Characters
Background
Vocabulary
Symbols/Themes
Plot/Storyline
100
Whose death leads Ishmael to finally leave Freetown and escape Sierra leone?
Uncle Tommy.
100
Where does this book take place?
Sierra Leone
100
What are crapes?
Shoes
100
Before Saidu dies, a bird falls from the sky dead. What type of figurative language is at use here?
Foreshadowing.
100
Why does Ishmael join the military?
He doesn't have much of choice, help fight, or go out of the base camp on his own in rebel territory.
200
Who becomes Ishmael's second mother in NYC?
Laura.
200
The Civil War in Sierra Leone was caused primarily by a fight for_____________
Diamonds
200
What is the RUF?
The Revolutionary United Front, otherwise known as the rebels fighting to wrest control of Sierra Leone from government forces.
200
Ishmael looks forward to talking to the lieutenant about Shakespeare in the middle of a chaotic war. What type of figurative language is taking place?
Irony.
200
Why do Ishmael, his brother, and friends leave their village in Chapter 1?
The rebels attack their village and push them into the countryside.
300
How did Ishmael's friend Saidu die early in the book?
Possibly from a crow he had eaten, but more than likely from lack of will to keep living.
300
From what point of view is the book told?
First person.
300
What is an imam?
An Islamic leadership position, the worship leader of a mosque.
300
What type of figurative language is used in this sentence from the book? "Some nights the sky wept stars that quickly floated and disappeared into the darkness before our wishes could meet them."
Personification.
300
What happens to Ishmael's brother Junior, mother, and father?
They are massacred in a village by rebels shortly before he arrives.
400
Who whispers, "Goodbye squad leader", as Ishmeal is leaving the Benin Home?
Alhaji
400
Which country does Sierra Leone declare Independence from?
Britain.
400
What are sleepers?
Flip flops.
400
What is the significance of Ishmael's answer to Pa Sesay's question of the hunter's dilemma and the talking monkey?
Ishmael, by shooting the monkey, does indeed kill his mother but by sacrificing his mother, no other hunter will have to face the monkey again. It is metaphor for sacrifice, Ishmael sacrifices a lot throughout the book, as do many others in Sierra leone. The idea of personal sacrfice for the common good is a recurring theme.
400
Why does Ishmeal get the privilege of going to the United States?
He is selected by the United Nations to speak on behalf of children affected by violence and displaced due to war.
500
Who used to quote Shakespeare to Ishmael before battles?
Ishmael's Lieutenant.
500
What is De Beers?
World's largest diamond company, involved in the diamond trade in Africa, and may have knowingly traded in "Blood Diamonds."
500
What is brown brown?
A mixture of cocaine and gunpowder, mixed together and snorted resulting in a burst of energy and aggression.
500
What is the tragic irony of the term "child soldier"?
They are children who have grown up too fast; Ishmael and his friends were estatic to receive sodas during their rehabilitation, whereas only months before they were leading military assaults.
500
Why does Ishmael decide to leave Freetown?
He can't live there anymore without being killed or rejoining the Army, which he won't do.
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