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ReplyDelete@Levi I believe that he is not desensitized because he still shows signs of civility. Although he tries to make friends with animals because he is lonely, he still has the intuition and instinct to make friends, which is a normal human behavior.
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ReplyDelete*Do you think that Ishmael will become desensitized if he isn't already?
ReplyDeleteI fell that he is already desensitized because he has already seen so much blood that he doesn't think much of it anymore
DeleteWith all of the violence that he had seen, Yes I think he would become desensitized. He is going to become so used to seeing the horrifying images and later in the book he kills innocent lives, now it is so easy for him to become desensitized.
DeleteI think that when you get hungry or thirsty enough the need to survive becomes much more imporatant than morals
ReplyDeleteHow is Ishmael so calm even though he lost his friends and family? Do you think it is because this situation is to hard to let those feeling get to him?
ReplyDeleteI think that Ishmael might be in a little bit of shock because this was all so sudden and horrible that it would be hard to understand how to cope with it so i think he might be distancing himself from the situation so that he doesn't have to deal with all the emotions.
DeleteI think that he is so calm because he is afraid to think about what happened and to let him accept it. He thinks that his thoughts will trigger the memories and he would regret losing his friends and family. Once you accept the outcome, you forgive and forget what happened.
DeleteI agree With How they suggested that he is always anxious about what could happen . And that he so scared of what might happen that he will see these horrible things and only say that wont happen to him.
ReplyDeleteWill he become so desensitized that he will forget who he really is and forget his roots and where he came from? Will he be able to kill and hurt people to survive on his own?
ReplyDeleteI don't think he will become desensitized as much as he might choose not to think about who he is. I think he would do whatever he can to survive even if it meant killing people.
DeleteIshmael is becoming desensitized due to being so lonely and scarred from the horrific violence he's seen so far. He's trying to make the most out of the silence that's in his mind by living in the forest. In the forest, he hears animals and just the sounds of nature but it seems to be his only way of staying sane. It gives Ishmael something to think about other than the experiences he's had.
ReplyDeleteIn the book Ishmael constantly tries to block his thoughts by taking walks or occupying himself. "But my mind continued to torment me, and every effort to clear the terrible thoughts was in vain."(page-50) So do you think that the silence would have drove him insane if he stayed in the forest?
Delete@Levi I believe that he is not desensitized because he still shows signs of civility. Although he tries to make friends with animals because he is lonely, he still has the intuition and instinct to make friends, which is a normal human behavior.
ReplyDeleteWhy do the rebels use younger boys to fight for them instead of older men?
ReplyDeleteI think that the rebels used little kids instead of older men because they would be able to brainwash them at an early age instead of having the adults argue their way of ruling and being. And also if they go to war it will be harder for the opposition to kill a little kid than it would be to kill and older man. That I think is the main reason for them having kids instead of adults.
DeleteAlso I think that adults would have put up more of a fight then the kids would. There is a bigger chance the adults would stand up to the rebels.
Delete@Lauren I agree that Ishmael is trying to fill the gap left by his family by befriending the animals.
ReplyDeleteI think that morals just fly out the window when you are struggling to survive because like in the book, the 6 kids stole the two ears of corn from the little boy because they were in dire need of food. Do you think that they could still live long without keeping their morals or do you have to be ruthless in order to live?
ReplyDeleteThey recruit young people because they're more vulnerable and are just doing what they're told to feed themselves and their family.
ReplyDeleteOr the rebels are really really desperate for new blood.
DeleteI agree with Giuliana about be scared and doing whatever the adults and rebels say because they have no choice if they want to even stay alive. There comes a point when you are so desperate you will do anything to keep your life.
ReplyDeleteWhat would the rebels think to take in little boys and make them soldier. And to change the way you act was a way to live because if he would have acted differently he might have gotten killed. To not be killed Ishmael acts differently and his will to live.
ReplyDeleteThe rebels choose children for a main reason. They have more strength and power over them which means that if the children betray them, it wouldn't be difficult to punish them. On the other hand if they recruited adults it would be hard to put them in place because they have almost the same attributes as the rebels which means it would be hard to control them.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Darby, I think conflicts with other people including friends and family would really make it more dramatic. It would show just how much on edge everyone is, to the point that they will argue with people they love.
ReplyDeletehow do you think Ishmael would and his brother act if there family was there? would they steal or would they have other means of survival?
