Wednesday, November 14, 2012

All Boys, All Blogged: November 15, 2012

Focus: Stepping into the violent world of A Long Way Gone

Announcement: Vocabulary is cancelled this week.  Enjoy.

1. Warm-up: Book talks

2. Finishing yesterday's activity and connecting our culture of violence to Ishmael's

3. Fishbowl #1: A Long Way Gone, Chapters 1 and 2

4. Wrap-up: Self reflections and goals

HW:  1. Read through the "Journal with a Purpose" handout (also linked HERE) and come to class prepared with any questions you may have.

2. Make sure your Kite Runner essay is turned in tomorrow during class at the latest.

3. The Kite Runner books must be turned in by tomorrow.

4. Start on your next reading assignment for A Long Way Gone by reading and annotating Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 (next fishbowl discussion is the Monday after Thanksgiving).

56 comments:

  1. Why do you think it jumps back to present time in chapter 2?

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    1. I think the author needed to show that part in order for the rest of the book to make sense.

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    2. Because the story changes perspective.

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    3. I agree with Alex as the book goes along it will make more sense like how kite runner jumped back.

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    4. What is the effect of this technique? Do you appreciate it, or would you prefer that he stuck to strict chronology? Why or why not?

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  2. On page 7 when it says, " They were fashionable, and we had no idea that this unusual way of dressing was going to benefit us." Do you think their clothes are going to save them from death?

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    1. I think there close will save lives from death and help them along the way

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    2. I feel like if they look fashionable it helps there self esteem to make them feel better, if they had to wear black jump suits school wouldn't seem like such a happy place.

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  3. Do you think that the people in the world and in America are so desensatized do the violence? and do you thunk that Ishmael was staying there when the refugeas didnt want to say with them and they said the war will still be here soon we will move on

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  4. What is the significance of the conversation that Ishmael Beah has with his high school friends that call people running around with guns shooting each other "Cool"

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    1. His high school butties could have bean desensatised and it doesnt bother him

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  5. On page 19 1st paragraph last 2 sentences what does he mean he saw himself?

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  6. On page 9 it says "Gibrilla explained that the teacher had told them that the rebels had attacked Mogbwemo, our home. School had been canceled until further notice. We stopped what we were doing." This makes it seem like the rebels had absolute control over their lives. If the rebels wanted them to go to school, they could make it happen. If the rebels wanted them to be stupid, that was also easy for them. All of the people's lives were based around the rebel attacks.

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  7. On page 19 when he is taking the body to the cemetery what do you think it means when he took the sheet of the face of the person and it was his own?

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    1. That he has a constant fear of being shot that is apart of day to day life there and he wouldn't be surprised if that was him dead.

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  8. "We opened fire until the last living being in the other group fell to the ground"(Beah 19) How could a kid his age kill other kids the same age then go up sit on there bodies and eat lunch like nothing happened?

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  9. "I can feel the warmth of AK47'S barrel on my back" (beah 18) Did they get captured?

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    1. No, it is his AK47.

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    3. No they did not get captured it says "My AK47" then it goes on to say that he cannot remember the last time he shot it so it is his gun that he is carrying around.

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    4. But how does he get it?

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  10. Dose the rap music have a big affect on them because they really enjoy it to the point where they do the dances and everything and dose it also maybe show how they can connect to how we are and can be normal but dose it also show how maybe when it is taken away they will change?

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  11. As they approach the soccer field and open fire in chapter 2 they don't say a word they just shoot till they are all dead and then they high five and sit on the body's what would compel someone to do something like this?

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    1. They have to survive, either they had to kill them or they would be killed.

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  12. On page 8 his grandma says, "and why do you look so skinny?" why is she surprised to see her grandson so skinny? They are in a country filled with poverty.

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    1. This county is filled with poverty but i don't think Ishmael has as bad as others.

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  13. When was Ishmael in New York? Why didn't he stay?

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    1. The whole first chapter was a flashback. He was in New York when he wrote the book.

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    3. The first chapter was a flashback, chapter 2 brought the story to a new time.

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  14. On pg 6, "The four of us sat there mesmerized by the song, trying to understand what the black fellows were saying."Why did rap intrigue the boys so much.

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    1. It intrigued them so much because they have never heard music like that before so it meant so much to them, and they said in chapter one that it reminded them and sounded like poetry.

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    2. Because in a land filled with war music is an escape to get away from all the bad and relax.

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  15. "I am pushing a rusty wheel barrow the air smells of blood and burnt flesh" do you think that he is walking through a town that was attacked and he picking up all the bodies?

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    1. he is pry pushing his belongings around and the smell is just coming from all of the dead bodies around him that have been shot and burnt.

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  16. What did the old man in Kabati mean when he said, “We must strive to be like the moon”?

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    1. They believe all good comes at night and so the moon resembles that they must be good like the moon to get through it all.

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  17. I think his harsh memories signify a possible redemption of peace in the future.

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  18. On page 6 it says "Later on, Junior went to secondary school." Does this mean that Ishmael didn't go to secondary school? Was he too young? Too poor?

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  19. "the first time i was touched by the war i was 12" (pg 6 Beah) dose this maybe try to convey how in Africa it is much different because in america no kids are really actually touched by war when over there there the litte army boys running it

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  20. On page 10 when Talloi says, "We must go back and find our families before it's to late." When it says to late it might actually be saying they will never see them again. Can you imagine never seeing your family again? Do you think that they knew there was a chance to never see their families again? And if they knew they would never see them again would that change their mind about not going back?

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    1. They do know that they might not see there family again. Its a risk that they must take and I think they realize that and do not take it for granted.

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  21. On page 15 when the author talks with Junior and Talloi about how the war is supposed to end soon, do you think that when the war is supposed to be short it is actually long? Such as world war one, and the American civil war.

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  22. "We walked toward the dead bodies, giving each other high fives." It is sad to think that they are so used to the violence that they are actually happy when they kill kids there own age.

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    1. I agree. That is no way to live your life.

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    2. I think that the kids are just celebrating the victory, and the fact that they are still alive.

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    3. I dont think they were "happy" they killed kids the same age I think they were happy they got to live another day.

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    4. When they shot at them they did not ask if they were friendly they just shot away why?

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  23. On the first page when it says, "There were all kinds of stories about the war that made it sound as if it was heppening in a far away land. It wasnt until refugees started passing through our own town that we began to see that it was actually taking place in our country." When people knew that the war was getting close to their house wouldnt most falilies want to leave. Especially if they had kids?

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  24. i think this whole chapter is very deep and foreshadowing. the passage,"we didn't know that we were leaving home, never to return." on page 7. i think this combined to the chapter two dream where hes a child solider makes me think that his life has been full of turmoil and causality.

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  25. Why did Ishmael forget why he was carrying the body in the wheel barrel?

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  26. "The air smells of blood and burnt flesh" I was wondering how the people act when this happens if it is a big deal.

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    1. I think they have com desensitized from this violence and have become accustomed to it. It is still a shock when it happens so close to home though.

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  27. On page 20 after he has his dream of him carrying his own body and afterwords it says, "These days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my life, which trigger memories from the past." What event triggers his memories from his past?

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