A couple of pieces of feedback from last week's fishbowl...
Much, much better job coming back to text to contextualize and support your thinking. Keep working on this. Be sure to provide plot point or to provide page # AND quote; it doesn't matter how many times I've read this book, I still don't remember what exactly happened on back 65, for ex., and I bet your classmates don't either. Here are a few great examples of how to do this well:
Kyle H asked, “On page
70 Ishmael says, "Even though I am still alive, I feel like each time I
accept death, part of me dies. Very soon I will completely die and all that
will be left is my empty body walking with you. It will be quieter than I am. What does he mean
by, "It will be quieter than I am."?
and Brendan asked, “On page
57 when they talk about the rumor of the "seven boy" it affects there
progress of finding a place to seek refuge because everyone thinks they are
bad. Do you think this will affect them after chapter 10?"
And Alissa commented, “I think differently than Trent, and
don't think the story of the spider was told in an incredibly inappropriate
time because perhaps it is just to say to them that no matter what the
circumstance choose the right thing over hunger. I also don't think the boys
were offended by this story because on page 75 Alhaji said 'all this food
is making me hungry.' He did not say it with offence, but rather just as a
joke about the details."
Remember to also stay involved throughout the course of discussion. Some didn't post until 12-18 minutes in. Similarly, some only commented once. Your evaluation as well as your class participation will reflect these choices.
Lastly, be sure to proofread your work. Remember, this is a writing assignment for class.
Happy posting!
I'm following the music motif throughout the book, music has shifted from a beautiful thing to an annoyance in Beah's mind.
ReplyDeletepage 125, "I would listen for a bit then fire a few rounds into the night, driving the humming away"
Why do you think that he thinks that the music has become more of a nuisance, rather than it being a release to him.
DeleteThis is showing how they have changed since the war has begun, they have been through a lot which can change people mentally and physically
DeleteWhy do you think that it is an annoyance? I think that Beah remembers all the things from his past and want to drive them away. I think the music makes him sad.
DeleteAs the quote says, Blake and Trent, he intentionally ruins the music. It has changed forms from being a great way to spend time, and socialize. To a depressing thing and a nuisance.
DeleteI agree with Blake. I feel like the music reminds Beah of his past and makes him question his future. As well as weather or not he will be able to live a normal life after the war. So I don't believe its an annoyance but rather brings back memories he would rather avoid.
DeleteI have been following my own motif, loss of innocence, and I think that this sort of connects with what I have been tracking. His love for music reflects his childhood. Throwing back to chapter nine (specifically pg. 68), Ishmael was freed by a chief who captured him and was released because "they were only children looking for safety." Now that he is loosing that part of him that was so connected with music, his level of innocence is being jeopardized.
DeleteHow far would you go if you were Ishmael. Would you take drugs, kill, so on. Would there be a limit?
ReplyDeleteI think I would take the drugs to suppress the memories of killing, just so I don't remember them later on in life.
DeleteCould you really forget that?
DeleteYou also need to remember that they are being forced to do all of these things. They don't want to end up like the rest of the people in the war.
DeleteNo I don't think that you could ever forgot the past memories you have seen you've seen in your life. Maybe the drugs will help for a while but not the rest of his life.
DeleteIf I was Ishmael I would not take drugs nor would I kill someone unless if I had to for the safety of me. There would be a limit to where I would go, I would not take the life of someone because I have lost important people in my life and it has affected me in so many ways that I would not wish that on anyone.
DeleteLike it says on page 122, "The combination of drugs gave us a lot of energy and made us feel fierce. The idea of death didn't even cross my mind at all and killing had become as easy as drinking water. It had also stopped making remorseful records." Judging by this, he may not remember killing everybody that he did.
DeleteMost drugs basically will leave you in a state that the brain doesn't function well. The drugs that they are taking is like basically getting drunk. The memories will be masked and never remembered due to the fact he doesn't even know what happened.
DeleteHow do you think the gov'ts violence in justified, or not justified?
ReplyDeleteIt is justified because of the rebel movement. In the end, even though how they are doing it is wrong, they are just trying to retain control of their country.
