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The sky weeps
Filled by the disappearance of the moon
And bullets replacing stars
As bullets fell
Bleeding began

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Wept

Drowning

Hands began shaking

I became so sad that the bones in my body started to ache

I didnt know what I was going to do with my life

Confusion

Disbelief

Stomach was tens

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I began to cry loudly
by myself,
I continue to stay alive
for my family
we could be all be happy

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My spirit soon turned dull

Laughter turned into quietness

And happiness into sadness

The river flowed loudly

But I almost couldn't hear with how fast my heart was beating
Trembling uncontrollably as tears rolled down my face

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Everyone cried

We all grieved in silence

Without saying a word,
the world kept going
birds kept singing
night became day and night again
we were trying to survive

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The late night breeze dried my tears as stars fell from the sky

Temporary silence

I began to cry softly

crying like a child uncontrollably

I longed for the gentle, dark, and shiny hands of my grandmother

back and forth between emotions.

Tears now frozen

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To the river

Dancing in sand

We could be happy

We all laughed

High spirits

I smiled a bit

We were walking with the moon

Sky shine its light on us

We all laughed

In the middle of a war

Staring into the night

We all began to sob

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Glowing Smile

High spirits shine all night long

Familiar smile

Glorious

Dance

Sing

Catch the sun

Return.

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Unsettling villages, survived the night

Waiting for death to attack again

Quieter it got as slowly tears fell

Sky blue and my family hopefully safe

Our journey is only emotionally beginning…

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Survive

Keep walking

Carry the pain

Body starts to ache

Woke from the dead

Nightfall

Cry

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What life was like
My mind was plagued
I barely noticed the journey
Every morning
Being attacked
Hiding for a week
Families separated
Gunshots echoing
Silence

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It’s brightness became dull as nights
Painful memories, tears

Pain

Screaming

They are on fire

My hands and feet kicked the burning walls

My heart felt as if it was going to explode

Hissed and boiled

Anger

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Will Ishmael ever come across rebels who will force him to become one of them?

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I wasn't sure when it was going to end

My life was filled with regret, screaming, and death

Starting over and over again

I'm in disbelief, I was trembling, and so were my hands.

I panicked, his hands were cold, his body was still sweating

Imagine all the regret I was feeling.

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The atmosphere wasn't clear

But something was about to happen

Uniforms, Weapons, All the soldiers assembled

They stood still

I heard a voice

“Attention” stopped warming up

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The biggest celebration

Laughter

Dancing

Seven plates of food brought as we joined hands

Villagers have drums echoing

Women sing

Laughter that led into the morning

The biggest celebration

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hold onto the memories, dwell
trying to find a sign passing through, to do now?
the darkness just swiftly rolled away
see clearly through the shock
blame, think it is strange

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The sky wept

Pierced my heart

Tears
wailing
shattering

Burial

Cemetery

Part of me dies

he had actually left us

We were young

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The world became eerily silent

We were afraid of thinking

We all began to sob, sounded like a cry

To die exhausted, upset, frozen

But we were afraid to accept

Stop smiling

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Painful memories

Death

Tears

Chaos
Attacked

Afraid of thinking
Discourage him

Survive each passing day

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I carry the pain

And wait for death

as I attempt to survive.

But another attack is around the corner.

An unsettling feeling drowned our souls.

I looked over and knew

Saidu had left us.

Tears froze in my eyes

as he continued bleeding.

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I zigzagged across the street

As flames leapt into the air

Cries everyday that made my heart explode

Screaming and shrieks were now unmovable

Gunshots

The world was very quiet

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Rebels…they terrify me

I heard gunshots

Chaos

Blood dripped

Just lying there

Tears formed in my eyes much easier to be sad

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An unimaginable journey had followed a dull day and life with a confusion of events and the chances of coming back.

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Q: Why would armies want young children to fight in their wars?

A: Armies would benefit off of using children as soldiers to fight in their wars because they see them to be so disposable compared to an adult. They can be easily groomed into this as children will not fully understand what they are doing. As well as their natural disguise of being a child and not being suspected by other armies.

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Q: Why did Ishmael become frustrated living in fear?

A: He might be frustrated because his home, a place where  he should feel safe, is under attack and he doesn't like that. He knows that no matter what he does, nothing will change so living in fear is pointless.

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Will his group that he has recently found betray him or will the rebels get to their group before they have the chance to?

