Plot
Three examples where the cycle of revenge hurts Will include...
What is he loses his father, Mikey, his brother, Shawn, his Uncle Mark, and his childhood friend, Dani--all to gun violence.
This character gives Shawn a gold chain, which is symbolic for being "chained" to "The Rules":
Who is Buck?
Read the following passage, which is an example of a man vs. man, __________________conflict: "I made my move...Gun from my waist and by the time he saw me I was already squeezing. POP! POP! POP! By the third he was down, but I gave him one more just because I was angry" (213).
What is external conflict?
These two examples show this device of contrasting ideas that also convey truth: "Weird talking to my dad like he was a stranger even though we hugged like family" (and is not a simile) (206):
"He was taught to do good but doing bad was in his blood" (249):
What is a paradox?
All of the following are motifs in the book except:
smoke, light, gun, rainbows, memories, nighttime, "The Rules," candy, and the elevator.
What are rainbows?
This is the reason Frick kills Buck:
What is there was a robbery that went wrong for Frick's gang initiation into the Dark Suns. Frick didn't like to be laughed at.
This character puts a gun to Will's head to make him fear what it's like to be closer to death:
Who is Mike Holloman, Will's dad?
The following quote demonstrates a man vs. self or _______________conflict: "CONFESSED that I was scared, that I needed to know I was doing the right thing...THE RULES ARE THE RULES...Right? Right? Right?...I was breaking down" (295-297).
What is an internal conflict?
Identify two devices: "...hollow eyes dancing somewhere between guilt and grief...his voice crumbling" (218-219).
What are personification and hyperbole or imagery?
Identify two devices: "Pop said...turned pistol into poof, turned bang-bang into hush-hush" (215).
What are onomatopoeia and alliteration?
This is the reason Shawn kills Frick:
What is to avenge the death of his friend and role model, Buck?
This character taunts Will and tells him he would never survive in prison:
Who is Will's Uncle Mark?
Shawn's last words to his little brother, Will...as well as the significance of those words.
What is "You coming?" Those words are the catalyst that lead to Will's central internal conflict of whether or not he should avenge Shawn's murderer.
Identify two devices:"My pop...stood...stared as if looking at his own reflection, as if he'd stepped into a time machine...spread his arms, welcomed me into a lifetime's worth of squeeze" (198)
What are simile and hyperbole?
Identify two devices found within this rhetorical question Will poses: "Is it possible for a hug to peel back skin of time, the toughened and raw bits, the irritated and irritating dry spots, the parts that bleed?" (199).
What are metaphor and personification or imagery?
Readers learn from the ghosts who visit Will on the elevator that following "The Rules" leads to:
What is death?
This character couldn't kiss his children or wife after he followed "The Rules" due to his guilt and shame; he sought vengeance for his brother's murder, and later discovered he had killed an innocent victim:
Who is Will's dad/Mike Holloman?
This is a reason Will fears breaking "The Rules":
What is Will doesn't want to disappoint his brother (dad, uncle, and his community's expectations of him) but has also never held a gun before?
The significance of the repeated motif of smoke or memories show:
What is the smoke shows Will's unclear dilemma, cloudy choice, or represents how difficult it is for Will to decide on following "The Rules" or not.
Memories show the loved ones lost to cycles of repressed emotions, no snitching, and seeking revenge.
The significance of the nighttime or elevator motifs:
What is the nighttime creates fear, leads to "dark," violent actions, loss of life, regret...?
What is the elevator "traps" Will to confront his ghosts and future through the choice to follow the confining rules or not?
All of the following are ghosts that visit Will in the elevator to complicate his internal conflict except for these two:
Will's mom, Uncle Mark, Mike/Will's dad, Tony, Shawn, Frick, Buck, and Dani.
Who are Will's mom and Tony?
Buck's two dads, his biological dad and step-dad, show these two sides of Buck:
What are:
Trying to do right as he protects Shawn=Preacher/Step-dad and:
Stealing/being drawn to crime in the suburbs=thief/criminal biological dad
One motif connected to the conflicts experienced by the characters met on the elevator with Will is:
What is they are all trapped on that elevator or have been by man vs. man struggles, man vs. society (The Rules) issues, and the families are all broken and missing someone they care about.
A theme or life lesson on the topic of difficult decisions in Long Way Down is:
What is "Sometimes young people have to make adult, life-changing decisions."
Identify two devices: "Shawn turned back...eyes dulled from death but shining from tears, finally spoke to me. Just two words, like a joke he'd been saving."
What is a simile, paradox, and imagery?