ReplyDeleteI think they would've done the same thing because they got brain washed and lost all civilization means and just stopped knowing what was wrong and right.
Delete@Felipe with all the weapons they had they could easily get adults to fight for them if they threatened them. And wouldnt adults be much better fighters because they understand war and the job. I think rebels had power over nearly everyone in the villages.
ReplyDeletePeople keep asking "would the story be different if...." but we should really be thinking about how his life would be different if..... Would there even be a book if he didn't get separated from his family?
ReplyDeleteErm no, because I think he would be dead if he was with his family at the beginning of all this.
DeleteI think there would still be a book even if he wasn't separated from his family. If he wasn't a child soldier, no there wouldn't be a book. But I think the main purpose for this book is to show the fact they had little children fighting in wars.
DeleteWhy did Ishmael decide to leave alone? He's very young and to go by himself on a journey that doesn't show much hope and isn't clear to him is shocking. Did he really feel that by moving on from the village and his family/friends showed potential to a better life like he desires?
ReplyDeleteI Think that he left by himself because he has seen so much blood and destruction that he doesn't want to see his brother like that. Him doing this must be in his mind better, Because he doesn't want to see his loved ones dead like that. But it must also hurt that he left the last of his family.
DeleteI think sleep has a lot to do with the way you act if you don't get a lot of sleep one night you could be mean the next day so Ishmael could be only on a couple of hours of sleep and be on edge and change the way he acts.
ReplyDelete@Austin I believe it could some what false because him and his friends are starving and not sleeping which could have messed with his memory, but at the same time this was a bloody war. So far it seems that the story is truthful because most of the actions that have taken place in the book do take place in battle.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Felipe that most of the book is truthful. And @Austin, it just might seem false because we are so sheltered that we wouldn't even think that something this bad could happen to people.
DeleteWhy was Ishmael in a way assigned as the leader of the 6 boys in the group? That seems to be a lot of responsibility for one kid to watch over everyone and make decisions that affect the entire group.
ReplyDelete@Sam I don't think its a matter of him trusting other people or other people trusting him I think at this point he is just doing whatever he can to get home safely.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by home ? considering that his home town was destroyed
DeleteI mean back to the safety of his family, even though his home was destroyed he feels like his family is still alive. As if he was in denial.
DeleteI feel like the reason why he didn't show a lot of emotion because he has been thought so much that he was use to it and things being taken away from him. Also Ishmael was weak from what has happened to him already.
ReplyDelete@Josh. The truth is that in war all possibilities of staying alive are slim. I think that he believes that its hard for his brother to survive so he starts to focus on his well-being. If he longs his lost one it could take his mind of the war and could possibly get him killed and that's why he continues on his path.
ReplyDeleteI think Ishmael separating from his brother was just another event that happened during this time when all this is happening so he dealed with it like he dealed with all of the other stuff that had happened and just pushed it away because he had to try and look out for himself.
ReplyDeleteI think Ishmael would be better off if he is on his own because then it wouldn't be as obvious to the rebels if he was in a group. Although in a group it would be better, because then they could split up and find food faster, that's more mouths that they have to feed.
ReplyDeleteHow does Ishmael not loose his sanity?
ReplyDeleteBecause Ishmael was bullied a lot when he was younger he has become accustom to the pain and he has probably learned how to ignore it and not let it bother him too much.
DeleteI think Ishamel pushes all of his feelings and emotions away and tries not to think about all the things that have happened and are happening. Like when he talks about not wanting to dream because hes afraid that he'll see all of his suppressed thoughts, that shows that he is stuffing a lot of things.
DeleteIshmael creates his own sanity because if he didn't, then I believe he would lose his sanity. Being in the forest with the animals and other nature is better than being in the abandoned, destroyed villages with nothing but deafening silence and sorrow to offer.
Delete@Austin I think, like we said in the beginning of class, his family along with his brother were a huge impact on everything that he does.
ReplyDeleteIshmael was ready to leave his brother because if he wasn't, I don't think he would've left in the first place. On page 39, "As I looked at him that evening sitting on the verandah of the house in an unknown village, I wanted him to ask me if I was fine." I think this statement shows that he feels his brother can't help him anymore. At this point in the events that are happening, everyone is just trying to save themselves; that's what Ishmael decided to do.
ReplyDeleteWould the rebels be looking for teenagers to fight or younger kids? Yeah sure teenagers are bigger and stronger, but little kids I imagine would be easier to brainwash.
