A long Way Gone # 5

Page: 115 and 116 Paragraph: 1 Ishmael Quote: "All I could do is rub their heads and assure them that everything might be alright" Significance: I chose this quote because it struck me because usually when someone is trying to reassure another person, they tell them that everything is going to be all right and in this case, he couldn't tell the boys that. This tells me how fortunate I am to be able to almost be sure that when I wake up tomorrow everything is going to be alright. I know that people could die any time but I'm just saying that I have more of a chance to wake up in the morning and be safe than these boys did. Character Judgment: I know for a fact that Ishmael had to be very scared. This was the first time he was going out to really fight and he doesn't know if that will be the last time he gets to wake up in the morning. I think that a part of him is kind of excited that he finally gets to get back at the rebels for all of the bad things that they did to his family but on the other hand, he would much rather not have to fight in the war. Question: At this moment in time, what do you think Ishmael was thinking? Quote 2: Page: 152 Paragraph: 2 Alhaji ""She likes you", Alhaji teased me. I didn't say anything." Significance: I chose this quote because it made me feel good that the boys were out of the war and they finally had time to be regular teenagers and think about girls and things like that. This made me laugh because it sounds like something that my friends would say to me and that is another reason why I liked this quote. I also think that it was good to read a part of the book that wasn't gruesome and inflicted with violence but this was an up spirited section of the book. Character Judgment: Alhaji has become Ishmael's best friend and they were together through most of the war. I think that Alhaji is what kept Ishmael going and fighting for his life otherwise Ishmael probably would have gave up hope. Alhaji is a nice boy however, like Ishmael, he was taken away his childhood and kind of forced into adolescents. He is also recovering greatly from the horrors of the war. Question: Why do you think the boys needed rehabilitation after leaving the war?