Student Name: ______
Score _____/100
A Long Way Gone Summer Packet
“These days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past.”
-Ishmael Beah, p. 20
12th Grade - A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah Audiobook on YouTube: CLICK http://bit.ly/2ikokKU You must use your @esd-15.org account to access the drive.
Email [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions.
Introduction From: Reading Group Gold
An estimated 300,000 child soldiers now fight in the more than fifty violent conflicts raging around the globe. Far removed from the world of pundits and journalists, policymakers and diplomats, a thirteen-year-old boy named Ishmael Beah became one of these young warriors in Sierra Leone. Now in his mid-twenties, he courageously tells of the horrific road that led him to wield an AK-47 and, fueled by trauma and drugs, commit terrible acts. A Long Way Gone brings a rare voice of frontline realism to a widely publicized (and widely misunderstood) human-rights crisis.
In poignantly clear and dauntless storytelling, Ishmael describes how he fled brutal rebel soldiers, traveling miles from home on foot and gradually being reduced to a life of raw survival instincts. Yet, unlike so many of his peers, Ishmael lived to reclaim his true self, emerging from Sierra Leone as the gentle, hopeful young man he was at heart. His memoir is at once crucial testimony for understanding the tragedy of contemporary war zones, and a testament to the power of peacemakers.
A Long Way Gone is a plea for understanding of a political and social climate which allows innocent children to become killers. More than that, it is an attempt to move readers to action, essentially asking them to find ways to end the abhorrent tragedies occurring not just on the African continent, but all over the world.
Overview of the Sierra Leone Civil War
The Sierra Leone civil war began in 1991 with the attacks of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), led by former army corporal Foday Sankoh, on government military and civilian targets. While allegedly begun as a response to the corrupt government of President Joseph Saidu Momoh, the RUF quickly turned to acts of terror and violence with little regard to its ostensible political agenda. The RUF captured towns on the Liberian border, killing and torturing numerous citizens. The President is ousted in 1992, setting up a cycle of military coups for the next five years. In 1996, after the first multi-party election in nearly thirty years, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah is elected President. He signs a peace accord with the RUF. Kabbah is ousted by yet another military coup, led by Johnny Paul Koroma and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) - a force consisting of both army and RUF soldiers who previously fought against one another.
Atrocities were committed on both sides of the conflict, which resulted in over 50,000 killed and one million people displaced. Despite the level of violence, national attention was not drawn to Sierra Leone until 1999, when the United Nations intervened to establish the Lome Peace Accord. This treaty made the RUF commander vice-president of the country with control over Sierra Leone’s valuable diamond mines.
Despite the accord, RUF forces continued their attacks and seemingly random acts of violence against government and civilian targets. The UN sought disarmament, but response on both sides was slow. Eventually, Great Britain intervened, sending in troops to capture RUF forces and restore full power to then-president Kabbah. In 2000, RUF leader Sankoh was captured. Over the next year, UN forces complete disarmament and the war is declared over in 2002. Newly re-elected President Kabbah declared the conflict ended in 2002.
Your Assignment
Your task is to read the novel, A Long Way Gone, and complete this packet. We suggest you complete the reading in sections, and before moving on to the next section, complete the corresponding page in the packet. As you read consider the characters and themes in the text. You will be asked in chart form to analyze two characters and two themes.
This packet should be ready to turn in on your return to school, as no class time will be given to complete this assignment. THIS IS DUE THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL. Any evidence of copying will result in a ZERO.
Once you return to school, you will be asked to complete two more tasks regarding the book. You will need to take an AR test (the deadline will be announced by your teacher) and write an essay about the novel.
It is very important that you read the novel and complete the work with fidelity, in order to score well on both the AR test and the essay. Happy reading!
Grading Packet total: 100 Points
Section I: 50 Points Section II: 50 Points VIEW THE RUBRIC ON THE FINAL PAGE TO SEE HOW THESE SECTIONS WILL BE SCORED!
AR test: 50 Points
In Class Essay: 100 Points
*This packet is considered a long-term project and late work will be scored according to the policy in the student handbook.
A Long Way Gone Reading Response Journal Instead of completing traditional comprehension questions, your task is to complete this reading guide with a more holistic, thematic, and character based approach to the text.
