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The Cycle Of Violence In Long Way Down

658 Words3 Pages

Have you ever heard of a saying that goes “if someone kills your loved one, you must find them and kill them”? Well, that is an actual thing in the novel “Long Way Down”. Written by Jason Reynolds, this powerful novel has stories that are full of emotion. It all starts with the main character named Will. His brother Shawn was unfortunately killed, and Will is determined and pressured to find his brothers killer and murder them. While on his journey to get revenge for his brother, he encounters people he used to know that have passed away due to violence. They tell Will their stories and explain how the cycle of violence ended their lives too soon. The cycle of violence is essentially a pattern of dangerous acts committed by people within the same community, that result in harming others or in some instances, death. The story “Long Way Down” shows cycle of violence in many ways throughout this story such as “The Rules” and Will hearing his loved one's powerful stories. …show more content…

Well, the rules in this story consist of one no crying, two no snitching, and three revenge. One of the rules that truly shows in the cycle of violence is rule three revenge. This rule in the book says, “If someone you love gets killed, find the person who killed them and kill them.” (Reynolds 33). This quote demonstrates that no matter what, you must get revenge for your loved one who has died by finding their killer. Not only does influence people to kill others but people in the story view this as amazing because it shows how “brave” one truly is. The Rules transpire throughout the story by everyone condoning the rules, and people being looked at as less than if they do not follow these rules. This can be why Will is so compelled and determined to kill Shawns

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His brother Shawn died following those rules, so why should Will have the onus of taking revenge for him and have that target on his back? Besides, he didn’t make The Rules and multiple members of his family died following them. Up until his brother’s death, the third rule hadn’t meant anything to him. Now Will decides between continuing the path of violence and revenge created by generations before him, or breaking that chain and setting

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They are crazy for thinking that these rules were reasonable and should be followed. This ties into the cycle of violence, because it describes its origin. The people in Will’s community who are often perceived as “cool'' or the ideal societal member, follow irrational societal expectations, and therefore, they are crazy. These people are often the ones to partake in lots of violence and then become a part of the cycle of violence. This comes to show that the cycle of violence in Will’s community is fueled by such people, who are thought to be role models but are

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