The ubiquity of violence has led Will and the others in his neighborhood to develop various survival strategies. Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. This website helped me pass! The author can choose to leave the storyboard public or mark it as Unlisted. Hinton | Themes, Analysis & Quotes, Nike, Greek Goddess | Mythology, Symbol & Facts, Death by Scrabble: Irony, Point of View & Language, Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck | Motifs & Analysis, Citing Textual Evidence to Support Analysis, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie | Summary & Themes, A Dip in the Pool by Roald Dahl: Summary, Theme & Analysis. A biscuit. Indeed, all six ghostly figures bear witness to the ways in which a brief moment of fury or foolishness can cause irreparable consequences. read analysis of Grief, Fear, and Cycles of Violence, read analysis of Masculinity and Coming of Age. At only fifteen, Will assumes this responsibility as though it is a rite of passage into manhood. He doesnt say anything to Will, but actions speak louder than words. 18 Apr. Refine any search. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1715 titles we cover. Perspective and Reality. The six ghosts have little more than a minute in which to dissuade the fifteen-year-old protagonist from pursuing revenge. Ideally, Will shouldve been asking himself the ghosts questions all along. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds. Dialogue Writing. Loyalty and Revenge. Or does he choose to break The Rules and stop the cycle of violence? Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. All of the characters that Will meets are victims of gun violence and each of them adds depth to the themes and the story. By the end of the novel, Will faces the question of whether he is going to be the one to stop the cycle of violence that claimed Shawn. Most examples do not fit the identified symbols. it was like the wordcame out and at the same timetime went in. He shows Will what its like to be on the other side of the barrel, whats it like to be afraid for your life. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Long Way Down Summary. Read a summary of the verse novel, find an in-depth analysis of its plot, and understand its ending. The ghostly figures from the past have a strange relationship with time. A burner. An error occurred trying to load this video. Will doesnt recognize her at first because the ghost he sees is older than he remembers Dani was Wills childhood friend. Will believes the men in his life all followed The Rules, and he reaches for these guidelines when coping with the loss of Shawn. Theres so much packed within these two simple words. The cycle of violence would continue to carry on. This is only the first part of Wills journeyonce he reaches the lobby, his plan is to avenge the death of his older brother, Shawn, who was shot the night before in what was likely a gang-related incident. Everyday violence: The novel shows the prevalence and cyclicality . The timescale of the main narrative is therefore exceptionally short, and Will periodically reminds the reader of how little time has passed. Like. 10 likes. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Whitney Atkinson. The second is the date of In his narration, Will attempts to put forward this fearless persona, bringing attention to the fact that most readers might assume someone would be terrified to realize they are stuck in an elevator with a ghost. The Question and Answer section for Long Way Down is a great Objective: Create a storyboard that identifies themes found in the story. No snitching. When Will's older brother Shawn is shot dead on the playground outside their building, Will takes Shawn's gun and sets out to . Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. publication in traditional print. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme, The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Perspective and Reality appears in each chapter of. Therefore, the very fact that Will is still willing to arm himself and avenge Shawns death suggests that Will prioritizes his loyalty to the dead over his loyalty to the living, even if the living will be the ones who get hurt. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1715 titles we cover. His question gets Will to begin reevaluating his decisions, but his confident you aint got it in you is what truly hits Will. Jason Reynolds' new novel Long Way Down is focused on a moment of decision. Fear is another important theme in Long Way Down. Will Holloman. This Study Guide consists of approximately 48 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Long Way Down. 9. Happiness in Brave New World: Quotes & Analysis, Timeline of Night by Elie Wiesel | Chronology, Context & Analysis, 12th Grade English: Homework Help Resource, 9th Grade English: Homework Help Resource, AP English Literature: Homeschool Curriculum, American Literature Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare: Study Guide, Create an account to start this course today. When recounting Shawn's shooting, Will casually details how he initially reacted to the sounds of gunshots as though it was any other shooting. Long Way Down suggests that while love for and loyalty to ones family (whether biological or chosen) can be admirable, these convictions can also manifest violentlysomething the novel suggests is an incredibly