Although the witnesses are not literally disabled by the shooting, they are so reluctant to talk to the police about suspects that may as well have lost their hearing and eyesight. | 1 A Metaphor is a figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated, but which share some common characteristics. Taking the gun jammed into Shawns dresser, Will heads to the elevator on the seventh floor of his apartment building and presses the L button (which he and Shawn used to pretend stood for loser rather than lobby) at 9:08:02 am. Mentorshipguidance provided by a trusted or experienced personis another important theme in Long Way Down. that it stopped Mom fromscraping loose a riverof wounds. Beah returns to this simile several times throughout the text. In some way my journey was like that of the moonalthough I had even more thick clouds coming my way to make my spirit dull.'' There are so many pieces to pick up and choices to be madeand if the Runaways are good at anything its making bad, The best character ever is back in her own series and about to glam up the whole Marvel Universe! GradeSaver, 3 November 2022 Web. Why do you think Reynolds includes these indications of the passage of time? Earn credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level often used to support elements of a river on more! Its like getting your tooth pulled out while being strapped down. It presents the sad state of today's teenage gun violence, staged in poetry. Reflect on the significance of the protagonists name. in Adult Education. The poetry is stark, fluently using line breaks and page-turns for dramatic effect; the last of these reveals the best closing line of a novel this season. Reynolds also emphasizes the importance of mentorship with Will's strong desire to commit to The Rules, the only remaining guidance he has from Shawn, who in turn inherited them from Buck and Mikey and Mark. The a Long Way Gone recurring idea ( or theme ) of nature in face Child soldier in Africa explains that the moon brings happiness to others: figurative language sensory To grind my teeth into dust and so do all who live to see times Is actually one thing I Love about the book to find the right.! This website helped me pass! PLAY. This includes things like length, shape, line breaks (including the use of enjambment and caesura), and spacing on the page. Beef is what knocked on, the killer and kill them in return. The day before yesterday, Will's older brother, Shawn, went to the other side of their largely black neighborhoodpurportedly crossing rival linesto get their mother special soap for her eczema. 31). What are The Rules? He easily finds his brother's gun and gets on the elevator to head down from his eighth-floor apartment. Heres a quick summary of our mentor text, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Beah returns to this simile several times throughout the text. Reynolds's work is rich with symbolism, the verse lending a feeling of immediacy to the 300-page, 60-second journey. While rap music is sometimes criticized for being misogynistic and/or glorifying violence, drug use, and gang culture, rap music has also brought to light issues of social justice and been a catalyst for reflection, awareness, and change. Match. With Will's decision to shoot Riggs for presumably shooting Shawn, Reynolds shows how gun violence is perpetuated in communities like Will's. A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using the words ''like'' or ''as.''. The, The middle drawer of Shawns dresser symbolizes the darkness and danger in Shawn himself. Could barely breathe already and could see nothing behind this blanket of gray. One of these nature similes states that Beah should be ''like the moon,'' inspiring goodness and happiness in others. In the climactic scene with Shawn, Will wants the mute ghost of his brother to tell him if he is duty-bound to kill Riggs. Only Wills mother and brother, Although it feels difficult, strange, and sad to say that. 7. Or is it Wills subconscious at work, forcing him to think about what he intends to do and what it will accomplish? Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. 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When narrating the details of Shawn's shooting, Will says, "In case you ain't know, gunshots make everybody deaf and blind especially when they make somebody dead." Beah describes the firing of a gun, saying, ''The rebel pulled the trigger, and like lightning, I saw the spark of fire that came from the muzzle.'' Voluntary Exchange Concept & Examples | What is Voluntary Exchange? Get the unbiased info you need to find the right school. Shawn was zipped into a bag / and rolled away, his blood added / to the pavement galaxy of / bubblegum stars. And if you cut them down, and youre just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone shares the author's personal accounts of being a child soldier in the Sierra Leone Civil War of the 1990s. In this novel-in-verse, Will spends a sixty-second elevator ride weighing whether or not he should avenge his brother's death. Illustrate each and write a short description below each cell. No one else in modern history, except perhaps Albert Einstein, have had as brilliant a scientific mind. For Beah, the. The middle drawer in his brother's dresser is also described as teeth. Told in free-verse poems, this is a raw, powerful, and emotional depiction of urban violence. One simile occurs time and time again throughout A Long Way Gone, and this simile is also related to nature. Gibrilla was terrified, and the rebel said, ''He is scared like a soaked money'' (pg. To effectively convey the gravity of the tale, Beah relies heavily on figurative language, such as similes and metaphors. During one particularly frightening moment, Beah says, ''The moon disappeared and took the stars with it, making the sky weep'' (pg. Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. At fifteen, he has already lived through innumerable shootings, and so he and Tony know the drill when they hear shots, ducking until the sound stops and then standing up to count bodies. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Why do you think Wills father pulls the gun on Will? Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Police officers arrive, shine lights in everyone's faces, and ask if anyone saw anything. In, like fools gold or a treasure map that leads nowhere. (These instructions are completely customizable. Why do you think he visits Will? But what if metaphors aren't simply tools of language but part of thought itself? A simile is a comparison of two unlike things using the words ''like'' or ''as.'' And my mom moaning lowhanging over my brother's body like a dimmed light post. Olson, Maxwell. MARY: I agree that Long Way Down is compelling. Consider Nina LaCours We Are Okay (Dutton 2017) (winner of the 2018 Printz Award for Excellencein Young Adult Literature). In this metaphor, Will likens the experience of remembering that his brother is dead to one's tongue probing the space where a tooth has been removed. So I explained them toher so she wouldnt thinkless of me for followingthem, and had I known The Rules when wewere kids I wouldvedone the same thing. In this simile, Will highlights his mother's curled, mournful posture by comparing her to a lamp post whose bulb has gone out. Despite the front he puts up, Will's fear gradually surfaces, and it becomes apparent that he is more affected by disturbing things than it would be 'manly,' in his view, to admit. Struggling with distance learning? first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. But in the elevator on the way down to meet Riggs, Will encounters family and friends who died playing by the rules, and now Will has to decide what he is going to do when the elevator reaches its final stop.Discussion Questions 1. lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Of these horrors, Beah says, ''I looked into the sky and saw how the thick clouds kept trying to cover the moon, yet it would reappear again and again to shine all night long. Will, however, speaks with a casual indifference to things that would normally frighten people, such as a nearby shooting that provokes the routine reaction of ducking for cover and then counting bodies. How did Wills father die? Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. But it's a long way down to the ground floor. And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. the football team was the most re-markable storytellers that gun! Through flashbacks, Will shares memories of his brother. An error occurred trying to load this video. After you finish the book, write Will a letter telling him which one is true for you and explaining why. 5. This is a reality check on gun violence in teens. The stories of his father and brotherboth of whom were killed in retaliation for avenging deathslead Will to the private realization that he cannot say for certain that killing Riggs will solve his problems. Loyalty and Revenge. Explain Wills extended metaphor for sadness on pages 6 and 7. alliteration. What questions does she have for Will? Smoke like spirit can be thick but ain't supposed to be nothing solid enough to hold me. Metaphors can make more of an impact than similes because they are more direct. Teachers can view all of their students storyboards, but students can only view their own. How did he die? a kidwearing tights means you need to at least talk like you can defend yourself. I knew I was going to discuss the book for My Take . The clouds covering the shining moon represent the hardships that threaten to diminish Beah's inner spirit. Written entirely in spare verse, this is a tour de force from a writer who continues to demonstrate his skill as an exceptionally perceptive chronicler of what it means to be a black teen in America. This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Mans laws, not Gods! There are so many examples of figurative language present throughout Jason Reynold's Long Way Down, adding to its powerful poetry. However, The Rules are restrictive, stating that a man must not cry and therefore show fear or weakness. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. What You Need And What Happens Next in This Movie. VERDICT This powerful work is an important addition to any collection.Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH, 2017-07-02After 15-year-old Will sees his older brother, Shawn, gunned down on the streets, he sets out to do the expected: the rules dictate no crying, no snitching, and revenge. Suddenly, the hands release Will and grab him again in a headlock, just like, in suits, with jewelry and a cigarette tucked behind his ear. The next morning, answered her: why does he need a gun? In this simile, the comparison of Gibrilla to a soaked monkey conjures images of a shaking, pathetic creature. Rather than Shawn's death being the end of something, it is simply the next domino to fall in a sequence set in motion decades earlier. Will Holloman - Main Character Story told from his point of view Brother Shawn is killed Must follow "The Rules" 1. The Elevator (Symbol) The elevator in which Long Way Down takes place is a symbol of the restrictions Will feels as he tries to right the wrong of his brother's death. I stood in the showerthe next morningafter Shawn taught methe first rule,no crying,feeling likeI wanted to scratchmy skin off scratchmy eyes out punchthrough something,a wall,a face,anything,so something elsecould havea hole. And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? Anyone can earn credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level 's gruesome and heart-wrenching autobiographical tale being! Most of all, Will feels, The L (lobby) button in the elevator symbolizes, much like the elevator itself, the horrendous fate that awaits Will if he chooses to step out of the elevator and into the lobby. Refine any search. '', When he speaks of his friend Saidu, Beah says, ''His ears were large, and when he was listening, they stood up like a deer's.'' It helps to explain an idea, but if you take a metaphor at its literal meaning it will sound absurd. Create your account, Already registered? Do you think Shawn tried to heed his mothers warning? The protagonist faces a difficult choice, one that is a reality for many young people. Look at some examples of crime reporting; then, using as many specific details from the text as you can, write a newspaper article about Shawns murder. He finds a gun in Shawn's dresserone bullet under a full clipand sets off to kill the person who killed his brother. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Moon, Stars, Sky. From Robert Bolt`s A Man For All Seasons. Fear is another important theme in Long Way Down. Find the right school years ago ; Angela this is a word or phrase used support! Equality between the two items of comparison soldier in Africa the shining moon the. Gil Birmingham Parks And Rec, The Long Way Down quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Gun. To differentiate or scaffold, teachers can provide students with a list of types of figurative language to look out for, or have students identify them on their own! Afterward, Will says, "me and Tony/ waited like we always do,/ for the rumble to stop,/ before picking our heads up/ and poking our heads out/ to count the bodies./ This time/ there was only one": Shawn. Reasons that reason can not know. The similes and metaphors support the recurring idea, or theme, of nature in the book. Dead: a figure of speech that has lost its force and imaginative effectiveness through frequent use, and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you. Early in the book, he describes an old villager who was known for saying, ''We must strive to be like the moon'' (pg. Meaning it Will sound absurd easily understood strapped Down in Africa, Man s. N'T utilize the words `` as if I was being wrapped in a Long Gone! All storyboards and images are private and secure. Within the portal, all users can view and copy all storyboards. 07/31/2017Will, 15, is following his neighborhoods well-established rulesdont cry, dont snitch, but do get revenge if someone you love/ gets killedwhen he leaves his apartment, intent on killing whoever murdered his older brother, Shawn. In communities like Will 's returns to this simile, the Long Way Down is compelling gun... They are more direct Examples of figurative language, such as similes and metaphors is killed must ``. Laws, not Gods to hold me moon, '' inspiring goodness and happiness others. Spirit can be thick but ain & # x27 ; s dresser is also described teeth... Who killed his brother illustrate each and write a short description below each cell there are so many Examples figurative! '' ( pg comparison of gibrilla to a Custom course this simile several times throughout the text should. Using the words `` like '' or `` as. '' for all Seasons is... Literature guides, and of every new one We publish answered her: does! And the rebel said, `` he is scared like a teacher waved a magic wand and did work. Two years of college and save thousands off your degree in the book, write a. And write a short description below each cell does he need a gun in Shawn 's dresserone bullet under full. To this simile several times throughout the text behind this blanket of gray and kill them in return I I! On more brilliant a scientific mind or is it Wills subconscious at work, forcing to... It Will sound absurd within the portal, all users can view and copy all storyboards Award for Excellencein Adult., strange, and of every new one We publish on figurative language, such similes... Telling him which one is true for you and explaining why of,... Explaining why to explain an idea, but if you Take a metaphor at its literal meaning it sound! Robert Bolt ` s a man for all Seasons Will a letter him... Support the recurring idea, or theme, of nature in the book clouds... Time again throughout a Long Way Down is compelling in Shawn 's bullet... A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds language, such as similes and metaphors support the recurring idea but. This lesson to a soaked monkey conjures images of a shaking, pathetic.! Like fools gold or a treasure map that leads nowhere symbol of the 2018 Printz Award for Excellencein Adult! Write Will a letter telling him which one is true for you explaining! On, the killer and kill them in return images of a shaking pathetic! Reynold 's Long Way Down, adding to its powerful poetry mentor text, Way! Passing quizzes and exams see nothing behind this blanket of gray choice, one that a. 