ch. 5 ques.

1. What was happening to his body?

His body was just shutting down. He was so hungry and probably dehydrated.

2. Why were they getting irritable? Can you relate?

They were getting so irritable because they were so hungry. I only feel like that in the morning when i forget to eat breakfast.

3. How many of them are there running away?

4. What happened to the little boy eating corn?

The boy got his corn jacked by Ishmael and his friends.

5. How did his mom react? Would you do the same?

The boy's mom gives them each an ear of corn. I think i would have done the same, but only if the situation was exactly the same.

6. Explain the incident with the Rebels? What would you have done?

the rebels captured them while they were crossing a grassland. I probably would have been so scared that I would have passed out or something.

7. Describe Rebels, what look like, their age, and attitude.

The rebels are all heartless and they have no emotion. they are all younger that twenty-one and they are wearing cloths, shoes and jewelery looted from villages.

8. What happened to the old man trying to escape?

The rebels captured him too. They were acting like they were going to kill him to watch his reaction for amusement.

9. What was their culture like? What are your expectations from your culture to – elders?
they were taught to respect their elders before the war. was In my culture everyone is expected to respect their elders.

10. How do the rebels do recruitment?

They rebels make selections like the Nazi's did to the Jews.

11. What did the new recruits have to do after they were chosen? Is there a time in your life that you were pressured to do something or be part of a group, family?

After the recruits are chosen they have to kill someone. I haven't been pressured into doing anything for anyone, if I'm going to do anything for anyone it would be for myself.

12. How does he escape death again?

Ishmael escaped death again by running and hiding in the bush.

13. Why do you think no one talked until dawn?

I think they were all nervous and scared and probably very tired.

14. How did the Rebel incident affect the boys?

They didn't know what to do, they were very scared now.

ch. 4 ques.

1. Now that war has came to his town, what was his life like now? Describe
Life for him is hard. They dont know what to do.

2. Why did they sneak back to Mattru Jong?
They snuck back to Mattru Jong to get some money they stashed for food.

3. Describe what they see, while they are traveling to towns?
They see abandoned villages that are destroyed.

4. What happens to all the houses that have been attacked by Rebels?
All the houses have been shot up and looted by the rebels.

5. Why were they happy? What did they have?
the boys were happy because they had money to buy food.

6. Did they eat well? Why?
They didn't eat because people weren't selling the food that they had because they were saving it.

7. What was the logical decision they came up with?
the logical decision that they came up with was that they stole peoples food as they slept.

ch. 3 vocab

1. Anticipated- to expect; look forward to; be sure of. The prisoner anticipated his release date.

2. Subsequent- occurring or coming later or after. Subsequent to her arrest, she was taken to jail and assigned a court date.

3. Abandon- to leave completely and finally; forsake utterly; desert. The bums were staying in a abandoned house.


4. Intervention- the act or fact of intervening. Her family planned an intervention for her drug abuse.

5. Civilians- a person who is not on active duty with a military, naval, police, or fire fighting organization. Many civilians were killed during the war.
















6. Militant- vigorously active and aggressive, esp. in support of a cause. the soldiers used militant tactics.


7. Fragments- a part broken off or detached. There were fragments of the broken window on the inside of the door.

ch.3 questions

1. What was the letter about?
The letters informed people in Mattru Jong that the rebels were coming and they wanted to be welcomed.

2. What was RUF? Where did they see the message?
RUF is the Revolutionary United Front. They saw the message carved in the messengers body.

3. Why didn’t the rebels come by the time they said they would?
i think maybe the rebels got held back because they probably had to fight.

4. What does the Palampo mean? Have you experienced a time where your family worried that you would be Palampo forever pg.23?
Palampo means being single. No i haven't.

5. Describe and give details, of how it was when the Rebels did come?
When the rebels did come, Ishmael was cooking. Then they heard gun shots and then it became very hectic with everyone running in different directions and jumping into the river.

6. What was the carving mean? RUF?
the carving was a warning that they were coming. Revolutionary United Front.

7. Using one word how would you describe what was going on? Why?
I would use the word hectic because I think it describes the situation perfectly.

8. Why do you think he was so determined to keep running? Why doesn’t he get tired?
He was so determined to keep running because he didn't want to die. I think he didn't get tired because his fear kept him going.

9. How does he escape death?
Him and the other boys escape death because they keep running and they dont give up.

10. How did the rebels get their messages across?
They would send people whose lives were spared. They carved their initials on his body and chopped off all his fingers except his thumbs.

11. Why did they chop all of the messenger’s fingers off except the thumbs?
They left his thumb fingers because, before the war, people raise a thumb to say “one love” to each other. “One love” was popularized by the love and influence of reggae music.

12. How was the tone of the village while the residents were hiding?
The town was very eerie without people’s presence.


13. Describe the chaos when the rebels finally arrived.
When the rebels finally arrived, people began running in all directions, running to save their own lives. Some people even jumped into the river. The soldiers of Mattru Jong had left before the rebels got there.

14. Why was staying in town a greater risk for boys?
It was a greater risk for boys because they were immediately recruited, branded with the initials of the rebels and you could never escape from them.