dangerous and unacceptable way of defending loved ones. Went downinto me and chewed on everythinginside as ifI had somehowswallowedmy own teethand they weresharper thanId ever known. To add to this chilling description, Wills mother warns him, when youre walking in the nighttime, make sure the nighttime aint walking into you (p.40). In interviews, he's spoken candidly about the fact that he and his other friends were angry enough to go out, hunt down, and kill the person they believed was their . Its the only thing ever out of place on Shawns side (p.38) and its where Will finds Shawns gun. 20 chapters | As the ghosts file out of the elevator, Shawn turns back and asks, you coming? (p.306). The final ghost that steps into the elevator is Shawn himself. Long Way Down has one main setting in this story, an elevator. Word Count: 904. It is written in poem form, so it can be considered a verse novel. Which character in Long Way Down has the largest impact on Will? No crying. It happens in an elevator teenaged Will is on his way to take revenge for the murder . Most important, however, are Wills reactions to the questions and thought experiments that the ghosts pose: its clear that hes never been asked to think about these questions before. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Write a description of each of the examples in the black text box. Reynolds also emphasizes the importance of mentorship with Will's strong desire to commit to The Rules, the only remaining guidance he has from Shawn, who in turn inherited them from Buck and Mikey and Mark. Complete your free account to request a guide. In the elevator, he learns of the trail of revenge that has led up to this . Like. Its after hearing Mikeys story that his questions hits harder: what you think you should do?. A biscuit. As he journeys to the ground floor, Will continues to make anagrams up until he meets the penultimate ghost: Frick. PDF downloads of all 1715 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. T-shirts around here. Create a storyboard that identifies symbolism in the story. Identify the themes from the story that you wish to include and type them in the title box at the top. The next important thing in Mikeys story is a link to the theme of truth. Frank killed Buck. Have students create attractive posters to display their ideas. Will's father and brother both died shortly after their acts of revenge. While Will sees it as a signal to follow Rule #3, its awkwardness actually serves to draw attention to the wrongness of tracking Riggs down and killing him to avenge Shawn. I love Jason Reynolds voice! Long Way Down study guide contains a biography of Jason Reynolds, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Descriptions say why examples are significant. The book opens with, Dont nobody believe nothing these days (p.1) as Will tries to convince the reader that the events in the book actually happened. The novel follows Will's stream of consciousness. It is when Will sees his brother lying dead that the shooting becomes something out of the ordinary. Griefdeep sorrow caused by someone's deathis a major theme in Long Way Down. A cannon. In this activity, students will identify themes in Long Way Down and illustrate examples from the text. Illustrate instances of each and write a short description that explains the example's significance. Mixed into Will's determination to abide by The Rules and avenge his brother's death is a strong sense of moral obligation to make sure Shawn's killer suffers consequences. Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. A chopper. Will is the novel's narrator and protagonist. The Rules stem from principles of masculinity that suppress vulnerability, and most of the novels characters follow The Rules. Reynolds subtly builds on the theme whenever Will speaks admiringly of Shawn or mentions how he wears Shawn's cologne and oversized hand-me-down clothing. Dani was Wills childhood best friend and was killed as an eight-year-old when someone missed their intended target and accidentally shot her instead. The first character that Will encounters is Buck, the only big brother Shawn had ever had (p.86) and the one who taught [Shawn] The Rules (p.93). Its worth considering that while Wills elevator ride is supernatural and enlightens him to information that he couldnt have gotten without the ghosts, the simple act of thinking about the dead and what secrets they may have taken to their graves can still be a useful exercise. As a young man living in a community rent apart by gang violence, Will feels obliged to put up a tough, brave front in the face of danger. PDF downloads of all 1715 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Or does he? Will is introduced to The Rules at the age of eight by Shawn just after having seen his friend Dani shot dead. One minute and seven seconds later, the door opens in the lobby, and Buck, Dani, Uncle Mark, Pop, Frick, and Shawn run out of the doors in the midst of a cloud of cigarette smoke. Its impossible to ignore the supernatural aspect of Long Way Downall the individuals who share the elevator with Will on his way to avenge his brother Shawns death are ghosts. Additionally, my opinions may not align with yours and thats cool, too. In a world that forbids men to weep, not even for their fallen brothers, Will cant find a way to cope. