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. Will believes the men in his life all followed The Rules, and he reaches for these guidelines when coping with the loss of Shawn. Refine any search. While Will tries to follow The Rules, the ghosts put up repeated challenges to his masculine posturing until Will breaks. 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. his face was wetwith tears he wasntsupposed to crywhen he was alive. Revenge. 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. Olson, Maxwell. To take a broader look at Danis question and the effects of an unintended death like hers, its worth considering what happened to Will as a result of Danis death. 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. 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. 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. Difficulty Level 3 (Developing to Mastery), Type of Activity: Themes, Symbols & Motifs, (You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.). Will goes back to the day, explaining that he is talking with his friend Tony when Shawn is shot outside their building. [] I thought about this when the man withthe gold chains got on and checked to see if theL button was already glowing. The cycle of violence is the strongest theme that Reynolds book explores. Were doing this so that we can link the symbols back later. This is linked to The Rules, which have been passed down for so long that Will cant even name who came up with them in the first place The Rules have always ruled. Anagrams are how Will finds connections within what he knows. Unlike a fictional narrative, real time does not stop at some arbitrary point. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Kefranks At the end, we know Will has reached the lobby (because the L button's light went out). It is a bit of a long post, so in Bucks words, Might as well relaxits a long way down (p.97). An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is New York Times bestseller Jason Reynoldss fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent secondsthe time it takes a kid to decide whether or not hes going to murder the guy who killed his brother. Download the entire Long Way Down study guide as a printable PDF! Essentially, Dani is asking Will to consider whether following through on his communitys Rules of revenge is guaranteed to have its desired effect. The ubiquity of violence has led Will and the others in his neighborhood to develop various survival strategies. The novels attitude to The Rules is critical, but it also suggests that people who live such difficult lives must have some code of conduct, and the law does not provide one for them. Throughout the book, masculinity arises as a key theme. Warning: major spoilers. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Even the thought of shooting hurts him, which brings us back to Bucks you aint got it in you (p.101). 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. read analysis of Grief, Fear, and Cycles of Violence, read analysis of Masculinity and Coming of Age. around knew. An error occurred trying to load this video. I couldnt see himas anything lessthan my brother, Instant downloads of all 1715 LitChart PDFs At only fifteen, Will assumes this responsibility as though it is a rite of passage into manhood. 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. 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). The book Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is a unique free verse poetry book. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. 2023 . When someone else joins him, the elevator ride begins to get strange. 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. Cooper, James ed. I write about a lot of things, but it usually all comes back to storytelling. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." While its not made clear exactly when Will wrote this on his wall, it seems to highlight the relationship between his fears and anxieties and his love for Shawn. Write a description of each of the examples in the black text box. After carrying out his revenge on his brothers killer, he had no peace. As compelling as Danis question might be to the reader, Will doesnt truly begin to question the righteousness of what hes doing until he comes face to face with Pop, who was killed when Will was three, and therefore isnt someone Will remembers. walking me to the store,teaching me how todo a Penny Drop. They will also appear in Google search results. 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. The Rules stem from principles of masculinity that suppress vulnerability, and most of the novels characters follow The Rules. In the end, the ghosts of Will's mentors appear so they may teach him one more important lesson. 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. 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 Hollomans biggest struggle is trying to find an outlet for his grief. 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. Ultimately, the novel depicts a young man grappling with grief in an instance where the socially sanctioned form of mourning for males is to focus on their anger while denying any feelings that would expose them as weak or vulnerable. Themes. Illustrate each and write a short description below each cell. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Will cried all night, a very natural reaction, but his brother told him that there is no place for such responses in the hostile environment they inhabit. Create an image for examples that represent each symbol using appropriate scenes, characters and items. There are so many ways to interpret this. 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. 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 . And understandably, this isnt a conversation Will wants to have at all, let alone take seriously. Because of this, he didnt read a novel until he was 17. Within the portal, all users can view and copy all storyboards. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. If anything, to avenge Shawn's death will guarantee Will is the next victim of Rule No. 