Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Fish Bowl #2, A Long Way Gone, Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6

Welcome to your 2nd 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.

66 comments:

  1. “One morning, . . . we started hearing something like the roar of big engines, the rolling of metal drums on a tar road, a thunder exploding, roll after roll.”
    (pg 50) This quote shows the true fear of these people.

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  2. After the attack of Mattru, the boys escaped and have been struggling from hunger and weakness, what do you think is mentally keeping them going?

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    1. I think that the fear of being captured is playing a major role in their will. They are afraid to die and their instincts are kicking in and keeping them alive. Additionally, they want to see their families again. They want to find the lives that they once had and think if they keep going then they can somehow regain the lives they once had.

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    2. I think what was keeping them going was the hope that they could one day find their parents and the hope that they will not get captured by the rebels and the hope that they will survive the war. So mainly Hope>

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    3. I think that there are 2 things keeping them alive. On a physical level adrenaline is keeping them going no matter how hungry they are getting it gives them the energy to push on. Mentally I think they are going on because its the only way they have to survive they know that if they get caught by the rebels they will most likely be killed. Also the fact that they are staying together and keeping each other strong.

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    4. The fear of death has been etched into their minds and is driving them at this point. The other piece of motivation that is pushing them on as well is being one day being re-united with their families.

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  3. If I was put in the situation that they were in I would probably break down and I wouldn't care what other people think about it but I know that I would need to stay calm so I wouldn't be scared and I could keep strong but I can barely imagine what it would be like to be in there situation.

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  4. On page 43 last sentence. it says "it was the last time I saw Junior my older brother." Do you think he will try to find his brother or just keep moving on to keep safe?

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    1. I think he will do everything he can do find his brother, a brother could really help him through the war, especially and older brother. If he didn't have someone close he would most likely go insane during the war.

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    2. I feel like in the future, the situations he is going to be put in, he isn't going to try to find his brother because who knows where Junior will be and even if he is alive.

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    3. I do not think that Ishmael will have a chance to search for his brother. Based on the actions of the RUF when they found Ishmael's group in chapter 5, I believe that it is only a matter of time before Ishmael is 'recruited' into the rebellion. Any future meeting between brothers will be purely by chance, but considering that Beah is writing this from a future perspective, I do not think they will meet.

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  5. Ishmael and the others are beginning to harden their hearts to survive the horrors of war. Their decadence first shows itself when Amir and the others when they steal ears of corn from a younger boy on page 30. This shows the beginning of their loss of humanity.

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  6. How do you think music helped save Ishmael?

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    1. I think it gave him a piece of mind and brought back his happy thoughts with the music.

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    2. Music was a way to comfort Ishmael, and to make him feel safe. As well as a way to keep him sane while the war is going on.

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    3. Well, for example, when they are stopped and those people thought they were rebels, he had a rap cassette which saved them. One of the men recognized them from performing in their home town. If it wasn't for rap, they would have died.

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  7. on page 43 "It was the last time I saw Junior, my oldest brother." What would you do if you were put into this situation? How do you think Ishmael feels at the moment?

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    1. On that page he only wrote the one sentence about how it was that last time he saw Junior. It seemed he was at a lost for words and really sad that he will never see his brother again. It is hard to think of not seeing them because you don't know what will happen to them or where they are, or maybe if they are dead. If i were put into Ishmael's situation it would be really hard for me. It would make me feel hurt inside knowing my brother or sister was gone forever.

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    2. If I had lost my brother during such a difficult part of my life I would go crazy. I think sense Junior is such a big role model to Ishmael, it would help him get through the war, and they might even be able to escape from the soldiers.

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  8. "The veins on his forehead stood out as his fierce red eyes watched the trembling face of the old man, whose eyelids were shaking uncontrollably." page 33. The soldier's red eyes in this quote represent evil in this man as he is about to kill the old man that the rebels had captured. In this book, what else have you noticed, in this book, represents something evil?

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    1. I think that since this is a work of non-fiction this requires a more literal interpretation of the text and details. While the red eyes may symbolize evil, the soldiers use drugs like cocaine, marijuana and especially "brown-brown" (gunpowder mixed with cocaine) to take their minds off of the horrible things they do every day. His eyes are red because he has used at least one of these drugs, and that in itself literally symbolizes the senseless, brainwashed frenzy that these soldiers are in. Additionally, the fact that the soldier is threatening a sick old man symbolizes, again literally, evil in it's purest form.

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    2. Even though it is not physical I believe that the comedy and the use of the rebel's power to have fun has shown a lot of evil. On page 33 the rebels shot at the man ("My head! My brains!" The rebels laughed at him. Finally, he stopped and slowly raised his hands towards his face like a person hesitant to look in a mirror.") the soldiers obviously used the man as entertainment that was horrifying to everyone else. Things like this show a large amount of evil in the war.