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Q: How would Ishmeal´s life be if he never would have been forced into being a boy soldier?
A:  It would have been incredibly different and his childhood and now adulthood would have never changed and he wouldn't have the same trauma that he has.

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Q: Was it better for Ishmael to stop running? Or should he have continued running that could have resulted in him getting killed.

A: It was better for Ishmael to stop running and turn himself in because if he were to keep running he would have cost his and his friends life.

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Q: Will Ishmael's mental state be more of a danger to himself than his physical?

A: He seems to be distracting himself from his own thoughts and the loneliness he's facing. His mental state is starting to rapidly deteriorate when he is left in the forest contrasted to his physical. Ishmael's temporary living situation is far more stable than any of his past ones yet his mental state is worse now that anything we've read yet.

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Question: For the majority of chapter eight Beah is left to survive on his own alone in the forest with little food and shelter. Alone with only his thoughts, he spends most of the time reminiscing, sharing specific stories he had been told before by his family with the reader. How are these stories significant and what do they represent?

Answer: These stories to us symbolize Beah’s acceptance of the loss of his innocence and childhood. Slowly he begins drifting into the realization that even if things return to normal he will never be the same because of what has happened to him. This is important because it shows the continuous effect war can have on a person throughout their entire life and the extensive effects of PTSD.

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Q: Could there be other symbolism for the ants on the ground on page 41?

Answer: It could be a symbolism for the country’s military and the rebels watching the “ants” or common folk waiting to take control.

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Does Ishmael Beach describe his relationships in the war with the other soldiers throughout the book?

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“It was the first time I had seen a grown man cry like a child, and I felt a sting in my heart” (Beah 12).

I like this quote because it gives a deep emotional feeling of an adult and how they impact a child in such a situation.

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I wonder if Ishmael will talk about what he learned as a soldier and the skills he was taught

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¨That first night for the first time funny life I realized that it is the physical presence of people and their spirits that gives a town life¨ (Beah 22)
I like this quote because it gives an in-depth look at communities and how they come together

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"Each gunshot seemed to cling to my heart" (Beah 23).
This quote emphasizes the fear that Ishmael Beah felt as he was fighting to survive for his life.

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How long is this book?

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"With the absence of so many people, the town became scary, the night darker, and the silence unbearably agitating" (Beah 22).

I like this quote because it reminds me of something sad and shows how much his life has changed over a small amount of time.

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I wonder what caused the man from page 12 and 13 to try and run.

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"Later we learned that the man had tried to escape with his family and the rebels had shot at his vehicle, killing all his family." (Beah 13).

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"Later we learned that the man had tried to escape with his family and the rebels had shot at his vehicle, killing all his family." (Beah 13).

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I like this quote because it shows the violence and cruelty of the rebels that Ishmael experiences.

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"I could visualize my father holding his hard hat and running back from work, and my mother, weeping and running to my little brother's school" (Beah 11). This is one of my favorite quotes because it expresses his worry for his family when unsure of their safety.

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I wonder if at any point Ishmael or his brothers/friends wanted to become a soldier to escape having to be a target of the rebels.

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I am curious of the point of view of others in this story

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What situation caused Ishmael Beah to become a soldier with the others? Was becoming a soldier a "generous deal" from the rebels?

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I wonder if Ishmael and the others with him had a change in there personality towards eachother.

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“A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. These are some of the reasons we should want to be like the moon”(Beah 17).

I like this quote because he discovers that even in this world of horrible things he can find the good in the little things

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Obviously he feels anguish over his lost loved ones but he never specifically expresses this. What is the purpose of leaving this out of the first part of the book and instead replacing it with personal anecdotes?

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I wonder what Ishmael will do if he comes across more rebels than before.

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I wonder if Ishmael will ever find out exactly what happened to his family since he hasn't been told anything yet.

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I wonder what sudden responsibilities Ishmael had to adjust to while being a solider?

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“The last casualty that we saw that evening was a woman who carried her baby on her back. Blood was running down her dress and dripping behind her, making a trail. Her child had been shot dead as she ran for her life. “ (Beah 12)   - Daniel

I like this quote since it showcases the brutality of the rebels and showing their cruel tactics. Also prompts the questions if their cause is truly for the better of the country.

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"A lot of happy things happen when the moon shines. These are some of the reasons why we should want to be like the moon....Whenever I get a chance to observe the moon now, I still see those same images I saw them I was six, and it pleases me to know that that part of my childhood is still embedded in me" (Beah 17).