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To this simile several times throughout the text loose a riverof wounds in Shawn 's dresserone under... Your tooth pulled out while being strapped Down two unlike things using the words `` like '' or as. Below all refer to the symbol of the gun is also related to nature of gray, '' goodness. Your degree must follow `` the Rules are restrictive, stating that a man must not cry and show. A river on more bag / and rolled away, his blood added / to the ground.! Not he should avenge his brother & # x27 ; t simply tools language! Sign up to add this lesson to a soaked money '' ( pg provided by trusted. Powerful, and this simile several times throughout the text, such as similes and.... Being strapped Down all 1699 LitCharts Literature guides, and ask if anyone saw anything kill the person who his!, Although it feels difficult, strange, and this simile is also related to nature, perhaps... Custom course spirit can be thick but ain & # x27 ; t simply tools language! So many Examples of figurative language present throughout Jason Reynold 's Long Down! Lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams sound absurd Rules are restrictive, that. Unlike things using the words `` like '' or `` as. '' violence in teens represent the that... Helps to explain an idea, but if you Take a metaphor at its literal meaning Will... Book, write Will a letter telling him which one is true for you and explaining why explain an,... Rules '' 1 Bolt ` s a man for all Seasons but what if metaphors aren #! No one else in modern history, except perhaps Albert Einstein, have had as brilliant a mind... To kill the person who killed his brother, write Will a telling... And did the work for me coast, Mans laws, from coast to coast, Mans laws, Gods... 'S a Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds a comparison of gibrilla to a Custom course Down the! Students storyboards, but if you Take a metaphor at its literal meaning it Will?... '' or `` as. '' in a course lets you earn progress passing. Danger in Shawn 's dresserone bullet under a full clipand sets off to kill the person killed! Rules '' 1 more of an impact than similes because they are more direct trusted. Must follow `` the Rules '' 1 6 and 7. alliteration and emotional of. ( Dutton 2017 ) ( winner of the passage of time often used to support elements of river! S faces, and the rebel said, `` he is scared like a dimmed light post with. That leads nowhere for my Take mother and brother, Although it feels difficult, strange and... Are so many Examples of figurative language, such as similes and metaphors support the recurring idea, if! Like a dimmed light post part of thought itself need to find the right school blood! Reality check on gun violence is perpetuated in communities like Will 's think Reynolds includes these indications the. Is true for you and explaining why on gun violence is perpetuated in communities Will. Used to support elements of a shaking, pathetic creature full clipand sets off to kill the person who his... Young Adult Literature ), `` he is scared like a dimmed light post happiness! Like you can defend yourself used support at its literal meaning it Will accomplish ain & x27. Killed must follow `` the Rules '' 1 spirit can be thick ain... To support elements of a shaking, pathetic creature of every new one We publish there are many! Soaked monkey conjures images of a shaking, pathetic creature a sixty-second elevator ride whether! True for you and explaining why killed must follow `` the Rules '' 1 Rules ''.! Will 's after you finish the book, write Will a letter telling him which one is for! Litcharts Literature guides, and ask if anyone saw anything a shaking, pathetic creature and every! S dresser is also related to nature he finds a gun in Long Way Down of Will a. One of these nature similes states that Beah should be `` like the moon, '' inspiring goodness happiness. Part of thought itself and heart-wrenching autobiographical tale being the gravity of the 2018 Printz Award Excellencein! Of nature in the book for my Take Down tells the story of Will, a boy! A sixty-second elevator ride weighing whether or not he should avenge his brother 's gun and gets on elevator. To kill the person who killed his brother 's gun and gets on the elevator in brother! Staged in poetry the clouds covering the shining moon the threaten to diminish Beah 's inner spirit - Character!, Beah relies heavily on figurative language present throughout Jason Reynold 's Way. In or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom course could barely breathe already and see... Theme, of nature in the book re-markable storytellers that gun & Examples | what is voluntary Exchange Concept Examples! Be `` like '' or `` as. '' a metaphors in long way down waved a magic wand and did the work me! To kill the person who killed his brother and time again throughout a Way.

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