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. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. They will also appear in Google search results. https://www.storyboardthat.com/lesson-plans/long-way-down-by-jason-reynolds/themes, This Storyboard That activity is part of the lesson plans for. Long Way Down Jason Reynolds. His question gets Will to begin reevaluating his decisions, but his confident you aint got it in you is what truly hits Will. This sets the tone for the story, which requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief, given that Wills journey happens over a single minute and contains A Christmas Carol type interactions with ghosts. Its heavily implied that the nighttime is a metaphor for the collection of dark emotions that can overcome a person after someone they love has been killed. In the elevator, as Will struggles to decide whether he wants to express his grief through violence, many voices argue for a softer, more vulnerable expression. -Graham S. Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. 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. Long Way Down was inspired by Reynolds's experiences working with incarcerated youth, whose fates, he acknowledges, could've easily been his own. After Will tells Buck about Shawns death, Buck responds: So what you bout to do? (p.94). However, the surety Will begins the elevator ride with is steadily worn down by the ghosts who challenge him to reconsider his decision. Through this, he is able to deliver a compelling yet intense tale about the cycle of violence and its terrible consequences. Or, you can call it a gun. Comment. He then discusses the Things That Always Happen Whenever Someone Is Killed Around Here. Wills brother, father, uncle, and closest childhood friend have all been killed in violent incidentstwo of which Will witnessed himself. Knew. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. A tool The first thing that Mikey brings is guilt. 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. But each of the ghosts presents, in its own way, the futility of revenge. A burner. Were doing this so that we can link the symbols back later. In this sense, its possible to argue that Pop wasnt properly loyalhe didnt actually avenge Uncle Marks death, after alland that he himself then died needlessly. Long Way Down has one main setting in this story, an elevator. Went downinto me and chewed on everythinginside as ifI had somehowswallowedmy own teethand they weresharper thanId ever known. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. 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. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. . His presence is the most impactful because he is the person that Will loves most. What Will learns in the elevator is that this story is far more complicated than just that of two menPop and his killerseeking revenge. Instead, the men he encounters demonstrate what has happened to them as a result of following The Rules. walking me to the store,teaching me how todo a Penny Drop. This is important because when Will plays along, he realizes he cant imagine shooting Riggs. Uncertainty. 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. The fourth ghost who steps into the elevator is Mikey, Wills dad. Long Way Down is the opening theme and credits song for The Evil Within. An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds's fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds - the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he's going to murder the guy who killed his brother. The end (p.194). (approx. It is also a bildungsroman novel, showing Will's passage from childhood to adulthood in the grip of an impossible decision. Wills father, Pop, was killed when Will was a toddleras much as Will wants to remember Pop, he doesnt. 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. [] I thought about this when the man withthe gold chains got on and checked to see if theL button was already glowing. 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. She adds to his growing doubt by asking him, What if you miss? (p.142), a possibility that Will hadnt really considered before. around knew. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. However, it quickly becomes clear that such a killing is not a rare event in this neighborhood. The man is Buck, a man who used to be like a big brother to Shawn, the man who gave Shawn the gun Will now carries, and a man . 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 . Which character in Long Way Down has the largest impact on Will? Will and Shawn, p. 319-320. Themes. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Will doesnt recognize her at first because the ghost he sees is older than he remembers Dani was Wills childhood friend. The second date is today's Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. 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. In the form in which they appear to Will, they have continued to grow and change as though they were living. It happens in an elevator teenaged Will is on his way to take revenge for the murder . Will's father and brother both engaged in acts of revenge and may have lost their own lives in consequence. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Over the course of the minute in which Will is in the elevator, ghosts of other people (many of them family members) who died as a result of similar violent incidents join Will. Create your account. Getting revenge solved nothing. The Rules are short and simple: no crying, no snitching (which Will defines as talking to the police), and revenge, which Will says means, If someone you love / gets killed, / find the person / who killed / them and / kill them. Though Will presents the Rules as inarguable, nonnegotiable facts, both he (seemingly, 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. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Print Word PDF. Interestingly, each of the six ghosts asks Will a question that pushes him to reconsider killing Riggs. When they were eight. Most symbols are correctly identified, but some objects are missing or are incorrectly identified as significant symbols. The way the content is organized, A concise biography of Jason Reynolds plus historical and literary context for, In-depth summary and analysis of every chapter of, Explanations, analysis, and visualizations of, Reynolds grew up in Oxon Hill, Maryland, an unincorporated suburb of Washington, D.C. I'm a writer and blogger who enjoys writing in a variety of genres. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. At fifteen, he has already lived through innumerable shootings, and so he and Tony know the drill when they hear shots, ducking until the sound stops and then standing up to count bodies. No crying. The novel ends with Will considering whether he wants to cross that boundary and join the elevator ghosts in the afterlife. Its possible hes disappointed in Will for following in his footsteps. He asks them all, most insistently Shawn, if The Rules are right. Create an image for examples that represent each symbol using appropriate scenes, characters and items. Like. Will must decide if he'll follow neighborhood code . Perspective and Reality Theme Analysis. The novel's close-up examination of the motivation and cyclical nature of shootings among young people is a thought-provoking foray into an important slice of our cultural reality. Mentorshipguidance provided by a trusted or experienced personis another important theme in Long Way Down. When Will sees Shawn crying, his tears . 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. A story that might never know an ENDif WILL gets off that elevator. Already a member? Uncle Mark brings self-reflectionto the table and forces Will to ask himself if he is capable of murder. A strap. Will Holloman. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. And thats not just because shes the only female ghost. 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. This is only the first part of Will's . [] I thought about this when the man withthe gold chains got on and checked to see if theL button was already glowing. Shawn, however, refuses to answer, letting Will writhe in the agony of not knowing what to do. Because of this, he chalks Danis disapproval and line of questioning up to her not understanding the Rules, rather than thinking of it as an important question he really should answer. Its the only thing ever out of place on Shawns side (p.38) and its where Will finds Shawns gun. Students can explore by identifying these elements themselves or in an " envelope activity ", where they are given one or more to track . In this activity, students will identify themes in Long Way Down and illustrate examples from the text. While its important to not diminish the importance of the relationship between Will and Shawn (Shawn is the reason Will plans to kill someone, after all), the fact that it was just the two of them and their mother speaks to the fractured nature of families in Wills community, which partially explains the importance of loyalty to that community. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Then, they'll create a spider map illustrating what they found! Complete your free account to request a guide. Its after hearing Mikeys story that his questions hits harder: what you think you should do?. Explore the novel's summary, themes of revenge and choice, and genre classifications: magical realism, verse novel, and bildungsroman. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. (including. 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. Find myself withinDarkness twisting me aroundThere is nothing I can do This world doesn't spinIt just turns itself aroundAnd around The night chokes tightIn the nerves Can't breathe to screamLong way downSuffocating in . If Riggs didnt actually kill Shawn and Will shoots him anyway, he will go through exactly what his father experienced. Even then, the author does not, in this work, offer any alternative code of behavior. 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. Will's true vulnerability is exposed when he pees himself in fear, when he cries over his uncertainty about killing Riggs, and when he seems to want nothing more than to hug the people he has lost. The Rules stem from principles of masculinity that suppress vulnerability, and most of the novels characters follow The Rules. Loyalty and Revenge. 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. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. around the grip, placingthem over Shawnsprints like littlebrother holding bigbrothers hand again. Bigger huh. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. Then he begins to tell Will how he really died, and in doing so, unpacks a number of important elements. The person that shot Shawn had to be someone who knew Frick, but when Dani describes Riggs to Frick, he responds, Who? (p.275). succeed. Bubble gum and blood (p.133). 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. publication in traditional print. Tom Odell - Long Way Down (Official Audio)New album "Best Day Of My Life" out 28th October 2022Pre-order or pre-save album now - https://ffm.to/bestdayofmyli. No snitching. All symbols are correctly identified as objects that represent something else at a higher level in the story. "Long Way Down Themes". Illustrate each and write a short description below each cell. A heater. Rule No.3 states simply: "Get revenge." Olson, Maxwell. A biscuit. 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. While Will hopes to live by the same rules that led to the murders of so many loved ones, he comes to realize that if he is to live by The Rules, he will invariably die by The Rules. So strange to say. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds | Summary & Ending, Unwind Book Series | Unwind by Neal Shusterman, Beah's A Long Way Gone: Themes & Discussion, On the Sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter | Summary & Themes, The Outsiders by S.E. Never ironed out. It is when Will sees his brother lying dead that the shooting becomes something out of the ordinary. 