LWD- Wrap-Up Discussion by Savannah Smith

Discussion Questions

sosmith22 — 2024-04-12 18:06:58 UTC

1) What do you think Will does after Shawn asks "you coming?" Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

2) Use the gif function to capture your reaction to the ending. Explain how that gif captures your emotions, and why you feel that way.

3) What do you think the biggest themes of LWD are?

Bonus Questions

sosmith22 — 2024-04-12 18:08:06 UTC

1) Use the Spotify function to post a song that embodies Long Way Down. Support your selection with a scene.

2) Use the "I Can't Draw" function to generate an image from the text. Explain why you think this image was important in the story.

Leah Petty

2024-04-12 18:50:05 UTC

I think Will does not shoot Riggs, maybe he goes back up or goes out with them, but I think he decides to go against the Rules. On page 298, Will and Shawn both cried and therefore broke rule #1. "tears pouring from his eyes. 'I thought you said no crying Shawn..." I feel like this shows how Shawn has already decided to go against the Rules and so should Will.
(see above) I did this gif because I was confused and left wondering what happened.
I think the biggest themes of LWD are peace and resistance to violence, even if it is a societal norm.

Emi

2024-04-12 18:53:55 UTC

1.) I think that Will closes the elevator door after the six people leave and goes back, leaving the gun either behind or getting rid of it. I think this because he breaks the rules when he cries with Shawn, and I think since he realized he doesn't think any less of Shawn for breaking the rules, he can too.

2.) I chose that gif because it encapsulates the different emotions after finishing the book. It depicts the different endings it could have and the surprise after knowing that there wasn't a solid ending.

3.)I think the biggest theme is violence but as the circle of life because the violence and the toxic chain that it happens in is the root of most of that society's problems.

Logan Allen

2024-04-12 18:56:00 UTC

1) I think that Will goes back up to the top floor and never actually gets off the elevator at the bottom to go confront or kill Riggs. This is because of the tension created by the last phrase "you coming?" which adds a feeling that Will is very hesitant to get off the elevator along with the context of the rest of the story creating an idea that Will's rationals have been challenged and he may have changed his mind.

2) My initial reaction was unexpected surprise because of how unpredictable the ending of the story was and how abrupt it was and this GIF captures this.

3) I think the biggest themes are the power of change and the impact of peace because they embody the decisions made at the end of the story and throughout the story as a whole challenging Will's initial reaction of violent revenge.

Caycee

2024-04-12 18:56:58 UTC

1) I think that Will goes back up the elevator. This is because when Shawn asks the question "you coming?" Will was just sitting in the elevator and most likely wasn't going to get up. "I stood alone in the empty box,face tight from dried tears, jeans soggy, a loaded gun still tucked in my waistband." page. 305

2) The GIF above captures my emotions because I was kinda mad with the ending and how they didn't tell us what Will actually decided to do.

3) Revenge and grief are pretty big themes in this story. Revenge is the main one, but the grief is associated with it. Will wants revenge on the person who killed his brother which is driven by grief and the rules.

Sydney Lyons

2024-04-12 18:58:37 UTC

1.) I think that Will decides to stay on the elevator even though Shawn asks if he is coming and he probably wants to stay with his brother. On page 298 Shawn started to cry and Will did too. "Tears pouring from his eyes" and "I thought you said no crying, Shawn, I said, voice cracking, one of my tears bursting free." This makes me think that since he and Shawn both cried and broke the rules, Will was able to continue to defy the rules and not get revenge on his brother.

2.) I put this picture because this ending made me very confused because there really isn't any way to know how it ends without your own interpretation.

3.) I think that some of the biggest themes are violence and how it circulates around. We see this because it's almost like a constant cycle of someone killing someone and then another person needing to get revenge and then that just continues forever.

Lochlen Pezet

2024-04-12 19:00:48 UTC

The ending of LWD is confusing to me. If following Shawn means that he's continuing the cycle, then I believe that he would follow Shawn. Throughout the entire book, we see Will trying to reconnect with Shawn. However, I don't think that he'll continue the cycle, as he already broke the crying rule.
Even though the ending confuses me, I did enjoy the book, and I like it when a books ending confuses me, it allows me to make assumptions based on past evidence.
I think the major theme is treat others how you want to be treated, as well as redemption and forgiveness.

Sydney B.

2024-04-12 19:01:07 UTC

1.) I think Will changes his mind about killing Riggs and goes back in the elevator. "I looked back at Shawn, tears now pouring from his eyes as he softly snotted and hiccupped like a little kid, tears pouring from his eyes tears pouring down his eyes tears pouring down his eyes. I thought you said no crying, Shawn..."(pg. 298) This section in the story helps will change his mind because now that Shawn is crying it shows that its ok to break the rules and that he doesn't have to kill Riggs.

2.) I picked this gif because the book wasn't resolved, and that it was left unanswered. I thought they would have finished the book in a way that answered those questions and made Wills decision in the end. I was surprised and a little confused at the same time.

