https://www.storyboardthat.com/lesson-plans/long-way-down-by-jason-reynolds/figurative-language, This Storyboard That activity is part of the lesson plans for. Bigger huh. What is the theme of the poem the sadness in the long way down by jason Reynolds . Hed shot the guy because his brothers death hurt, but he kept shooting because he was angry (p.213). Long Way Down also explores the concept of truth. that it stopped Mom fromscraping loose a riverof wounds. Relationships, like flowers, need regular watering. Your father and you are two drops of water. Given the way in which Will talks about his loved ones (especially his male family members), its easy to see that his family is fractured. There are two correct examples of figurative language. They are a way of creating a comparison that while not literally true, provides a figurative meaning. Not affiliated with Harvard College. More books than SparkNotes. Some examples of metaphors for life include: Kim ES, Hagan KA, Grodstein F, Demeo DL, De Vivo I, Kubzansky LD. Teachers may opt to lower the security if they want to allow sharing. Dani is the reminder of Wills childhood and the seed for the cycle of violence to begin in him. When Will tells him about Shawns murder, Uncle Mark encourages him to imagine what hell do once he gets off the elevator and play it out like a movie (p.175). Long Way Down has one main setting in this story, an elevator. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." The theme arises early in the novel when Will states that his brother Shawn was killed two days earlier. Knew. This metaphor also illustrates that it often takes hard work, determination, and sometimes sheer endurance to get where we wish to go. Its a terrifying moment for Will and it shows him how hed feel if he were in Riggs place. She shot back, slipping it between shiny lips, leaning forward for the light. He challenges what Will believes to be true, and as a result, Will is no longer sure of Riggs involvement in Shawns death. In the beginning, the narrator uses the example of teeth being pulled to explain how it feels to have someone you love killed. David and Tamler "dive into" George Lakoff's theory of metaphors and "explore . They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Are they positive metaphors that bring you peace and contentment, help you reach goals, or allow you to see the beauty around you? After thinking about your life metaphors, learn about other ways in which you can become a positive thinker and reduce stress in your life. You shoot? The, The middle drawer of Shawns dresser symbolizes the darkness and danger in Shawn himself. The ones that I want to highlight are the middle drawer, the nighttime, and Wills use of anagrams. 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. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. it was like the wordcame out and at the same timetime went in. Metaphors can be positive or negative. Couldn't kiss your mother, couldn't kiss you boys good night. In this metaphor, Will likens the experience of remembering that his brother is dead to one's tongue probing the space where a tooth has been removed. There is a fourth category, dead metaphors, which can cause the speaker to create something called a mixed metaphor. With his brother's gun, Will sets out to kill the man he believes shot Shawn. Said he took the long way, turned pistol into poof, turned bang-gang into hush-hush. Teachers may ask them to identify one type of figurative language and find multiple examples, or select one example for different types. As important as their mentorship has been, he is destined to suffer the same fate if he carries out his plan. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Will says, "Cops flashed lights in our faces and we all turned to stone." When describing the room he shared with Shawn, Will notes that his older brother always kept his side perfectly organized. The ghosts in the elevator are definitely one of the highlights in Long Way Down. Thats where Wills now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brothers gun. (including. The person that shot Shawn had to be someone who knew Frick, but when Dani describes Riggs to Frick, he responds, Who? (p.275). You don't have to be a thrill-seeker to see the similarities between coasters and your own life. A building is a solid metaphor for life and can be a reminder that a sturdy foundation is needed before building higher. River. And then he breaks Rule #1. Alternatively, a negative metaphor may help you see that you haven't been living your life the way you wish. Identify the collective noun in each of the following sentences, and write above it S for singular (if it refers to the group as a unit) or P for plural (if it refers to the parts of the group). See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. They can help you make sense of your life and feel grateful and fulfilled. 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. 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. Its after hearing Mikeys story that his questions hits harder: what you think you should do?. Cooper, James ed. Like a Dimmed Light Post (Simile) When Shawn is shot dead in public, Will witnesses his mother standing over Shawn's body and moaning. 