My thoughts of the story written by Ali made me speechless. I can't imagine going through that, nobody should have to go through that at all. When I read the part of when Ali wrote about his three year old brother getting murdered by the commander I started to tear up and get chills because I couldn't even wonder how it felt to be next to your brother and watching him die right in front of you. I also thought it was sad how his sister didn't go with him and how she stayed there. Also, when his father was murdered, I can't think how how that felt to watch and witness, no one should have to see that. In the beginning of the story, I couldn't believe how Ali was five or less than five when he killed a Hyena and his father was afraid of it! I think that it's very nice that he can remember his grandmother's stories.
I think it is incredible that he killed a Hyena when he was five years old, and everyone else was so afraid of them. Also it is really scary when he was talking about how the soldiers came into his house and killed his dad and brother and stole everything. It is also interesting that he now goes to Portland high school.
I thought it was kinda mean to kill the hyena the second time for no reason just because his friends told him to. The first time wasn't that bad because it had one of their goats it was going to eat so they pretty much had to to get their goat back.
This really shocked me! It's such a tragic story for someone so young. And I used to live in Portland; that name sounds so familiar! It's weird thinking that something like that happened to someone I knew of. It's really sad to think that things like this happen daily. People getting shot mercilessly is just unjust and wrong. I feel sorry for anyone who has such a past and has to live with such horrors of memories
The story was interesting. It was a bit confusing in a few places though. At one point in the story I was really lost. When his mother was in the hospital, where was he and why did it take three years for her to get out? I don't think I could be as heartless as him to just run out of nowhere and kill two hyena's and not even use them for anything. He was killing them for fun, and that's just not fair. You can't take something's life because it's more convenient for you. I know that it's all a culture thing, but I don't agree with it at all. I actually thought it was really funny near the end of his story where he was saying something about how everything was there, and about his father dying and about living in a village. Then all of a sudden he's like, "now I live in Portland, Maine." I just thought it was funny. That totally didn't belong where he put it, but it was cute. =]
Hes gone through a lot in his life, killing 2 hyenas and watching his brother and father be killed. The moral is i think that watching family die is just as bad as killing an animal and hopefully he doesn't have to do it again
I think I was interesting how he was not afraid but everyone else was and he was only 5 years old. When the soldiers came to his house and killed some of his family it was wrong because they had no reason to go there and kill them. When they killed the little boy for no reason to get to the father it didn't make any cense because he gave them information that will help them and then they just kill him. I think it was a good idea to move to another village because they weren't safe there and then to the refuge camp because they could live a good life there.
It's amazing how fearless Ali was when he was younger than 5 years old, killing hyenas, and watching his father and brother be killed. I also think that it was very honorable of him to refuse to kill any more hyenas after showing his friends.
The thought of his own family members getting killed, in front of his own eyes, is just devastating because he had no power to stop it. He had to sit there, in fear, watching his own family being shot by ruthless men with guns. But, he was able to survive and live a regular life at a refugee camp. I'm glad that he was able to find refuge because he had to endure so much before he actually got to the camp. He also made friends and started learning, and going to school. He was able to live a normal life.
Well it seems really interesting, but, they don't really stay on topic about hyenas, it's like an on and off thing. This story doesn't seem true, like there is a lot of things that I read that I thought were wild and no one would be able to do those things without guns, this guy had knifes. Hyenas are really smart also very fast, faster then us anyway. I can say it is a pretty good story but off topic too. I really didn't like it.
I can not believe that she could actually kill a hyena. Her father was even frightened of it, but a little kid could do it. Then did it again. Also I can not believe what the people did to her brother and father. That was really sad. Derek R3
I thought it was amazing that Ali was able to kill a hyena at the ge of 14. Also I thought that Ali must have been sad when her sister had moved and they never saw her again.
It really surprised me after he killed the hyena he said he was only five years old. It seems all the more amazing that all he went through was at such a young age.
Its very sad that the father of a son who is 4, would make him kill a hyena because they stole a goat from their house. It isn't the kid's responsibility to kill it, it should have been the fathers but he was to scared to do it himself.
I can't imagine being that young, and watch my brother, father, and mother get shot. He was lucky that his mother didn't die, but it was unfortunate that she had to be in the hospital for 3 years. It also must of been hard to not see your sister ever again after she took care of you for that long. But at least he was safe.
I am very surprised that he was willing to write all about his tragic past. It must of been hard for him to write all about that and share it with the community. I can tell that is something he will remember forever. Killing a couple of hyenas at such a young age is an impressive feat. Especially when everyone, even the adults, was scared and his father excepted him to kill it.
I think it's so sad what some people have to go through, and many of them not even through high school yet. I would never have thought that these people go to or went to South Portland High and I have no idea how I would be able to deal with the death of my father and little brother, especially if I whiteness it right before my eyes. Ali is incredibly strong and independent to have gone though all of that and still have a smily on his face and think optimistically. People like this really make you think about what's really going on in the world and make you want to be the best person you can be. ~Aleina
I was surprised when he said that he killed a Hyena before his father died and his father died when he was 5. I can't imagine someone younger than five killing a hyena. ~Danielle R3
What I thought after I read this story really made me think about how lucky I am, and that life could be so much worse. It made me think I've been lucky enough to not have been through things that so many people have experienced in their life. This kind of thing makes me sad and makes me feel guilty of whenever I complain about the things I don't have. I think everyone should be grateful for what they have, and that they haven't had to go through these kind of things like in this story.
