Emotions are a big aspect of people's lives. They reflect past decisions, and more importantly future decisions that affect daily lives. In the novel, “ A Long Way Down,” written by Jason Reynolds, a 15-year-old boy, Will, is faced with the choice to kill his brother's murderer and follow the rules of the street, a decision that is complicated by his conflicting emotions around Shawn’s passing and the pressure to follow the rules. Will’s brother, Shawn, was responsible for taking care of him as they were growing up. This responsibility disappeared when he was shot. His passing influences Will to find who killed Shawn and motivates him to get revenge for his brother’s murderer. “The middle drawer called to me/its awkward off-centeredness/ …show more content…
And when I was thirteen/ Shaw welcomed me into teenage life/ with spirits of his almost-grown cologne,/ Said my girlfriend/ my first girlfriend/ would like it./But she hated it/ so I broke up with her/ because/ to me/ her nose was/ acting funny, (44). Will’s memory of Shaw accepting WIll as a teenager felt like Shawn was teaching him the fundamentals of teenagehood. The role of responsibility to teach …show more content…
Will’s motivation becomes his biggest obstacle and controls him after the death of his brother. This vengeance consumes and impacts the choice he makes throughout the story. “Then Dani asked/ what/ if/ you/ miss?” (142). The fixation on avenging Shawn’s death makes him not realize the consequences of missing the shot and being in even more trouble. Will struggles with being able to process the grief; and heal from the loss. “What you need/ a gun for?/ My face/ tightened/ hardened/ They killed Shawn last night./ Who Killed Shawn? / Should you already know? / Just tell me who killed him WIll/” The Darksuns. Do you remember/Riggs, used to live around here?/ Think it was him. Had to be?/ Had/ to/ be,” (139-140). Will neglects the emotional turmoil he’s experiencing and refuses to better address coping mechanisms; with the new points of view about anger, and revenge. The emotions that Will face throughout the story play a significant role in his choices and decision-making. Fear, guilt, and anger influence his choices as he enters a state of grief; and lead him to have
Everyone in school were inflicted with pain after the news of Rob’s death. The person who is mostly in pain is Andy, who is been in depression and is in need of a psychologist, because of his mental state. I chose this book, because it is kind of a life relating story. I know friends who lost someone they loved and I see the pain
Memories and Grieving Impacting Ethical and Moral Decisions In J.K Rowling’s novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Mark Zusak’s novel The Book Thief, memories act as an important basis for the actions and choices of characters. Memories of influential people in character’s lives often act as a basis point for his or her ethical or moral beliefs. Thus, when acting or making choices, memories of loved ones and the grief associated with loss are significant in character’s choices.
First of all, sadness can cause people to realize what they lost, this is shown through mood. Right before this quote, Brother realized that he pushed his sibling
Tom stood at the edge of his brother’s gravesite, his eyes fixed on the mahogany-colored casket lying at the bottom of the six-foot hole. The graveside service had taken less than ten minutes, the only mourners himself, Booker, and Captain Fuller. The officiating celebrant had spoken fondly of a man he didn’t know, respectfully acknowledging Will’s service to the community while blissfully unaware of his lewd, criminal behavior. For Tom, it was an unfitting send off for the brother he’d adored, but for Booker, it was a suitable ending for the cruel, sadistic officer who had made his friend's life a misery. In death, Will was friendless and alone, which was somewhat apt, considering he’d forced Tom to live in social isolation all his adult life.
Will is trying to follow these rules, but he runs into problems when people give him reasons not to. Mikey Holloman (dad) has the biggest impact with stating important things; for example, he makes Will question if he has the right person; what if someone comes for him after killing this guy? Will he be able to handle it? Mikey also uses his own experience for getting revenge for his brother’s murder; he tells Will how he was 100% sure he had the right person but ended up killing an innocent person. They
In the book, it says “It’s like there’s a hole inside of me, a hole I can’t fill, a hole that’s been there since Shawn got killed” (Reynolds, 136). This quote is saying that ever since Will lost Shawn, he has been missing something, when Will lost Shawn, he lost a part of himself, and his best friend. The book also states “I’m thinking about how me and Shawn used to be best friends, how we used to ride bikes and play video games and talk about the girls, how we used to do all the things that best friends would do before he got killed, and I got a gun” (Reynolds, 227). Will and Shawn used to be best friends and have fun together, but in the streets, Will also looked up to Shawn, and with his best friend and brother gone, Will is going to do anything to fill the void inside of
Will at the start of the story wanted to find a sense of belonging but doubted that he could find it. For example, when Charles asked him to join the basketball team he denied him at first saying “I 'm not good enough to play” Harleen
One day, she got killed by a nearby shootout while they were playing, which ultimately altered Will's entire childhood and life. It impelled Shawn to teach him about the "rules "and adulthood because his childhood was already beginning to collapse on itself. The reason is that he just witnessed his best friend dying in front of him and described it as, "Her eyes wide, / the brightness dimming. / Her mouth, open.
This all shows why Uncle Mark influenced Will the
Will said that Shawn was the King which he wouldnt have said if he didnt look up to him. In the quote it shows that Will thought Shawn was cool bu the way he talked about him, not just in this quote but throughout the
Grief is the process of reacting to a loss. It can be reacted physically by death, socially, divorce or occupational. In this case, grief is presented in the novel Brother, which is narrated by Micheal based on how him and his mother grieved over the sudden death of his Brother Francis who was snot ten years old at the age of 19 . In Brother, David Chariandy showed anger, losing touch with reality, and loneliness as the main effects of grief First, disconnection to reality can lead to anger, another symptom of grief.
One big way to improve Will’s communication is to deal with the relationship violence that occurred to him. Sean started this for him in the scene where he tried to get Will to see that his upbringing was not his fault. This was a big step for Will to understand himself and how he should see his relationships. Through Sean, Will also learned some emotional understanding of himself. Emotional understanding will allow him to have emotional competence.
These devices also develop the theme of coming-of-age and maturity. The excerpt describes describes a transformative moment in which Judd comprehends that he will die, his family will die, and that one must cope with death. This idea is developed through the use of disorganized diction, detailed imagery, and repetition, as Judd’s overwhelmed state is intensified through these devices and thus conveys his sprouting emotional maturity. Through the use of these devices, Judd Mulvaney is characterized as a young, coming-of-age boy, suddenly aware of the brevity of
During the film Will demonstrates anger as well as irritability in a short tempered manner. In a particular scene, Will becomes overwhelmed with anger after encountering an old classmate who bullied him in preschool. Such anger and irritability caused Will’s mind to become blocked during the violent act in which Will also assaults an office. The incident ultimately leads Will unraveling the root of the
When people are traumatized by an event they are pushed to experience the five stages of grief. The “Gospel”, by Philip Levine and “the boy detective loses love”, by Sam Sax both use characters that are going through one of the stages of grief. Levine and Sax both explain the thoughts and process of what a person thinks when they go through these stages with imagery. Levine uses symbolism, a sad tone, and a set setting in “Gospel” to illustrate that grieving takes you into a depth of thoughts. Sax uses anaphoras, an aggressive tone, and an ambiguous setting to convey that grieving takes you into a tunnel of anger and rage.