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. Or, you can call it a gun. I will be spoiling almost everything in this book as I analyse it, so I would highly recommend reading it first before continuing. Hey there! She had been shot and killed at the age of eight. For example, "Max is a pig when he eats," gives the reader a strong visual of how messy Max is when he eats. It didn't slide or bounce or refract off your fingers at all. 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. LitCharts Teacher Editions. 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. When narrating the details of Shawn's shooting, Will says, "In case you ain't know, gunshots make everybody deaf and blind especially when they make somebody dead." The family Will has left then, is his mother and, until the day before the novel begins, his big brother Shawn. The middle drawer is on Shawns side of the brothers bedroom. Revenge. Sometimes they need to be pruned. Using the metaphor of a roller coaster also illustrates what many people who have had hardships understand so well. It does this by stating that Thing A is Thing B. Once Will reaches, Shawns pistol broadly represents the cycle of violence prevalent in his and Wills community, and the ways in which that cycle of violence corrupts young men and deprives them of their innocence. Here's a quick summary of our mentor text, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. They can also serve as a source of inspiration and motivation to encourage you to keep working toward your goals. They can also help inspire you as you deal with life's challenges and motivate you to pursue your goals. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Will notes that she is "hanging over my brother's body like a dimmed light post." Additionally, Will meets the ghost of a man named Frick, who Will is shocked to discover murdered Buck. Will also understands how mentorship was important to Shawn himself, who learned how to be a man in the world from Buck, who himself stepped in to be a mentor when Shawn's and Will's father was killed. There are descriptions for all three example of figurative language that correctly explain what the figurative language means in the context of the story. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. 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. Avoid the last two if possible. PDF downloads of all 1699 LitCharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. If an item is already correct, write CCC. Taking the time to think about the metaphors which fit your life can be used to find patterns that aren't working well for you, to motivate you in positive directions, and to help you cope with the obstacles we all periodically face. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.). Its possible that he regrets teaching Will The Rules and blames himself. 5. Episode 250: Metaphors All the Way Down. A piece. 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. Alternatively, you may see your mission as the need to impose your beliefs on those who do not wish to hear them. Hey, I'm Germaine: writer, artist, and more. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. Loyalty, in this sense, is the very reason families in Wills community are fractured in the first placeWill suggests that if someone doesnt avenge their loved ones death, theyre considered disloyal and effectively betray their loved ones memory by doing nothing. The book, which was longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award in Young People's Literature, outlines a single minute in the. This is the final line of the book and quite possibly the most powerful. The way the content is organized, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. The end (p.194). 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). In this metaphor, Will speaks of murder witnesses' unwillingness to speak to the police as though they have been made deaf and blind by the gunshots. ", "Life is a garden; with care and love you can cultivate beautiful flowers. Rivers wind and bend. -Graham S. Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. She is known as a reluctant hero who . This metaphor reminds us to slow down and do a little work each and every day. No snitching. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Example 1. His presence is the most impactful because he is the person that Will loves most. A gat. The elevator in Wills building represents his sense of feeling trappedtrapped by the Rules of his violent neighborhood, and trapped in his grief over his brother Shawns death. The cycle of violence would continue to carry on. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. You don't fully experience the high points of your journey without the contrast of the lows. They were downtrodden and oppressed. 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. 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. Instant PDF downloads. Metaphors are often used to describe love and other intense emotions. ", "Life is a classroom; you'll always be learning new things. The first anagram we are introduced to has been hastily scribbled on his wall, reading: SCARE=CARES (p.36). 