3.) I think the theme of long way down are revenge and violence and the struggle to follow the rules. People are often under pressure and are always hurting about something so this creates tension and shows it well in this book. The thought of one person questioning the rules and if they really work can ultimately end a cycle of violence and can end societal norms.

Jess Reich

2024-04-12 19:02:16 UTC

1) I think that after Will saw Shawn crying, he realized that you don't always have to follow "the rules" and that it's okay to feel grief and remorse. I think that Will doesn't go to kill Riggs, because he has realized that you can't always follow the rules and "the rules" don't allow people to react like humans would, that it's not natural to not cry in a traumatic situation. " And even though his face was wet with tears he wasn't supposed to cry when he was alive, I couldn't see him as anything less than my brother, my favorite, my only." This quote shows when Will was realizing that you can't always follow "the rules" and even though you're told not to cry, or show emotion, that sometimes you have to, you can't hold back the tears forever.

2) The gif captures my reaction towards the ending because I don't know for sure what happened, but I want to figure out what could have happened.

3) I think that the biggest themes of LWD are that it's okay to not follow the social norms or what society says you need to be, or what you have to do, and that even though you think you're doing the right thing, it doesn't mean that your right, and you have to listen to other people sometimes, they may help you realize that your not doing the right thing or that there's a better way to handle the situation

Collin Hazle

2024-04-12 19:03:06 UTC

I believe that Will decides not to kill Riggs but still gets off the elevator. When both Shawn and Will cried and broke the rules on page 298, I believe this symbolizes Will realizing that he should break the rules. I also think that Shawn sobbing represents that maybe he broke the rules while he was alive and because Will looks up to him so much he will decide to not Kill Riggs.
1. I think that the themes of LWD include why cycles of violence and revenge happen and that one person can break these cycles. Also, I think another one of LWD's themes is that you should do what you want to do not what others expect you to do.

Lochlen Pezet (Bonus :D)

2024-04-12 19:07:06 UTC

Will waiting for Shawn to say something to him. "He never said nothing to me."

Peyton Allen I think Will doesn't kill Riggs. I think this because of the question mark made of Right? on page 296. And his dried tears on page 305. These show that he is questioning and breaking the rules. So I think this means he didn't kill him.

2024-04-12 19:08:07 UTC

I thought it was good.

I think one of the big themes are revenge.

Sydney B.

2024-04-12 19:08:32 UTC

Bonus 1: This song represents the book as a whole and the pain and desperation felt by someone who is desperately trying to hold on to love. It reflects on the feeling of being trapped in a cycle of love and heartbreak, showing vulnerability just like how Will seems to feel throughout the book. pg 1-306

Shya V.

2024-04-12 19:10:56 UTC

Discussion Questions

1) I think Will ended up not shooting Riggs. I think he didn’t because he had already broken one of the rules, so there would be no use to still try to fulfill the other one.

Evidence: “I was breaking down. The tears were coming and I did what I could to hold them back.”

2) I didn’t like the ending of long way down. I felt like the ending ended it too abruptly after all that had happened on each of the floors.

3) Society’s standards can warp someone’s perspective, and it’s your job not to fall victim to them.

Bonus Questions

1) Toxicity by System of a Down: It talks about society’s toxic viewpoints and how they rule over people.

2024-04-12 19:12:33 UTC

This image shows the contrast in paths, the main path being safe, representing not following the rules, and the trees on fire represent the state of their society.

Ash s

2024-04-12 19:12:33 UTC

1) I think he didn't because of his questioning and breaking down near the end

-cycles of violence and abuse (and why it is harmful and hard to escape)

-change and why it can be both hard and good

-is (x) thing worth it?

-toxic masculinity and bottling emotions. how being vulnerable is ok and better than lashing out with no outlet later.

-generational trauma in communities and how it can be harsh and violent (but it is not certain or needed, you can escape/change it)

Andrew Romero

2024-04-12 19:20:41 UTC

1.)I think Will won't shoot Riggs during 178 in the play with Uncle Mark he is asked to "finish it" and he thinks "My mouth dried out, words phlegm trapped in my throat, like an allergic reaction to the thought of it all." saying that he doesn't have to courage to use the gun. On page 298 it said in the text that Shawn has "tears pouring from his eyes." seeing his brother actually crying could have given him that last push in his decision to break off from the rules.

2.)I picked the GIF above because I was surprised they ended it where they did. It felt pretty abrupt and surprised me when we were reading.

3.)I think that the main theme of LWD is that you shouldn't always follow what society thinks is normal, you should make some choices on your own.

solange

2024-04-12 19:35:30 UTC

I think he went back down. When shawn says "you coming?" ,him peeing shows how scared he really is. The talks with the ghost probably makes him realizes he doesn't wanna go also Shawn his role model crying breaking a rule probably showed him its ok to break the rules.
I was kinda annoyed that's the end because we listened to that just for it to end there without telling us if he did it or now.
I think the theme is about violence and that you don't have to do what society does if you know its bad or if you don't r want to.