# data[].attributes.body
on april 14th there was a boat called the rms titanic it sank because its crew was careless of all the iceberg warnings of where it was sailing. Because of them not listening later that day the titanic hit an iceberg causing water to get into the massive ship. This caused the boat to sink killing 1500 people.
https://www.history.com/news/why-did-the-titanic-sink
The theme here is carelessness, the crew was careless they received a fatal outcome from this. This can relate to alwg because being careless in a war torn area can get you killed.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/18/us/parkland-florida-school-shooting-accounts/index.html
The parkland florida school shooting happened the afternoon on Valentine's Day killing 17 innocent high school students. A 19 year-old boy named Nikolas Cruz "...had been expelled for unspecified disciplinary reasons. Now he was back, with a .223-caliber AR-15 rifle..." Many students were confused because there had been a fire drill earlier in the day and they were wondering why there was another drill.

# data[].attributes.body
The Darfur Genocide happened in 2003 murdering many men, women, and children throughout the western region of Sudan. The people who ran the genocide were called Janjaweed and they burned villages, looted economic resources, murdered, raped, and tortured civilians, which is very similar to what the rebels did in "A Long Way Gone", on page 112 it says, "Visualize the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you." In both "Along Way Gone" and the Darfur Genocide people were, and still are (because the Darfur Genocide has not ended yet) being exposed to the unneeded violence, suffering, and death the both have caused.
http://worldwithoutgenocide.org/genocides-and-conflicts/darfur-genocide

# data[].attributes.body
On July 7th 2005, the terrorist attack known as the London Bombings occurred in Central London. On this day, Four suicide bombers known as Mohammed sidique Kahn, Shezhad Tanweer, Germaine Lindsay, and Hasib Hussain. had boarded three underground trains and one double decker bus,  each on an individual one. The men had later been linked to Al-Qaeda. The bombs detonated killing a total of 52 people.
This relates the book ,"A Long Way Gone" through the theme of damages of war. In the book the main character Ishmael experiences the outbreak of war in all of his surroundings. "In the back of the van were three more dead bodies, two girls and a boy, and their blood was all over the seats and the ceiling of the van. I wanted to move away from what I was seeing, but couldn't. My feet went numb and my entire body froze."(13) Ishmael is experiencing war and fighting for the first time just like the people from the London Bombings. None of the people from the book or from the bombings will be able to return to life normally. They will always be affected by those traumatic events.

# data[].attributes.body
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot 20 children between six and seven years old, as well as six adult staff members. Prior to driving to the school, he shot and killed his mother at their home in Connecticut. When first responders arrived Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. There were 28 deaths in total.
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/a-look-back-sandy-hook-elementary-school-shooting/
This event relates to the theme loss of innocence in ALWG. The young boys were forced to be child soldiers and taught to fight and kill people. Many of these young boys were killed just like in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. None of these kids knew what was happening because they were forced into a situation that used major violence when they were still young children.

# data[].attributes.body
The Columbine High School massacre was a school shooting that occurred on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, an unincorporated area of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States, in the Denver metropolitan area.
Thai related to ALWG because this was teeming with trauma. The innocent children were harmen, just like In the horrific events of colombine. https://www.history.com/.amp/topics/1990s/columbine-high-school-shootings

# data[].attributes.body
There was a mass shooting in Florida in s school. 17 kids shot and killed after a false fire alarm being set off.
Thus relates to a long way gone because kids of a young age were being accesed to guns and violence. the book explains and shows much violence between kids and effects their state of mind in many ways.

# data[].attributes.body
On February 14, 2018, a gunman by the name of nikolas Cruz opened fire and ruined the liver of at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, . Shooting and
killing seventeen students and staff members and leaving another seventeen injured. After ruining the lives of many and taking the lives of innocent people he got taken into custody as a suspect.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/us/florida-school-shooting-suspect-shouted-kill-me-hours-after-taken-into-custody.amp
This relates to ALWG’s theme of loss of innocence. The kids were child soldiers and they were taught to kill and fight. They did disturbing things for their age and this is similar to the Florida’s school shooting because Nikolas was only 19 and he ended up shooting and killing innocent people which is a sign of loss of innocence.

# data[].attributes.body
The mass shooting in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017.
" Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and injured more than 500 others, a figure that would later be revised to 851 to encompass not only victims of gunshot wounds but those injured from shrapnel, trampling, and attempts to scale barbed-wire and chain-link fences while fleeing. It was, as we would hear in the coming days, the worst mass shooting in American modern history."
Stephen was 64 years old and killed adults and teens.
https://story.californiasunday.com/las-vegas-shooting

This relates to "A Long Way Gone" because the killer just pointed into the crowd and started shooting. That is exactly what Ishmael and his fellow soldiers did when they were in war.

# data[].attributes.body
War in Afghanistan 2001
“Taliban made significant gains and showed an increased willingness to commit atrocities against civilians. ISAF responded in 2006 by increasing troops for counterinsurgency operations to "clear and hold" villages.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Afghanistan_(2001–present)
This relates to “ALWG” by the rebels committing cruel acts of killing family members infront  others to get their point across that they are superior.

# data[].attributes.body
Since about 2012 there has been a civil war in Syria that was caused by a series of protests in 2011. This civil war has led to many incidents of bombings and rebel groups coming into power. The civil war was at first centered around government policies and the call for reform but developed into a dispute between religious and ethnic groups. The war in Syria has left over 200,000 deaths including 70,000 civilians. The conflict has also displaced 10 million Syrians (almost half the population), 3.5 million of these syrians have fled to neighboring countries.
https://stopgenocidenow.org/conflicts/syria/
This relates to A Long Way Gone because of the extreme number of displacements and innocent civilians killed.

# data[].attributes.body
On April 20th, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado there was a fatal shooting. This shooting was at Columbine highschool. This shooting was carried out by two teen who went to the school. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are the teens who killed 13 people and wounded 20 more. At the end of the massacre they turned the guns on themselves.
https://www-history-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/1990s/columbine-high-school-shootings?amp_js_v=a2&amp_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQCCAE%3D#aoh=15391685518730&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.history.com%2Ftopics%2F1990s%2Fcolumbine-high-school-shootings
This relates to "A long Way Gone" because of the theme loss of innocence. These kids were at school and they got shot and killed. In the book Ishmael killed people to survive. The Columbine shooters shot people for religious beliefs and for the reason they didnt like certain people. On page 199 it says "... All of this because of starvation, the loss of families, and the need to feel safe and be a part of something when all else is broken"

# data[].attributes.body
The Oklahoma City bombing occurred on April 19, 1995 when a truck exploded outside of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. This killed 168 people and and many more injured. Out of the victims, 19 of the deceased were children. The bomb's destruction didn't stop there, and it damaged around 300 buildings near the Murrah Federal Building.
https://www.history.com/topics/1990s/oklahoma-city-bombing
https://www.history.com/news/oklahoma-city-bombing-what-happened

In ALWG, the war in Sierra Leone brings sadness, pain, death, and destruction. When Ishmael discovers that his family is dead he is overcome with rage and sadness. On page 95 it says "If we hadn't stopped to rest on that hill, if we hadn't run into Gasemu, I would have seen my family, I thought. My head was burning as if on fire. I put my hands on my ears and squeezed them in vain. I didn't know what was happening." This excerpt is an example of the damages of war. The Oklahoma City bombing also shows examples of loss of innocence. One victim of the bombing had to get her leg amputated where she lay in the rubble to get her out. When she awoke, she found out she had lost her family in the bombing. The article reads "They saved her by sawing off her leg at the knee while Bradley screamed in agony. There was no other way, since wreckage pinned her lower leg...After doctors at University revived her, she learned that her two small children and mother had all died in the blast." Much like many in the war, this survivor went through immense pain and loss in this horrible event.