15. Describe the actions of the boys as they are running from the rebels. How long were they running for?
The boys ran for over an hour. The older brother kept calling for the main character to make sure he was all right. I think all the boys were scared but they didn’t want each other knowing.

ch.2 vocab

1. Intoxicated- affected by a substance that intoxicates; drunk; inebriated.
They were both intoxicated after leaving the club.



2. Tattered- torn to tatters; ragged. His clothes were tattered and dirty.













3. Taut- tightly drawn; tense; not slack. the rope was taught and straight.




4. Resisting- to withstand, strive against, or oppose.the suspect was resiting arrest.

5. Anxiously- full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried. She waited for the mail anxiously.

6. Burden- hat which is carried; load. her mother gave her up for adoption because she was too much of a burden.

chapter 2 questions

1.Have you experienced anything like that where it has traumatized you?

I think everyone goes through something that traumatizes them in life.

2.Give me some examples of war that you read in the chapter?

The town smells like blood and burnt flesh... their intestines spill out trough the bullet holes in their stomachs.

3.How long has he been in NY? Do you think he can be okay after what he experienced?
He has been in New York for about a month.

4.Compare and contrast young boys in us vs. the Sierra Leone boys?

Boys in the United States live normal lives, boys in sierra Leone are soldiers.

5.Are the memories good or bad? What do you think?

All of his memories are about the war and all the negativity he went through.

ch.1 pt 2

-What difference can you explain between him and the other students?

Ishmael seems quiet and timid. the other kids are intrigued by the fact that he witnessed war going on firsthand, but they really don't understand.

-How old was he when he first encountered war?

Ishmael was twelve.

-What is an example of a Western Civilian?

An example of a western Civilian would be a European or maybe an American.

-Why did he love hip hop?

He loved how the black men could speak so fast in English and to the beat.

-Why do you think he was mesmerized by the blacks on TV?

He probably never saw a black man on T.V. before and that probably made him feel like he could relate to them.

-What was the father’s reaction to the rap? What did he want them to watch instead?

The father laughed at them and thought they should be listening to the news.

-Can you relate to him and his fascination about another culture? And desire to dress or imitate the American rappers?

I could relate to him and his fascination with another culture, But I wouldn't want to imitate or dress like another culture.

-How was walking around town different from your town?

Walking around town is different over here because in our society we wouldn't walk 16 miles to get anywhere. We are spoiled and fat, but most people call it "civilized."

-What is grandma’s name? And how would you describe her.

The grandma's name is Mamie Kpana. She was tall and had nice cheekbones and big eyes. I would also describe her as wise and caring.

-How would you describe granddad?

The granddad was a well-known arabic scholar and healer in the village and in other ones too.

-What is a sign of god luck?

Waving good-bye with your right hand is considered a sigh on good luck.

-Why was school canceled?

School was canceled because the village Ishmael is from was attacked by the rebels.

-Who are Rebels, What do they do? What happens to families because of them?

The rebels are the guys who are attacking the villages, killing people and burning down houses. Families are being separated, mostly killed.

-What is the family relationship like? Can you relate? Having separate families?

The two oldest sons (Ishmael and his older brother) live with the father, who has had many wives. The younger brother lives the mother. I don't live with both of my parents.

-What does the women mean pg.11 quote? What was going on?

The woman is basically telling them that they shouldn't even bother going back there. The boys want to go back to see if they can find their families and they are about to get on a canoe to cross the river.

-Give me 3 examples that showed display of a hard life and war? Give details.

When they arrive to the grandmother's village it is deserted at first, then there are parents calling out for their children, and the children were calling out for their parents. Also, the fact that they run and hide when they hear any vehicle approaching is so sad. The rebels are kill children and whole families.

-Give one example of the cruelty of the rebels?

When a family was trying to escape they shoot at the van, killing everyone except the father.

-What kind of war was going on? Pg.14

It is a "revolutionary war, a liberation of the people from corrupt government."

-What was his dream? What do you think it meant? Have you had any dreams that were hard to tell from dream or reality? Describe.

He dreamt that he got shot in his side ant people were running past him and not helping him. Then someone was standing on top of him with a gun, and they pointed it to the spot where he had been shot. When they pulled the trigger, he woke up. I think the dream could be like a premonition. My dreams are usually so crazy that I know they are dreams.

-Tell me about a time where you could not get an image out of your head?

I saw this really disgusting video on the internet, but I don't think it is appropriate to describe =]

Ch 1 vobab!

Refugee - a person who flees for refuge or safety, esp. to a foreign country, as in time of political upheaval, war, etc.

Fatigue - weariness from bodily or mental exertion.

The girl suffered from fatigue and dehydration.

Translucent - permitting light to pass through but diffusing it so that persons, objects, etc., on the opposite side are not clearly visible

The ghost was creepy and translucent.

Mesmerize - to hypnotize.

The hypnotist mesmerized the woman.

Plagued & malnourishment - an epidemic disease that causes high mortality; pestilence.

The city was plagued with bad crops which caused malnourishment.

Verandah - a large, open porch, usually roofed and partly enclosed, as by a railing, often extending across the front and sides of a house; gallery.

They relaxed on the verandah on the hot summer days.

Cradling - any of various supports for objects set horizontally, as the support for the handset of a telephone.

The new mother was cradling her newborn.