Friday, January 15, 2010

A Long Way Gone Ch. 19 Vocabulary Words

Chapter 19 Vocabulary Words
  • inhabitants- n. a person or animal that inhabits a place, esp. as a permanent resident
  • Sentence- The monkey's inhabitants is the jungle.
  • apprentices- n. a person who works for another in order to learn a trade
  • Sentence- Two businessman were apprentices to one successful businessman.
  • congested- v. to cause an unnatural accumulation of blood or other fluid in (a body part or blood vessel)
  • Sentence- The woman's airways were congested with mucus.
  • shuffled- v. to intermix so as to change the relative positions of cards in a pack
  • Sentence- After every game I was always the one who shuffled the cards.
  • marvelous- adj. superb; excellent; great
  • Sentence- I would always get a marvelous grade in my English class.
  • possessed- adj. spurred or moved by a strong feeling, madness, or a supernatural power
  • Sentence- A girl was possessed by an evil spirit.
  • intricate- adj. having many interrelated parts or facets; entangled or involved
  • Sentence- This picture had an intricate images.
  • uncertainty- n. the state of being uncertain; doubt; hesitancy
  • Sentence- The man was uncertainty of what to do to his worthless employees.
  • transparent- adj. easily seen through, recognized, or detected
  • Sentence- My laptop's wallpaper is transparent to my wall.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

A Long Way Gone Ch. 18 Chapter Assignment


A Long Way Gone Ch. 18 Questions

Chapter 18 Questions

1. Why does Ishmael believe he has nothing to live for anymore? Ishmael believed he has nothing to live for anymore, because he has no family.
2. How does Ester treat Ishmael? What does she do to comfort him? Esther treat Ishmael like family. She put her arms around Ishmael and pulled him closer to her to comfort him.
3. Who is Abigail? Describe her. Abigail is a girl he had seen during Ishmael's first two semesters.
4. Who are the visitors that came to the center to visit? Describe their appearance. The visitors that came to the center to visit were from the European Commission, the UN, UNICEF, and several NGOs who arrived in a convoy of cars. They wore suits and ties and shook hands with each other. All of the visitors were all smiling, sometimes adjusting their ties, some were taking notes on the writing pads, some looked into the boys sleeping places, and the others took off their jackets and played hand- wrestling with the boys.
5. Do you think these visitors made him nervous? I don't think the visitors made Ishmael feel nervous.
6. What did Esther want Ishmael to do for the talent show? Esther wanted Ishmael to sing his reggae songs for the talent show.
7. What did the Mr. Kamara tell Ishmael after the event? Mr. Kamara told Ishmael that he and his friends did really well at the talent show. He asked Ishmael if he would like to be the spokesperson for the center. He wants Ishmael to write his own speech about child soldiers whenever he feels comfortable to do so. For the meantime they will write him something to read.
8. What would he tell people at gatherings in Freetown? Ishmael would talk about child soldiering and how it must be stopped. He would always tell people that he believes children have the resilience to outlive their sufferings if given a chance.
9. Who do you think Ishmael felt when he saw Mohamad? And why? Ishmael was shocked to see his childhood friends Mohamad at the center when he was on the end of his sixth month. The last time he saw him was when he left Mogbewmo with Talloi and Junior for a performance in Mattru Jong.
10. Who is Tommy? Describe. Tommy was his uncle who lived in the city. Ishmael's father told him that he was a carpenter.
11. What does “repatriated” mean? Repatriated means the process of reuniting ex- child soldiers with their former communities.
12. Describe Tommy as he walks inside and first meets Ishmael. The man walked over to where Ishmael was sitting, and bent over and embraced him long and hard. he then began to cry. Tommy crouched on his heels next to Ishmael and apologized that he had never came to see during those years. He wished he had met him before.
13. Tel me a time where you reunited with someone you haven’t seen for a long time. What was it like. Well I've been reunited with a lot of people that I haven't seen for a long time. Its great, because there was a lot of things to say and catching up to do. It was weird too, because they all changed.
14. How often was Tommy going to visit? Tommy is going to visit Ishmael every weekend.
15. Why do you think Ishmael would feel guilty if he told his friends about his uncle? Ishmael would feel guilty if he told his friends about his uncle, because no one from their families had been found. He also didn't want to destroy the silence that had returned after the ambulance's wailing died down.
16. Why did Ishmael love the walks with his uncle? Why were those walks important to him? Ishmael loved the walks with his uncle, because he had a chance to talk about his childhood, about growing up with his father and older brother.
17. How would you feel meeting your new family in his situation? I would feel really happy and relieved to meet my new family especially in his situation, because hes at the point when he needs support from a family.
18. Where does uncle live? Describe it. Ishmael's uncle lived in New England Ville, a hilly area in the western part of Freetown. His house overlooked the city, and from the verandah you could see the ships in the bay. His house had no electricity or running water, and the kitchen was made of zinc.
19. Describe his aunt.Ishmael's aunt was a short woman with very dark skin, round cheekbones, and bright eyes.
20. How do you think she feels about Ishmael coming to stay with them? I think Ishmael's aunt felt OK about him staying with them.
21. What did Ishmael learn about his grandfather? Ishmael learned that his grandfather had many wives, and that his father had brothers he never talked about.
22. Tell me one thing you learned about your family. One thing I learned about my family, is most of them have anger issues like me. Another thing is that I had family members that I never knew about or existed.