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    3. I have noticed that the sun also represents evil in a way. In many of the cases before when something bad has happened to Ishmael the sun is described as blazing or hot. "and his long face was sweating from the hot sun." (P.10) At this point the step-mother has destroyed Ishmael and his fathers relationship, and now he doesn't see his father much. I think there is a connection there with the sun and what is going on.

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  9. If I was in their position, I would not care if they called me a sissy. I could really careless if I knew I was about to be killed in any second. The rebels are a very scary and dangerous group so if they want to hurt anybody they will, and they will do it with a smile on their face. On page 32 it says, " So don't even breathe too hard or it might be your last." All of them were praying that they wouldn't get killed. It may have been better off instead of having to be put into the rebel group and be in the army.

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  10. What traits make Ishmael a memorable and unique storyteller?

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    1. The detail he goes into, and his vivid memories really stand out and make his story so interesting. I find it crazy how he even managed to go into this much detail about such a hard part in his life.

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    2. I agree with Quinn. He really does and excellent job painting a picture in the readers mind and adding a lot of depth and purpose to his writing.

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  11. The topic of terror continues throughout the story in chapter three. When Ishmael and his friends leave the town or village, they must run for hours with the rebels chasing and are trying to shoot them. Why is this significant and how would you change this if you could?

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  12. "others simply didn't want to sell any more for unexplained reasons." This was at a point when Ishmael and his friends where very hungry. What reasons can you think of? I was typing this well before the inner group said it!

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    1. They didn't want to sell the food because they were saving it in case they were caught in a situation where they needed a reserve of food. If they sold the food, then they wouldn't have that extra food for if there was a point in time where they had to run into the forest and keep the food with them to survive.

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  13. On page 23 the rebels invade mattru jong, at first shooting in the air and than at people. This causes everyone to panic as Ishmael explains " The sound was so terrifying it confused everyone." Is it odd that the rebels try to hold people in villages by doing actions that lead to panic? Are the rebels desperate enough to have to chase kids down or is it how they have always worked?

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    1. It is a proven method of safety. By keeping the civilians in the town, the rebels are ensuring that the government does not intervene for a longer period of time. They have realized that by keeping hostages, they keep the upper hand.

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    2. I think it is very odd how the rebels make the towns panic because they are really there to recruit the strong villagers into the rebellion. Still they frighten the towns and they walk around in the forests and they find the trembling, weak children and old people. I think they could be both desperate for soldiers and looking for power when they do this.

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    3. In the book it said that they held the citizens in the town because they needed a shield against the military, so it makes sense for the rebels to keep the citizens in towns. The only thing that does not make sense is the idea of the rebels doing all these horrible things to people. I learned that the rebels chase down kids because they are easiest to brain wash and make into soldiers. On Criminal Minds last night it talked about how the kids are raised and how they learn from the people they are raised by. It makes the kids think that they were doing the right thing and protecting their "leaders".

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  14. Junior and Ismeals brotherly bond is very strong. I can connect to this greatly because i have four young brothers and I set the way for them, I lead them. We are still young. everyone my age and younger, we still have a lot to lean but as for me and my brothers and Ishmeal and Junior; we will learn together.

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  15. I think that the village people don't really know what to think. They know that they are outnumbered and if the soldiers came in there they knew it would be a massacre but at the same time they want that sense of security with the soldiers there even if it was just a fake sense of security. Overall I think that the village people are just extremely confused.

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  16. On page 41 the quote "The ground was covered in decayed leaves that had changed the top color of the brown soil to dark. Termites could be heard rummaging under the rotten leaves." uses the land as a mirror to Ishmael's feelings towards this farming life. So, where else in these chapters does the book use the land to show how Ishmael is feeling at that time?

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  17. Ishmael frequently talks about the river. Do you think the river has any significance in the book?

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    1. I think the river could be significant to the book in the way that Ishmael might have looked at it the same way he looks at war and rap music. It could be a big bully and reflect poorly on him. On the other hand, it could be clam, 'just going with the flow' helping him along the way.

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    2. I think the river kind of represents the past, kind of like a flashback.

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    3. I don't think really has any big significance because it is just a way from them to get form one place to another and I do not think it has to do with anything really big but a way to get from one place to another.

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  18. At the beginning of the book when Ishmael and his brother are still at their home town they had people fleeing form their own town. People in their town offered those people a place to stay. But they said no because they said that it will eventually reach them. On page 39 now Ishmael and his friends are now refusing a place to stay for the same reason. They refused knowing that the rebels would eventually reach their village.

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  19. "He is scared like a soaked monkey," the rebel laughingly told his companions. (p. 31) What do you think Gibrilla was thinking? How could this be a big effect to everyone?

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  20. I would be killed because I would not like to be forced to inflict harm on others because one I would not be able to do and two I don't want to kill anyone some I rather be killed.

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    1. That was my first thought when I read the book, but then I began to think truly about the situation Ishmael was placed in. He really has no idea if he will ever be reunited with his family, but the very idea that he may be reunited with his brother shows hope. I think that to die would be the first choice of a lot of people, but thankfully Ishmael decided to overcome the hardships and not let the army get the better of him. I think that Ishmael was very courageous in this, and because of his courage, he got out and wrote this very influential book, which has helped change the lifestyle in Sierra Leone for the better.