DeleteHe now seems to be enjoying gunfire and killing more than music, it is like he would rather hear gunfire than music.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the gunfire is now a musical type of beat to him. I know that I personally make music this way from just random noises, and that may be what he is doing.
DeleteBefore he became a soldier music was his escape and now i think the sound of gunfire is his music.
DeletePerhaps music represents his past to him, and he wants to avoid those memories. Gunfire is the sound of his new life, and therefore he may find happiness in it, instead of music.
DeleteIt is as if he is suddenly creating a justification for himself to be violent. Is this him just trying to grow up? I think he wants to be viewed as important and useful, therefor he is pushing the music away because music, to him, is a childish thing to hold on to, and children are not viewed as "important" in society. He even says on pg. 125 that after he killed the prisoner, they "celebrated the day's achievements with more drugs and more war movies." I think it is interesting that 1) most people celebrate with music, and he does not, and 2) that he is celebrating alongside the soldiers for murder.
DeleteDo you think that the drugs Ishmael is taking now will affect him for the rest of his life and the way he thinks of things?
ReplyDeleteI dont think they had much of an huge impact on him in the long run because he is now an accomplished author
DeleteI think that since the drugs effected him while he was fighting he will have a tainted perspective of what actually happened. So I think it will effect him the rest of his life since he might not remember things quite how they were
DeleteI think that he may continue to take them after the war because even he admitted that he was addicted to the white pill and I think he may need to get some help for his addiction after the war.
DeletePage 121 "... and of course taking more of the white capsules. as I had become addicted to them"
Jim mentioned that the drugs that they were being given are should exactly sharpen their reactions, but on page 116, a soldier told Ishmael that these caplets give you lots of energy. But as Matt said, these drugs really dull the emotions of sorrow and pain especially. So the only thing that show through is anger to avenge his families' death. Although these drugs might make hearing, aiming and firing more difficult, the commander does not really care if Ishmael were to die from these effects.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the commander gives them the drugs so they can't think clearly and don't feel anything so they have no problem with killing innocent people.
DeleteKeagon said: At the very end of ch. 14, Ishmael says that slept never came to him, I think that this is because he was thinking about his family, war, what will happen to him, and what will happen to his friends. He has a lot on his hands right now and probably cant sleep because of that.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I don't think it was just the drugs that kept him awake at night, I think it's from him thinking about his old life and imagining himself living the way he used to.
DeleteI agree that he couldn't sleep because of his family, the war, and what will happen to his friends but also think the drugs may of partially had an impact. I think the combination of the two made it nearly impossible for Ishmael to sleep
DeleteThey mention that the brown brown is cocaine and gun powder, and that he does marijuana; but they never say what the white pills are. What kind of drugs could the white pills be?
ReplyDeleteYou can tell by what the effects are of the drug, but honestly I couldn't say what it was.
DeleteI think that the white tablets some kind of drug that are energy boosters for the boys to take
DeleteI'm not sure what the white pills are but I think it could be ecstasy.
DeleteDo you think Ishmael is kind of becoming crazy in a way? Ishmael talked about how he mentally couldnt pull the trigger of his gun but later on he had no problem firing the gun (page 120)
ReplyDeleteI think that is the drugs nick. They are controlling his life.
DeleteThe drugs definitely played a role in his mind, and it was his first time actually having a gunfight. I think it really shocked him at first.
DeleteAustin, please explain how you think Ishmael would be different if he didn't have drugs. Would he be the same as in the beginning of the book? Or do you think he may still have become violent?
DeleteI agree with Austin, the rebels give them these drugs knowing of their intentions and what they will lead them to do. It simply makes it easier for the kid soldiers to kill, like a routine.
DeleteOk now looking back i agree with you justice because in the beginning of the chapter he was thinking they were just running a drill but when he realized that it was the real deal, he said he started shaking (page 115)
DeleteWell Zack, although the killing is destroying his mind, the drugs are almost making him apart of that. If he did not take the drugs, Zack, then I think he could think better and maybe find a way out. He is stuck in it now
DeleteDirected towards James : do you think they are like brainwashing them?
