Chapter 1: Text-dependent questions: - PC\|MAC



Foreign Vocabulary for A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier“sobels”AFRC/RUF2.ablutioncleansing with liquid, religious ritual3.brown browncocaine and gun powder4.carseloispider5.cassavatropical plant, starch from roots6.CAWChildren Associated with the War7.Conakrycapitol of Guinea8.crapessneakers9.G3gun, weapon10.garigrated and dried food made off cassava11.groundnuttype of nut you boil and eat12.imampreist13.jerry canswater container14.kalo kalowar tactics15.kamorteacher16.kuleopen air showers17.lappeicotton cloth women wear around their waste18.lewehrice paste19.lorrymotor truck20.Nessiewater used to wash slate with arabic prayer on it21.NGO'sNon-Governmental Organizations22.Ngorrespectful term before first name of adults23.palamposingle24.pestlestool used for pounding or grinding substances25.poda podaspedalers26.raggamorphyreggae music27.repatriatereuniting ex child soldiers with their communities28.RPGsrockrt-propelled grenades29.RUFRevolution Unired Front30.sackie thomboispecial dinner to celebrate31.sleepersflip flops32.SLPPSierra Leone People's Party33.soukousstyle of central African popular dance music with electric guitars, carribean rythms, and vocalists34.spirogyrafresh water algae35.suraprayer36.tafemarijuana37.UN ECOSOCUnited Nations Social and Economic council38.United Nations First International Children's Parliamentorganization of 57 children from 23 countries39.uplinebackwardness of inner country, its inhabitants and their mannerisims40.wahleeplace outside villages where people processed coffee and other crops41.walehslateA LONG WAY GONE Vocabulary & Text Dependent QuestionsCOMPLETE THE FOLLOWING VOCABULARY EXERCISES AND ANSWER THE CHAPTER QUESTIONS IN YOUR JOURNAL. MAKE SURE AND TITLE EACH PAGE WITH THE ASSIGNMENT NAME [SUCH AS CHAPTER 1 VOCABULARY, OR CHAPTER 1 TEXT DEPENDENT QUESTIONS]START A NEW PAGE FOR EACH ASSIGNMENTChapter 1 VocabularyRefugee (5)Translucent (8)Resonated (16)Evaded (8)Adage (16)Verandah or veranda (15)Embedded (17)Word Choice: On page 5 why does the author use the word “touched” when referring to the war, as opposed to using such words as “affected” or “involved”? What words would be appropriate synonyms for “touched” in this context that keep Beah’s meaning?Chapter 1: Text-dependent questions:What does the “Prologue” pp.3 introduce and how does it prepare the reader for what is to come? Chapter 1 begins “There were all kinds of stories told about the war that made it sound as if it was happening in a faraway and different land.” How did Ishmael Beah’s grandmother explain the local adage that “we must strive to be like the moon” (p. 16)? And why has Ishmael remembered this saying ever since childhood? What does it mean to him?What kinds of things console Ishmael during the traumas he experiences?Describe Beah and his friends-what kind of boys are they? What do they like to do and how do they relate to each other?Describe Beah’s relationship with his family-, mother, father, and brothers?Detail how details from Western and modern civilization influence him.At the beginning of Chapter 1, what is his view of the war? What does he think about the war at the end of the chapter?Chapter 2 VocabularyIronicImageryToneIntoxicated (19) Write down the sentence from the book that uses this word “intoxicated.” This is a commonly used word. What is different about the context in which Beah uses it? What is ironic and how does it add to the imagery and tone?Academic Vocabulary:Differentiated DistinctBased on the meaning of the academic vocabulary words above answer the following question regarding the quote: “These days, I live in three worlds: my drams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past”(20). What evidence do you see that these 3 worlds become separate and distinct, differentiated for Ishmael? Or do they ever become this way for him?Chapter 2 Text-dependent questions:As Chapter 2 begins, we flash forward to Ishmael’s new life in New York City. He relates a dream of pushing a wheelbarrow. What is in the wheelbarrow, and where is he pushing it? What does Ishmael mean when he says, “I am looking at my own” (p. 19)?At what time period in his life is chapter 2 occurring? How is the memoir structured? What three worlds does he live in? What does he wish to rediscover?Chapter 3 VOCABULARYAnticipated (21)What is a noun form that shares the root of this word? (the noun form of this word)Think of a synonym for this noun form:Massacre (21)Mutilation (21)How is the connotation of the word “mutilation” different