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Students can explore by identifying these elements themselves or in an " envelope activity ", where they are given one or more to track . Refine any search. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.). The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. All rights reserved. his face was wetwith tears he wasntsupposed to crywhen he was alive. Uncle Mark quietly corrects him: its never the end (p.194), coming back to the cycle of violence and the consequences of following The Rules. The novel looks at both the inevitability and the futility of revenge. Enter your email address to subscribe to my site and receive email notifications every time I post new content. The novel shows how the violence in Wills neighborhood is constant in large part because it is cyclical, with each act of violence spurring a vengeful response. The fourth ghost who steps into the elevator is Mikey, Wills dad. Dani, the second ghost to join Will on the elevator, forces Will to confront the potential repercussions of following through with his plan to avenge Shawns death. In addition, any storyboard can be made sharable, where a private link to the storyboard can be shared externally. Through this, and through the discrepancies between what Will thought was true and what the ghosts tell him actually is true, Long Way Down suggests that there can be major differences between whats believed and whats true in realityand that questioning the validity of ones perspective or beliefs is, at once, one of the hardest and most meaningful thing a person can do. Frick is where Wills conviction that Riggs killed Shawn is put to the test. When Will sees Shawn crying, his tears . Within the portal, all users can view and copy all storyboards. Frickthe man whom Shawn killed, and who was undergoing his initiation into the same gang that Riggs belongs to when he killed Buckdoesnt recognize Riggss description, which suggests that its likely Riggs didnt kill Shawn to avenge Fricks death. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Teachers may opt to lower the security if they want to allow sharing. Shawn, however, refuses to answer, letting Will writhe in the agony of not knowing what to do. (including. Were doing this so that we can link the symbols back later. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. Complete your free account to request a guide. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. This links back to the books theme of connection. Learn about Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. He asks them all, most insistently Shawn, if The Rules are right. *(This Will Start a 2-Week Free Trial - No Credit Card Needed), This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides. Another major theme in the novel is revenge and its disastrous consequences. Not affiliated with Harvard College. And the Rules in Will's neighborhood state that you have to take revenge when someone in your family is killed. A hammer online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. Bubble gum and blood (p.133). -Graham S. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Struggling with distance learning? Teachers and parents! While a young student, Reynolds grew frustrated by what his teachers assigned him to readhe found that he couldnt identify with the characters or get interested in books that seemed to have little to do with his lived experience. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." He reveals to Will that the gun that hes planning on using to shoot Riggs had once belonged to him, adding depth to the history of this particular gun. However, the ghosts Will encounters in the elevator make it clear that this strategy is impossible for Will, since Uncle Mark, Buck, Shawn, and Pop had greater chances of appearing intimidating than Will does, and they have all suffered violent deaths. Always too big. Past present future forever (p.174). If everyone followed The Rules, there would be no end to the bloodshed. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. A Long Way Gone is Ishmael Beah's noteworthy memoir published in 2007.Beah gives a firsthand account of his experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone civil war in the 1990s. After Will tells Buck about Shawns death, Buck responds: So what you bout to do? (p.94). It represents the accumulation of hate, anger, and hurt, which can push someone into doing something that they might later regret. purchase. When they were eight. Reynolds uses connotation to reveal the grievance of Will after going through the loss of a loved one. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Passed to him.Passed them to his little brother.Passed to my older brother.Passed to me. Edit Tab of the verse novel, find an in-depth analysis of Masculinity that suppress vulnerability, understand! Same, and hurt, which can push someone into doing something that they might later regret allow.... Teacher resource I have ever purchased you Coming identify the themes from the story,,! Ap literature without the printable pdfs place on Shawns side ( p.38 ) and its where Will finds gun! Verse novel, find an in-depth analysis of Masculinity that suppress vulnerability, hurt... 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So it can be shared externally Shawn turns back and asks, you?., students Will identify themes in Long Way Down is a great Objective: a...
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