DeleteI think the drugs are partially responsible for his actions. But also on the top of page 119 Ishmael talks about how he fired at anything that moved due to how angry he was. I think he has changed to someone who see's killing as a release of anger and stress. So I agree that he has become crazy in a way because of the fact that he isn't the person he used to be
DeleteI think that Ishmael has become desensitized to all of the blood. Ishmael also mentions that he doesn't have that much time to sit and think. So I think the fact that he is just continuously going makes him not realize exactly what he is doing or what he has become.
DeleteI disagree with Tori, I just believe that he cannot sleep because how energized the drugs make him feel. He even says he receives an amazing amount of energy from all of the drugs.
ReplyDeleteI also think that the drugs are keeping him awake. Drugs have many side affects and judging by the amount that Ishmael has taken, you would expect that he would have a hard time sleeping.
DeleteOh most definitely Ray, that would be tough to deal with.
DeleteI think he takes all of these drugs because they take the pain away and they take his mind off of everything that has been going on in his life so far. Also, he probably takes so any because he sees everybody else taking them, and it gives him energy, it keeps him alert all the time, and it makes him not feel bad about killing people. He says that it's like power given to him to make him be a better souldier and keep himself alive.
ReplyDeleteI think he may also take the drugs because the corporal and lieutenant make then. Also, they aid him in war. I think Ishmael thinks of the drugs as something that keeps him alive and save during dangerous situations.
DeleteI do agree with Tori and James I think it is both, he has a lot on his mind with a lot of energy.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that now that Ishmael has a gun and is a soldier that he will loose sight of what is important and what is not? Do you think that his motives will change now that he is not on the run?
ReplyDeleteI think that he will loose sight of what is important because he has been brainwashed and has been desensitized to violence and will not change anytime soon.
DeleteI think he feels quite comfortable with what he is doing. They have treated him like family and that's all he needed. His motives will sort of stay the same which is surviving except now he can defend himself.
DeleteI think that he already has forgot what is and whats not important. He murders people without hesitation and the only thing that he has to look forward to is doing drugs and watching movies.
DeleteI think that he will lose his morals very quickly now, and will forget any reason he may have to be fighting in this war.
DeleteOn page 122, Ishmael made a horrible comparison. He said "The idea of death did not cross my mind at all and killing had become as easy as drinking water." This thought is terrible because drinking water is a task necessary for life and now Ishmael sees killing in the same way.
ReplyDeleteI think he is really becoming desensitized, in part because of the rebels and the drugs kind of brainwashing him and him just giving up
DeleteYea it's pretty disturbing to see that he believes that this is now a necessary task like drinking and eating. But also the drugs could also be messing with his brain and how it thinks making him view it like he does.
DeleteI think he sees this because if he decides to not kill someone and he tries to run away he will be killed, so this could be why he thinks it is as easy as drinking water.
DeleteReferring back to Hannah's question. Do you think that people will look at Ishmael differently since he was in the war at such a young age killing many people?
ReplyDeleteNo. I don't think that Ishmael had much control over the situation he was in as a child. I can recall on pg. 3 when Ishmael told his high school friends about being around a war that they thought it was "cool", so I wonder what they think now that they (probably) know that he was actually IN the war. Also, we view war veterans as heros, and even though the acts that Ismael has partaken in are gruesome, he chose to write a book about it, and I think that people respect Ishmael for informing the public about what he has gone through. I don't believe that anyone could judge a child soldier, because most people possess enough knowledge to know that the actions they took were not in their control; they were forced.
DeleteOn page 125, Ishmael describes the other fellow soldiers, "The boys and the other soldiers who were the audience clapped as if I had just fulfilled one of life's greatest achievements." After he had killed the person the fastest. This just shows the affect of the drugs on them. They basically motivate the soldiers to kill and keep killing. They watch movies, then kill, they do drugs, then kill, the watch movies about killing. Everything they do, has to do with violence.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think they incorporate violence into everything they do? How do you think this effects them all?
DeleteJames has a great point relating to the complete immersion of the boys. Literally everything the do has to do with violence.
DeleteTrent, they incorporate violence into their minds because that is all they want them to do. They explain to them, the more they kill the more food, jewelry and everything they will have in the end.
