1) Ishmael says, "These days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which triggers memories from the past" (page 20). Why does he describe his dreams, past, and present as seperate worlds? Which "world" do you think he enjoys being in the most?
2) "Someone had started a rumor about the 'seven boys,' us" (page 57). How do you think being mistaken for soldiers impacted Ishmael's faith in his survival?
3) “We must strive to be like the moon.” ( page 16) Why do you think it is important for Ishmael to be like the moon? How does being like the moon help Ishmael throughout the war?
4) The general of the soldiers said, "We"..."are here to protect you and will do all we can to make sure nothing happens to you" (page 123). Do you think the general really cares about the people? Explain.
Johnny
ReplyDelete1. When Ishmael talks about his three worlds, he is in modern time. So when he describes his dreams, past, and present as separate worlds, he is referring to the dreams of war that haunt him, his past of his child war, and the present of living in the United States. He describes them this way because it is actually if he is in three worlds; each place is extremely vivid an definite. The "world" he enjoys being in the most is definitely the present. In the present, he lives outside of war and fighting, and is just a normal person.
2. It is important for Ishmael to be like the moon because if he is, he can always appreciate what is going on, and he can make the worst of situations still contain a little bit of pleasantness. He needed to be like the moon to fully rehabilitate from his war experiences. Throughout the war Ishmael has needed to look at the positives of his life.
Julie
ReplyDelete2. I believe Ishmael must have felt much more threatened by being judged as a solider. His faith that he would make it through the war must have been majorly damaged. If people thought he was part of the rebel army, they would try to contain or hurt him immediately, without even getting to know who he is. They would do anything possible to get rid of him or get information out of it. The feelings of fright and nervousness must have never left him.
3. In the book, it says no one complains when the moon is shining. When its cloudy, people complain about rain and how cold it is. When the sun is out, people constantly complain about it being too hot. Everyone appreciates the moon in their own way. Its important for Ishmael to be like the moon so other soldiers will respect him and treat him well. He will get much further if people begin to appreciate his services to his army. People are generally more attracted to happy, positive people, like their attitude towards the moon, rather than negative, sour people. Acting like the moon helps Ismael create many friendships in the army and become more connected. He feels a stronger passion to help his side beat their enemies and his friends also have a stronger passion to help him. For example, when he got shot in the foot and was severely wounded, his friends got him to a doctor to help heal him.
Erin
ReplyDelete2.When Ishmael was mistaken for being a boy soldier no one would trust what he would say. Every town the boys would travel too, they would capture and question them or threaten to kill them on the spot. I believe this has impacted Ishmael's faith in survival because he couldn't be sure what the next towns reactions would be. Having no trust while growing up has affected him greatly.
Matt
ReplyDelete2. I think being mistaken for rebels would have been very tough for Ismael. Along their journey, the boys had seen what the rebels had done to villages across Africa which made them hate the rebels. Lots of people wanted to kill the rebels and once the boys were thought to be rebels, Ishmael knew people would want to kill them too. ThaThis would make Ishmael have much less faith in survival.
4. I believe that the General was just trying to make sure the civillians didn't harm his soldiers. He wanted to make sure he still had soldiers to fight the battles. I don't think he cared about the civillians as much as he said he did. I don't think he was as helpful as he sounded because later in the book, rebel soldiers in the rehab center told of how soldiers had killed their families.