Keeports 25-28
1. Yes, Mark’s thoughts about committing suicide are justifiable. At just ten years old, he has experienced more pain and suffering than any one human being ever should. Starvation is an every day feeling for Mark. He has been beaten and abused countless times by countless people, including the police and his own father. As a mere adolescent Mark has already witnessed murders and dead bodies. These events and feelings are not something that a ten year old boy, or anyone for that matter, should be accustomed to.
Everyone has bad days here and there. For the average person having a bad day, suicide is not justifiable whatsoever. However, when every single day is full of abuse, starvation, and pain, suicidal thoughts are understandable. Constantly hurting is no way to live. When all one has to look forward to in life is more suffering, suicide may seem like a solution and unfortunately it is justified.
2. “An icy chill of death froze the world around me. For a long time I remained stock-still in the tall grass, in the limpid night, scarcely breathing, watching the naked, mutilated, lifeless body contorted on the ground in a pool of blood. Each gaze made it seem to come alive, to stir, to slowly rise, like an entombed Egyptian mummy coming back to life.” page 164
I chose this passage because I think it has a huge impact on Mark’s life. At just ten years old he has witnessed a brutal murder. Seeing this occur right in front of you is enough to scar anyone and change their life forever.
3. Present 1-2 open-ended questions that you are wondering as you read the book. The question may be one to which we’ll find answer, or it may be one that will never reach a definite solution. Be sure that the question or questions are open-ended (yes/no responses will not work).
Why did Mark’s mother wait exactly three weeks to do something about him skipping school, even though she was aware of what he was doing?