally. When you are little you may understand, but you do not necessarily understand on a deeper level, so it's hard to really show emotion towards it.

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  47. On page 8 Ishmael's grandma is acting very protective and seems to be very caring of Ishmael and his brother. This gives good insight to what the culture in his country is. This raises the question, what are some similarities and differences you see in our culture compared to theirs?

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  48. In Ishmeal's dream, he unraveled the whit cloth from the dead body and saw himself. I think that the dead body being himself is represented by an action he did i the war that killed Ishmeal inside. An action such as killing his brother or his father or mother.

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  49. Do you think his father is disappointed of the rap music, or just opposes it?

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    1. It is fair to say that his father does oppose the idea of rap music because it gives off a false signal of culture. on page 7 he talks of the radio and says "Now this is good English, the kind that you should be listening to," showing that it is more of the ideas behind rap music that his father is opposing, not that he is disappointed in it.

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    2. I don't think that the father is necessarily disappointed with his sons decision, but he just doesn't support it.

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  50. I feel like especially with something so scarring such as war, Ishmael will have an extremely hard time adjusting to post war life. Almost a month later in a completely different environment, he is still having nightmares, as shown in chapter 2 on page 18-19. This shows that Ishmael is terrified of the memories from the war that can bring out nightmares, and that even though he is safe, his mind can still attack him.

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  51. On page 12 there is a section that explains the car scene. "When he stops vomiting, he began to cry. It was the first time I had seen a Grown man cry like a child, and I felt a sting in my heart." Because this man is showing this amount of emotion, is it fair to say that those who lose loved one in war are just as affected by those who are forced into war?

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  52. "I lift the cloth from the body's face, I am looking at my own." Do you think this dream is a reflection of the fear that Ishmael has of death?

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    1. Yes. I believe this symbolizes how afraid ishmael actually is. Even though he's acting tough on the outside, he's really scared on the inside.

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    2. Yes I believe that this dream is a fear of death within Beahs heart. He sees all these people around him dieing everyday and I think he is beginning to fear that he is next.

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    3. it is hard to say that this dream was all about the idea of fearing death because in the dream he remains calm while walking through a village of dead people and he was not too horrified to move when looking at the woman dead daughter on page 13. The dream seems to show more of a mood of disappointment and grief for the death of his childhood.

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    4. Yes because he experienced death everyday. While people are dying around him, he is wondering when he is gonna die himself. The more Ishmael think about this, the more it gets to him, and it will soon be eating him alive in his dreams.

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  53. "My mother seemed lost in her thoughts, smiling as she relived the moments." (Page 11) What do you think his mother was thinking about?

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  54. I would think that after seeing such brutal, gory things especially at such a young age you would be scarred. The various things he saw have a huge effect on his dreams and everyday life.

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  55. I think the dreams will become more violent because this dream was probably just the tip of the ice burg because as much as what happened in that dream we still probably still haven't heard the rest of the story and the worst of what he has had to do or seen.

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    1. I agree. I think that as time goes on, the dreams will just keep getting more intense because of the harsh story he's going to be telling of his very violent past.

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    2. During a class discussion, someone mentioned that your dreams reflect off of yourself. I agree with you because the more he is going to experience, the more it will show up in his dreams. We also already know that he is going to join the war as a little boy and he is going to kill people. He is going to have a lot of dreams playing the role of a killer and he is going to run into important people that he kills. He is so brain washed that he doesn't even care.

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  56. Dreams are great. They show you your past, your present and possibly your future. I heard somewhere that nightmares come from too much heat, that's why you are sweating when you wake up, because you have too much covers on yourself. It is very hard to interpret dreams. But when you do you see something you never have seen before and it changes your life.

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  57. On page 17 Ishmael says, "Whenever I get a chance to observe the moon now, I still see those same images I saw when I was six, and it pleases me to know that that part of my childhood is still embedded in me." Why do you think it pleases him that he's still connected to his childhood?

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    1. I think that he is pleased with this because it brings him back to a time where he is innocent and isn't polluted with all of this killing and war around him.

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  58. Why do you believe Beah chose to write a book about his experiences as a child solider?

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    1. I think it's because he believed it was time to vent. You can kind of relate it to soldiers coming back from a war. At first, they don't want to talk about what happened, but after a few years they want to talk about it.

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    2. I believe that he wanted to show the world that this really does happen and its not something that you just see on tv and it doesn't effect you. I think he also wanted to show that the war is a lot closer to home than you would think.

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    3. I think he choices to write a book about his experience because it is something that comes up in his everyday life.

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    4. I think that Ishmael wrote this memoir to show to the world how extreme people can be. I think this would help other realize that things as bad as this could acutally happen in real life, and it's not going to end until someone makes the effort to try and stop this. I also agree with Nicholas because this experience was trapped up inside of him and he finally needed to let it all out.

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  59. I think that Ishmael needs to respect his past and remember it, but understand that he is a different person and things have changed. On page 19 he says, "I tried to think about my new life in New York City". I think this quote shows that he is trying to move on, but that it's very difficult. However I think that if he wants to heal the emotional wounds that he has, he has to come to peace with his past.

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  60. I believe Beah chose to write a book regarding his experiences as a child solider so people can have the ability to learn about the horrors of his experiences so we can prevent events like this from ever happening again. The more people are educated regarding this topic the more they can realize how terrible it is.

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  61. In the book, on page 11, Ishmael says," I could visualize my father holding his hard hat and running back home from work, and my mother, weeping and running to my little brother's school. A sinking feeling overtook me." I think I would have been feeling the same thing. I would not be able to function and think the same way again. If this ever happened to me, I think i would be too traumatized to anything and I would also probably die sooner or later. I don't think that I would be able live without my parents.

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  62. " I couldn't make out his face as the sun was against it." (p.15) In this passage Ishmael has been shot and is now being gunned down in a dream. I think that because he cannot see the killers face means that he might be this man. What are your thoughts about this?

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  63. I believe Ismeal feels guilt for what he has done, because he cannot forget about them, they reappear in his dreams and he stresses over them. But he was young when he did what he did because he was probably ordered to. And nothing can change that. Either he does what he is told and lives or he doesn't follow orders and dies.

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  64. On page 19, Ishmael says that there are bullet holes all around the body, but he points out that there is a bullet in the Adam's apple? Why would he point out this specific part?

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  65. When in the book it says "The father was covered with his son's blood" It shows how much parents care about their children and how they are willing to make any sacrifice for their children.

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  66. On page 18 Ishmael writes, "I am pushing a rusty wheelbarrow..." what does this symbolize about Beah's life and why is it significant?

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  67. On page 17, Ismael says, "Children watch their shadows and play in its light, people gather at the square to tell stories and dance through the night. A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines." Ishmael makes it seem that astrology is a place where the people can be free form the cruel world. They look at it too become happier and have one moment to forget all their troubles and worries.

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  68. In chapter 3 Baba states that theft is the only sin, and every other sin is a variation of theft. What does he mean by this and why isnt anything else a sin?

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  69. What do you think the reasoning for Amir not helping hassan when he needed him is? Do you think it relates to the the way he was raised ect?

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