In his novel Long Way Down, author Jason Reynolds explores a community of "the broken" where bloodshed is essentially normalized, where all live by a set of rules that must never be disobeyed: no crying, no snitching, and always take revenge. Reynolds's purpose is to emphasize the significance of gun violence and its effect on the victims who must suffer its consequences because it provokes internal conflicts such as guilt, depression, and revenge. He uses hyperbole, imagery, and symbolism to adopt a mournful, enraging, and devastating tone to convince readers in similar circumstances to Will always to persevere because revenge will only produce another bitter and anguished individual. Reynolds uses hyperbole in his novel to highlight the …show more content…
On the elevator, only one young girl was present in the crowd of older men, Dani. According to Will, her appearance comprised "Flower dress. / Low heels. / Light makeup, / lip gloss, / cheek stuff" (Reynolds 5-9). She was his childhood best friend back when they were eight, and they were always at the playground together. 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. / Bubble gym / and blood" (Reynolds 11-14). Then, from that day on, Will continued to follow the footsteps of his male figures and acted like he was tough, despite still being in his adolescence. His innocence appeared to resurface shortly after Shawn's death when he reveals, "I felt like crying / which felt like / another person / trapped behind my face / tiny fists punching / the backs of my eyes" (Reynolds 1-6). The person is his younger self, fighting back for his independence against these rules that …show more content…
One of the most prevalent symbols in the novel was undoubtedly the elevator. At first glance, it may seem like Will is stuck in a regular elevator shaft, but it also portrays him being trapped in this eternal cycle of violence stemming from "the rules," which subsequently concludes in a great deal of grief and remorse. It can be evident once Will steps on the elevator since each floor introduces new and dead characters, who all tragically fell victim to gun violence. These ghosts greatly influenced Will because they could sway his decision by revealing their personal stories and experience with revenge, which roots back to earlier generations. For years, there has been a continuation of these certain sets of "rules" that are taught from fathers to sons, brothers, and even friends: no crying, no snitching, and always getting revenge. In addition, Reynolds expanded on the concept of revenge by explaining, "If someone you love gets killed, / find the person who killed / them and kill them¨ (Reynolds 1-6). For example, on the fifth floor, Will learns that his Uncle Mark was a hustler and got shot by a competing rival. So his dad attempted to avenge Uncle Mark, but it turned out that he shot the wrong guy, and he joined his brother in the end, leaving his family without a loving father and husband. Ergo, Will has second
It becomes evident to Will that following in Shawn’s footsteps could have negative implications. The object that Will uses as a reminder of his brother shows Shawn’s flaws, “I wrapped my fingers [around the gun] / placing them over Shawn’s / little brother holding big brother’s hand” (Reynold 64). The relationship between the gun with both brothers and the brothers’ relationship to one another is made evident with Will’s actions. Will covering Shawn’s fingerprints with his own symbolizes his lack of preparedness to carry out the plan. Due to the fact that the gun brings back dreadful memories of an imperfect Shawn; Will decides not to follow his brother's path in an effort to end the cycle of violence that has perpetuated in his family.
Banks expanded her argument with a strong pathos by providing coherent details on the scenarios she mentioned of police shootings, which may lead to feelings of disturbance, trauma, and beyond belief for the ones reading. Perhaps, the extensive detail she gave when she was describing the scene at Minnesota, "a police officer held the pair at gunpoint and her 4-year-old daughter watched from the back seat." (Banks) The author portrays the officer as a selfish, cold-hearted man because, regardless of the situation, a child should never be traumatized with such disturbing image as is witnessing a gun pointed at their parents. Pathos was used a long way, as Banks intended the audience to agree that officers lack consideration of others.
If someone you love gets killed, find the person who killed them and kill them.” (33) This quote shows that revenge is a rule that needs to be followed to avenge a loved one.. In the story Will talks about finding and killing Shawns killer to avenge him. This could be bad for Will because if he gets caught he could be a target for some people. In the story they talk about the story of Mark Holloman who is Will's father.
