Exploration 5 - Chazz

1. A character that has stood out to me so far in the book is Esther. She has really been a good person to Ishmael and is trying to get him to trust her and know that he has someone there that cares for him. In the book she first made in an impact on Ishmael after he explained his dream about his family and she tells him that “None of these things are your fault”. He begins to believe her at that moment, and it had finally started to sink in because of Esther’s "genuine voice". Ishmael begins to become very fond of Esther but refuses to show it, which shows that she is getting to him. Ishmael finally began to trust Esther after all of the things that he has been through which is why I grew to like her as a character.


2. I feel that Ishmael’s rehabilitation was necessary for him to try to get better mentally and try to let go of some of the tough obstacles that he faced prior to going to the rehabilitation center. He is learning how to trust people again and trying to get a better life. It seemed to be working but at a very slow rate. I wouldn't mind him moving into my neighborhood. I feel that he would have to be in a better state of mind before he comes back into the real world though. That way he would be okay having interaction with everyday people that he comes into contact with.

3. “ I lit the lamp, and as soon as the room was bright, I saw men standing all around. They had circled me in the dark. I could see their bodies—except for their faces, which was darker, as if they were headless walking beings. Some were barefoot and others wore army boots. All had guns and knives. They began to shoot stab, stab, and slice each other's throats. But they would rise and get killed again.” --- I chose this passage because it takes us through one of the many nightmares that Ishmael has during this book, and gives us a visual of how this dream really was. Ishmael made his dream come to life through writing, and made us as readers see what he saw. It shows us how scary and frightening imagining something like this happening to us would be.

4. “I feel as if there is nothing left for me to be alive for, I have no family, it is just me. No one will be able to tell stories about my childhood.” --- This passage stuck out the most to me because it was a moment that showed how vulnerable Ishmael was feeling, and how alone he really felt. He missed his family, and I thought that this was one of the saddest things that I had read. It made me feel sorry for him, sorry that his life and everything in it was taken away from him.