A Long Way Gone Ch. 18 vocab Words

Chapter 18
Vocabulary Words

  • Emphasized- v. to give emphasis to; lay stress upon; stress
  • Sentence- I emphasized on the essay/ research report.
  • Monologue- n. a form of dramatic entertainment, comedic solo, or the like by a single speaker
  • Sentence- Romeo and Juliet had a lot of monologue.
  • Rehabilitated- v. to restore to a condition of good health, ability to work, or the like
  • Sentence- Ishmael was rehabilitated.
  • Reggae- n. a style of Jamaican popular music blending blues, calypso, and rock-'n'-roll, characterized by a strong syncopated rhythm and lyrics of social protest
  • Sentence- Reggae is popular among Jamaican people, and other people around the world.
  • Continually- adv. very often; at regular or frequent intervals; habitually
  • Sentence- I continually began to do what I was doing.
  • Concerns- v. to relate to; be connected with; be of interest or importance to; affect
  • Sentence- My concern goes to global warming and people affecting it.
  • Reuniting- v. to unite again, as after separation
  • Sentence- Ishmael reunited with his family.
  • Repatriated- v. to bring or send back (a person, esp. a prisoner of war, a refugee, etc.) to his or her country or land of citizenship
  • Sentence- Haitians are repatriated in a military truck after the Dominican border was closed due to violent demonstrations