# data[].attributes.body
In 2007, a Virginia Tech student Seung Hui Cho first shot a male and female student early one morning. Soon after, he locked and secured a building and went from classroom to classroom shooting students inside. A total of 32 people died from this shooting. There was more to this individual than led on, however. It was later discovered that he suffered of mental illness when a package with photograpghs and a video were delivered to the school, which explained some things. There were even earlier hints during previous assignments he had turned in. " It was also revealed that angry, violent writings Cho made for certain class assignments had raised concern among some of his professors and fellow students well before the events of April 16." This shows a loss of innocence in Cho. He doesn't hide the truth and reveals his dark side to his professors and classmates.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/massacre-at-virginia-tech-leaves-32-dead

This relates to ALWG because Ishmael and the others show a loss of innocence when they resulted to stealing food. "That night we were so hungry that we stole people's food while they slept. It was the only way to get through the night." This shows that they were so hungr;y that they were willing to do anything to get something to eat. It didn't matter the price they had to pay, and they didn't care if their negative actions affected other citizens.

# data[].attributes.body
British soldiers fighting in Iraq are more likely to have higher levels of PTSD. PTSD, or post traumatic stress disorder is a condition that causes repetitive levels of mental and emotional stress caused by shock. Researchers have shown that this fighting is likely to raise probability of PTSD by 2%, and that alcohol and other substance abuse is likely to increase. Dr.s' believe it is vital that we come up with significant resources to help those suffering once they return. The people want the veterans to have a safe transition back into society

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-10-probable-ptsd-british-military-veterans.html

Much like the researchers in Britain, the countries surrounding Sierra Leone wanted to help the child soldiers. The theme of forgiveness and helping others is shown in both circumstances. Although the people at the rehabilitation centers knew the boys had done very inhumane things, they knew it wasn't fair for them to deal with those effects on their own

# data[].attributes.body
The Syrian Civil War started in 2011 with protests against president Bashar al-Assad. These protests soon turned into a violent uprising that is still continuing today and doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. The war has caused the death of over a quarter million people, the same number of people are wounded or missing, and half of the twenty-two million people living in Syria are now missing their homes.

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/syrian-civil-war-guide-isis/410746/

This connects to the theme of the damages of war. In ALWG, Ishmael experiences many of the damages of the war, whether it’s the death of his family, injuries, or having to move constantly. Ishmael says, “If we hadn’t stopped to rest on that hill, if we hadn’t run into Gasemu, I would have seen my family, I thought. . .. I got up, walked behind Gasemu, and locked his neck under my arms” (96). Just like the people in Syria, Ishmael had to deal with the many deaths that came with the war. Ishmael particularly took the death of his family so poorly that he was willing to injure an innocent person. Ishmael also had to leave his home when the war reached Mattru Jong, similar to how over eleven million people in Syria had to leave their homes due to the civil war. These examples reveal the many damages of war caused by both the Sierra Leone Civil War and the Syrian Civil War.

# data[].attributes.body
In March 2011 Syria’s government, led by the President faced an unprecedented challenge to its authority when pro-democracy protests erupted throughout the country. Protesters demanded an end to the authoritarian practices of the Assad regime, in place since Assad’s father, Ḥafiz al-Assad, became president in 1971. The Syrian government used violence to suppress demonstrations. Opposition militias began to form in 2011, and by 2012 the conflict had expanded into a full-fledged civil war.  Environmental crisis also played a role in Syria’s uprising. Later on Between 2006 and 2010, Syria experienced the worst drought in the country’s modern history. Hundreds of thousands of farming families were reduced to poverty, causing a mass migration of rural people to urban shantytowns.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War
The damages of war of this civil war related greatly to the war in Sierra Leone. It was also spurred by a civilian made protests about the government which seems to be a common theme in these wars, these wars lead to many loosing their jobs, homes, and many things they held dearly, for example in the city on page 202 is one of the many times war had taken everything away, it wasn't safe to get food or make money anymore similar how the drought had done the same to Syria and on top of that rebels and soldiers armed and merciless - many people had to leave yet not many of them crossed that border just the same.

# data[].attributes.body
Damages of war
During the Boston Marathon, “On April 15,2013, double bombings near the finish line of the Boston Marathon killed three people and injured at least 264.” In A Ling Way Gone, it states on page 205, “A soldier sitting in the open side opened fire with a machine gun...” In the Instances, both have killed and injured innocent people. Beah knee/lost people and his family from this. Innocent people lost their lives and their loved ones got hurt by these.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2013/06/03/us/boston-marathon-terror-attack-fast-facts/index.html

# data[].attributes.body
The Charleston Church shooting struck home to many people because of its location, a church. During this event a twenty-one year old attended a bible session then decided to unleash gunfire on a group of people. The shooters racist beliefs had prompted the court to determine whether or not the South Carolina Capitol was to still raise a confederate flag. After debate, state legislature decided to take it down. This shows how the shooter had no morals.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-touts-big-announcement-nikki-haley/story?id=58382121

This relates to an example of loss of innocence in "A Long Way Gone" whenever Ishmael recalls a story he was told about a monkey hunter. Within the story the monkey is held at gunpoint and says, "If you kill me your mom will die. If you don't your dad will die." Ishmael then proceeds to say that he would just kill the monkey to stop its reign, and not even care about killing something. This relates to the incident in south Carolina because each character had no self-morals and both thought it is OK to kill.

# data[].attributes.body
Importance of family
On page 197, it states, “When she became my mother years later...” Laura and Beah became like family over time, whilst in New York and would have eachother to talk to. During 9/11, one man recalls, “ ‘I told him, ‘ I have no siblings and I’d be glad to be your blood brother” Clark recalls.” Even though they are not brothers/family by blood or main relation, they thought of eachother as family. Clark and Beah both had people in their lives that are norbert blood related, but treated like family. Those people got close and could talk to them about anything. They both had a family-like person in a situation they needed.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/people.com/human-interest/911-survivors-reflect-escape-south-tower/amp/

# data[].attributes.body
The Virginia Tech shooting occurred at the Blacksburg, Virginia school campus of Virginia Tech. On April 16th, 2007, gunman Seung-Hui Cho began his attack. At 7:15 A.M., he shot and killed two students. The school, however, believed it was a domestic homicide and didn't alert the students. At 9:00 Cho sent a package to NBC News, and 45 minutes later, began shooting and killing more people. In the end, he killed 33 people (including himself) and injured 17 others. This attack was the most fatal mass shooting in US history at the time.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Virginia-Tech-shooting

This relates to the damages of violence as seen in "A Long Way Gone". The war in Sierra Leone left the people without homes, food, and even their lives. Even innocent children's lives were taken away. In ALWG, Ishmael tells us about a woman where, "her child had been shot dead as she ran for her life"(13). When the rebels arrived at the village, they shot and killed many adults and children, including that baby girl. During the Virginia Tech shooting, many people were also shot and killed by Seung-Hui Cho. In both the civil war and the shooting, we see the damaging effects of these violent acts.

# data[].attributes.body
On August 1st, 2005 a hurricane known as hurricane Katrina formed. It hit Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi by the time the storm stopped. This was a category 4 hurricane and resulted in over 1800 deaths and millions of dollars in destruction. Many people were forced to leave there homes and all there belongings and start a new life. 30000 people were without homes and 25000 gather at convention centers set up all around the area to help aid in peoples loss.

