And as a kidI always figuredhis heartwas forreal brokenlike an arm or a toy, wouldve been totell Buck how importantthat soap was. Then he begins to tell Will how he really died, and in doing so, unpacks a number of important elements. This is just how I interpreted the book. But it also suggests that such emotions, and the violent actions that Will and others like him want to take as an expression of that loyalty, have irrevocable consequences for all parties involved. Which character in Long Way Down has the largest impact on Will? A tool When Reynolds was 19, one of his best friends was murdered on the street. It represents the accumulation of hate, anger, and hurt, which can push someone into doing something that they might later regret. Ideally, Will shouldve been asking himself the ghosts questions all along. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. This gets both the reader and Will to question if Riggs death really is the right answer. The third poem of Long Way Down reveals that Wills brother, Shawn, has just been shot and killed, and the poems that immediately follow it describe Wills shock and sadness at this tragedy. copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. Thats where Wills now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brothers gun. All of the characters that Will meets are victims of gun violence and each of them adds depth to the themes and the story. Or perhaps he is trying to show Will that its okay to break The Rules. (including. that I didlike he told me,like Buck told him,like our grandfather toldour uncle, like our uncletold our dad. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Why is Will going to shoot Riggs? He asks them all, most insistently Shawn, if The Rules are right. I feel like its a lifeline. No snitching. Descriptions clearly say why examples are significant. his face was wetwith tears he wasntsupposed to crywhen he was alive. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Its possible that he regrets teaching Will The Rules and blames himself. that it stopped Mom fromscraping loose a riverof wounds. Refine any search. Then, they'll create a spider map illustrating what they found! His question asks Will if he is going to follow through with killing Riggs, and thus follow the ghosts into death when someone comes after Will. Though Pop, Uncle Mark, Shawn, and Frick all died in the process of following the Rules and exacting revenge (and the novel implies that Danis death was also the result of a revenge killing gone awry), all of them suggest that this kind of loyalty required by the Rules doesnt actually do much good. Will is seeking revenge for his brother Shawn's murder. In particular, Pop illuminates the fundamental flaw in the Rules and how they play out: he thought he shot Uncle Marks killer, but realizes now that he made a mistake and killed the wrong man. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. . 120 Likes, 6 Comments - Seraphim Starseed (@starseed_777) on Instagram: "Posted @withregram @a_girl_in_the_universe ANOTHER BIG NIGHT OF ASCENSION ENERGIES! Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Two things began to turn Reynolds onto literature and poetry: rap music in the form of Queen Latifahs album. By presenting a story in which the wisdom of the dead takes center stage, Reynolds poses a compelling thought experiment: what might happen if someone in Wills position had this unencumbered access to information that, in reality, is usually lost forever when someone, At 15 years old, Will is on the brink of coming of age, even before his brother Shawn is shot and killed. Hardcover, 320 pages. Mentorshipguidance provided by a trusted or experienced personis another important theme in Long Way Down. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. The author seems to regard The Rules as being so deeply inculcated in men that it would be futile simply to say that they are destructive. Like. However, he responds to his grief in his community's expected way, which is to get revenge. But each of the ghosts presents, in its own way, the futility of revenge. Also.the audiobook is just an hour or so long! Interestingly, each of the six ghosts asks Will a question that pushes him to reconsider killing Riggs. Long Way Down was inspired by Reynolds's experiences working with incarcerated youth, whose fates, he acknowledges, could've easily been his own. The fourth ghost who steps into the elevator is Mikey, Wills dad. Long Way Down is a television series and book documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2007 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from John o' Groats in Scotland through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South Africa. I write about a lot of things, but it usually all comes back to storytelling. Long Way Down also explores the concept of truth. The elevator moves impossibly slowly, giving Will ample time to speak . 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. All rights reserved. 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. Its a terrifying moment for Will and it shows him how hed feel if he were in Riggs place. Already a member? This links back to the books theme of connection. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. read analysis of Grief, Fear, and Cycles of Violence, read analysis of Masculinity and Coming of Age. Went downinto me and chewed on everythinginside as ifI had somehowswallowedmy own teethand they weresharper thanId ever known. The last lines of Long Way Down show Shawn finally breaking his silence with his brother to ask if he is coming. Jason Reynolds' new novel Long Way Down is focused on a moment of decision. Illustrate instances of each and write a short description that explains the example's significance. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Dialogue Writing. Word Count: 904. Women are clearly allowed to cry over sudden losses: Wills mother cries all night, and Leticia, Shawns girlfriend, screams in the street over his fallen body. The best thing to do in the face of constant violence, Will says, is to become invisible. The next best approach is to become dangerous enough to frighten predators away. 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. Were doing this so that we can link the symbols back later. Long Way Down has one main setting in this story, an elevator. After Will tells Buck about Shawns death, Buck responds: So what you bout to do? (p.94). And understandably, this isnt a conversation Will wants to have at all, let alone take seriously. (including. Long Way Down is the story of 15 year old Will, whose older brother was just killed. It is Wills encounter with her that is the beginning of the seeds uprooting. it was like the wordcame out and at the same timetime went in. BEEF. Read a summary of the verse novel, find an in-depth analysis of its plot, and understand its ending. Will goes back to the day, explaining that he is talking with his friend Tony when Shawn is shot outside their building. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Long Way Down exploresthe various connections that come forth from the cycle of violence and shows how following Rule #3, revenge, only results in more loss and bloodshed. Warning: major spoilers. He was killed for killing the man who killed [Uncle Mark] (p.203). Shawn begins to softly [snot] and [hiccup] like a little kid, tears pouring from his eyes (p.291). Will's father and brother both engaged in acts of revenge and may have lost their own lives in consequence. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Teachers can view all of their students storyboards, but students can only view their own. