Another major theme in the novel is revenge and its disastrous consequences. 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. The next important thing in Mikeys story is a link to the theme of truth. walking me to the store,teaching me how todo a Penny Drop. In the elevator, he is visited by several ghosts who relate their experiences with revenge, including his father, who killed the wrong guy when trying to avenge his brother. Bubble gum and blood (p.133). Will is seeking revenge for his brother Shawn's murder. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you Theres so much packed within these two simple words. Given that the dead in the novel know everything, this suggests that one of the most important things a still-living person can do is realize that they dont know everythingand because of this, shouldnt take irreversible actions like killing someone. Long Way Down Summary. Objective: Create a storyboard that identifies themes found in the story. There are so many ways to interpret this. You can hear Real World music on the BBC 2 television series and this new double CD (as well as the accompanying DVD to be released on December 3rd . The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. She had been shot and killed at the age of eight. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Riggs probably killed Will's brother, Shawn, the day before yesterday. Uncertainty is a dominant theme in Long Way Down. 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. 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. Students can explore by identifying these elements themselves or in an " envelope activity ", where they are given one or more to track . I highly recommend you use this site! 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. A heater. 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. I recently finishedLong Way Downby Jason Reynolds, and it was absolutely fantastic in more ways than one. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Wills determined to believe that he can pinpoint the blame on Riggs, but deep down, hes not sure if this belief is truth, as implied with the brackets (parentheses?) Loyalty and Revenge Theme Analysis. The theme arises early in the novel when Will states that his brother Shawn was killed two days earlier. Most important, however, are Wills reactions to the questions and thought experiments that the ghosts pose: its clear that hes never been asked to think about these questions before. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. 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. T he main themes in Long Way Down are everyday violence, the rules of masculinity, and the passage of time.. 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. Word Count: 904. Frank killed Buck. They are so reluctant to talk to the police that only new police recruits ask questions as though they are expecting an answer. publication in traditional print. If anything, to avenge Shawn's death will guarantee Will is the next victim of Rule No. Knew. I couldnt see himas anything lessthan my brother, Instant downloads of all 1715 LitChart PDFs Then, they'll create a spider map illustrating what they found! And because of her youth, many of the words used around her have connotations of innocence and childhood: playground (p.124), sunshine (p.127), and flower dress (p.127). The elevator in which Long Way Down takes place is a symbol of the restrictions Will feels as he tries to right the wrong of his brother's death. Went downinto me and chewed on everythinginside as ifI had somehowswallowedmy own teethand they weresharper thanId ever known. A cannon. Below you will find the important quotes in Long Way Down related to the theme of Grief, Fear, and Cycles of Violence. Uncertainty. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Long Way Down thoroughly explores the theme of revenge. Everyone on the elevator with Will is dead, offering advice from the perspective of experience. 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. Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. All Will knows about Pop is the story Shawn told him: Pop went out to avenge the murder of his brother, Uncle Mark, and was later shot at a payphone. Always too big. It is when Will sees his brother lying dead that the shooting becomes something out of the ordinary. Students can explore by identifying these elements themselves or in an envelope activity, where they are given one or more to track throughout their reading. *(This Will Start a 2-Week Free Trial - No Credit Card Needed), This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides. Like. Thats where Wills now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brothers gun. Most examples fit the identified symbols. It is Wills encounter with her that is the beginning of the seeds uprooting. Despite the front he puts up, Will's fear gradually surfaces, and it becomes apparent that he is more affected by disturbing things than it would be 'manly,' in his view, to admit. The author can choose to leave the storyboard public or mark it as Unlisted. The person that shot Shawn had to be someone who knew Frick, but when Dani describes Riggs to Frick, he responds, Who? (p.275). 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. The novel follows Will's stream of consciousness. Passed to him.Passed them to his little brother.Passed to my older brother.Passed to me. Create your account. The second is the date of Will is introduced to The Rules at the age of eight by Shawn just after having seen his friend Dani shot dead. This section contains 532 words. Uncle Mark quietly corrects him: its never the end (p.194), coming back to the cycle of violence and the consequences of following The Rules. 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. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. Its after hearing Mikeys story that his questions hits harder: what you think you should do?. Identify the themes from the story that you wish to include and type them in the title box at the top. So sad. A strap. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. Finally, Mikey tries to give Will a taste of empathy. A chopper. Just as Wills trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. In Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, Will is a young man on an elevator ride on his way to shoot a guy named Riggs. 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. Why is Will going to shoot Riggs? LitCharts Teacher Editions. Have students create attractive posters to display their ideas. Cooper, James ed. Long Way Down is the story of 15 year old Will, whose older brother was just killed. One minute and seven seconds later, the door opens in the lobby, and Buck, Dani, Uncle Mark, Pop, Frick, and Shawn run out of the doors in the midst of a cloud of cigarette smoke. 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. 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. 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. As such, his idea of what a man should be is informed by the examples set by Shawn and Buck, who in turn learned from Mikey and Uncle Mark. At two seconds past 9:08 a.m., Buck enters the elevator on the seventh floor. What You Need And What Happens Next in This Movie. They are simple, as the blurb explains: No crying. Will's father and brother both died shortly after their acts of revenge. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES. This is only the first part of Will's . Interestingly, each of the six ghosts asks Will a question that pushes him to reconsider killing Riggs. 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. Uncle Mark said,all chuckle, chuckle.He leaned toward Buck. killed my dad.Thats what my motheralways said. Have students think creatively and "fill in the blanks" of conversation between Will and the other characters. This is an implicit question to Will does he want to add to this unbroken chain? Real World Records has been working closely with the Long Way Down production to provide the soundtrack to the journey. