1. What is the theme statement of the novel from a child soldiers point of view?
2. What is the theme statement of the novel from an army officers point of view?
3. What is the theme statement of the novel from a child relief workers point of view?
4. Do you beleive that " anyone can escape their past" is a good theme statement?
5. When do you beleive the theme statement first changed?
6. Do you think that one theme statement can describe the entire novel effeciently?
7. If Ismael had been a rebel do you beleive that the theme statements he chose for his book would still be the same?
8.Do you beleive that if a family who could adopt a child soldier but didn't want that kind of child as a son, would adopt them anyways if they had read Ismael's novel and had been influenced by it's theme statements.
9.Do you belveive that the theme statement " anyone can be rehabilitaed if given a chance" would be a good theme statement for the part o the novel where ismael is rehabilitated.
10. Do you think that the theme statements in the novel has changed anyone's opinion towards child soldiers the horrors of a civil war?
WAR 12 June
After reading this book I don’t think I see war the same way anymore. Our generation had been brought up with video games, including many war games. We always say “oh cool a new war game is coming out,” but what we haven’t figured out is that war is not all fun and games. These games don’t teach us the value of life and get us to think that taking life is fun. In the book Ismael had met some people that thought war was fun, they were drugged soldiers. I’m not saying that we are as bad ass them but just the thought of having even one thing in common with them puts feel off edge.
I will admit that I find the games to be fun but I just say all this to point out that war is not all fun and games. It may be a part of human nature but it is not a game.
Life 6 June
Ismael has a different way of looking at life I find and his thoughts on it had changed though his years as a child. First it was as a young child where you believe that everything revolves around you and that you are invincible. You may see others die but you can't imagine being in there place. Next would have to be when he was on the run from everyone. He had witnessed countless death and had been toe to toe with many near death encounters. It's only when you are on the brink of life that you realize how valuable it actually is. Seeing a village die and then walking around it's body strewn ruins looking for something to eat or to salvage, to ending up fleeing with bullets flying by your head really puts life into perspective.
Next was his life as a child soldier whit all the rage and drugs in him at the time life became a tiny thing that had no consequence if snuffed forever from the earth. The drugs had been used to distance the soldiers from not only their life but also distance them selves from the lives that they had been taking. The men in charge found that a soldier drugged and fuelled on bloodlust made better soldiers than those who fainted or shuddered at the thought of blood let alone killing.
His next transition was back to a thought of life having value which brought him much pain considering that all those lives that he had taken were now haunting him and sleep became constant nightmares. The staff at the rehab would always repeat that it's not his fault but he could not believe it considering all he had done.
Normally one of these steps never happen but also in most cases these transition happen over a much larger expanse of time not only a few years.
Lack Of Care 31 May 2011
I have read past the point where Ismael and his friends had been captured by the Army and recruited into it. Thinking of what I would have done in that situation just doesn't work, since never had I been in any situation even close to that of Ismael. Just the thought of being in his position walking through the forest one second and then being herded like sheep to an unknown location by soldiers that couldn't care less for your well being. He might have been afraid but he kept moving. This encounter had made me think of an old saying that I had heard stating, "you can't be brave if your not afraid".
Later on during their training with the army I found that they trained them to be animals not humans. They made them unleash their rage on banana trees as if nothing else in the world mattered except killing the enemy. During their training the thing that struck me the most was when they had been given their guns they had been told who to load it and fire it but they had told them, "ignore the safety pin, it will only slow you down. That sentence had really struck me as wrong considering that even the safety safety precautions are now to be ignored, not saying that they were safe before hand of course.
I just find it insane since all my life my parents had told us safety comes first don’t do this it's dangerous, but after these kids lost their parents they had been taught that their safety no longer mattered.
Chapter 6 26 may 2011
I can't believe what he's going through with his brother and friends, they have to stick together to survive mentally but by doing so they get stared at and distrusted by every village they meet... if their lucky. I'm amazed that a country that had once been so kind to each other can turn into a place where a group of little kids are distrusted and even kicked out. I can't imagine biking into Navan with some friends and then get driven out at gunpoint as soon as we were seen. A country at war is not a place for trust and unfortunately even children are affected by it.
Keagan Jenson
Reality 25 May 2011
I've been reading the book for around a week now but i still find it hard to get my mind around the fact that this is real. I've read stories where the character is in a war but this is something different. While reading I constantly have to remind myself that he actually went through all this and that this had not been mad up. It reminded me of how lucky we all really are. How we take the simple things in our life for granted like food, water, family, friends, and even just having a roof over our heads that we don’t have to worry about being burnt down by teenagers. I find it hard to get my head around the fact that not everyone is living in peace.
Next was his life as a child soldier whit all the rage and drugs in him at the time life became a tiny thing that had no consequence if snuffed forever from the earth. The drugs had been used to distance the soldiers from not only their life but also distance them selves from the lives that they had been taking. The men in charge found that a soldier drugged and fuelled on bloodlust made better soldiers than those who fainted or shuddered at the thought of blood let alone killing.
His next transition was back to a thought of life having value which brought him much pain considering that all those lives that he had taken were now haunting him and sleep became constant nightmares. The staff at the rehab would always repeat that it's not his fault but he could not believe it considering all he had done.
Normally one of these steps never happen but also in most cases these transition happen over a much larger expanse of time not only a few years.
Lack Of Care 31 May 2011
I have read past the point where Ismael and his friends had been captured by the Army and recruited into it. Thinking of what I would have done in that situation just doesn't work, since never had I been in any situation even close to that of Ismael. Just the thought of being in his position walking through the forest one second and then being herded like sheep to an unknown location by soldiers that couldn't care less for your well being. He might have been afraid but he kept moving. This encounter had made me think of an old saying that I had heard stating, "you can't be brave if your not afraid".
Later on during their training with the army I found that they trained them to be animals not humans. They made them unleash their rage on banana trees as if nothing else in the world mattered except killing the enemy. During their training the thing that struck me the most was when they had been given their guns they had been told who to load it and fire it but they had told them, "ignore the safety pin, it will only slow you down. That sentence had really struck me as wrong considering that even the safety safety precautions are now to be ignored, not saying that they were safe before hand of course.
I just find it insane since all my life my parents had told us safety comes first don’t do this it's dangerous, but after these kids lost their parents they had been taught that their safety no longer mattered.
Chapter 6 26 may 2011
I can't believe what he's going through with his brother and friends, they have to stick together to survive mentally but by doing so they get stared at and distrusted by every village they meet... if their lucky. I'm amazed that a country that had once been so kind to each other can turn into a place where a group of little kids are distrusted and even kicked out. I can't imagine biking into Navan with some friends and then get driven out at gunpoint as soon as we were seen. A country at war is not a place for trust and unfortunately even children are affected by it.
Keagan Jenson
Reality 25 May 2011
I've been reading the book for around a week now but i still find it hard to get my mind around the fact that this is real. I've read stories where the character is in a war but this is something different. While reading I constantly have to remind myself that he actually went through all this and that this had not been mad up. It reminded me of how lucky we all really are. How we take the simple things in our life for granted like food, water, family, friends, and even just having a roof over our heads that we don’t have to worry about being burnt down by teenagers. I find it hard to get my head around the fact that not everyone is living in peace.
To miss angel,
If you are interested, I had commented on HG swag.
Keagan Jenson
Too old, do not want!
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