A Long Way Gone Ch. 17 Chapter Assignment


A Long Way Gone Ch. 17 Questions

Ch 17 questions

  1. Describe the nurse in your own words. The nurse had white teeth which contrasted with her dark, shiny skin, and when she smiled, not only her face increased in beauty, but also glowed with charm. She was tall and had big brown eyes that were kind and inviting.
  2. Why were Ishmael's friends teasing him about? Have you ever been in that situation? What did your friends tease you about? Ishmael friends were teasing Ishmael, because it seem like the nurse liked Ishmael after she handed him a soft drink. I've been in that situation before, when my friends would tease me about a guy that they supposedly likes me.
  3. What did the nurse tell Ishmael about them being friends? The nurse concluded if Ishmael wanted to be friends with her, he would have to ask her first, and she will have to trust him.
  4. When he was talking to the nurse he was quiet in the beginning, and he stated he didn’t trust anyone in his life. Why does he feel this way? Give me examples. Ishmael didn't trust anyone in this point of his life. He had learned to survive and take care of himself. Ishmael came to believe that people only befriended only to exploit one another. Why would Ishmael trust someone now when he didn't trust anyone in his short life.
  5. Have you ever been in a situation where you feel the same as Ishmael? It was really hard for me to trust people, because of the past. I've had friends and family back stab me, so then I was careful at the new people I meet. I don't fully trust them, but a long the way, they slowly start gaining my trust.
  6. What did the nurse give Ishmael? The nurse gave Ishmael a Walkman and cassettes.
  7. How does Ishmael respond when he unwraps the gift? Why?? Ishmael jumped up and hugged Esther after he unwrapped the package. He then suddenly held back his happiness and asked the nurse why she got him the Walkman and cassette if they werent eve friends.
  8. Describe when Ishmael shot the prisoners that had allegedly shot him. The captives were all lined up. There were six of them, with their hands tied. Ishmael shot them on their feet and watched them suffer for an entire day before finally shooting them in the head so that they would stop crying. Before Ishmael shot each man, he looked at them and saw how their eyes gave up hope and steadied before he pulled the trigger.
  9. What was Esther’s response to Ishmael’s story? Esther had tears in her eyes, and she couldnt decide whether to rub his head or hug him. She neither did any of those, but instead she told him that it wasnt his fault, he was just a little boy, and if he wants to tell her anything, she'll always be there to listen.
  10. Why didn’t Esther want Ishmael taking the walkman with him? Esther didnt want others to envy him and steal his Walkman.
  11. What stood out to you the most about his story of his past ? Why? The most that stood out to me was when Ishmael shot the prisoners foot and watched them suffer until he shot them in the head so they would stop crying.
  12. What do you think about his lieutenant? I think his lieutenant was nice to all his boys, especially when he did everything just to save Ishmael.
  13. Has he ever been injured? Tell me what happened.Ishmael had many bullet wounds that people would often ignore. As Ishmael was filling his backpack with ammunition from the hut, bullets started to pour down from the village hitting him three times on the foot. The first bullets went in and out, and the last one stayed in his foot.
  14. What did Ishmael see when he tried to remember his child hood? Ishmael tried to remember his childhood, but instead he would get flashbacks his first time slitting a man's throat. The scene kept surfacing in his memory like lightning on a dark rainy night.
  15. Explain his surgery, how did the doctors fix him up. Detail As they got back to the base, the sergeant doctor began to work on his wound. Ishmael was injected with something. He had no idea that they had needles at the base, but in his condition he couldnt ask what was happening. He was given cocaine upon his request. The doctor operated on him before the drugs took effect. The other soldiers held his hands and stuffed a cloth into his mouth. The doctor stuck a crooked looking scissors inside his wound and fished for the bullet. The doctor then pulled the bullet out, and then he fainted after a piercing pain rushed up from his spine.
  16. What is the worst thing you have ever endured?explain. I've never endured anything painful physically but one of the worst was when I tripped really hard.
  17. What did he do right after he gained consciousness? Ishmael asked for his weapon, and the sergeant handed his G3 that was on top of the mortar, and he began cleaning it. He shot a couple of rounds against a wall, ignoring the bandage on his foot and everyone else.
  18. What did he do to the “people responsible for his foot” Ishmael shot the people, whom were responsible for his foot, on their foot and watched them suffer, then shot them in the head ending their cries and miseries.
  19. When he gets flashbacks, how does he feel? Have you ever received flashbacks, what are they of? Everytime Ishmael gets flashbacks, he would hear a sharp cry in his head that made his spine hurt. I've recieved flashbacks before, but nothing like Ishmael of course. I've get flashbacks that would make my heart sink.
  20. Why did Esther come on her Day off? Esther came on her day off, because they are going to the hospital for Ishmael's examination and she wanted to tour him in the city.
  21. What cassette did the field worker buy him at the market? The field worker bought Ishmael a Bob Marley cd.
  22. Why do you think song writing is a passion for Ishmael? Ishmael loved music even before the war had begun. He would listen to rap music and dance to it.
  23. Have you ever written a song? Why? I've tried writing a song before, but stopped because it was too hard. I cant even write a simple poem. My mind isnt creative when it comes to words.
  24. Why did Ishmael like the story of Rastafarianism and King Solomon and the queen of Sheba? Ishmael related to the long distance they traveled and their determination to reach their chosen destination. he wished his journey had been so meaningful and as full of merritment as theirs.
  25. He listens to Bob Marley to avoid nightmares, what is your favorite song from marley? Why? I dont have any favorite songs from Bob Marlet, because I dont listen to his music.
  26. What phrase did Ishmael start to believe? The phrase that Ishmael started to believe in was, " None of these things are your fault."
  27. Ester is like a savoir for him, who is your person that has helped you out of your rut? My friends, and this special someone has helped me out.
  28. Why did Ishmael like talking to Esther? Ishmael liked talking to Esther, because he felt that she didnt judge him for what he had been part of; she looked at him with the same inviting eyes and welcoming smile that said that he was a child.

A Long Way Gone Ch. 17 Vocab Words

Chapter 17 Vocabulary Words
  • delved- v. to carry on intensive and thorough research for data, information, or the like; investigate
  • Sentence- Court officials had to delve into the criminals background.
  • conversation- n. informal interchange of thoughts, information, etc., by spoken words; oral communication between persons; talk; colloquy
  • Sentence- I had a good intellectual conversation about the world.
  • burdensome- adj. distressing; troublesome
  • Sentence- The burdensome task of preparing her tax return awaited her.
  • wharf- n. a structure built on the shore of or projecting into a harbor, stream, etc., so that vessels may be moored alongside to load or unload or to lie at rest; quay; pier
  • Sentence- The yachts docked at the wharf.
  • cringe- v. to shrink, bend, or crouch, esp. in fear or servility; cower
  • Sentence- The little boy cringed in fear.
  • genuine- adj. free from pretense, affectation, or hypocrisy; sincere
  • Sentence- The store sells genuine brand names.
  • anguish- n. excruciating or acute distress, suffering, or pain
  • Sentence- The anguish man was set to flames.
  • Rastafarianism- n. a religious cult, originally of Jamaica, that regards Africa as the Promised Land, to which all true believers will someday return, and the late Haile Selassie I, former emperor of Ethiopia, as the messiah
  • Sentence- Many people from Jamaica practice Rastafarianism.
  • destination- n. the place to which a person or thing travels or is sent
  • Sentence- The recruits destination is Chicago.
  • somber- adj. gloomily dark; shadowy; dimly lighted
  • Sentence- The somber city was in destruction.

