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.
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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