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. By making this clear to Will, the ghosts in the elevator ask him to consider if his plan to kill Riggs is actually the right course of action, and if Will is actually behaving loyally by following through with it. When recounting Shawn's shooting, Will casually details how he initially reacted to the sounds of gunshots as though it was any other shooting. 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. 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. The greatest challenge comes when Will's father holds a handgun to Will's head, prompting a physiological expression of fear as Will involuntarily wets his pants. The moral that can be learned from this section is that "Treat others the way you want to be treated." He asks Will what happens after he shoots Riggs, to which Will replies, thats it. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. Wills interest in anagrams may be because they remind him of his bond with Shawn same letters, different words, somehow still make sense together, like brothers (p.37). He doesnt say anything to Will, but actions speak louder than words. Book Summary. Already a member? When Will finds Shawns gun, he immediately thinks of it as a tool for carrying out the third of these Rules, the only one that is active rather than prohibitive. date the date you are citing the material. Wills father, Pop, was killed when Will was a toddleras much as Will wants to remember Pop, he doesnt. Refine any search. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Copyright 1999 - 2023 GradeSaver LLC. Or does he? However, The Rules are restrictive, stating that a man must not cry and therefore show fear or weakness. 9. Instant downloads of all 1715 LitChart PDFs 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. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1715 titles we cover. Shawn stands there awkwardly like a middle drawer of a man (p.291) and says nothing as Will tells him everything. 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. Thus, Wills decision over whether to seek vengeance carries a moral weight beyond just himself and Riggs: he has the ability to halt the cycle of violence in which he has been implicated. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Uncertainty is a dominant theme in Long Way Down. 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. From the new EP Long Way Down available now!Download: http://smarturl.it/longwaydownepStream: http://smarturl.it/LongWayDownStreamhttp://robertdelong.comhttp. 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. 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. However, the surety Will begins the elevator ride with is steadily worn down by the ghosts who challenge him to reconsider his decision. This depiction of the ghosts serves to underscore the wasted potentialthe stolen timeof those whose lives are cut short by violence. 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. The timescale of the main narrative is therefore exceptionally short, and Will periodically reminds the reader of how little time has passed. he murmured, looking at Buck,motioning for a light. The six ghosts have little more than a minute in which to dissuade the fifteen-year-old protagonist from pursuing revenge. In Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds does an amazing job incorporating important themes and powerful messages into a riveting story. 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. All symbols are correctly identified as objects that represent something else at a higher level in the story. 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. Nothing but a mass of evidence showing the results of following them will be persuasive. The novel is a clear example of magical realism as it examines the issues of violence, loyalty, and revenge through a supernatural element. Teachers can view all of their students storyboards, but students can only view their own. 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. eNotes.com Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. A hammer He shows Will what its like to be on the other side of the barrel, whats it like to be afraid for your life. that I didlike he told me,like Buck told him,like our grandfather toldour uncle, like our uncletold our dad. His use of symbolism through ideas, objects, and characters to convey his themes adds so much depth to the story, making it even more hard-hitting than it already is. The second date is today's Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. around knew. I write about a lot of things, but it usually all comes back to storytelling. And the only one who could have fired Shawns gun was Shawn. And thats not just because shes the only female ghost. Long Way Down is the opening theme and credits song for The Evil Within. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. The Genius of Elizabeth Weins Code Name Verity [SPOILERS], Three-Act Story Structure Study: Neal Shustermans Scythe, MG & YA Books by POC Authors + representation chat. Teachers and parents! Fricks story doesnt line up with what Will believes is true, and as a result, he is unable to make sensible connections anymore.. Wills use of anagrams to figure out truth and make connections with the information he has gives the reader an insight into how he sees the world. Dani is the reminder of Wills childhood and the seed for the cycle of violence to begin in him. Is he going to shoot Riggs, and further the cycle of violence? Shawn begins to softly [snot] and [hiccup] like a little kid, tears pouring from his eyes (p.291). Additionally, my opinions may not align with yours and thats cool, too. Instant PDF downloads. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. This is important because when Will plays along, he realizes he cant imagine shooting Riggs. 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. (including. While they don't explicitly discourage him from getting revenge, their questions provoke Will to rethink his commitment to The Rules. He asks, what you think you should do? (p.210). Will doesnt know her, but she knew him. What is the moral or message of Long Way Down? Huh. Dialogue Writing. While Will tries to follow The Rules, the ghosts put up repeated challenges to his masculine posturing until Will breaks. Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on Jason Reynolds's Long Way Down. Not only is this a disturbing image that really nails home the actual death of a child, this is a turning point for Will. PDF downloads of all 1715 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. Long Way Down (2017) by Jason Reynolds is a young adult novel in free verse about Will Holloman, a young black boy struggling to make a decision after his brother Shawn is shot dead in the street.Will plans to seek revenge, but before he can leave the elevator of his building, he is greeted by a series of ghosts who confuse and complicate his perspective on Shawn's death and the idea of . Composed by Masafumi TakadaVocals by Gary NumanLyrics:Find myself withinDarkness twisting me aroundThere is nothing I can doThis world doesn't spinIt just tu. The family Will has left then, is his mother and, until the day before the novel begins, his big brother Shawn. If Riggs didnt actually kill Shawn and Will shoots him anyway, he will go through exactly what his father experienced. Most symbols are correctly identified, but some objects are missing or are incorrectly identified as significant symbols. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Most storyboard cells help to show the symbols but some storyboard cells are difficult to understand. 2023
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