ReplyDeleteI would argue that with the amount of force the rebels have and the weapons they have compared to the people in the village, I think they can brainwash anybody they want. Maybe it's just because there are more kids than young adults in the villages.
DeleteThey do look teenagers, but most of the teenagers that they have were originally recruited as little kids. I would imagine that they would look for teenagers because they are used to the violence like the little kids.
DeleteI don't think they really care who fights. I think their philosophy throughout this is to find anyone that is in fairly good health, that can run and hold a gun and I think they will make them join. They are just looking for people to be on their side and protect the people that really matter.
Delete@Levi. It depends on their personality for how mature they are with war. He is worried about his life and about his family, but he leaves that behind for his greater good. Its almost as if he knows the truth of what probably happened to his family and that's why he's so mature with the war.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Lord of the Flies and A long way gone connect to each other because it is both little boys that get separated and lose the morals of civilization. Do you think they relate or not?
ReplyDeleteI never read that book so i Don't thinks so. But they could connect
DeleteIn some ways i do think they relate, both groups have become uncivilized, but I would go as far to say not just the young children in the army have I think the older men have as well.
DeleteNice comparison, yeah there is. Like how what's his name Jack tried to get as many kids on his side to increase his destructive power on the island
DeleteDo you think that if ishmael went back to his home town that is family and friends would be dead or would they have escaped
ReplyDeleteYou can't really guess this accurately, it would have to be just a guess because the rebels were so bipolar in who they killed and let go. They would have off and on days of who, if, and when. But in my opinion I think that they are dead because they probably would have killed everyone in the town and around by the time Ishmael went back.
DeleteReflecting back on our Kite Runner unit do you think that Ishmael has moved on from all of this? Do you think that he has forgiven himself for killing all of the people he did or does it still haunt him?
ReplyDeleteI think something like that will always haunt someone, for example look at some of the returning veterans, some resort to violence while others turn to alcohol and drug problems.
DeleteHas Ishmael ever prepared for the rebels to come and create this much chaos? I ask because he seems to handle all this very well for a normal kid that is only 12 years old for example, he knows where to run, certain places to hide, where to go, also his emotion's stay stable and he kept his cool through situations that fully grown adults would freak out about.
ReplyDeleteIshmael holds out well i guess kinda because he still has that sense of being scared. Ishmael at first was very scared when he saw that family shot to death and he didn't know what to do. Now that he has felt hunger and sleeping in the forest I think just from that he has became more of a man from his childhood.
ReplyDelete@Austin although he was older when he wrote it, he is the one who actually experienced it. I don't think he would over exaggerate it much because he had to deal with the fact that he was a child soldier. I don't think he would forget most of what happened to him if this took place right in his home country.
ReplyDeleteWould "freedom fighters" in other countries act the same way? Would the be better or worse? These guys are messed the heck up.
ReplyDeleteThey do the same sort of stuff in other countries too. In Uganda Alone the LRA uses child soldier as well. But are more brutal with how they make these children Join.
DeleteWhat makes Ishmael strong enough to undergo these conflicts? What makes him different?
ReplyDeleteI think that Ishmael can do everything he does because I feel like he knows that if he keeps doing this and keeps fighting forward, he will make it out alive and hopefully see his family soon again. So I think he does it because he has something to look forward to in months to come.
DeleteI think that Ishmael knows he has to stay strong for his family and he wants to show them he can and will survive so he could hopefully join back up with his family in the end
DeleteWhy is it that Ishmael is taking all of whats happening this well? If I were in his position I wouldn't be as calm
ReplyDeleteHow does Ishmael cope with all that he has to go through in this part of the book? He is a twelve year old kid that deals with hunger, death and loneliness each day and still finds a way to persevere and press on with his life.
ReplyDeleteIshmael copes with everything that has happened to him so far because he is constantly thinking back to when he was younger when he was with his family, and all of the memories he has with them. I think the main reason he is still alive is because he has so much hope and I think he truly wants to survive so he is going to fight for his life to survive.
DeleteIf Ishmael had found a way to go back to his home town while the war was still going on, do you think he would be able to contain himself? How would he react to all the damage and destruction? Could it be like Amir from Kite Runner and his reaction to his old house?
ReplyDeleteI feel like Ishmael would be heart broken to go home and see everything he ever had destroyed and everything he ever knew gone.
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