AP+Group+7

__Forgiveness and Compassion__
__LoQ's:__ Chapter 1

Level Two: - How does rap music affect the boys’ outlook on the world in the beginning of the story? - How does “being like the moon” help Beah?

Level Three: - Do the problems in Beah’s family better prepare him to face the hardships of the war? - Will Beah’s relatively large group help or hinder him as time passes? - How will the part of Beah’s childhood imbedded in him affect him?

Chapter 2:

Level Two: - Despite what undoubtedly happened to them and their families, is there any hint of compassion in the boys' treatment of the villagers? - Why was it Beah's face underneath the sheet, rather than someone else's?

Level Three: - Is it possible to completely bury a memory that has become an integral part of who you are? - Does reading the description of the senseless violence inflicted on others by young boys influence your views on war? If so, how? If not, why? - Beah states that the memories he has, he wishes he could get rid of. Are there times you wish you could erase parts of your memory? Why?

Chapter 3:

Level Two: - How does the looming danger of attack from the RUF affect the daily lives of the people? - What are the effects of the boys’ newly nomadic lifestyle?

Level Three: - By carving RUF on the backs of the prisoners, does the scarring symbolize control that the RUF have over the person, or does it show the defiance and force of will within the person? - Was there folly in choosing to remain in Mattru Jong? - Where does compassion fit in this society? Is it necessary to forsake it for the purposes of survival?

Chapter 4

Level Two: -Why did Ishmael's group have to steal food from the villagers during the night? -How did the villagers change after the war according to this chapter?

Level Three: -Is it justifiable/forgivable that the kids stole food from the villagers? -Does survival count on the saying "every man for himself" and the disregard for others? -Why do you think that the kids can't talk and console about their feelings with each other?

Chapter 5

Level Two: - How did the woman’s compassion in the beginning of chapter 5 affect the boys’ views on people? - How has forgiveness affected Beah? How may it change the book later on?

Level Three: - Was it fortune that allowed the boys to escape, or would it have been better had they been recruited? - Is it even possible to forgive in war torn Sierra Leone? - Is compassion a positive or negative force to Beah?

Chapter 6

Level Two: -Why were people scared of Ishmael and his group? -How did the separation of Ishmael's parents affect him during his childhood?

Level Three: -Do you think that the chief's paranoid actions are reasonable and acceptable? -How do you think the separation between Ishmael and his group is going to affect him? -What is separating Ishmael and Junior from each other after the war?

Chapter 19

Level Two: - Ishmael’s uncle isn’t sure that Ishmael will actually get to go to America. Why doesn’t he take the promises of Ishmael and Mr. Kamara at face value? - There are two instances of Ishmael and his uncle’s family sitting around the cassette player, listening to stories. What changes in Ishmael between these times?

Level Three: - On page 190, Beah describes going on walks with his uncle. He says, “I felt he knew that I wanted to tell him certain things but couldn’t find the right words.” Does this show of compassion by his uncle stem from an understanding of what Beah has been through? - Does there need to be understanding before there can be forgiveness? - In this chapter, we see Ishmael being more trusting. Is this a result of the compassion he was shown at the rehabilitation center, or does it come from learning to forgive himself?

Chapter 20

Level Two: -How did Beah's preconceived beliefs affect how he experienced New York? -How did the compassion that Beah experienced in New York change the way that he viewed his future?

Level Three: -With the information provided by the book, synthesize a way that Beah's experiences in America could help him aid ex-soldiers in Sierra Leone with forgiveness to themselves and the people around them. -Had Beah not experienced the kindness that he did in New York, how would his situation be different in Sierra Leone after the coup? -In Beah's visit to America, did he better learn to forgive himself, or was he teaching others about how forgiveness affected him in his rehabilitation?

Chapter 21

Level Two: -How are refugee's treated as they escape to Guinea? Is there any form of compassion? -How does Beah reflect upon the actions of the soldiers in the city? Does he connect their actions to his past?

Level Three: -As the city was on chapter 21, chaos and loss of order is apparent in the city and people are doing all that they can to help themselves, disregarding others. Is peace and order necessary for compassion for others to exist? -Ishmael Beah's journey to Guinea is a harsh one where money is necessary in order to get into Guinea. Why do you think that the people take advantage of the situation in Sierra Leone for their own benefit instead of being compassionate and helping many Sierra Leonean get to Guinea? -Do you think that the soldiers in the war, including the ones that attacked the city, are forgivable? If not, why can't they be forgiven? If yes, why and how can they be forgiven?