In “A Long way Gone” it talks about how towns were destroyed and how many people were killed and taken a way from there familys. A theme represented in both the tragedy and the novel is damages of war. On page 144 there is a scene where Beah and his group are raiding a village and killing everyone. He states “We had killed everyone. We left taking some ammunition from the dead gunmen.” This shows how the people of the town had everything taken from them in a heartbeat just like the people hit by the hurricane. Beah was the cause of familys to split apart and taking all of people’s belongings. In both, the damages of war changed the way people live and act about life.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Hurricane-Katrina

# data[].attributes.body
In 2002, a few snipers went to Washington, D.C. and shot and killed ten people, and injured three. John Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo chose targets at random to kill. The youngest person was a thirteen year old boy, and he was shot in front of his school. They participated in nearly a dozen shootings in total. This relates to the loss of innocence theme because little kids and young teenagers had to fear for their life because of the evil of other people.https://www.britannica.com/topic/Washington-DC-sniper-attacks-of-2002

# data[].attributes.body
On September 1, 2004, 32+ armed terrorists stormed a school in Belsan, a city in the North Caucasus Republic of North Ossetia, Russia. They took at least 1,000 hostages including children, teachers, and family members, who were there to celebrate the beginning of the school year. The hostages were herded into a gymnasium that was rigged with explosives. Some already died during the initial raid. For two days, hostages were refused food and water. Things became so desperate that some were forced to drink their own urine. On the morning of September 3, Russian officials rushed into the school after explosives were heard going off. This prompted an all-out gun fight. 330 people died, most were children. Many were killed by the explosives and consecutive gunfire in the gym. Others were killed by stray bullets in the confusion and chaos. Those who weren't killed were left with significant mental scarring.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Beslan-school-attack
This event relates to the loss of innocence theme portrayed in A Long Way Gone. Many children were killed in this attack. These children were forced into a situation that didn't even involve them, just like in ALWG. In the book, kids are forced into becoming child soldiers. Most are killed and the one's who weren't are forever scarred by the ordeal. These children in both scenarios were taken from their normal lives and put into these hostile situations unwillingly.

# data[].attributes.body
On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza took his own mothers life before going Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton Connecticut and taking the lives of 27 people. He had used an AR-15, shotgun and 2 semi-automatic pistols. He shot his way in through a glass door just after 9:30 AM and headed for the hallway and was confronted by the school principal and the school phycologist and shot them, alerting the other classrooms. The teachers went into lockdown procedures and hid in the classrooms. Lanza went into various classrooms and killed all/most of the people in them.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Newtown-shootings-of-2012
This event relates to the theme of the loss of innocence in A Long Way Gone. Ishmael talks about all the flashbacks he has about the war and killing random people for supplies. This makes me think about when he goes to a night dance with his cousin in Freetown. Ishmael has a flashback of when he was with his fellow soldiers and they started to kill people at a school dance and how he saw the fear in everyones eyes.

# data[].attributes.body
A terrorist attack, known as the “London bombings” , had occurred in London on July 7, 2005 where such drastic damages such as explosions tearing through three trains on the London Underground, killing nearly 39 people instantly had occurred. As this happened, people were then killed when a bomb detonated on the upper deck of a bus in Taustock Square, where more people had gotten killed or injured in the attack. In April of 2007, the three British Muslims were charged with assisting in the planning of the July 7 bombings in which these individuals were cleared 2 years later. https://www.britannica.com/event/London-bombings-of-2005
The London bombings relate to the novel, “A long way gone”, in comparison to the theme of “damages of war”. Although these stories have different ways of damages and the way people were affected, both have the same affect on the way things are then changed for individuals and the people around them

# data[].attributes.body
During the annual Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, two bombers who were brothers detonated 2 bombs near the finish line of the race, killing three people and injuring several hundred others, including 16 who lost limbs.

https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/03/us/boston-marathon-terror-attack-fast-facts/index.html

This relates to theme of damages of war in A Long way gone. In A Long Way Gone Ishmael's family and those in the village were murdered by the soldiers which was a horrifying event for Ishmael. In the bombing there were casualties which were also awful for those who knew them.

# data[].attributes.body
The Mexican drug war started in 2006, this is a fight with the Mexican government versus drug traffickers, then the drug traffickers also fight with each other over territories. this has made many cities in Mexico very dangerous because of the violent drug related crime. The war has been occurring for about 12 years now. The war is also dangerous for law enforcement because when they get involved they often get killed. In 2011 from January to September about 13,000 people were killed. That is only 9 months of the 12 years, there has been so many casualties and they keep growing. Many cartels have been busted and the people in charge of them have been sentenced to many years in jail. Because of this war, the safety in Mexico is very questionable.
In "A Long Way Gone" a war has also broken out. This war has also created a lot of dangerous cities where people question their safety because the dangerous cities are a damage from the war. This was has also caused a lot of casualties. Both of the wars made cities that were known as safe, unsafe.
https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/02/world/americas/mexico-drug-war-fast-facts/index.html

# data[].attributes.body
ty in Mexico is very questionable.
In "A Long Way Gone" a war has also broken out. This war has caused many cities to be destroyed and a lot of deaths. Ishmeal is serving as a child soldier in his LIo deal with many damages of war, not only was he trained to kill but he has become emotionally numb.er Ishmael got away from the war and was finally out of rehab, he had to deal with dangerous city yet again in Freetown while he was living with his uncle.
Both of the wars have been dangerous to people in and around them. They both have made people feel very unsafe and even question if they would live

# data[].attributes.body
The Syrian Civil War, which took place in 2011 and is still happening, is a civil war between the Arab Republic and the Syrian government. A new president was elected and suddenly protests broke out against the new man in power, Bashar al-Assad. The protests began to grow out of hand and escalated quite quickly. Violence broke out and hasn’t been able to be stopped. The death toll is still not confirmed since it seems to be growing daily. Many believe it is over 50,000. This has led to the small population living in fear. Not only from the fighting, but from each other. Citizens are turning against citizens and creating even more violence. There’s is no trust anymore.
https://sites.google.com/site/thesyriancivilwar/impacts
This relates to the theme: Damage of war, shown in ALWG. People of neighboring villages were unwilling to help Ishmael and his friends and even,” tried to hurt (them) to protect themselves, their families, and communities.” (37) The villagers did this even though the boys meant no harm. They couldn’t trust the boys because of the violence they had endured. The same thing is happening in Syria. Neighbors are turning on neighbors, and even children. Ishmael, who was thrust into the dark war, saw just how damaging war is to the human spirit and how it turns your friends into your foes as quick as the guns shots that started the war.

# data[].attributes.body
People who are crossing the border from Mexico to the United States illegally are having their children taken from them. More than 2,000 kids have been separated from their parents and put into foster care or orphanages. Their is nothing wrong with their parents and they are able to take care of their children, but they are being separated anyway. https://www.npr.org/2018/06/19/621065383/what-we-know-family-separation-and-zero-tolerance-at-the-border
In “A long way gone”, Ishmael is separated from his family. The novel and what is happening in real life relate to the theme importance of family. Ishmael felt lost without his family and these children who were taken from their parents probably feel that way too. Children being taken from their parents for crossing the border illegally relate to Ishmael and the war he fought.

