Level I Discussion Questions
Beah moves around in time as he tells his story, flashing forward and backward. What is the effect of this technique on the overall meaning of the text? Would it be more effective if he stuck to strict chronology? Why or why not?
Flashbacks and shifts in time are commonly used to give both effect and understanding to a narrative. I think that Beah used this technique effectively. Beah's journey is never ending. It takes place in the future, present and past. We know that nobody, including Beah, cannot really escape the nightmare of his childhood. Beah's narrative goes back and forth through his life weaving his ideals with his childhood innocence that was so forcefully taken away.
In chapter four and five, the …show more content…
The villagers are hoarding their food in anticipation of trouble. Stealing is unacceptable under any circumstances, but in this situation, I blame this on the villagers. The whole situation was avoidable had the villagers accepted the boys money. Why hold onto available food and keep it from starving boys, particularly starving boys who were compliant with paying.
On page 37, Beah writes, “This was one of the consequences of the civil war. People stopped trusting each other, and every stranger became an enemy.” Can you relate to this feeling of mistrust? If so, when have you felt that “every stranger is an enemy”? Why have you felt this way?
I believe that every person goes through this feeling that “every stranger is an enemy”. To give you an anecdote, one of my close friends with whom I grew up with decided he didn’t want to be friends with me anymore. Along with his decision came the trash talk. At this point I began to wonder to myself, “If your best friend would do this to you, why not a total stranger?”. That being said, I believe I developed a large amount of trust issues due to this process.
How did the boys avoid death when the villagers on the coast found them? Is Beah developing a theme with this and other events like it? What is
Beah moves around in time as he tells his story, flashing forward and backward. What is the effect of this technique on the overall meaning of the text? Would it be more effective if he stuck to strict chronology? Why or why not?
Flashbacks and shifts in time are commonly used to give both effect and understanding to a narrative. I think that Beah used this technique effectively. Beah's journey is never ending. It takes place in the future, present and past. We know that nobody, including Beah, cannot really escape the nightmare of his childhood. Beah's narrative goes back and forth through his life weaving his ideals with his childhood innocence that was so forcefully taken away.
In chapter four and five, the …show more content…
The villagers are hoarding their food in anticipation of trouble. Stealing is unacceptable under any circumstances, but in this situation, I blame this on the villagers. The whole situation was avoidable had the villagers accepted the boys money. Why hold onto available food and keep it from starving boys, particularly starving boys who were compliant with paying.
On page 37, Beah writes, “This was one of the consequences of the civil war. People stopped trusting each other, and every stranger became an enemy.” Can you relate to this feeling of mistrust? If so, when have you felt that “every stranger is an enemy”? Why have you felt this way?
I believe that every person goes through this feeling that “every stranger is an enemy”. To give you an anecdote, one of my close friends with whom I grew up with decided he didn’t want to be friends with me anymore. Along with his decision came the trash talk. At this point I began to wonder to myself, “If your best friend would do this to you, why not a total stranger?”. That being said, I believe I developed a large amount of trust issues due to this process.
How did the boys avoid death when the villagers on the coast found them? Is Beah developing a theme with this and other events like it? What is