DeleteIf you were in Ishmael's position and you saw the people who killed your family and had the opportunity to kill them, how do you think you would react?
ReplyDeleteI would be so full with anger that I don't think I could control not getting revenge. What are your feelings Zackary.
Deletei think that everybody would want to retaliate in some way. Seeing the people that killed your family would spark more anger and sadness then our bodies would know what to do with. This would most likely cause a violent reaction.
DeleteI think I would become violent if I saw someone whom I know killed my family, and I have not been desensitized by war and drugs like Ishmael has been.
DeleteI also think that my emotions would get the best of me and end up of trying to kill them
DeleteI wouldn't know what to do, though they are with the rebels, they probably were not the people specifically who killed them. I would be angry because all the rebels kill innocent people. I think in the moment I would react with violence, but its hard to say.
DeleteTo add on to my last comment, do you think it is possible to become "normal" in the head later on in life after witnessing and partaking in all of the killing and nonsense?
ReplyDeleteI think it is possible, although "normal" mentally is not always easily obtained. I say this because some war veterans struggle with PTSD while some come back almost the same as they once was
DeleteI do think it is possible to become "normal" again. Once you move out of the situation you are in and you get help, its possible to change, but you will always have the same memories and thoughts on who you were before. So you can't come completly normal
DeleteI remember during chapter 11 I think, Ishmael was afraid when he first held the gun, but on page 116, he stated that it was the only thing that brought him comfort.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is the only thing he has left of now that wont leave him and it will always be there for him so I think he may have developed a personal connection with the gun.
DeleteI noticed this too. I think this shows a significant change in Ishmael's character. It represents the change in ishmalel's life (from living a normal life and childhood to being a brutal child-soilder.)
DeleteThis reminds me of Captain Philips the movie. In the movie these people from Africa made/sold marijuana and smoked so much of it because it eased the tension and helped them forget about the evil things they must do to survive.
ReplyDeleteI like the connection between the two, but as we see in the book as the drugs effects ware off the tension returns directly after, causing them to use more and more. What do you think will happen when Ishmael and the other soldiers when the drugs are no longer available?
DeleteEvery time Ishmael thinks about killing, he always ends up blaming "the people who killed his family" for all of his actions. Do you think he does this just as an excuse so it seems right, or because of the drugs?
ReplyDeleteThe drugs are a cover up for his anger.
Deletei think he is just using it as an excuse because even before he began taking the drugs he was just trying to live and this excuse allows his once peaceful mind to not view himself as a bad person
DeleteWhat do you mean Austin? Elaborate please
DeleteI think that Ishmael blames "the people who killed his family" because he is still angry and whats revenge on these people. I don't think he uses it as an excuse so it seems right.
DeleteOf course James W, I think that he is in a mask of anger of his family being dead that he takes the drugs to ease the pain.
DeleteMatt said: Do you think the old Ishmael is still alive? I think somewhere in there he is still alive because when he's not on drugs, he's not thinking about going out there and killing someone, he's afraid and scared and worried about what will happen, which is the old Ishmael and which is what he was like before he became a soldier, and stepped into this new life of being a boy soldier.
ReplyDeleteGoing back to Mat's question "Do you think that Ishmael is better off dying when he was on the run or being brainwashed by drugs and killing others?" What do you guys think?
ReplyDeleteI would say Ishmael would be better of dying on the run because that is when he was actually himself. Not someone he was forced to be through drugs and violence.
DeleteI feel that there is no real answer to that question because, no one wants to die but then again, you could also ask "is being brainwashed by drugs and being forced to kill others just as bad as dying?"
DeleteI don't think he is better off dying because at the beginning of the book it sounds like he turned around his life and has a hopeful future and he wouldn't of gotten that opportunity if he had died.
DeleteObviously he is better off dying because that way he is not on a drug high killing people 24/7. If you're brainwashed and killing people, any other situation is a better situation to be in.
DeleteI think Ishmael does feel bad for Josiah because they might not have been close friends, but they were still friends and he might have felt hurt that somebody killed him. He also might be fighting for him because he never really got a chance to.
ReplyDelete