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. Or are they negative metaphors which are limiting your life? Meet Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu in Jason Reynolds's explosive New York Times bestselling Track series here: http://bit.ly/2RGRtVI Struggling with distance learning? Finally, Mikey tries to give Will a taste of empathy. Dani represents Wills loss of innocence, and it is her death that marks the true loss of his childhood. Is he going to shoot Riggs, and further the cycle of violence? He asks, what you think you should do? (p.210). Rather than Shawn's death being the end of something, it is simply the next domino to fall in a sequence set in motion decades earlier. Thats what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. If everyone followed The Rules, there would be no end to the bloodshed. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. He would tell me about girls, and i would tell him about pretend girls, who he, In the bathroom in the mirror my face sagged, like sadness was trying to pull the skin off. Mary's eyes were fireflies. Once you have a firm foundation in place, whatever that means to you, it's easier to confidently add floors and rooms which will stand the test of time and weather. In a courtroom, everything in life should be fair. Write a description of each of the examples in the black text box. Reynolds builds on this central theme with the introduction of several ghosts of people who have died from gun homicide. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which one thing is used to symbolize or describe another object or concept, even though the two are not literally related or similar. Two examples of figurative language are correctly identified as simile, metaphor, or personification (or other). A new day brings new opportunities to explore, and if something goes badly today, there's always tomorrow. A cannon. All of the characters that Will meets are victims of gun violence and each of them adds depth to the themes and the story. Instant PDF downloads. 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. Past present future forever (p.174). A prison can be a metaphor for a life in which you feel out of control. 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. Could barely breathe already and could see nothing behind this blanket of gray. A hammer The only thing left out of place is the middle drawer of Shawn's dresser. This can improve your ability to cope and protect mental health during times of stress. Will didnt know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. He doesnt say anything to Will, but actions speak louder than words. December 6th, 2022. When the police arrive on the scene of Shawn's murder, they aggressively question witnesses. around the grip, placingthem over Shawnsprints like littlebrother holding bigbrothers hand again. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is an award winning 2017 novel. Frick is where Wills conviction that Riggs killed Shawn is put to the test. I couldnt see himas anything lessthan my brother, Instant downloads of all 1699 LitChart PDFs Because the way we look at life can have a great impact on how our lives unravel, it's worthwhile to think about the metaphors that fit the life you currently live. Rather, it's the sunrays that pass between the fingers. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Bucks cigarette. Positive mental health among cancer survivors: overlap in psychological well-being, personal meaning, and posttraumatic growth, The association between resilience and mental health in the somatically ill, The power of positive thinking: Pathological worry is reduced by thought replacement in generalized anxiety disorder, "Life is a song; we each get to write our own lyrics. A Long Way Gone vs. A Walk To remember "I sat holding my head it felt heavy from all the images it had held" ishmael beah is describibng how he had felt after seeing all the violence and dead bodies "she'd been the answer i was looking for the one my heart had needed to find" By Elizabeth Azua At fifteen, Will is on the threshold between childhood and adulthood. Finally, I found Wills fascination with anagrams interesting, especially since there are five (maybe six) anagrams scattered across the book. While it can be read quickly, Long Way Down challenges readers to really think about these issues in our communities. For example, someone going through cancer treatment may view the journey as climbing a mountain. He asks Will what happens after he shoots Riggs, to which Will replies, thats it. 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 the elevator, Will comes face to face with the ghosts of Buck, Pop, his Uncle Mark, Shawn, and Dani, a childhood friend who was accidentally shot and killed as an eight-year-old. Not my baby. And thats when Will sees that one bullet is missing. This is the last anagram that he makes in the book and really demonstrates how much his encounter with Frick changes things. And there are often wonderful surprises and fun discoveries that you would never have experienced if it wasn't for the route you chose. While they don't explicitly discourage him from getting revenge, their questions provoke Will to rethink his commitment to The Rules. In Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds does an amazing job incorporating important themes and powerful