# data[].attributes.body
On March 11, 2011 an earthquake and tsunami had hit Japan and left a devastating impact on many individuals after the serve natural disaster took the lives of more than 230,000 people. This all began with a magnitude-9.0 earthquake that struck at 2:46pm, almost 80 miles east of Sendai, Miyagi. The effects of the earthquake were so powerful that it could be felt as far away as Russia, Taiwan, and China. The end result of this had a death toll of 15,894 people and more then 2,500 are still reported missing to this day. Due to the horrific impact of the earthquake, it caused a sudden horizonal and vertical thrusting of the Pacific plate, it displaced the water above a caused multiple series of extremely destructive tsunami waves that measured tall as 33 feet high. The damages of the waves left thousands of victims caught in the debris. The result of the tsunami killed more the 28,500 people. A ripple effect that was caused after these natural disasters between radiation, starvation, pollution, and damage to the city left a total death toll of 230,00 lives that were taken.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-of-2011

This disaster relates to the theme of search of hope because looking at the survivors of this event, had shown that they had been through an unimaginable amount of loss and traumatizing emotional suffering that still to this day people are still being impacted. Yet, through all of this, there is still hope for those victims that one day the pain of those memories will slowly fade In "A Long Way Gone' by Ishmael Beah, he had gone through different events but had to go through a mental and physical rehabilitation process after what he had been through at such a young age. On page 198, Ishmael states, " At the end of our long discussions, our faces and eyes glittered with hope and promise of happiness." Through the mortifying things he had been through, he had finally managed to find an outlet for his grief and anger that turned to hope for a better future. As with the same for the victims of the natural disasters that occurred in Japan that there is still a search of hope for happiness and the ease of pain that came from March 11, 2011.

# data[].attributes.body
On December 14th, 2012 there was a school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. This occurred when a mentally ill man had a preoccupation with mass shootings and killed 26 people including 20 first graders. Adam Lanza, 20, had killed his mother before driving to the elementary school and later killing himself. This is one of the worst school shootings in Us history affecting many people.
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/a-look-back-sandy-hook-elementary-school-shooting/
This relates to A Long Way Gone because many of the themes throughout the book reflect on "loss of innocence" and many of the children who attend Sandy Hook Elementary experienced the same emotions. On page 85 Ishmael's friend Saidu dies, Ishmael experiences a loss of innocence after being so young and witnessing a friends death, much like many of the children at the elementary probably felt.

# data[].attributes.body
From 1989 to April 2017, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) threatened the citizens in central African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and Uganda. Created by Joseph Kony, the LRA committed mass murder, torture, and abductions of children to convert into child soldiers. Over 25 years, the LRA is determined to have killed 100,000+ people, abducted 60,000-100,000 children and displaced 2.5 million people. The army used strategies to brainwash kids to kill and kidnap others. Abductions still occur today. Those who escape are left with deep trauma and need to be rehabilitated. In addition the process of locating family members must be performed. Rehabilitation centers such as Invisible Children provide support to recovering ex-soldier children.

https://invisiblechildren.com/program/rehabilitation-project/

https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1451966/ugandas-brutal-lords-resistance-army-timeline

https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/lra.htm

Similarly in A Long Way Gone, the war left Ishmael to recover in a rehabilitation center as LRA child soldiers did. Both events demonstrate the theme, damages of war.  Due to the violence the children grew immune to during their fighting, upon reaching the rehabilitation center, they acted more like soldiers than children. For example, p. 136 states, “They had their guns pointed at us, but we laughed at them and walked outside to where military vehicles waited to transport us somewhere. We were so happy to have dealt with the rebel boys that we didn’t think of attacking the MPs”.  After murdering other children at the center because they were rebels, the soldier boys are able to laugh at guns being pointed at their faces. This shows how the war has damaged the boys by desensitizing them into thinking violence is acceptable and not something to fear. Rehabilitating child soldiers of the LRA probably had similar mindsets as they were also coming from a past where they were desensitized to use violence. In addition, Ishmael experienced migraines including ones “wherein the image of a burning village flashed in my mind, followed by wailings of many voices” (p. 184). Even after rehabilitation, the war brought pain to Ishmael and damaged his mind with migraines and vivid war memories. As the LRA soldiers also committed murder and violence, similar memories likely caused trauma for the child soldiers as well.

# data[].attributes.body
On January 12, 2010, an earthquake with a  7.0 magnitude hit Haiti. Before the earthquake, Haiti was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and had already been suffering from many political and economic problems. The earthquake affected approximately 3 million people and killed 316,000 people. The earthquake also caused many buildings to disintegrate, killing and trapping many. Around 1 million people were left homeless after the earthquake. Of these, many were orphans who had lost their family during the earthquake. Children were left vulnerable, and many were expedited by foreign officials before their families were looked for. This took away any chance of the children being reunited with their families.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Haiti-earthquake-of-2010

This relates to the theme of the importance of family in ALWG. In ALWG, Ishmael is separated from all of his family early on in the war. He attempts to reunite with him when the war first comes to their part of the country, but he does not succeed. Whenever he comes to a village where he has been told his family is staying, he is beyond excited to see them. However, when the village is burned before he gets to, he is devastated, describing the feeling as “I felt as though something had literally been placed on my head, heavier than I could ever imagine.” Even once he is in rehab and is starting to find new friends who take the role of his family in life, he continues to be haunted by this loss. On page 164 of the book, Ishmael says, “I had a nightmare that was different from the ones I had been having.” He goes on to say, “I went outside with the blood all over me and saw my mother, father, older and younger brother. They were all smiling as if nothing had happened, as if we had been together all this time.” The fact that even as Ismael starts his life over, he continues to remember and miss his family relates the children in Haiti. Even though many of them were taken out of the country or put into orphanages, they still had gone through the loss of their families, and they would never be able to forget this.

# data[].attributes.body
In October of last year wildfires ran rampart through California destroying property and lives. The fires greatly affected Sonoma and Napa counties, burning over 90,000 acres of land. Over 20,000 people in these counties were forced to evacuate with very little warning, leaving behind everything but the absolute necessities as they ran as far as possible, some on foot.  Many watched as their houses burned away, and many died in their homes.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/us/california-fires.html
This relates to the theme of damages of war in A Long Way Gone, because of the rebels attacking and burning villages "A thick smoke started rising from the village. At the top of it, sparks of flames leapt into the air." "When i got to the village it was completely on fire and bullet shells covered the ground like mango leaves in the morning" (Beah 93.) In both the wildfires and the attacks, it destroyed vast amounts of property and killed people. People were left searching for loved ones and hoping some of their belongings would miraculously survive. The fire and the attack had a very similar affect overall, its just the motive and cause is natural compared to a human cause.

# data[].attributes.body
On April 16th, 2007, Seung Hui Cho, a 23 year old senior, shot 32 people at Virginia Tech. The shooting began at 7:15 am in the dorms, in which two people were killed. Then, at 9:40 am, in the classroom building, Cho blocked other students and faculty members in by locking and chaining the doors. Ten minutes afterward, Cho died by his own gunshot wound. While more than a dozen people were injured, 27 students and 5 faculty members were killed. Colin Goddard, a former student at Virginia Tech, reflects on the trauma that still affects him today, stating that, "'Being in that classroom setting, when a student would bust in the classroom, I would freak out.'" Two days after the mass shooting, NBC received a package sent by Cho with photos of him with a gun and videos of him ranting about "wealthy brats." The Virginia Tech shooting remains as one of the deadliest mass shootings in the U.S.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/room-211-massacre-virginia-tech-remembered-10-years/story?id=46701034
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/massacre-at-virginia-tech-leaves-32-dead
The Virginia Tech Shooting closely relates to the theme, loss of innocence, in "A Long Way Gone." Both Ishmael Beah and Colin Goddard have similar experiences, where a setting that was considered "safe" suddenly turned into a dangerous one. Additionally, Beah and Goddard experience trauma from war and the mass shooting that affects them in every day life. For Beah, he explains, "...whenever I went to the bush with my cousins to fetch firewood, my mind would begin to wander to things I had seen and done in the past (190)..." Goddard also explains that he would "freak out" when someone would come into the classroom. Simple things/tasks cause Beah and Goddard to receive flashbacks of what had happened to them. They had to endure seeing their peers perish at such a young age and they will live with that the rest of their lives. Travelling to a talent show should not get a person caught up in a never-ending war cycle and going to college should not cause a student to question their safety.