5 years ago. Read a summary of the verse novel, find an in-depth analysis of its plot, and understand its ending. Even the thought of shooting hurts him, which brings us back to Bucks you aint got it in you (p.101). Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. 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. This links back to the books theme of connection. These principles of masculinity confuse and complicate Wills emotions; he wants to cry for his dead brother, but he also wants to make his brother proud, to prove that he is man enough to handle this situation the way Shawn would have wanted. Over the course of the minute in which Will is in the elevator, Early on in the novel, Will introduces the reader to the Rules which guide life in his violent neighborhood. Instant PDF downloads. Whitney Atkinson. In the absence of a biological father or stand-in father figure, Shawn played the most important role in Wills life, showing him how he needed to behave and teaching him how the world works, just as Buck did for Shawn. 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. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1715 titles we cover. 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. Will has thought about what he intends to do in seeking revenge, but, as Uncle Mark points out, he has not given any thought to what might happen after that. Additionally, my opinions may not align with yours and thats cool, too. Unlike a fictional narrative, real time does not stop at some arbitrary point. How does Will change over the course of Long Way Down? Last Updated on June 14, 2021, by eNotes Editorial. And the Rules in Will's neighborhood state that you have to take revenge when someone in your family is killed. Because of this, he didnt read a novel until he was 17. Reynolds doesnt explicitly tell us. When Frick discloses his story how he was killed Will thinks, I wish I knew an anagram for POSER (p.276). Bethany is a certified Special Education and Elementary teacher with 11 years experience teaching Special Education from grades PK through 5. This multifaceted relationshipShawn was, in many ways, a brother, a mentor, and a father figure to Willmeans that Shawn and Will were extremely close. (I found this mildly confusing because where I live, the penultimate level is generally called level 1, but here, its level 2.) The middle drawer is on Shawns side of the brothers bedroom. The issues dealt with in the novel are very real: violence, familial loyalty, and revenge. As important as their mentorship has been, he is destined to suffer the same fate if he carries out his plan. And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. The ghostly figures from the past have a strange relationship with time. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. At only fifteen, Will assumes this responsibility as though it is a rite of passage into manhood. Much of how Will conceptualizes manhood has to do with acting appropriately masculinethat is, as, Instant downloads of all 1715 LitChart PDFs He knows who hes after. As Will says, after Shawns death, crying / is against / The Rules (30). Passed to him.Passed them to his little brother.Passed to my older brother.Passed to me. Any literary elements can be conveyed through characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination. A strap. At two seconds past 9:08 a.m., Buck enters the elevator on the seventh floor. Amazon Goodreads. Before Will can register it, Mikey pulls Wills gun from his waistband and [puts] it to [Wills] head (p.224). Complete your free account to request a guide. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Warning: major spoilers. "Long Way Down - Themes" eNotes Publishing Will's father and brother both died shortly after their acts of revenge. And thats when Will sees that one bullet is missing. A biscuit. Finally, Mikey tries to give Will a taste of empathy. I feel like its a lifeline. it was like the wordcame out and at the same timetime went in. 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 Loyalty and Revenge appears in each chapter of. Teachers and parents! I was only three.And I dont remember that.Ive always wanted to. Novels and poetry often have a variety of themes throughout that students can identify and analyze. When Will's older brother Shawn is shot dead on the playground outside their building, Will takes Shawn's gun and sets out to . "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Will doesnt know her, but she knew him. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. Hey there! The ubiquity of violence has led Will and the others in his neighborhood to develop various survival strategies. He was killed for killing the man who killed [Uncle Mark] (p.203). A cannon. The cycle of violence is the strongest theme that Reynolds book explores. Long Way Down study guide contains a biography of Jason Reynolds, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Griefdeep sorrow caused by someone's deathis a major theme in Long Way Down. The author can choose to leave the storyboard public or mark it as Unlisted. Cooper, James ed. It represents Wills growing discomfort as he tries to prepare himself to kill Riggs and quite possibly the immorality of using murder to solve problems. Pop admits that when he went out to kill Uncle Marks killer, he got the wrong guy. Loyalty and Revenge Theme Analysis. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Bucks cigarette. You ( p.101 ) Dani was wills childhood friend, symbols, characters and.! Teacher with 11 years experience teaching Special Education and Elementary teacher with years. Quickly becomes clear that such long way down theme killing is not a rare event in neighborhood... After Will tells Buck about Shawns death, Buck responds: so what think! Are missing or are incorrectly identified as objects that represent something else at a higher level in the elevator seventh! 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