A Long Way Gone Ch. 16 Chapter Assignments

Chapter 16
Chapter Assignments

A Long Way Gone Ch.16 Questions

Chapter 16 Questions

  1. What made him infuriated? why? Being told by civilians infuriated Ishmael. Their voices makes Ishmael angry that he would make him punch his locker or anything that he standing next to.
  2. How did they feel about attending scheduled medication checkups? The boys hate attending medication check ups that they would throw bowls, spoon, food, and benches at the nurses and staff members.
  3. What was the result of them not having drugs? The boys were craving cocaine and marijuana. They got upset day by day resulting in violence.
  4. What do they do to the cooks? why? The boys would place a bucket over the cooks head and pushed him around the kitchen until he burned his hand on a hot boiling pot.
  5. Have you ever bullied anyone, what did you do? I've bullied my little brother and cousins before. I would tell them what to do, yell at them, and hit them.
  6. What was happening to the drugs in his system? What did he do because of it? The drugs in his system was wearing off that he would roll a plain sheet of paper and smoke it. Sometimes he would search in the pockets of his army shorts for crumbs of marijuana or cocaine.
  7. Can you relate to his cravings? what have you craved so badly that made you do something crazy? I craved for some things before, which would often lead to bad consequences. Never in my life have I done anything crazy just because I'm craving something.
  8. what do they do in between meals? give me examples from chapter of what they would do. The boys would fight for hours in between meals. During the fights, the boys destroyed most of the furniture and threw the mattresses out in the yard.
  9. Why do you think the staff members would come back after getting beaten up? After the staff members got beaten by the boys, they would completely avoid them for awhile.
  10. who is Poppay? and what did they want from him? why? Poppay was the man in charge of storage. He was an ex- military man with a wandering eye. The boys wanted dry mattresses, because theirs were wet.
  11. How would you feel if you were a staff member and had to go through this every day? If I was a staff member working in a facility with violent and dangerous boys, I would never go back to that place again.
  12. Why was he getting so many migraines? Ishmael was getting so many migraines, because he hated the civilians and the drugs were really wearing off his system.
  13. what did they do to the classroom? what happened to him because of it? The boys and Ishmael wanted to break the glass windows in the classroom. Instead of using rocks, Ishmael punched the glass with his fist. He had managed to break several panes before his hand got stuck in the glass. His hand suddenly started bleeding uncontrollably.
  14. What did they do with the school supplies? How did they get them? The boys stole school supplies, and sold them in the city to make money.
  15. Where did they go after breakfast? After breakfast, Ishmael and his friends would go to the city.
  16. When they went to villages what are they scouting for? When they went to the villages, the boys would scout for food.
  17. tell one incident that happened at a village. The boys attacked the village where the rebels were at and killed everyone there.
  18. What famous movie do they refer all their war moves from? The famous movies they had refer all their war movies was from Rambo.
  19. What do you think of them now? what disguises out about what they are doing? I think the boys are killing machines.
  20. Did they let anyone live in the village? The boys didn't let anyone in the village except for them.
  21. who got the name little Rambo? Alhaji got the name "Little Rambo"
  22. What was the nickname Ismael got?Why? Ishmael got the nickname "Green Snake", because he would situate himself in the most advantageous and sneaky position and would take out a whole village from under the tiniest shrub without being noticed.
  23. describe the city. People in the city were hurriedly going about their daily lives as if nothing were happening in the country. There were big shops on both sides of the street, and vendors crowded the tiny sidewalks.
  24. Describe what the informal school was like? For mathematics, the boys learned addition, multiplication, and long division. For English, they read passages from books, learned to spell words, and sometimes the teacher read them stories out loud, and they would write in their notebooks.
  25. He tried to sleep without medicine, what would happen to him? what were some things that kept him up or wake him up? If Ishmael tried to sleep without medicine, he wouldn't be able to go to sleep, and he would often times get headaches.
  26. Tell the seasons for Sierra Leone. The rainy seasons in Sierra Leone falls between May and October with the heaviest rainfalls in July, August, and September.
  27. What did they do when they didn’t have enough money to get home? When Ishmael and his friends didn't have enough money to get home, they ran off the bus when they got to their destination.
  28. What were some of the things they did at night? The boys would watch over the village and attack rebels that tried to take the villages away from them.
  29. Why do you think they couldn’t sleep? I think the boys were too drugged, paranoid, and traumatized.
  30. Why do you think the staff member would always say “This isn’t your fault”? I think the staff members would always say "This isn't your fault", because it wasn't the boys fault why they turned into killing monsters and why some parts of their country were going through hell.