from words like injury, cut, or wound?Subsequent (22) 2 Synonyms (that would work in context):Palampo (23) – This is a foreign word; based on the usage, what English word would keep the same meaning in this context: Civilians (23)Adjacent (24)Chapter 3 Text-dependent questions:“That night for the first time in my life,” writes Ishmael in Chapter 3, “I realized that it is the physical presence of people and their spirits that gives a town life” (p. 22). What prompts him to observe this? How old is he at the time? Also, who are the five boys with whom Ishmael flees at the end of this chapter?According to Ishmael what gives a town life? What prompts him to observe this?Why didn’t the rebels want the civilians to leave the towns?How will the RUF tattoo effect those who have it during and after he war?Chapter 4 VOCABULARYSubstantial (27)We could not find anything substantial to eat. What does this mean?Residues (28)Congealed (28)Predicament (29)Implement (29)Tactics (29)Does this word have positive or negative connotation? Examples:JustifiableIshmael and his friends break the law at certain points in this chapter? Are their actions justifiable? Why or why not?Chapter 4 Text-dependent questions:Why were people afraid of the groups of boys traveling together?Why, after their escape, do Ishmael and the other boys sneak back into the village of Mattru Jong?What is typical aspect of being in the war?For survival, what laws do the boys break? Is it ever acceptable to break the law?Chapter 5 VOCABULARY Ravaged (30)Sadistic – List examples from this chapter of sadistic behavior:Parched (30)-Synonyms:Engulfed (31)-Synonyms:Chapter 5 Text-dependent questions:What do the rebels look like?What has Ishmael noted about the RUF painted on the walls? How do the rebels ability compare to Ishmael’s ability?How do rebels treat the old man? What do they find humorous about the old man? How are their actions contrast to how the old man would have been treated before the war?How do the rebels choose recruits and what will the recruits first task be?How do the boys escape from the rebels? Chapters 6-7 VOCABULARY:Chapter 6bypass (37) parables (38) vigilance (40)Word root: vigilia meaning “watchful”What other words share this root that are related in meaning:A candlelight ___________________ (a period of watchful attention often maintained atnight)_______________________ justice (one who takes it upon oneself to protect others or enforce law) cutlass (42) define in context – Chapter 7Oblivious (44)Synonyms:Vigorously (44) Describe in detail how someone would “vigorously” recite a prayer:Imam (44)Skeptical (48)Describe what the people in this novel are skeptical of and explain why.Chapter 6 Text-dependent questions:In Chapter 6, how and why do Ishmael and his companions start farming in the village of Kamator? Why is farming so difficult for Ishmael?Is Junior Ishmael’s older or younger brother? How can you infer this?How has the war changed people?How does Ishmael explain what rap music is to the chief? How does this relate to our unit?Why does Ishmael include his memories of his brother and actions as a boy?Chapter 7On page 45 Beah writes: “Was there an end to this madness, and was there any future for me beyond the bushes? I though about Junior, Gibrilla, Talloi, and Kahlilou. Had they been able to escape the attack? I was losing everyone, my family, my friends.” This is followed by a memory of his family. What is this memory? Does thinking about his family help him or make his situation worse? Explian. After Kamator has been attacked, and the two boys have been cut off from the others in fleeing, Ishmael and Kaloko sneak out of the bush and back into Kamator, bringing along brooms every time. Why do they bring brooms? And why, later, does Ishmael set out on his own?Why is silence scary? Elaborate on Ishmael’s thoughts that he was “frustrated with living in fear”. How does he make his first deliberate decision to try and exercise control of his future?