# data[].attributes.body
On September 11th, 2001 the largest terrorist attack in United States history had taken place in New York City, killing 3,000 innocent people. This attack was completely unexpected and left many American people confused and angry. The attacks changed Americas whole system of basic protection, and it even changed most peoples outlook.

https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

This tragedy relates to the theme of the importance of family in ALWG because during 9/11 people experienced the pain and weakness of Ishmael, and what it is like to loose loved ones. Both American people and the people of Sierra Leone experienced such a negative event(s) that it ties both into the same theme.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/05/17/us/las-vegas-shooting-documents-highlights/index.htmlhttps://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/05/17/us/las-vegas-shooting-documents-highlights/index.html

In A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, many people lost their lives due to the war. Many innocent people were shot or killed in another violent way. This relates to the Las Vegas shooting because Paddock shot many innocent people. In ALWG, Ishmael loses his family and has no one left but his uncle. In the war, he becomes a child soldier and the war traumatized him. Ishmael loss his innocence during the war. In the book it says, “Whenever I went tot he bush with my cousins to fetch firewood, my mind would begin to wander to things I hadn’t seen and done in the past” (Beah 190). When Beah stood next to a tree with red frozen sap on its bark brought back flashbacks of the many times he executed prisoners. In the Mandalay Bay and Resort, blood was splattered every where because of the gun shots through the innocent victims.

# data[].attributes.body
Since 2015, a giant swarm of child soldiers have joined the ranks of the Taliban. Islamic religious schools are being used to provide combat training to children who are around the age of 13 to 17 years old, but can begin to learn from Taliban teachers around the age of 6 years old. At the age of 13, the boys are taught military skills and how to properly work with IEDs. It is easy to get children to join because the Taliban promises righteousness and the boys don't feel like they have to take care of their families, so it is easy for them to risk their lives. Children also join because they are told that their families will be well taken care of.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/02/17/afghanistan-taliban-child-soldier-recruitment-surges
This problem that is occurring in Afghanistan relates to ALWG through the theme of "Loss of Innocence". when Ishmael was with his unit while they were conducting an ambush, he said, " I raised my gun and pulled the trigger, and I had killed a man."(119) This is the moment where Ishmael had lost his innocence or his childhood because this is something no child should have to do. In Afghanistan, boys are also being trained to kill and steal just like Ishmael, and once they cross a certain line, it may be very hard for them to act like normal people and it may also be very hard for them to be excepted back into society as normal people too.

# data[].attributes.body
In the recent months of 2018, new laws executed by President Trump of the United States have been put in place regarding the souther border control. These laws have often been causing children to be seperated from their parents and other family members for no reason at all. Over 2500 children have been held in custody in US-government funded shelters as the parents were deported back to their country of origin. This “border crackdown” wasn’t meant to seperate the families, but was supposed to help control the illegal immigration into America, which is at an all time high. The Trump Administration and other government officials are still working on logistics and solutions behind this problem, but until then it could be weeks or even months until the families are reunited as one.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/local/immigration/still-separated-nearly-500-separated-migrant-children-remain-in-us-custody/2018/08/30/6dbd8278-aa09-11e8-8a0c-70b618c98d3c_story.html

The situation currently happening in America relates to a them in ALWG about the Importance of Family. Ishmael is forced to run from the war at a young age, learning how to survive on his own and not have any parental guidance. One may think it is the times he was together with his family were the most important, but it is actually when he is alone. When he learns to do things for himself like gather food and gain communication skills, he realizes how much his family meant to him and how much of a “rock” they were to him. An example of this is on page 72 of the memoir, Ishmael states “I had trouble conjuring up these thoughts, and when I finally ventured into these memories, I became so sad that the bones in my body began to ache.” At this point of the memoir, Ishmael is seperated from his family, and he begins to flashback to the good memories he had with them, and how much of an asset they were to him. This reveals a theme of the importance of family. This is similar to the immigrants being seperated from their families because sources from the Washington Post explain how this affected the children deeply, and how much they just want to be back with their own family. These are both examples of a kid(s) who are forcefully seperated from their family without cause, and they reveal the importance of family that comes along with it.

# data[].attributes.body
The Trump administration is separating families who cross the US-Mexico border illegally. They prosecute the parents and place their children in government custody or even in foster care. Countless amount of parents are being split from their children every day. Articles of this happening show children crying themselves to sleep because they have no idea where their parents are. One man killed himself after his kid was taken away.
https://www.vox.com/2018/6/11/17443198/children-immigrant-families-separated-parents
This can relate to the theme of importance of family. “I pray to the gods and ancestors that your family will always be together, even when one of you crosses into the spirit world. To family and community.” The old man raised his open hands in the air. My father came over and stood by my mother and motioned for Junior and me to come closer. We did, and my father

# data[].attributes.body
In December 2013, President Kiir accused Riek Machar of attempted overthrow of the South Sudan government. Mach denied the accusations and fled to the opposing political party. Supporters of both parties began to fight, and a civil war broke out.  There have been many peace agreements to try and cease fire, however, one party is not happy with the terms, and they refuse to compromise.  The war has taken over all of South Sudan, and they have started to use child soldiers to aid with the fighting.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/12/14/south-sudan-terrifying-lives-child-soldiers

This civil war caused many young boys to lose their innocence.  For example, the article says, "We defeated and killed a lot of people...we were shooting, me and the other young kids. We were afraid but we had to do it anyway." This supports the theme from ALWG because boys were forced into killing others, which would force the young boys to lose their childhood innocence and grow up. In ALWG on page 135, Ishmael wrote, "I wasn't sure whether he was unconscious or dead. I didn't care. No one screamed or cried during the fight. After all, we had been doing such things for years..." Ishmael is remembering how he killed many people without mercy. He was forced to lose his innocence when he fought in the war. In the beginning of the book, he was against all of the brutal murdering, but at the time of the quote, he is doing it without thinking.

# data[].attributes.body
The 2017 Las Vegas shooting was a mass shooting that happened on the night of October 1, 2017 at an outdoor Las Vegas concert. Stephen Paddock killed 58 people and wounded 489 who were crowded together in one field. Many people encountered Stephen before he opened fire from his hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. After Paddock opened fire on the people who attended the concert, police officers walked through the hallways with their guns drawn, ordering the hotel guests to stay indoors.

# data[].attributes.body
In January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti. It was the strongest earthquake to hit this region in around 200 years. Around 200,000 people died and 895,000 Haitians were left homeless. The thousands of dead bodies were all buried in a mass burial. Many buildings were damaged and destroyed, including residences, businesses, and government buildings. International relief was sent out from all over the world to help Haiti recover from the tragedy.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/this-day-in-history/massive-earthquake-strikes-haiti

This earthquake caused thousands of people to lose their family members, or be separated from them. These people also lost their homes and their work places. This particular real-life event represents the theme of importance of family. This disaster caused everyone’s lives in Haiti to change, mostly because they lost family members and loved ones. Experiencing the aftermath of this disaster would be hard to do without family members. In A Long Way Gone, the theme of importance of family is represented, too. On page 170, the text states, “‘I am sorry about bringing up the matter again. I know it will upset you, but I have to be honest with you,” Leslie said. He walked around the room and began: ‘We cannot locate any immediate family members of yours, so we have to find you a foster family here in the city...’” Ishmael lost his dad, mom, and brothers due to the war, and he has to live without them for the rest of his life. They were such an important part of his life and childhood and he can no longer be with them since they have died.