The Theme Topics you are looking for include: The loss of innocence Survival/the will to live Importance of Storytelling Family Grief/Loss Music Violence/Murder/Pain Revenge/Anger Hope Love Trust Manipulation Courage Forgiveness How to turn a topic into a theme:
Example from Romeo and Juliet- Topic: Rivalry
(Ask yourself what is the story saying about rivalry? How can I say it in a full sentence that is universal)
Theme: Rivalries can create senseless hatred between individuals.
Example from The Help- Topic: Racism
Theme: Often, racism is driven by a lack of respect and understanding for the other person.
You may wish to consider using characters and theme topics that work together, as this will help you when we write a paragraph in class. Some examples might be Ishmael and the "Loss of Innocence" or "War," Junior and "Family" or "Loss," Esther and "Forgiveness" or 'Hope." There are many other examples, but here are just a few to get you started.
Section I: Characters- Select TWO characters (one must be Ishmael) and complete the following chart to analyze their personality and traits. Quotes should come from a variety of pages to show a complete understanding of the character. Character #1 Name: Ishmael Adjectives to Describe ______
Quote from the text Pg. # Analysis of Quote/ Explain what the Quote Shows about Character
Say (What does this person say?)
Action (What does this character do?)
Think (What does this character think? What are his/her beliefs
Description “...we wore baggy jeans, and 7 This quote reveals that Ishmael’s character is (What is underneath them we had soccer shorts dedicated to immersing himself in rap and all things their physical and sweatpants for dancing. Under our related. Even the clothes Ishmael wears represent state or long-sleeved shirts, we had sleeveless his willingness to learn and take on characteristics of appearance undershirts, T-shirts, and soccer famous rappers. like? What jerseys. We wore three pairs of does that socks...folded to make our crapes look reveal about puffy.” them?)
Others (What do others think/say about this character?
Character #2 Name ______Adjectives to Describe ______
Quote from the text Pg. # Analysis of Quote/ Explain what the Quote Shows about Character
Say (What does this person say?)
Action (What does this character do?)
Think (What does this character think? What are his/her beliefs
Description ( What is their physical state or appearance like?What does that reveal about them?)
Others (What do others think/say about this character?
Section II: Themes- Select TWO different topics from the list on page 4. After selecting the topics write a sentence or two about an idea or theme revealed through the text that centers on that topic. Themes are never just one word. Themes should be universal and often use qualifiers (sometimes, often, etc.) After creating a theme for the book, select and analyze five quotes that support your theme. You can see an example on the topic page for how to turn a topic into a theme. Quotes should come from a variety of pages to show a complete understanding of the theme. (Try to pick a theme that is related to one or both of the characters on your earlier charts. You will use these charts to write an essay at the beginning of school.)
Theme Topic #1:______
Theme Statement:______
Quote from the text that supports theme Pg. Analysis/ Explanation of how/why the quote supports the theme statement # statement
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
T heme Topic #2:______
T heme Statement:______
Quote from the text that supports theme Pg. Analysis/ Explanation of how/why the quote supports the theme statement # statement
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
English IV/AP Literature/ Concurrent Credit Summer Reading Rubric
Name ______Period______Total _____/100
Character Charts _____/50
Emerging (0-20) Developing (30) Proficient (40) Advanced (50)
-Several sections are blank -Some sections are blank -Most boxes are filled in -All boxes are filled in -Few quotes address the -Most of the quotes address -All quotes address the -All quotes are apt and subject the subject subject specific -Analysis is off topic or -Analysis attempts to -Analysis uses evidence to -Analysis uses evidence to irrelevant analyze character but is discuss character illuminate character -Extreme grammar errors mostly paraphrase -Some grammar errors -Few to no grammar errors -Several grammar errors
Theme Charts _____/50
Emerging (0-20) Developing (30) Proficient (40) Advanced (50)
-Several sections are blank -Some sections are blank -Most boxes are filled in -All boxes are filled in -Few quotes address the -Most of the quotes address -All quotes address the -All quotes are apt and subject the subject subject specific -Analysis is off topic or -Analysis uses attempts to -Analysis uses evidence to -Analysis uses evidence to irrelevant analyze theme, but is discuss theme illuminate theme -Extreme grammar errors mostly paraphrase -Some grammar errors -Few to no grammar errors -Several grammar errors
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