Salva Mawin Dut Ariik: A Long Walk To Water

In the novel, A Long Walk to Water, we are presented with two different characters in parallel stories that do not seem to have a connection. Both are struggling and dealing with conflict that presents obstacles and interferes with their objectives. I will explore both characters and make comparisons between the two to support the idea that while both are dealing with different conflicts, they have many things in common. In Salva’s part of the story, he is facing a difficult journey to walk away from the war.

Perseverance is an important theme in A Long Walk To Water. The first example of Perseverance is when Salva listens to what his uncle says. His uncle uses his full name, and Salva thinks of his family. Uncle tells him to only walk as far as that bush, or clump of rocks. Salva perseveres by thinking of his family.

Do you know what it takes to survive? In A Long Walk to water, Salva[how he had to survive]. Salva had to be very brave t do what he did and very strong to do it. There were many factors that helped Salva survive such as persistence, leadership, and strength.

In 1983 a war began between northern and southern Sudan and about 2 million civilians were killed and more than 4 million people were forced to flee their homes, those people were called the Lost Boys of Sudan and were fleeing violence and afraid of being forced into. The Lost Boys of Sudan had to walk great distances with limited resources and by the time they all reached a refugee camp in Kenya only about 10,000 out of the original 26,000 survived. In the historical fiction book, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park a Lost Boy named Salva is trying to survive and find his family throughout his journey through rough terrain. Throughout the story, Salva was very brave, determined, and mature and those three things made it possible for Salva

A major theme in the true story, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park is perseverance. Perseverance is to stay steady in what you are doing or in a purpose, especially when you are faced with difficulties. This is a perfect theme for A Long Walk to Water because the main character, Salva Dut, an 11 year old Sudanese boy, faced many difficulties and kept going. He took things ‘bit by bit, one step at a time’, a lesson he learned from his uncle that helped him get through the desert, and he applied it to his life and kept going and believing his family was alive. Even though he almost died many times, he did not give up, and he went back to his home country and helped many people have better lives by building wells and giving them clean drinking water.

When darkness consumes you and the pain becomes unbearable, you look to the light, to perseverance to guide you through the nightmare you face. In Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea, one of the protagonists, Emilia, faces a myriad of emotional and physical hardships throughout the novel. With calamitous tragedies and bone-chilling circumstances, what does Emilia do? Bruised and battered, she perseveres through her hardships, showing how much a person can endure when they persist. Sepetys takes the consequences of Emilia’s pain and emotional damage to new heights with her war-themed novel; as a result of this, perseverance is articulated amongst many other traits that this character possesses, showing how imperative of a quality it is.

In "In the Shadow of the Banyan", Raami, a seven year old, a young princess of the house of Sisowath in 1970s Cambodia, that the Cambodia is in midst of a civil war. The new communist regime in Cambodia which is called “Organization” tries to dehumanize Raami and her people. In particular, the “Organization” taking away individuality and diminishing traditional culture such as Raami and her family. Her family and other families are itinerating multiple times in Cambodia. As the story progresses, Raami still barely to her humanity despite the "Organization" striping her and her family of everything they have that has come to identify them from their home, possessions, friends, family, education, and even their royal name.

Thesis Statement: In the book Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech, Sal changes significantly from a lot of external forces in her life. Robin Sharma once said, “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle and gorgeous at the end.” This quote really relates to Sal because when her mother left she was a mess and it was hard for her. Later, she moved and more things changed and things happened that she didn't expect to happen.

"Foolish woman. Don’t you realize this is just the beginning? We have a chance now to die with dignity." ( 16 )Lithuanian's were taken from their homes with no explanation, treated poorly, and accused of being bad people. Through their journey from Lithuania to Siberia where they are starved and put to work in working camps.

Despite the challenges of working on the circuit, Panchito and his family remain strong. Panchito and his family go through difficult times but together they pull through. They go through difficult times to find work and to get a good education. They work together and stay together as a family. One of the challenges that Panchito and his family face is moving from place to place.

What would you do if you were separated from your home and your family to become a refugee during a war? Do you think you would survive? In Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water, The Sudanese Civil War breaks out in Salva’s village and he must run away from his home and family in an effort to survive. In order to overcome the many difficulties he is faced with, Salva uses three main survival factors; hope, persistence, and his uncle’s support.