Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Book Club Discussion Questions: A Long Way Gone by Ismael Beah

It also has discussion questions for each theme and a textual analysis activity. Brierly explicates, “In fact, the past was never far from my mind. At night, memories would flash by and I’d have trouble calming myself so I could sleep. Daytime was generally better, with lots of activity to distract me, but my mind was always busy.

Brierly states, “My mother, Kamla, was a Hindu and my father a Muslim-an unusual marriage at the time, and one that didn’t last long. My father spent very little time with us , and so my mother raised us by herself.” The religious differences contribute to incompatibility. Hindu beliefs are not similar to the Muslim ideology; hence, his parents become discordant which makes the collapse of the matrimony inevitable. This essential question allows you to facilitate and direct the classroom conversation around toxic masculinity, moving it beyond a catch-all phrase for negative male behaviors. My students loved discussing this term and made many real-life connections. The discussion needs to begin with how communities influence people, their choices, logic, and perspective.

L - The Fire Cat Comprehension Book Reading Unit - Novel Study Packet

The villagers - especially the children - largely do not know the motivations and causes that the RUF are operating under; they are familiar only with the violence they inflict. After the reading, use these discussion questions with your middle or high school students to spur meaningful conversations about the historical context, genre, and themes of this book. You may want to use these questions to host a whole-class discussion or provide a list of questions to student teams.

a long way home discussion questions

Even after he has begun rehabilitation, he is only able to call Esther a "temporary" friend. He has been living too long with the goal only to remain alive for one more day. This Powerpoint explains the themes that are explored in the novel 'A Long Way Home' by Saroo Brierly.

A Long Way Gone Discussion & Analysis Questions

To a community with gun violence and police presence that is still called home. I have a Long Way Down Setting Analysis activity that includes a graphic organizer to gather text evidence to understand the setting & socio-cultural context of Will’s neighbourhood. How might Saroo's story have been different if some of the current technological advances were available at the time he was lost? Although too young at the time to actually remember the event, Beah has a vivid account of the ceremony from his grandmother. Describe some of the tactics used by the military to indoctrinate child soldiers, and their lasting effects on Beah.

a long way home discussion questions

The birthday he celebrates is one given to him by the Calcutta authorities; they estimated the year, and the month and day are the date that he arrived at the orphanage. Within seven months, he was adopted by a family in Tasmania, Australia and became Saroo Brierley. He completed a degree in hospitality as a young man, but began working with his father in the family hosepipe business after graduating. While he was in college, he began using Google Earth to look for his hometown, and he finally succeeded after five years of searching. He returned to Khandwa for the first time in 2011 and was able to reconnect with his mother, younger sister, and older brother.

Essays for A Long Way Gone

The regression is material for it aids Brierly not to disremember his past. All the things he witnessed and endured as a child are recorded in his unconscious; hence, he recalls them periodically at night. Moreover, the memories activate the desire to find his Indian family. Had he repressed the memories, he would not have the desire to trace them during his childhood.

The Question and Answer sections of our study guides are a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss literature. Violent movies, like the drugs, help to create a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere for the boy soldiers. The reality of war bleeds into the fiction of war films, which helps to further disconnect the soldiers from the truth of situation. Beah's almost cinematic nightmares feel like a product of this conditioning and only through rehabilitation is he able to confront and discuss his wartime actions.

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE Comprehension Guide Tri-Fold Bookmarks

Toxic masculinity is a fascinating buzzword that works great as an essential question. Students quickly understand that “The Rules” create cycles of generational violence in Will’s neighborhood. After conferencing with students, I realized many had missed the story’s deeper meaning. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. With our Essay Lab, you can create a customized outline within seconds to get started on your essay right away.

He’s been back several times since, and is doing what he can to help his nieces and nephews, buy his mother a house, and support the orphanage in Calcutta that facilitated his adoption. 'A Long Way Home' is a memoir by Saroo Brierley about being separated from his family as a young child and placed in the adoption system in India. He finds the city is different than he expected, as he had envisioned people racing down the street in sports cars. Beah sees a world outside of violence and war - a world that is very different from Sierra Leone.

Reading Group Discussion Guide

Throughout his trials, Beah uses memories of his childhood as a buffer to the harsh reality. These instances help remind the reader that he is still indeed a child, which illustrates the evils of the civil war. Also, Beah does not shy away from the grittier aspects of his experience, like the death of prisoners at his hand. He does not judge or interpret his or any one else's actions, instead letting the reader moralize on his or her own. By not ruminating or reflecting on the atrocities, the reader can truly get into Beah's head and experience the horrors alongside him.

a long way home discussion questions

What are some options that are available to him in Australia that he would not have had in India? Show bioKerry has been a teacher and an administrator for more than twenty years. We at Penguin Random House Australia acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the Traditional Custodians and the first storytellers of the lands on which we live and work. We honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' continuous connection to Country, waters, skies and communities. We celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, traditions and living cultures; and we pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Beah states plainly that his induction into the Sierra Leone military at the age of 13 was the end of his childhood. Although the violent pursuit of rebels across Sierra Leone traumatized Beah, it is not until he is turned into a killer that he believes himself to have lost his innocence. At this point, Beah stops utilizing flashbacks to his childhood, clearly delineating his old "good" life with his new "bad" life. Before this point, his memories were comforting to him during his wandering and, narratively, they served the function of reminding the reader that Beah is still a child caught in an impossible situation. The Question and Answer section for A Long Way Gone is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

a long way home discussion questions

Other than laying the groundwork for a future home and life in the United States, the trip to New York gives Beah hope. At the end of the chapter, he is sad to leave, but also knows that if he dies in Sierra Leone, people will care. After years of witnessing and causing meaningless death, Beah comes to understand the value of his own life. Ishmael Beah refers to memories throughout A Long Way Gone, relayed as flashbacks. In difficult times, he clings to moments from happier years - especially those occurring before his parents' divorce.

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