Will Shawn’s experiences and guidance help Will, or will it lead him astray? The first reason why Shawn has the biggest impact on Will is because he’s an older brother/father figure to Will. For example, a quote in the book states “ Shawn was my big brother, my best friend, my protector. He was the only one who always looked out for me, no matter what” (Reynolds, 21).
Will’s brother Shawn broke down crying which showed Will that it is okay to break the rules and that getting revenge isn't the best choice because of its many outcomes and possibilities. Will's father, Mikey Holloman, is one of the influences in his life on why he won't get revenge on his brother's death. Will's father enters the elevator with everyone else. He talks about how Uncle Mark
Jason Reynolds uses many literary devices in his book Long Way Down to convey various messages and connections to the real world in gun-related violence. For example, America faces massive gun violence issues in large cities like Chicago, and even small-town schools. Chicago has a rate of 29 homicides related to firearm use for every one thousand residents which is leading the US in gun violence-related statistics. Opposing gangs make up a large number of these homicides as they are constantly at each other's throats in search of vengeance for a brother or friend that was killed much like the gun violence cycle displayed in this book. Long Way Down emphasizes the harm and sorrow that follows behind gun violence as well as the never-ending cycle
Mikey’s appearance had the most impact on Will because he demonstrates the complex nature of revenge which applies to Will’s current
“Honor,” one of the qualities that guns represent, is a socially constructed factor that can be used to differentiate class. “Human triumph over nature” is a literal presentation of humans supposed ability to dominate nature, and “individual protection” is a means of maintaining one’s socioeconomic status. All of these three qualifications suggest an idea that guns are used to demonstrate or maintain one’s social class (or domination over lower social classes and
Did you know that there are at least 321 people that deal with gun violence on a daily basis? Out of the 321 people, 111 people have died from being shot. In the novel, Long Way Down, Will, the main character, experiences the death of his older brother, Shawn. A day after his death, Will decides to follow the rules, which are no crying, no snitching, and seeking revenge. He takes the elevator, on his way to kill Riggs, the guy that Will thinks killed his brother in order to avenge Shawn.
We have come to live in a culture where it’s taboo or unacceptable to simply check in with people emotionally and offer some empathy and understanding. I’m not saying this would magically fix all gun violence. I’m just saying that all of these things — the lack of gun laws, the lack of health care, the inability to have basic conversations with friends and neighbors about what’s going on with them, these are all extensions of a callous and self-absorbed culture that lacks any real empathy.” He ends with these points to emphasize what society has become.
When she was alive, Will saw her get shot. Will was planning to shoot someone, and he is reminded of how he saw someone close to him die by a gunshot. He could shoot someone and remember how he saw someone close to him die once too, and that is a reason why he won’t shoot Riggs, because of Dani. Shawn was also killed trying to follow the rules. When Uncle Mark died, Shawn thought that it was Frick who had killed him.
In Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds, gun violence was a prominent theme that affected the lives of the characters. William Holloman, who was 15 years old, realised it was his responsibility to take revenge for the death of his brother, Shawn, who died due to the neighbourhood’s rule number three: avenge your loved one by murder. When Will makes his way down the elevator with the intention to kill Carlson Riggs, the alleged murderer of Shawn, he encounters spirits that were dead from their involvement with gun abuse. This resulted in the ghosts sharing their life story, and the different impacts that gun violence had on them. As the cycle of revenge circulates throughout the neighbourhood, the role of gun violence deprives Will of his innocent
Because of Will Hunting’s difficult upbringing, the way he communicates his emotions in his relationships are detrimental for himself and others, and conflict arises in his relationships due to his inability to express his emotions well. Will grew up in a tough environment because of the types of relationship violence he faced. First, he was abandoned as a child and became an orphan. Further on in the film, Will talks about the physical abuse
Katie Lee British Lit 13 April 2016 Gun Control Research Paper: An Annotated Bibliography Dickerson, John. " Why Newtown Wasn’t Enough." The Slate. The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company, 17 Apr. 2013. Web.
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