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. Everyone on the elevator with Will is dead, offering advice from the perspective of experience. It is also a bildungsroman novel, showing Will's passage from childhood to adulthood in the grip of an impossible decision. Not only is this a disturbing image that really nails home the actual death of a child, this is a turning point for Will. And then he breaks Rule #1. He tells Will that he couldnt kiss [Wills] mother, couldnt kiss [his] boys good night (p.216). Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds. 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. Prologue Quotes. Jason Reynolds' new novel Long Way Down is focused on a moment of decision. Perspective and Reality. His question gets Will to begin reevaluating his decisions, but his confident you aint got it in you is what truly hits Will. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Long Way Down was inspired by Reynolds's experiences working with incarcerated youth, whose fates, he acknowledges, could've easily been his own. 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. Rule No.3 states simply: "Get revenge." 2 pages at 400 words per page) View a FREE sample. All symbols are correctly identified as objects that represent something else at a higher level in the story. Will's father and brother both died shortly after their acts of revenge. A hammer LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Long Way Down, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. The novel looks at both the inevitability and the futility of revenge. However, after Shawns murder, Will realizes that manhood has unexpectedly arrived early for him: he must, per the Rules of conduct in his community, avenge Shawns death by killing Carlson Riggs, who he believes is Shawns killer. Time is up, and Will has to make a decision. 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. Wills father, Pop, was killed when Will was a toddleras much as Will wants to remember Pop, he doesnt. In the form in which they appear to Will, they have continued to grow and change as though they were living. Will says that when he heard gunshots, he and everyone around him did what they had been trained to do, following a drill that is all too frequently required. Danis death, then, not only killed herit inducted Will into the cycle of violence and emotional repression that led him to his current state, in which hes considering taking anothers life so he can stay true to the Rules. With this act of vengeance, Will assumes he will even the score and be better able to accept Shawn's death. 912 reviews 13.8k followers. Indeed, the narrative traces the chain of violent acts connected to Wills decision to avenge Shawn: Will intends to kill Riggs for (presumably) having killed Shawn, Riggs killed Shawn for having killed Frick, Shawn killed Frick for having killed Buck, and so on. 9. Crochet, hes said, taught him the value of going slowly and taking life one stepor one stitchat a time. In a world that forbids men to weep, not even for their fallen brothers, Will cant find a way to cope. LitCharts Teacher Editions. BIG . When Will's older brother Shawn is shot dead on the playground outside their building, Will takes Shawn's gun and sets out to . Will didnt know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Everyday violence: The novel shows the prevalence and cyclicality . If everyone followed The Rules, there would be no end to the bloodshed. In addition, any storyboard can be made sharable, where a private link to the storyboard can be shared externally. Here, Ill be quickly analyzing each character and what they bring to the elevator. that it stopped Mom fromscraping loose a riverof wounds. When Will answers, Buck says, you aint got it in you (p.101). Composed by Masafumi TakadaVocals by Gary NumanLyrics:Find myself withinDarkness twisting me aroundThere is nothing I can doThis world doesn't spinIt just tu. But after everything that Wills been through, I find it very hard to believe that Will does go ahead and get revenge on the person who may not even be his brothers murderer. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. The timescale of the main narrative is therefore exceptionally short, and Will periodically reminds the reader of how little time has passed. As the other elevator occupants gradually expand Wills understanding of the events leading up to Shawns death, the novel makes it clear that loyalty and love motivated all of these killings. This depiction of the ghosts serves to underscore the wasted potentialthe stolen timeof those whose lives are cut short by violence. Some of Reynolds first successful works were partially written during slow times at the Rag and Bone store he managed. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Will doesnt know her, but she knew him. Log in here. Descriptions clearly say why examples are significant. Most symbols are correctly identified, but some objects are missing or are incorrectly identified as significant symbols. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. The final ghost that steps into the elevator is Shawn himself. 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. The novel's themes are the inevitability and futility of revenge and the element of choice, asking the question how much choice does Will actually have? Another major theme in the novel is revenge and its disastrous consequences. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Most storyboard cells help to show the symbols but some storyboard cells are difficult to understand. As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. But for men, crying is a sign of weakness, not a way to cope with grief. 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. Theres so much packed within these two simple words. Teachers can view all of their students storyboards, but students can only view their own. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Refine any search. He asks, what you think you should do? (p.210). Robert DeLong's new album In The Cards is available now:Download - http://smarturl.it/inthecardsStream - http://smarturl.it/InTheCardsStreaminghttp://robertd. The sixth floor, on comes Buck to develop various survival strategies unique free poetry. Shot outside their building pages at 400 words per page ) view a LitCharts... 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