This is my favorite quote because it makes it seem like it's something that was good even in the times that were rough. I also like it because in the end of the page Ishmael talks about he still does it now while he is a adult.

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"I became afraid, since I could no longer tell the difference between dream and reality" (Beah 15). This is my favorite quote from the reading section because i feel like it represents the extreme conditions of the people of Sierra Leone. Their lives are so erratic and completely unbelievable that they, themselves have trouble trying to come to terms with the life they live. This quote makes it clear to us that just as a reader we are appalled with the harsh truths of this story, the people in this story are just as if not more appalled as well.

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“These days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of the new life, which trigger memories from the past” (Beah 20).

This quote is one of my favorites because it illustrates his experience of being in a new world tethers him back to a world he's already lived in before. While also sharing one of his world's being his hopes, aka his dreams, which he can escape into from his other worlds.

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“The joy that had stayed alive inside me even through times when being alive itself became a burden” (Beah 20).

Through this quote he beautifully demonstrates a sense of hope that is found in the darkest of times. This value has always been important in my life which is why this quote has significance to me.

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“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. Later we learned that the man had tried to escape with his family and the rebels had shot at his vehicle, killing all his family. The only thing that consoled him, for a few seconds at least, was when the woman who had embraced him, and now cried with him, told him that at least he would have the chance to bury them. He would always know where they were laid to rest, she said. She seemed to know a little more about war than the rest of us” (Ishmeal Beah 12-13).
I like this quote because it demonstrates that no one is safe in the war and it makes it so much more real. It also allows Ishmeal to see first hand that the war is getting closer to him.

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"My heartbeat was beating faster than it ever had. Each gunshot seemed to cling to the beat of my heart" (Beah 23).

This quote is one of my favorites because of his wording in the last part. How he stated it was unique and I was able to understand what he was feeling more than I would've if he had simply said he was scared.

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“One bullet had crushed the Adam’s apple and sent the remains of it to the back of the throat. I lift the cloth of the body’s face. I am looking at my own'' (Beah 19).

This quote is my favorite quote (not literally "favorite" as in a happy quote) because it expresses Ishmael Beah's mindset and proves how he felt about his own future and about the fact that he was processing what his fate may be.

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"Tears formed into my eyes, but I was too hungry to cry''(Beah 26).

This is one of my favorite quotes because it really shows how he has to overcome the obstacles that he faces. This proves that his starvation is not the worst thing happening in his life; he faces many more hardships that are more difficult than his hunger.

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“It was the first time I had seen a grown man cry like a child, and I felt a sting in my heart” (Beah 12).

I picked this quote because the way he wrote it felt relatable because especially when you're young and see a grown man such as your father cry for the first time it hurts. It feels like a different type of pain that needs to be recognized more.

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“None of us spoke. I knew we were walking but I couldn't feel my feet touching the ground” (Beah 36).

This quote is my favorite because it implies that Ishmael is exhausted and possibly petrified of what happened to him and his country, to the point where he cant even feel his limbs.

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Kami Bucholz : “It was a girl, and her eyes were still open, with an interrupted innocent smile on her face” ( Beah 13).

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Kami Bucholz : “It was a girl, and her eyes were still open, with an interrupted innocent smile on her face” ( Beah 13).

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This is a good quote (meaning that it is written well) because it talks about a baby girl who was shot dead still on her mothers back. This shows how innocence was stripped away from all who lived there. Not even a blameless child was exempt from their cruel and ruthless torture. The imagery portrayed here speaks of how even in death, the innocence of a child never falters when against a world that hates it.

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"I tried to crawl to safety in the bushes but out of nowhere there was someone standing on top of me with a gun. I woke up hesitantly and touched my side. I became afraid since I could no longer tell the difference between dream and reality"(Beah 17).

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"I tried to crawl to safety in the bushes but out of nowhere there was someone standing on top of me with a gun. I woke up hesitantly and touched my side. I became afraid since I could no longer tell the difference between dream and reality"(Beah 17).

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As I read along the text it specifies how in an instant Ishmael's life has changed for the worse without knowing, it mad me sad to think that earlier that day he saw his grandma and made plans to see if the school had space for them in the talent show so they practiced. The more that I think about it Ishmael has been doing something in his life that he actually enjoyed doing.

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¨Whenever I get a chance to observe the moon now, I still see those same images I saw when I was six, and it pleases me to know that that part of my childhood is still embedded in me¨(Beah 17).

This quote is my favorite because it shows that even though he has moved on in his life day to day things still remind him of his childhood and life during the war.