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  21. The rebels are super harsh and very bad just so they can prove their point, to be the strongest in Serra Leone. Rebels anywhere, stand out. They are different from everyone else, some in a bad way and others in a moderate way.

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    1. I agree with you. I also think that the rebels are being so harsh because they want to be in control, and it is hard to keep control of people that aren't afraid and that want to stand up for themselves. But when you introduce fear, the people will be controlled much more easily. To make sure the people fear, they have to show them what they are capable of. I think the rebels are just putting fear into the people.

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  22. On Page 22, when it says, "Normally, the crickets and birds sang in the evening before the sun went down. But this time they didn't, and darkness set in very fast. The moon wasn't in the sky; the air was stiff, as if nature itself was afraid of what was happening." Do you think the moon, specifically, symbolizes something important?

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    1. It represents Ishmael's innocence. Ishmael said himself that the fact that he could see the same images on the moon's surface he saw when he was six years old, makes him feel like he still has some semblance of innocence.

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    2. I think the moon symbolizes something important to Ishmael. It is how he connects to himself, and may be a source of calming down. It may make him feel relaxed and safe. But when there is no sound of crickets and birds it effects how Ishmael thinks of his surrounding, and how different they are.

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  23. Do you believe that a strong sense of desperation makes you forget you sense of morality?

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    1. I do believe that desperation makes you forget the sense of morality. Maybe that is what will happen to Ishmael, that he is so desperate to live that he will do everything people tell him to. He will forget what life really is and become brainwashed to reality and what is right.

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    2. I do not believe that the desperation makes people forget about Morality but instead push it aside to keep themselves alive and than worry about there actions. On page 31 the lady of the son who was robbed from knew that it was a time of desperation yet she still handed the boys corn. Even though they might seem to lack Morality, they are really feeling the pain of stealing but they must stay alive first and deal with that pain later.

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  24. Food is such a luxury in this book, do you think there will be severe acts of violence to get food and will this become a driving factor in this book?

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    1. There will most likely be future violent acts to get food, but it will not be a recurring theme. The actions taken by the group to get food is just to show the beginning of their collective loss of innocence, and the hardening of their hearts to survive the war.

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  25. I would be killed instead of getting captured and staying with the rebels because I wouldn't want to experience the horrible events the boys already have experienced. I rather just die instead of experiencing the horrible stuff they do.

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  26. On page 43 where Ishmael says that it was the last time he saw junior, he was finally left alone with no knowledge of the status of any of his family. Will Ishmael be horrified by the loneliness and end up in worse places or use the fact that his family might be alive to continue to survive? Who at this point would he be the happiest to see?

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    1. Ishmael could respond in one of two ways. He could either become so traumatized by feelings of abandonment that he closes off his emotions and becomes a true soldier, or Ishmael could cling to the hope that they still live to drive his need for survival. To be a true hero, Ishmael would have to do the latter, but the fact that this is a memoir makes his future actions debatable.

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  27. I think that their mindsets did change after they were attacked because they stopped thinking about their family mainly and focused on trying to survive and stay alive and find food. I think deep down they have hope and are worrying for their family but they prioritize keeping themselves alive before anyone else.

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  28. "The back of my head was getting warm, as if expecting a bullet anytime" (p.32) This shows the sense of fear that the Ishmael and the boys have. The war is forcing the boys to grow up at a rapid pace.

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    1. Would you like to die if you had the chance? I think I would, try to live as long as i can to help others gain a better chance of survival then, but when its my time to go, its my time to go.

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  29. I think he thought of it very often because he need those good memories in order to keep moving on or to keep him in a way sane because he is in the middle of this terrible and he doesn't want to lose sight of who he is . So I think he does refer to the past a lot.

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  30. To me, the most interesting part of this book is how the soldiers adapt to life in constant chaos and death. Ishmael starts off as a pure, innocent child and becomes one with ruthless killers and sick people. Do you think that a person can get used to anything, and begin to accept anything? Or is there a breaking point?

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    1. There is always a breaking point, but once a person is broken they can become an entirely new person that can adapt to the new situation.

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  31. When Ismeal was so hungry, it hurt to drink then he "chased a little boy who was eating two boiled ears of corn by himself. He was five years old..." pg 30 If I was in Ismeals shoes, i would have left the five year old eat by himself because in the 6 to 7 year difference, Ismeal has less to live for then the five year old. The five year old should live as long as he can. I get that there is a war going on and it is very brutal but i would help those younger than me to help their chance of survival.

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    1. In this situation I would turn primal and take anything that is food. I think that the survival in this book is about whoever can outrun the rebels and whoever can eat the food that they need to survive. So, I would take the ears of corn from this little boy because if he has two ears of corn, then there must be a steady source of income of food for whoever gave him the corn.

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