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. Ed. (approx. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. In Long Way Down, Will is on his way to follow the Rules of his neighborhood that dictate that he take revenge for the death of his brother. Long Way Down study guide contains a biography of Jason Reynolds, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. They are simple, as the blurb explains: No crying. Teachers and parents! Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Though Reynolds has said he no longer crochets to unwind, he used to be an avid crochet hobbyist. I analyze books, films, and other media to bring out lessons in writing for your benefit, but I also mix in a fun post every so often. This is why one bullet is missing from Wills gun. Learning them is a rite of passage for all men, and they are passed on from father to son and from older to younger brother. By not doing so, Will would be labeled by his community as a coward, in addition to the trauma of losing his brother. This is only the first part of Will's 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. succeed. How do you feel about symbolism in works of fiction, and where else have you seen it done well? We see fragments of his memories and thought processes as he meets different people from his life. -Graham S. Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Teachers may ask students to illustrate multiple examples of a single theme, symbol, or motif, or illustrate one example for each. Complete your free account to request a guide. All storyboards are public and can be viewed and copied by anyone. Written by Beah in the United States after he returned to civilian life, the narrative gives real-life insight into how children can be coerced to commit terrible acts of war. Loyalty, in this sense, is the very reason families in Wills community are fractured in the first placeWill suggests that if someone doesnt avenge their loved ones death, theyre considered disloyal and effectively betray their loved ones memory by doing nothing. LitCharts Teacher Editions. On the elevator ride, Will is visited by a series of ghosts who lay out for him a gruesome look at what revenge can do. A biscuit. 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. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. eNotes Editorial. Without further ado, lets dive in. around the grip, placingthem over Shawnsprints like littlebrother holding bigbrothers hand again. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Bucks cigarette. She has a Bachelor's degree in Special Education, Elementary Education, and English from Gordon College and a Master's degree in Special Education from Salem State University. Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds. Hes headed to kill Riggs, his brothers killer, but did Riggs really murder Shawn? While Will tries to follow The Rules, the ghosts put up repeated challenges to his masculine posturing until Will breaks. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Always too big. The cycle of violence is the strongest theme that Reynolds book explores. What do you think of the way it tackles the cycle of violence? A fifteen-year-old Black teen, Will has grown up in an unnamed impoverished neighborhood with a high incidence of gun violence, drug abuse, and gang activity. Will doesnt recognize her at first because the ghost he sees is older than he remembers Dani was Wills childhood friend. 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. A heater. 18 Apr. The person that shot Shawn had to be someone who knew Frick, but when Dani describes Riggs to Frick, he responds, Who? (p.275). Much of how Will conceptualizes manhood has to do with acting appropriately masculinethat is, as, Instant downloads of all 1715 LitChart PDFs Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. Among the ghosts are Will's father and Shawn, both of whom sought to follow The Rules when feeling grief over Uncle Mark and Buck, respectively. gets passed down like name-brand. 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. Passed to him.Passed them to his little brother.Passed to my older brother.Passed to me. In the elevator, he learns of the trail of revenge that has led up to this moment. Will and Shawn are connected by blood, but many of the others tales are linked in the too-long chain of who-shot-who and the need to follow The Rules. Will Hollomans biggest struggle is trying to find an outlet for his grief. Struggling with distance learning? eNotes.com Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1715 titles we cover. If there are three dates, the first date is the date of the original Buck represents the beginnings of doubt in Will. This is, importantly, something that Pop only found out after the fact, though its somewhat unclear if Pop knew he made a mistake when he was still alive or only figured it out after he died. publication online or last modification online. Revenge. 3. By presenting a story in which the wisdom of the dead takes center stage, Reynolds poses a compelling thought experiment: what might happen if someone in Wills position had this unencumbered access to information that, in reality, is usually lost forever when someone dies? Frick doesnt know Riggs, and because of this, he becomes the final attack on Wills certainty. But for men, crying is a sign of weakness, not a way to cope with grief. A piece. After Danis death, Shawn begins to teach him The Rules. I followed The Rules.At least the first two. *(This Will Start a 2-Week Free Trial - No Credit Card Needed), This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. First, were going to start off by breaking down the themes that I drew fromLong Way Down. BUCK IS DEAD. In order to deal with his grief, Will resorts to "The Rules," a set of dictates that discourage crying and encourage revenge as a means of coping with the loss of a loved one. 5 years ago. [] I thought about this when the man withthe gold chains got on and checked to see if theL button was already glowing. Write a description of each of the examples in the black text box. If Will becomes a killer, he will either have to live the rest of his life with the consequences of his act or die because of it. What Will learns in the elevator is that this story is far more complicated than just that of two menPop and his killerseeking revenge. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Spin a Yarn. The nighttime had wormed its way into him. And Will knows the rules. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Additionally, Will meets the ghost of a man named Frick, who Will is shocked to discover murdered Buck. Refine any search. I wondered if he knewthat in me and Shawns world, Id already chosen to be. I wondered if he knewthat in me and Shawns world, Id already chosen to be. But students can only view their own original Buck represents the accumulation of hate, anger, and hurt which... That its okay to break the Rules Riggs place to softly [ snot ] and [ hiccup like... & # x27 ; s murder the form of Queen Latifahs album in community... Way Down has one main setting in this story, an elevator at the same timetime in... For each strongest theme that Reynolds book explores led up to this moment free LitCharts.! 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A short description that explains the example 's significance long Way Down course lets you earn progress by quizzes! A description of each and write a short description that explains the example 's.! ( p.291 ) which can push someone into doing something that they might later regret that.