# data[].attributes.body
On September 11, 2001 there were a series of terroristic attacks in the US and this resulted in the deaths of 3000 people and it still affects the US today. This relates to the theme of the importance of family in A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah because people were constantly worried about all of their loved ones during 9/11 just like ishmael and his friends were constantly worried about their families when they found out that their hometown had been attacked by rebels. This is shown on page 21 when he states “we hadn’t heard any news about our families and didn’t know what else to do except wait,” (Beah, 21).
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

# data[].attributes.body
This way, your annotation check can be completed on Wednesday prior to class on Thursday. If your person checks the Padlet on Wednesday and your comment is not on the website, they will take note and notify me immediately. You will not receive credit. 
favorite_border
0

# data[].attributes.body
This way, your annotation check can be completed on Wednesday prior to class on Thursday. If your person checks the Padlet on Wednesday and your comment is not on the website, they will take note and notify me immediately. You will not receive credit. 
favorite_border
0

# data[].attributes.body
Huricane katrina washed away many peoples homes and famalies wivh is close to ishmael and how he lost his home and his family

# data[].attributes.body
not on the website, they will take note and notify me immediately. You will not receive credit. 
favorite_border
0

# data[].attributes.body
In 2011, serve natural diasters including earthquakes and tsunamis struck Japan causing devastation. The earthquake struck Japans main island which caused widespread damage among the city’s people andrea buildings. The earthquake then triggered tsunamis which caused dangerous floods that destroyed homes and businesses. The event also killed many, left thousands homeless, and caused separations between families.

https://www.britannica.com/event/Japan-earthquake-and-tsunami-of-2011
This relates to the theme in “A Long Way Gone” of the importance of family. Family provides a source of strength and support when in difficult
situations. During the earthquake of Japan, many families were separated and children were without parents. This is similar to Ishmael’s situation. Ishmael in turn uses this struggle as a source of motivation for him to continue pushing to survive. He recalls a quote from his father stating, “If you are alive, there isn’t hope for a better day and something good to happen” (pg54). Family has a significant effect on people, even when family isn’t present.

# data[].attributes.body
On September 11th, 2001 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group called al-Qaeda jijacked 4 planes. 2 of these planes hit the twin towers in New York City while another one hit the pentagon just outside of Washington and the other crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Both of the twin towers collapsed causing a lot of death and destruction of New York. In all 3000 people were killed  and many other injured. It was a dark time for America.

In the book “A long Way Gone” it tells the story of Ishmael Beah who was turned into a child soldier. The importance of family is what relates these 2 stories together. For example on 190 in “A long Way gone” Beah talks about how him and his uncle would often talk about many things that would make beah feel More at home. He states, “ I was starting to love talking and being with my uncle I just never told him”.This relates to 9/11 because many people were impacted by this tragedy and needed family to comfort them during this rough time. Just like Beah did.We as a nation came together as one big family’s during these events.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/21st-century/9-11-timeline

# data[].attributes.body
On September 11, 2001 four related terrorist attacks took place in the Untied States killing 2,996 people. It was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in human history. This attack was unexpected to all americans and left many in horror from the loss of many family and friends. It cause america to change it’s life style all together along with its people still to this day. The invasion caused 10 billion dollars in damage and still effects how we live today.

This relates to the importance of family in ALWG because of the massive number of innocent people killed in an unexpected attack/attacks. In ALWG the was caused damage to many homes and daily lives just as 9/11 did in america. For example in ALWG Ismael’s actions show how the war taking away his family effected him “They stayed in that house.The fire had consumed all the door and window frames, and the mud that had been pushed in between the sticks was falling off, revealing the ropes through which the remaining fire was making its way. My entire body went into shock. Only my eyes moved, slowly opening and closing. I tried to shake my leg to get my blood flowing, but i fell to the ground, holding my face. On the ground I felt as if my eyes were growing too big for their sockets. I could feel them expanding, and the pain released my body from the shock. I ran toward the house. Without any fear I went inside and looked around the smoke-filled rooms. The floors were filled with heaps of ashes; no solid form of a body was inside. I screamed at the top of my lungs and began to cry as loudly as I could, punching and kicking with all might into the weak walls that continued to burn. I had lost my sense of touch. My hands and feet punched and kicked the burning walls, but i couldn’t feel a thing. Gasemu  and the rest of the other boys began pulling me away from the house. I kept kicking and punching as they dragged me out.” (page 95) This example provides Ishmael’s actions to the loss of his family against the war. It shows how it greatly changed his life forever.

# data[].attributes.body
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.history.com/.amp/topics/1990s/columbine-high-school-shootings

# data[].attributes.body
The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut. 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot 20 children between six and seven years old, as well as six adult staff members. Prior to driving to the school, he shot and killed his mother at their home in Connecticut. When first responders arrived Lanza committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. There were 28 deaths in total.

# data[].attributes.body
On September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which triggered major U.S. initiatives to combat terrorism and defined the presidency of George W. Bush.

https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks

The theme of searching for hope can be found in the events following 9/11 and in the civil war of Sierra Leonne found in "A Long Way Gone" . Both American citizens and Sierra Leonne civilians felt the need to combat the acts of evil that had happened to them. George Bush had declared war in Afghanistan shortly after the terrorist attack had happened saying that the United States would not allow nothing to be done to the groups that had organized these events and American citizens had rallied behind this idea. In Sierra Leonne people like Ishmael had ran from the rebel attacks and had hope of getting passed the tough times of the war and all the damage it had caused.

# data[].attributes.body
On April 19th, 1995 there was a domestic terrorist attack on the Alfred. P Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This occurred when a truck filled with explosives was set off outside the building, killing 168 people. The explosion blew off the nine-story building's north wall and damaged 300 other buildings in the surrounding area. Timothy McVeigh, an anti-government militant, conducted this attack and was executed in 2001 for his crimes.

# data[].attributes.body
The war in Darfur took place in the Darfur region of Sudan. In Feb. 2003, certain rebel groups began fighting against the Sudan government. Sudan was accused of oppressing Darfur's non-Arab population. They used tactics like poisonous gas to rid the town of people. They would recruit child as young as 11 years old as child-soldiers to join their army.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/29/world/africa/sudan-amnesty-international-darfur.html

In ALWG, Beah is recruited as a child soldier to fight for the army. In the Darfur conflict, the soldiers would force the children to join them, or they would kill them. Much like what happened to Beah in ALWG, he was forced to join because he needed food. This shows theme of loss of innocence and damages of war by showing the reader how desperate he was for food and shelter.

# data[].attributes.body
On February 14, 2018, 17 people were killed and 14 others were injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Highschool in Parkland, Florida. The gunman was 19 year old Nickolas Cruz who had been expelled from the school a year earlier. Some of the survivors "watched classmates die and had bullets fly past them as they huddled in fear."

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/national/survivors-describe-horror-parkland-school-shooting-newly-released-documents/5dzUcg366EUoDG8uqI2Y6M/

This relates to A Long Way Gone because these students lost their innocence when they had to see their classmates - who they had known for a while - get brutally murdered and then also fear that they might be next. Ishmael saw so many people die and saw their bullet-filled bodies lay on the ground. The first time he witnessed this was when he was watching a grown man grieve his family when a woman's body fell out of the car, "blood coming out of her ears" and "in the back of the van were three more dead bodies" (Beah 12). Ishmael can vividly remember this because he lost innocence that day when those scenes traumatized him. The students in Parkland were also traumatized because they watched their classmates die.

# data[].attributes.body
Hurricane Florence was a hurricane in the South leading to many damaged items and families. This hurricane called for more than 1,000 rescues and the death toll from the storm rose to at least 16 in South and North Carolina. Many people were expecting landslides. No matter which part of North Carolina you lived in, no one is safe from the flooding. People recall this is the most dangerous hurricane they've witnessed. When the hurricane finally steered out of the Carolina's, people were left restless and fearful not knowing what's yet to come.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/16/us/hurricane-florence-path.html
Hurricane Florence relates to ALWG because in Sierra Leone, many families were separated each day, either by soldiers or death. These families struggled in the same ways, with some situations more severe. Both traumatic events will haunt these innocent people for as long as they live. These events are now a part of them and helped shape these people in to the way they are.