“I felt as if I had been wrapped in blanket of sorrow.” What other phrases do you remember from the book that are particularly descriptive of Beah’s emotional state? See, for example, page 80Find an example in the text of how the war has spread feelings of fear and distrust among the people.Personal Connection: Describe a time in your life when you didn’t know where you were going? Or couldn’t remember where you had come from? Vocabulary Chapters 8-10Chapter 8Indelibly (51)Synonyms:______________________________________________Antonyms:______________________________________________Medicinal (51)Flogged (55)Notorious (53)Does this word have a positive or negative connotation?Suppressed (52)What does he suppress?Chapter 9deviated (58)contorted (58)mortars (59) –define in context flotsam (59)anesthesia (61)authoritative (62)elaborate (62)subsided (63)restrained (64)disconsolate (65)agitated (66)inevitable (67)Chapter 10Obstructing (82)Penetrated (87)Disarray (86)FlashbackChapter 8What does Ishmael tells us was the “most difficult part of being in the forest” (p. 52)? What does he try and do to make the time more bearable and what is the result of these efforts?Describe Beah’s feelings about his surroundings on page 49. How does the violence he has witnessed seem to be overtaking him? What new things scare him?On page 53 Beah recalls a story his grandmother told him about a hunter and some wild pigs. How is this story a metaphor for his current situation?What kinds of thoughts help Ishmael gain perspective on his situation? What ideas and philosophies give him strength?Who are the six boys Ishmael encounters after wandering and surviving in the forest on his own for more than a month? Where does he know some of these boys from?Who do Ishmael and the boys meet in an abandoned village, and how is this encounter different than one would expect considering 7 teenage boys are travelling together?Chapter 9 Who is the anonymous man with the fishing hut near the ocean, and how does he help to soothe and heal the severely scalded feet of Ishmael and the others?In this chapter Beah uses the phrase “a long way gone.” Find the phrase and identify the context and motivation for this statement. Then, freewrite why you think he chose this phrase for the title of his novel.And later, how are the lives of all seven boys saved by rap music—specifically the music of LL Cool J? Chapter 10On page 69 Beah writes: One of the unsettling things about my journey, mentally, physically and emotionally, was that I wasn’t sure when or where it was going to end. I didn’t know what I was going to do with my life. I felt I was starting over and over again. I was always on the move, always going somewhere. Uncertainty made Ishmael sad and unwilling to try. Have you ever felt like trying to do your best was a futile effort?How does Sadiu’s prediction of his own death (p. 70) come true in a bizarre way? What omen do some of the boys feel may have caused his death? Describe the “name-giving ceremony” (p. 75) that Ishmael recollects his grandmother telling him about. Who attended this ceremony, and what did it entail in the way of preparation, purpose, ritual, and food? Beah uses a series of flashback in this section for a variety of purposes, but most importantly to reveal the cultural values of Sierra Leone before the war juxtaposed to the cultural values of the world Beah is living in during the war. Choose two of the flashbacks from this section and explain what values we can see in the flashback and how it is connected to Beah’s circumstances during the war.Also, what do we learn in Chapter 10 of the various backgrounds of Ishmael’s companions? Vocabulary Chapters 11-15 Chapter 11stagnant (90)This word is most often associated with water; in the book, however, Beah uses it to describe the clouds. Describe what the weather is like based on his use of this word.perplexed (90)synonyms:vehemently (96)Beah describes two men as vehemently arguing; based on that description which of the following would be appropriate nouns to describe their behavior:Squabbleknock-down-drag-out disagreement debate clashFace-offconfrontationshouting matchskirmishtransfixed (99)Chapter 12Erupted (100)Tributary (101)Jubilation (102)Countenance (110)What context clues are given in this sentence to help determine the meaning of the word countenance?“…his countenance made him look much older. He had an intense face that looked, even smiling, as if he were chewing something sour.”Chapter 13Fragmented (119)Piercing (118) define in context – as an adjectiveWhat does is mean when a sound is described this way? How does it add to the imagery?Chapter 14generator (121) define in contextinformants (122)riffraff (123)formal synonyms informal synonymsprompted (124) deviate (122)How is the word deviant related to this word?Chapter 15 mingle (127)Considering the subject matter of this book, comment on the word choice “mingle.”abundance (128)checkpoint (130)persistent (136)rehabilitation (135)This word is most commonly associated with addictions like drugs or alcohol, but in what other might a person need rehabilitation? CHAPTERS 11-15 TEXT DEPENDENT QUESTIONSChapter 11What is ironic about