Exploration #5 (Collin Blevins)

1) The character that has meant the most to me thus far in the book (besides Ishmael) is Nurse Esther from the Rehabilitation center that he is sent to. She has meant the most to me this far because it's crazy to me all the things she is doing for these kids coming out of the war, even when they are so opposed to the help. The boys do everything they can to create a barrier between them and her, but she still shows persistence in helping them. I just think it's truly impressive that she still continues to help these kids. She says, "I am your nurse and that's all. If you want to be friends with me, you will have to ask me and I will have to trust you first." (pp. 153). I like this quote because it shows her willingness to befriend Ishmael. It also shows that she is indeed an intelligent person because she needs Ishmael's trust before anything can happen. (She knows that Ishmael is dangerous)

2) When it comes to Ishmael and rehabilitation I feel like it will be a long process. Ishmael-- at this point in the book-- has been fighting for the last two years of his life. In my mind, the act of rehabilitating him will be a long process. It doesn't help that he was abruptly sent from the front lines straight to a Rehabilitation center though. I honestly feel like he should've finished out the war before he was sent for rehabilitation. But I definitely think that rehabilitation is possible for Ishmael. If I was a normal civilian during the war, and he was sent to my neighborhood, I would fear for my safety. I definitely wouldn't like it if someone like him were to move into my place of sanctuary (near home/ neighborhood). I feel this way because I wouldn't want him/her to hurt my family or me during the process of rehabilitation. The fact that they just came out of the war is scary enough.

3) "It was getting dark outside. As the truck slowly rocked along the busy street, streetlights flickered on. Even the shops and kiosks were lit. I was amazed at how many lights there were without the sound of a generator. I was marveling at the glittering cityscape when the truck turned off the street and began galloping so heavily that we were all shaking as if we'd been placed on a vibrating machine."(pp. 131). I liked this quote because I thought it showed a great deal of scene details within it. It also shows the fascination that Ishmael exudes for the city. 

4) "Whenever I turned on the tap water, all I could see was blood gushing out. I would stare at it until it looked like water before drinking or taking a shower. Boys sometimes ran out of the hall screaming, "The rebels are coming." Other times, the younger boys sat by rocks weeping and and telling us that the rocks were their dead families. Then there were those instances when we would ambush the staff members, tie them up, and interrogate them about the whereabouts of their squad, where they got their supplies of arms and ammunition, drugs, and food."(pp. 145). This quote impacted me the most because I couldn't help but feel so sad for these kids. I realized at this point in the book that the act of being rehabilitated was a war all on its own. This is why this quote impacted me the most.