Real World Records has been working closely with the Long Way Down production to provide the soundtrack to the journey. Create a storyboard that identifies symbolism in the story. Getting revenge solved nothing. The novel ends on this open question, leaving the reader to grapple with the same uncertainty that will haunt Will for the rest of his life, regardless of whether his life is long or short. 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). Shawn stands there awkwardly like a middle drawer of a man (p.291) and says nothing as Will tells him everything. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. In Jason Reynolds' novel ''Long Way Down,'' published in 2017, a young man seeking revenge for his brother's death is visited by ghosts during an elevator ride. Will takes its off-centeredness as a sign to set things straight (p.48). Regardless, Pop asks Will to consider what might happen if Will is also out to kill the wrong guy. And understandably, this isnt a conversation Will wants to have at all, let alone take seriously. Or does he choose to break The Rules and stop the cycle of violence? "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." Any literary elements can be conveyed through characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination. Teachers can view all of their students storyboards, but students can only view their own. Whitney Atkinson. Will Holloman. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. All storyboards are public and can be viewed and copied by anyone. Fear is another important theme in Long Way Down. Will believes the men in his life all followed The Rules, and he reaches for these guidelines when coping with the loss of Shawn. 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. around knew. An unbroken chain that gets passed down and inherited (p.27), it weighs down heavily on Will, who has been heavily affected by it and has to decide whether or not to further it himself. Will doesnt know her, but she knew him. Have students think creatively and "fill in the blanks" of conversation between Will and the other characters. When someone else joins him, the elevator ride begins to get strange. The same goes for Buck, Shawns mentor who died a few years ago, as well as for Uncle Martin, who was killed before Will was born. I was only three.And I dont remember that.Ive always wanted to. Our, "Sooo much more helpful thanSparkNotes. Bigger huh. 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. The cycle of violence is the strongest theme that Reynolds book explores. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. Were doing this so that we can link the symbols back later. 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. In this elevator, Will, the main character, is greeted . Throughout the book, masculinity arises as a key theme. At only fifteen, Will assumes this responsibility as though it is a rite of passage into manhood. Complete your free account to request a guide. The ghosts in the elevator are definitely one of the highlights in Long Way Down. 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). Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. 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. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. Robert DeLong's new album In The Cards is available now:Download - http://smarturl.it/inthecardsStream - http://smarturl.it/InTheCardsStreaminghttp://robertd. resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss thenovel. In short, loyalty according to the Rules doesnt necessarily mean loyalty in practice. Teachers and parents! They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. 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. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Bucks cigarette. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. A burner. So sad. 2023 . It is a bit of a long post, so in Bucks words, Might as well relaxits a long way down (p.97). 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. GradeSaver, 3 November 2022 Web. Its possible that he regrets teaching Will The Rules and blames himself. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. The issues dealt with in the novel are very real: violence, familial loyalty, and revenge. Wills father, Pop, was killed when Will was a toddleras much as Will wants to remember Pop, he doesnt. Objective Summary Steps & Examples | What is an Objective Summary? However, the surety Will begins the elevator ride with is steadily worn down by the ghosts who challenge him to reconsider his decision. How do you feel about symbolism in works of fiction, and where else have you seen it done well? Bethany is a certified Special Education and Elementary teacher with 11 years experience teaching Special Education from grades PK through 5. Most examples fit the identified symbols. The book Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is a unique free verse poetry book. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Jason Reynolds' new novel Long Way Down is focused on a moment of decision. Because of this, Will thinks he has no choice but to kill Carlson Riggs, the man who he believes killed Shawn. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. Additionally, Will meets the ghost of a man named Frick, who Will is shocked to discover murdered Buck. Here, Ill be quickly analyzing each character and what they bring to the elevator. BEEF. I write about a lot of things, but it usually all comes back to storytelling. (approx. 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. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1715 titles we cover. Will goes back to the day, explaining that he is talking with his friend Tony when Shawn is shot outside their building. 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. eNotes.com, Inc. The end (p.194). More books than SparkNotes. Spin a Yarn. This gets both the reader and Will to question if Riggs death really is the right answer. Due to the nature of the cycle of violence, many of the ghosts stories are intertwined. 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. Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons. I wondered if he knewthat in me and Shawns world, Id already chosen to be. Long Way Down study guide contains a biography of Jason Reynolds, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. A piece. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. 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. Last Updated on June 14, 2021, by eNotes Editorial. 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. In a world that forbids men to weep, not even for their fallen brothers, Will cant find a way to cope. While Will hopes to live by the same rules that led to the murders of so many loved ones, he comes to realize that if he is to live by The Rules, he will invariably die by The Rules. Download the entire Long Way Down study guide as a printable PDF! You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Comment. Composed by Masafumi TakadaVocals by Gary NumanLyrics:Find myself withinDarkness twisting me aroundThere is nothing I can doThis world doesn't spinIt just tu. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds. 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. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Just as Wills trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. 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. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. 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 family Will has left then, is his mother and, until the day before the novel begins, his big brother Shawn. Shawn is the embodiment of Wills pain, his death the catalyst to why Will is in the elevator in the first place. While Will tries to follow The Rules, the ghosts put up repeated challenges to his masculine posturing until Will breaks. The final ghost that steps into the elevator is Shawn himself. Revenge. This sets the tone for the story, which requires quite a bit of suspension of disbelief, given that Wills journey happens over a single minute and contains A Christmas Carol type interactions with ghosts. Its worth considering that while Wills elevator ride is supernatural and enlightens him to information that he couldnt have gotten without the ghosts, the simple act of thinking about the dead and what secrets they may have taken to their graves can still be a useful exercise. However, he responds to his grief in his community's expected way, which is to get revenge. The novel follows Will's stream of consciousness. His presence is the most impactful because he is the person that Will loves most. Ultimately, the novel shows how The Rules encourage Will to imitate preconceived notions of masculinity that are emotionally harmful and lead to acts that harm both the individuals trying to live up to expectations and the society that must live with the consequences of their actions. The second is the date of 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. 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. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. Through this, and through the discrepancies between what Will thought was true and what the ghosts tell him actually is true, Long Way Down suggests that there can be major differences between whats believed and whats true in realityand that questioning the validity of ones perspective or beliefs is, at once, one of the hardest and most meaningful thing a person can do. While they don't explicitly discourage him from getting revenge, their questions provoke Will to rethink his commitment to The Rules. This is the last anagram that he makes in the book and really demonstrates how much his encounter with Frick changes things. A fifteen-year-old Black teen, Will has grown up in an unnamed impoverished neighborhood with a high incidence of gun violence, drug abuse, and gang activity. , he doesnt of Reynolds first successful works were partially written during slow times at the Rag and store. Named Frick, who Will is in the book Long Way Down which Will witnessed himself doing so!, Pop asks Will to question if Riggs death really is the last anagram that he makes in elevator... Wills brother, father, uncle, and closest childhood friend have all been killed in violent of... Chosen to be years experience teaching Special Education and Elementary teacher with 11 years experience Special... At all, let alone take seriously in-class notes for every discussion!, is. Consider what might happen if Will is shocked to discover murdered Buck # x27 ; s stream of consciousness Steps... Every discussion!, this isnt a conversation Will wants to remember Pop, he doesnt SparkNotes. And more challenge him to reconsider his decision quickly analyzing each character and what they bring the. Notes and highlights reader and Will to consider what might happen if Will is shocked to murdered... 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