RBCHS English II Honors Summer Reading
NOVEL: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
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 (from Reading Group Gold “Introduction”).
ASSIGNMENT: The assignments for the writing journal are designed to help you learn and practice close reading
techniques and critical reading skills that we will be utilizing throughout the school year. You will have to complete
6 entries in your writing journal. Read the descriptions carefully. If you have any questions over the summer you
may contact me by school email [email protected].
FORMAT: All writing assignments should be completed in a bound or spiral notebook. Each entry should equal one
page of a college-ruled piece of notebook paper. The writing journal is a tool so the entries will not be in final draft
form, but they must be readable. You must label each entry with the date completed, title of the assignment and the
page numbers read. The term “freewriting” is a method for exploring ideas without planning them. One way to
freewrite is to pick up the pen and write, letting your thoughts flow freely onto the page into sentences (without
worrying about punctuation, grammar, or sentence structure). Some assignments may ask you to write a certain
length or for a certain time – follow the requirement.
June 25, 2014
PROLOGUE
pp. 1-24
MUST COMPLETE ALL FOUR
Prologue and Chapter 1 (a) PROLOGUE (p. 3) Read the “Prologue and FREEWRITE for ½ page contemplating
what ideas the “Prologue” introduces and how it prepares the reader for what is to come. (b) SETTING: On a
separate page, identify at least 10 words or phrases that identify the setting of Beah’s homeland – Sierra Leone.
You should include references to time, place, region, atmosphere (cite page #). Then, freewrite ½ page that
answers, “What aspects of this culture and setting will influence the characters, their behavior, and what might
happen to them?”
Chapter 2 introduces TIME in an interesting way to establish the structure of flashbacks that Beah uses to tell his
story, juxtaposing past and present. Copy the last sentence of Chapter 2. Then, draw three columns on your page,
labeling each column with one of the “worlds.” Copy words and phrases from the chapter and place them under the
appropriate heading (he writes about each “world” in this chapter). Include at least 3 words/phrases for each column
that give clues as to which “world” Beah is in – and how we know he has transitioned to another “world.” Is the
diction or sentence structure different in each world or the same?
Chapters 3,4,5: CONFLICTS: In these chapters we see the challenges and conflicts that Beah faces. (a) List at
least 3 different conflicts (opposing forces to the protagonist and his welfare/goals) in this section. For each conflict,
explain the source of the conflict, the nature of the conflict, and the complications that might influence how the
conflict will be resolved. (b) In Chapter 5, Beah encounters one of many life-threatening situations, but he is saved
by a coincidence rather than his own wit or physical ability. Freewrite ½ page answering, “What does this suggest
about the nature of his survival against the conflicts he faces?”
Chapter 9: QUOTE: In this Chapter Beah uses the phrase “A long way gone.” Find the phrase and identify the
context and motivation for this statement. Then, freewrite why you think he chose this phrase for the title of his
novel.
MUST COMPLETE TWO OF THE FOLLOWING
Chapters 6-7: Choose a STRIKING OR KEY PASSAGE from this section that you think is important to character
development, plot development, or meaning – a passage may be a line, quote, or any excerpt from the novel. Copy
the passage correctly (quotation marks, cite p. #). Using complete sentences, answer 2 of the following questions:
“Why is this a key passage?” “What is the author trying to do at this point?” “What does this passage reveal about
either development of a character (a significant change or description?... A significant development in the plot?… or
the meaning of the work as a whole?” “How is this passage typical of the author’s style?” “What is unusual or
striking about the passage?
Chapter 8: From his survival in the forest to his joining the new group of boys, Beah reveals significant elements of
his CHARACTER AND CULTURAL VALUES – and how he sees himself changing as a result of his struggles. He
says, “Our innocence had been replaced by fear and we had become monsters” (55). Consider everything you
know about Beah up to this point. Freewrite one page in which you reflect on this comment and what has happened
to Beah so far. Do you agree that fear can make someone become a monster?
Chapter 10: FLASHBACKS: Beah uses a series of flashbacks in this section for a variety of purposes, but most
importantly to reveal the cultural values of Sierra Leone before the war juxtaposed to the cultural values of the world
Beah is living in during the war. Choose 2 of the flashbacks from this section: explain what values we can see in the
flashback and how the flashback is connected to Beah’s present (during the war).
Chapters 13-14: TEXT to GRAPHICS / IMAGERY: Choose a passage and create a graphic representation of the
text, paying close attention to details. You may use literal or symbolic representations, abstractions, color, shape,
form – but make sure that everything you include has meaning and can be traced back to specific references to the
text. Include a significant quote from the passage at the bottom of the page. Create a title for your graphic/picture
and write the title at the top of the page. Then, write a paragraph that explains your choice of graphics, color, shape,
etc. and the textual references that inspired you.