Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Exploration 5: Madison

1.     1. Saidu’s story really touched me after reading about what he had to go through and why he ended up on his own. “Saidu had climbed to the attic to bring down the remaining rice for their journey, when the rebels stormed in. Saidu sat in the attic, holding his breath and listening to the wailing of his sisters as the rebels raped them. His father shouted at them to stop, and one of the rebels hit him with the butt of his gun. Saidu’s mother cried and apologized to her daughters for having brought them into this world to be victims of such madness. After the rebels had raped the sisters over and over, they bundled the family’s property and made the father and mother carry it. They took the three girls with them” (Beah, 79-80). I couldn’t imagine having to sit through my families pain—knowing theirs nothing I could do to help…and that being the last thing you remember and experience with your family.

2.     2. I think Ishmael’s rehabilitation is going slowly but surely. Yes I do believe it’s possible! After Ishmael is done with his rehab I would be okay with him living in my neighborhood because I personally believe that Ishmael, once fully though rehab, will realize that the two years he was fighting in the war it wasn’t really him. Those two years represented survival and with that way of survival he was brainwashed and on drugs almost the whole time. Now that Ishmael is back to reality I think he understands that life doesn’t have to be like that anymore and now he’s safe and free again. Those two years don’t define Ishmael now.

3.     3. A specific convention of Dialogue that I think is important is on page 70. Saidu says, “Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. Even though I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death, part of me dies. Very soon I will completely die and all that will be left is my empty body walking with you. It will be quieter than I am.” I think Beah used this convention well because it really is an important quote to remember for just a little later on in the chapter. It’s a very ironic quote that can potentially help explain the later, sudden death of Saidu.

4.     4. My favorite passage is on page 80. “Under these stars and sky I used to hear stories, but now it seemed as if it was the sky that was telling us a story as its stars fell, violently colliding with each other. The moon hid behind clouds to avoid seeing what was happening.” I enjoy this small passage because it says so much. It foreshadows what’s to come—the violent war, chaos, stars fell, violently colliding with each other and the moon hiding I thought was a really neat thing to add because of the previous story about what the moon resembled. Nothing bad would happen if the moon was out and the fact that the moon didn’t want to shine goes to show nothing good was about to happen. I found this passage as a clever one—almost like a riddle in a way.


1 comment:

  1. I really like your third paragraph when Saidu says, “Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. that was strong statement. when you are in fight that what you wait everyday.

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