messages into a riveting story. It is when Will sees his brother lying dead that the shooting becomes something out of the ordinary. In short, loyalty according to the Rules doesnt necessarily mean loyalty in practice. Follow Now:Apple Podcasts/Spotify/Google Podcasts. Uncle Marks parting words are chilling. Students used an excerpt from a novel in verse to write their own poetry. (including. Stepping stones can be a metaphor for life in many ways. A tool Atmospheric Worldbuilding and the Charm of Fictional Settings, LEIGH BARDUGOS SIX OF CROWS IS AN ACTUAL MASTERPIECE (Spoiler-free), Drawing found families because Im single and dont want to mingle, I barely read anything in January, but here are some classic book recommendations anyway, A Writers Guide to Getting to Know Their Character. Read our. (p.152) imagery Gravity. Within the portal, all users can view and copy all storyboards. Metaphors for life are not always obvious. As the man who murdered [Buck] (p.244), he explains that he had shot Buck by accident because he had been scared. Tell me if youve read Long Way Downand if you have any other thoughts on it. If a battle represents your life, you may wish to look at how life isn't always about winning or losing. Metaphors are figures of speech that state that one thing is actually another thing. First the guilt, then the grief that comes with discovering the truth, and finally death as one of Riggs loved ones follows through with The Rules and kills Will. For example, someone might say "my love is like a rose" to describe the beauty and perfection of their partner. Only one example of figurative language is correctly identified as simile, metaphor, or personification (or other). Shawn begins to softly [snot] and [hiccup] like a little kid, tears pouring from his eyes (p.291). (p.164), Sadness split his face like cold breeze on chapped lip after attempting to smile. As proof of this theory, studies are now finding that being diagnosed with cancer changes people in positive ways as well as introducing challenges. *(This Will Start a 2-Week Free Trial - No Credit Card Needed), This Activity is Part of Many Teacher Guides, the absolute worst part, / is the constant slipping / of your tongue / into the new empty space, / where you know / a tooth supposed to be / but aint no more., Dont know if this was / even close to how they / are, but the ground / definitely felt like / it opened up / and ate me., trying / to eat / all of / us as / if we / are beef., Heavier than / I expected, / like holding / a newborn, My mother used to say, / I know you're young, / gotta get it out, / but just remember, when / you're walking in the nighttime, / make sure the nighttime / ain't walking into you.. Getting revenge solved nothing. In this metaphor, Will emphasizes the witnesses' sudden change in demeanor when police are present by stating that they turn to stone. The classroom was a zoo. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. At other times, negative metaphors might hold you back or contribute to feelings of hopelessness or helplessness. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Additionally, my opinions may not align with yours and thats cool, too. Theres so much packed within these two simple words. In another sense, stepping stones can be a very positive metaphor of a life lived with goals in mind, and conscious awareness of the steps needed to get there. Its possible hes disappointed in Will for following in his footsteps. I'm a writer and blogger who enjoys writing in a variety of genres. We often spend the rest of our lives putting new material in these old files. . Other forms of metaphors. The end result of careful and regular care, with timely interventions for insect infestations or decay, can lead to plants(or relationships) that are growing, producing oxygen that helps you breathe, and create beauty as they flower. For example, people with cancer know the roller coaster effect of a challenging diagnosis. And as a kid I always figured his heart was forreal / broken like an arm or a toy or the middle drawer.. What other details about Shawn's murder is vague and . The examples above are just a few of the life metaphors that illustrate people's lives. Sometimes you need to weed the garden (or eliminate toxic friends). The nighttime had wormed its way into him. (p.25), I felt like crying, which felt like another person trapped behind my face, It used to be different. alliteration Flame flickering out fire. for RULE. Long Way Down tells the story of Will, a 15-year-old boy riding the elevator in his apartment building down to the lobby. As children, we begin to understand and organize the world. GradeSaver, 3 November 2022 Web. Long Way Down Important Quotes 1. This multifaceted relationshipShawn was, in many ways, a brother, a mentor, and a father figure to Willmeans that Shawn and Will were extremely close. Uncle Mark brings self-reflectionto the table and forces Will to ask himself if he is capable of murder. A roller coaster can be a metaphor for life or it can describe the speed bumps we encounter. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There are ups and downs and potholes along the way. This links back to the books theme of connection. 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.