Ishmael searching for and finding his family in this chapter?How is this chapter a transitional one? How does Beah’s role in relation to the war change?Who is Gasemu? Why does Ishmael befriend him and then later try to strangle him?How does the fate of Ishmael’s family and his reaction to Gasemu mark a turning point?How does Beah exhibit more control over his situation in this chapter, and is this control a good or bad thing?Chapter 12In many cases in Chapter 12, things are not as they seem or as we would expect them to be. List some of examples of situational irony found in this chapter.How does Ishmael shift from being an observer and victim of the savagery of war to a perpetrator of such violence? Do he and his friends have a choice? How is he at once a perpetrator as well as a victim?On page 104 a reference is made to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. What do we learn about Ishmael here? What is your reaction to a reference to Shakespeare in a book such as this?Find an example from the text that shows a growing desensitization to the atrocities of war.What reasons do the boys give for becoming soldiers? Given their reasons, is this a clear choice?What reasons does the lieutenant give to justify killing the rebels. Does he make a convincing argument? Why or why not?How are the events on page 110 sybolic of the official end of Beah’s childhood? What does he lose that is so important to who he was as a young teen?On page 111 Beah writes: “The closest thing to it had been a toy gun made out of bamboo when I was seven. My playmates and I carved them and played war games in the coffee farms and unfinished building at my grandmother’s village. Paw, paw, we would go, and whoever did it first would announce to the rest who he had killed.” Relate experiences that you may have had with “toy” guns and “playing army,” or “cowboys and Indians.” To what extent does this book help you view such experiences differently?Chapter 13In Chapter 13, the boy soldiers are given white tablets by their army superiors. What are these? Why they being handed out?Reread pages 116-117 and look for passages that describe Ishmael’s survival instincts. How does he push back fear? What rationale does he adopt to help him cope with his situation?What is surprising about the dead gunmen Ishmael describes on page 119? What does one of them seem to have in common with Ishmael?Chapter 14What do Ishmael and the other boy soldiers do when they’re not out on a mission? What movies do they like to watch, and why? What else to they do with their spare time? Read Beah’s account of storming a rebel camp on page 122. What do his comments tell us abou t revenge? Does it bring closure? Why or why not?At one point, the lieutenant tells them, “We are not like the rebels, those riffraffs who kill people for no reason” (p. 123). Is this true? Why is Ishmael promoted to junior lieutenant? How did he achieve this new rank?Chapter 15As Chapter 15 begins, a dreadful, nightmarish routine is, by now, firmly in place—what are the three priorities that dominate? Who is his family? What is his protector? What is his rule?Discuss the ways in which the idea of “family” is configured, reconfigured, challenged and reaffirmed in this book. Analyze the following references and write down what this book teaches us about family and community in a war torn environment:p. 13 p. 21p.45p. 71p. 86p. 102p. 124“In my head my life was normal,” Ishmael writes (p. 126). How long has he been a soldier? And what happens to Ishmael and Alhaji, and a few other select boys, in the town of Bauya? Where are they taken, and by whom? How does the information on page 130 demonstrate that Beah suffers loss even as he leaves the violence of the war for a place of healing?Analyze the confrontation between the boys on page 134. What do they have in common in terms of perspective? How does this demonstrate the struggle for a sense of power and control in the midst of chaos? How does it also demonstrate that they do not know why the war was started in the first place?At first how effective is a change of environment in rehabilitating? Why does Beah say the boys “needed violence”?VOCABULARY and QUESTIONS FOR Chapter 16Infuriating (138)Vengeance (140)Traumatized (145)Looted ((150)Chapter 16Describe the children’s initial response to rehabilitation. Given the chance, would you work with children in this rehabilitative setting? Why or why not?Benin Home, where Ishmael undergoes psychological, emotional, and social counseling, as well as physical and medical attention, is where he keeps hearing the “this isn’t your fault” remark from various staffers and professionals. Does he ever really accept this mantra? Explain.Who is Mambu? Why does Ishmael take a liking to him? Who is Esther, and why does Ishmael—later on—take a liking to her?VOCABULARY AND QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTERS 17 & 18Chapter 17reluctant (154)delved (155)ambush (155)Rastafarian (163)Burdensome (165)Monologue (168)Redemption (169)Chapter 18Skepticism (171)Repatriated (171)Jovial (177)Chapter 17Why does the woman want Ishmael to state his own name, out loud? What do you make of other instances in the book where persons whom Ishmael encounters do not give him their names?Describe Ishamael’s wound and how he recovers. What is Esther’s reaction to his story?Why does the repetition of “None of these things are your fault” anger Ishmael? Does he ever really accept this mantra?In Chapter 17, Ishmael describes “the first time [he’d] dreamt of [his] family since [he] started running away from the war” (p. 165). Paraphrase this nightmare, explaining how it differs from the many other dreams we’ve heard about from Ishmael. Also, explain how the dream illustrates his inner conflicts.What are some signs that Ishmael is healing?Chapter 18How does the statement “I feel as if there is nothing left for me to be alive for…I have no family, it is just me. No one will be able to tell stories about my childhood.”relate to what you have learned in this unit?What evidence is there that Ishmael’s happiness will always remain fragile? What evidence details that his happiness will become more permanent. What do the boys perform at the talent show? How does this show the importance of stories in their culture?What stories does Ishmael tell of his father’s childhood?Describe the family Ishmael goes to live with after his eight-month rehabilitation. Who are they? How is he related to them? What does he think of them? Is he entirely honest with them? Which members of his new family is Ishmael closest to? VOCABULARY AND QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTERS 19-21Chapter 19Reassurance (179)Convoy (187)Ablution (182)Festooned (187)Chapter 20conception (193)accumulating (194)initiation (197)Chapter 21dispersed (208)concluded (218)Chapter 19As he is leaving Benin Home, Ishmael says farewell to his friend Alhaji, who salutes him while whispering, “Goodbye, squad leader.” “I couldn’t salute him in return.” Why couldn’t Ishmael salute Alhaji?What interrupts his happiness at the dance club? What is he reminded of when he chops wood?What inhibits Ishmael from developing relationships with girls in Freetown?What is the “open metal box” (p. 186) that Ishmael is so confused by? Why andwhere has he encountered this box?Why was it difficult for Ishmael to obtain a passport? What is his reaction?Chapter 20How does Ishmael’s experience of New York City differ from what he had pictured beforehand? What does he like most about New York? What doesn’t he like? And why is he visiting New York in the first place? Identify some of the meaningful personal and professional contacts that our narrator makes there. etail some of Ishamel’s reactions to America that show the reader how different life in America is for him?What is similar about all of the children who attend the United Nations First International Children’s Parliament?What surprises Ishmael about Laura and reinforces concepts in this unit?Why is it significant for Ishmael to know “that a memory of his existence will be alibe somewhere in the world.”Chapter 21How his experiences are parallel to his past wartime experiences?How does Uncle Tommy die? And how, if at all, is his death facilitated or even triggered by the civil war fighting that has reached Freetown and its environs?What enables Ishmael to gain some control over his life (pp201-202)?Why does Ishmael leave Sierra Leone?This memoir ends with a striking image, as Ishmael sees a mother telling her two children a story that he had also heard as a child. It’s a memorable fable that touches on several of the key themes of this book, including violence, family, storytelling, childhood, and African village life. But it also carries a message of sacrifice. Explain how this last message also reverberates throughout A Long Way Gone.Look back to the short “New York City, 1998” prologue that begins this memoir. What is it, exactly, that Ishmael’s friends find so “cool” about his past? Do you think his friends, after reading this book, would still feel that way? Why or why not? ................
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