# data[].attributes.body
Tristen Lucas

# data[].attributes.body
Michael Sible

Anonymous
1m
Michael Sible
favorite_border
0
Sophia Weber

Anonymous
1m
Sophia Weber
Hurricane Katrina was a tropical cyclone that hit southeastern United States in 2005.
favorite_border
0
Lilith Krall

Anonymous
2m
Lilith Krall
favorite_border
0
Maggie Russell

Anonymous
1m
Maggie Russell
In many places, child soldiers have become common. When wars break out and adult soldiers and decreasing, the people at war call for desperate mesasures. They choose children. In a place specifically called South Sudan the child
favorite_border
0
Drew Smida

Anonymous
1m
Drew Smida
The shooting at Columbine High School happened on April 20th, 1999, in Littleon, Colorado. Two teens named David Klebold and Eric Harris went to school dressed in trench coats and began shooting students 
favorite_border
0
Olivia Thompson

Anonymous
1m
Olivia Thompson
The Orlando Terrist Attack in 2016 was a mass shooting that killed 49 civilians and injured over 50 inside a nightclub 
favorite_border
0
Ezekiel Digiamberdine

Anonymous
1m
Ezekiel Digiamberdine
http://endgenocide.org/conflict-areas/sudan-backgrounder/
In 2003, there was a rebellion in Sudan, Africa. The Dafur region of Sudan began killing citizens and it accumulated to over 300,000, and a displacement of over 3 million citizens of Dafur. In 2010, rhere was a cease fire agreement 
favorite_border
0
Cerina Wichryk

Anonymous
6m
Cerina Wichryk
favorite_border
0
Tyler Merlina

Anonymous
1m
Tyler Merlina
on page 194 chapter 20 
"Is it your first time in the city ," Dr. 
favorite_border
0
Kayleigh Bayer

Anonymous
1m
Kayleigh Bayer
On September 11, 2001 there was a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks on the United States. 2,996 people were killed and 6,000 injured. The terrorist group that organised this was al Queda who was led n
favorite_border
0
Megan Pollinger

Anonymous
1m
Megan Pollinger
The Santa Fe school shooting was a mass shooting that killed a total of 10 people, 8 of those which were students and the other 2 were teachers, and left another 10 people injured. This occurred when a 17-year-old student was armed with a pistol and opened fire in art class. Following this terrible disaster, families are trying to make sure everyone is aware that this can happen at any time. In Santa Fe this terrible event took place with only a week of school left. 
favorite_border
0
EXAMPLE:

kgrabner
16h
EXAMPLE: 
The Rwandan Genocide (1994) also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, was a mass slaughter of Tutsi in Rwanda during the Rwandan Civil War, which had started in 1990. It was directed by members of the Hutu majority government during the 100-day period from 7 April to mid-July 1994. An estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed, constituting an estimated 70% of the Tutsi population. Additionally, 30% of the Pygmy Batwa were killed.The genocide and widespread slaughter of Rwandans ended after the Tutsi-backed and heavily armed Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Paul Kgamwe, took control of the capital and the country. An estimated 2,000,000 Rwandans, mostly Hutu, were displaced and became refugees. 

https://www.history.com/topics/africa/rwandan-genocide

This relates to the importance of family in ALWG due to the massive misplacement and murder of so many people. The refugees were without a home and most of the time were also separated from their families in a matter of seconds as members of the RPF destroyed towns. In ALWG, Ishmael describes the loss of his family members as a time when he didn't know "what was happening to [him]" and claimed, "I wanted to see my family, even if it meant dying with them" (96). He describes this as he realizes that his family has just died in front of his eyes as rebels attacked their village. During the Rwandan genocide, many families were displaced and left their families without saying goodbye. Ishmael, in the same position, would have rather died than watch them disappear before his eyes. This demonstrates the parallel to losing family members in the genocide.
favorite_border
0
DUE THURSDAY 10/11

kgrabner
17h
DUE THURSDAY 10/11
You are to find a real-life connection to a thematic idea from ALWG. YOUR CONNECTION MUST BE CURRENT - THAT MEANS NO EARLIER THAN THE YEAR 2000. You must summarize it in your comment, then analyze and describe the thematic connection you discovered. Your connection must be backed by evidence from your article AND the novel. Please paste the link that you find to your event. Don't forget to add your name to the thread. Next, look at your assigned person's comment to check their annotation for the items on your checklist. 

THIS MEANS YOUR COMMENT MUST BE POSTED BY MIDNIGHT ON TUESDAY. This way, your annotation check can be completed on Wednesday prior to class on Thursday. If your person checks the Padlet on Wednesday and your comment is not on the website, they will take note and notify me immediately. You will not receive credit. 
favorite_border
0
 

# data[].attributes.body
Hurricane Katrina was a tropical cyclone that hit southeastern United States in 2005. It caused a lot of damage to the areas  making reparations very expensive and killed over 1,800 people. By the end of the August, the hurricane had reached a category 4, and was moving closer to New Orleans. The mayor of New Orleans called for an evacuation of the city. Many people lost their belongings and homes. On September 2nd, the military began to come together and supply food and water for the people in need. Overall, the disaster caused much chaos and damage to thousands of people.
https://www.britannica.com/event/Hurricane-Katrina

This relates to the theme of loss of innocence in "A Long Way Gone." When Ishmael was very young, he had his entire life and childhood taken away from him instantly. he lost his family, his home and city was destroyed, and some of his close friends died right in front of him. For example, on page 6, the novel states, " My imagination at ten years old didn't have the capacity to grasp what had taken away the happiness of the refugees." When hurricane Katrina hit, many young kids had to experience their homes being destroyed and some even getting seprated from their families.

# data[].attributes.body
Since February of 2003 in the Darfur region of western Sudan, government-sponsored militias known as the Janjaweed have conducted mass violence and destruction. The Janjaweed have slaughtered many, caused starvation, and caused displacement in Darfur. There is an estimated 400,000 casualties due to the violence, starvation, and disease. Over 2.5 million people have been displaced from their homes and over 200,000 have fled across the border to Chad. Many live in camps lacking proper food, shelter, sanitation, and health care.
https://genocideeducation.org/resources/modern-era-genocides/
This connects to ALWG because just as in Sierra Leone, there is mass violence, starvation, and displacement, which connects to the damages of war.

# data[].attributes.body
In many places, child soldiers have become common. When wars break out and the number of adult soldiers start decreasing, the people at war call for desperate mesasures. They choose children. In a place, specifically called, South Sudan child soldiers are becoming more and more common by the minute. A group called the National Liberation Movement is responsible for taking multiple children away from their homes and families. These children do not have a choice, which also plays a part in the increasing figure. According to the UN, they also say that the number of child soldiers being recruited is rising. UNICEF believes that the amount has been continuously rising in South Sudan ever since the civil war started in 2013.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2018/02/unicef-road-soldier-child-biggest-challenge-180212102306805.html
This relates back to the loss of innocence. Throughout the novel, Ishmael Beah was just a young boy trying to figure out who he was, what his passion is, and what he wanted to do in life. Not too long after he discovered a passion, he was taken away and recruited as a child soldier and had no more time for a passion, other than killing people. Eventually he became so brainwashed that he could not even feel a single drop of emotion, he couldn’t even feel a beat in his heart. However later on in the novel— Beah was chosen to be taken away from the madness, little did he know they were trying to fix him. This also happened to child soldiers in real life, some kids take 2-3 just to be in a new home again and resettle. Eventually after all the trauma, things grow to be better and life becomes less painful. All in all, this loss of innocence relates back to kids not being able to be kids. Once something this traumatizing happens to a child at such a young age, they must learn to grow up very quickly.

# data[].attributes.body
The shooting at Columbine High School happened on April 20th, 1999, in Littleon, Colorado. Two teens named David Klebold and Eric Harris went to school dressed in trench coats and began shooting students outside the high school, killing Rachel Joy Scott, then moving into the school. They killed 13 people and injured over 20, causing, at the time, the worst high school shooting in U.S history. This heartbreaking story and “A long way gone” both share stories of a loss in innocence. In “A long way gone” Beah is forced to no longer be a child and become a killer, doing things he never thought he was capable of, on page 124, Beah says “Sometimes we were asked to leave for war in the middle of a movie. We would come back hours later after killing many people and continue the movie as if we had just returned from intermission. we were always either at the front lines, watching a war movie, or doing drugs. There was no time to be alone or to think.”, Beah was taken away from his innocence, just like the students who died at Columbine, they had their lives taken away, they had everything taken away from them. Loss of innocence lives

# data[].attributes.body
In 2016, the Orlando Terrist Attack was a mass shooting that killed 49 civilians and injured over 50 people inside a LGBT nightclub(The Pulse). Arriving in a van, Omar Mateen, who was 29 at the time, started firing shots around 2am. About 100 policemen from Orange County Sheriffs Office were dispatched to the area to take down Mateen. He claimed to have wanted revenge from the US killing Abu Waheeb in Iraq the previous month. A former coworker of Omar stated, “He talked about killing people, used slurs and had a lot of hatred for people. Black people, women, he did not like Jews, he did not like Hispanics, nor did he like gay or lesbian people.” The theme was “Latinos Night” at a LGBT bar so we can infer the statement was correct.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_nightclub_shooting
This mass shooting event compares to the loss of innocence in A Long Way Gone. On page 65 it states, “Twelve of them ran after the seven of us, wrestling us to the sand. They tied our hands. In truth, realizing that i would eventually be caught, i stopped running and offered my hands.” We can relate this to how both of these events were unexpected killings so they had no time to escape. In the shooting, people had no where to turn to because he entered through the main door just like the boys knew they couldn’t outrun the strong men so they eventually gave up hope and surrendered.

# data[].attributes.body
http://endgenocide.org/conflict-areas/sudan-backgrounder/
In 2003, there was a rebellion in Sudan, Africa. The Dafur region of Sudan began killing citizens and it accumulated to over 300,000, and a displacement of over 3 million citizens of Dafur. In 2010, there was a cease fire agreement, and they have been working on the Doha peace forum. In 2011, the cease fire stopped and they kept the violence going on, and displacement of there citizens. In 2014, there is over 400,000 citizens displaced.
This relates to the loss of innocence in ALWG because of how many familys were killed and separated from one another. The citizens in Dafur were murdered by the rebel army. In ALWG, Ishmael states, " As i was going down the hill, i heard gunshots. And dogs barking.And people screaming and crying"(93). Ishmael witnessed his family die in the village and lost innocence realizing he will never have his family again. The citizens of Dafur were probably also in the same position as Ishmael where they watched there own family die. This shows the loss of innocence in a state of war.

# data[].attributes.body
The annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in 2014 was a shocking and controversial act on Russia's behalf. This breach was the first time Russian expansion becomes a topic since the conclusion of the Cold War. The action undoes the work of the Soviet premier Nikita Krushchev, who gave the region to Ukraine in 1954. The Crimean Tartars, a Turkish-speaking ethic group, have been driven out of the country due to the Russian annexation who discriminate against them.

https://www.history.com/news/crimea-russia-ukraine-annexation

This event is an example of the loss of innocence for the Tartars. A whole ethnic group is being harassed and turned away from their homes by the Russians and children of the Tartars are exposed to the worst of the world. It can be a harrowing experience for those who once lived in peace to be forced into conflict. In ALWG, after Ishmael's uncle dies, his sisters are instantly confused and distressed. They "cried, asking, Who is going to take care of us now? Why did this happen to us in these difficult times?" (208).

# data[].attributes.body
on page 194 chapter 20 it says
""Is it your first time in the city ," Dr. Tamba replied, and  busied himself putting away our documents."" I Had ever heard of the word "snow" before.
Basically this is Ishaemel's first time seeing snow he is basically like a child right now because he has never seen it.

# data[].attributes.body
On September 11, 2001 there was a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks on the United States. 2,996 people were killed and 6,000 injured. The terrorist group that organised this was al Queda who was led by Osama bin Laden. The attacks took place in New York City, NY, Washington, D.C., and Summerset, Pennsylvania.

# data[].attributes.body
The Santa Fe school shooting was a surprise mass shooting that killed a total of 10 people, 8 of those which were students and the other 2 were teachers, and left another 10 people injured. This occurred when a 17-year-old student was armed with a pistol and opened fire in art class. Following this terrible disaster, families are trying to make sure everyone is aware that this can happen at any time. In Santa Fe this terrible event took place with only a week of school left.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/05/19/ten-killed-in-texas-high-school-shooting-were-mostly-students-police-say-suspect-confessed/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.3625970a6408

This relates to the loss of innocence in ALWG. Most of the people in Sierra Leon who carried a gun were in their teen years much like the gunman in Texas. Carrying these weapons made them feel like they had so much freedom. This freedom was then drawn out of hand when the child soldiers began killing and hurting people in insane ways. They were affected by it at first, but since this became such a common act they felt little to no guilt. Ishmael once said, " I am not afraid of these lifeless bodies. I despised them and kicked them to flip them." This shows how the solders only cared about themselves and not how other people would be affected. The shooter in Texas was the same way. He did not think twice about shooting kids he had attended school with all his life, instead he wanted people to know his story.

# data[].attributes.body
The Rwandan Genocide (1994) also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, was a mass slaughter of Tutsi in Rwanda during the Rwandan Civil War, which had started in 1990. It was directed by members of the Hutu majority government during the 100-day period from 7 April to mid-July 1994. An estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans were killed, constituting an estimated 70% of the Tutsi population. Additionally, 30% of the Pygmy Batwa were killed.The genocide and widespread slaughter of Rwandans ended after the Tutsi-backed and heavily armed Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Paul Kgamwe, took control of the capital and the country. An estimated 2,000,000 Rwandans, mostly Hutu, were displaced and became refugees.

https://www.history.com/topics/africa/rwandan-genocide

This relates to the importance of family in ALWG due to the massive misplacement and murder of so many people. The refugees were without a home and most of the time were also separated from their families in a matter of seconds as members of the RPF destroyed towns. In ALWG, Ishmael describes the loss of his family members as a time when he didn't know "what was happening to [him]" and claimed, "I wanted to see my family, even if it meant dying with them" (96). He describes this as he realizes that his family has just died in front of his eyes as rebels attacked their village. During the Rwandan genocide, many families were displaced and left their families without saying goodbye. Ishmael, in the same position, would have rather died than watch them disappear before his eyes. This demonstrates the parallel to losing family members in the genocide.

# data[].attributes.body
You are to find a real-life connection to a thematic idea from ALWG. YOUR CONNECTION MUST BE CURRENT - THAT MEANS NO EARLIER THAN THE YEAR 2000. You must summarize it in your comment, then analyze and describe the thematic connection you discovered. Your connection must be backed by evidence from your article AND the novel. Please paste the link that you find to your event. Don't forget to add your name to the thread. Next, look at your assigned person's comment to check their annotation for the items on your checklist.

THIS MEANS YOUR COMMENT MUST BE POSTED BY MIDNIGHT ON TUESDAY. This way, your annotation check can be completed on Wednesday prior to class on Thursday. If your person checks the Padlet on Wednesday and your comment is not on the website, they will take note and notify me immediately. You will not receive credit.