It was a very interesting but sad story. It began as a boy who had simply killed a hyena out of necessity, but then began to turn into a darker story about how his father was shot and killed and his mother was injured. I really saw no point to the hyena in the beginning and the middle, but then the writer tied the story together at the end with the part about the Hyena. I like how he did that, it's almost as though he planned the story out.
I think this is a really good thing for Americans to read. Most of us don't go through anything like this. If we all realized that this happens to many immigrants, I think we would have more compassion and respect for them. -Maddie R3
The story was very interesting and sad story. I made me think about how lucky I am to be living in a place were you don't have to worry about people coming to your home, kill you and rob you afterward. I couldn't believed that someone who was younger than 5 years old could kill a hyena, while people who were older than him were afraid of the hyenas.
This story was really sad, but ended fairly well. When I read this story, I tried to think of how I would feel going through something like this. Having your father get shot and die, and see your mother also get shot, but live. I'm sure he felt helpless and sad. -Lia B. R.4
This story was very different than American culture because in everyday culture, we don't have to worry about killing wild animals and protection from nature. This also shows that the boy in the story is very brave because as a young boy he killed a hyena that older men were even afraid to get near. Overall the story is very different which made it interesting.
This is a different story.. I think his culture is very different from American culture. To him, that didn't mean anything, killing the hyena, but in America, that wouldn't be considered normal, or okay. I think it's also really sad, how he says, "that was before my father died," when he was referring to him killing his first one. When he is telling about when his family had a little house with two beds, and him and his brothers had to sleep on the floor, at first I felt bad for him. Then I was thinking about how so little would mean so much to him, and how he would appreciate the little things in live that I take for granted. I wish I could appreciate what I have and not always want more. It's awful how he saw people killed like that, his brother, mom, and dad. That's horrible. And then to have everything stolen from him?! I think all in all the story is sad and he has gone through a lot, but I hope he has a better life here!
Olivia Hamlin I don't think I was here the day we got this, so I just checked homeworknow and saw I had to do this.
I was shocked that he could kill a hyena when he was only five years old. I feel awful for him that he had to see those men kill his father and brother, then shoot his mother in the leg. It also surprises me that after staying with his sister while his mother was in the hospital, he never saw her again. I would think that they would stay close after something like that. I hope he is now enjoying Portland and he will get to go back to Kenya when he's older.
I like how in his ulture family is very important, for example how he is so close to his grandmother before she dies. He learned a lot of things from listening to her stories like how to kill a hyena, even though he was only five. Though it is said what had happened to his family, but I am glad that he and his mom, brother, and sister were able to get out of there. I also think it is neat that he wants to go to collage in Kenya. Tough this is a sad story it is inspiring.
I think it's terrible that people came into his home and killed his dad and brother and also stole everything. It's amazing that when he was 5 he killed a Hyena and everyone else was so afraid of them.
it really shocked me how a five year old killed a kenya! but i think this is a really great article for americans to be reading because it tells some of the real things people of different cultures deal with in their every day lives. As an american i am very greateful for all the things i have, we are very lucky. The boy in this story was extremely brave, his father wasnt even as brave as him, i find that amazing.i thought this was a very interesting story.
I think the story was very sad how he lost his brother and father. It must have been very tragic for him to whitness. I couldn't imagine losing my father and one of my brothers that way, especially for no reason. The hyena part was really cool. I couldn't imagine killing a hyena that young. Even when I'm 30, I probably couldn't kill a hyena without a gun. That's really amazing to share something special like that and have those memories(:
My thoughts of the story written by Ali made me speechless. I can't imagine going through that, nobody should have to go through that at all. When I read the part of when Ali wrote about his three year old brother getting murdered by the commander I started to tear up and get chills because I couldn't even wonder how it felt to be next to your brother and watching him die right in front of you. I also thought it was sad how his sister didn't go with him and how she stayed there. Also, when his father was murdered, I can't think how how that felt to watch and witness, no one should have to see that. In the beginning of the story, I couldn't believe how Ali was five or less than five when he killed a Hyena and his father was afraid of it! I think that it's very nice that he can remember his grandmother's stories.
ReplyDeleteJaclyn Salevsky 3-11-10 R4
I think it is incredible that he killed a Hyena when he was five years old, and everyone else was so afraid of them. Also it is really scary when he was talking about how the soldiers came into his house and killed his dad and brother and stole everything. It is also interesting that he now goes to Portland high school.
ReplyDeleteAaron D.
I thought it was kinda mean to kill the hyena the second time for no reason just because his friends told him to. The first time wasn't that bad because it had one of their goats it was going to eat so they pretty much had to to get their goat back.
ReplyDelete-Molly Miller
r3
This really shocked me! It's such a tragic story for someone so young. And I used to live in Portland; that name sounds so familiar! It's weird thinking that something like that happened to someone I knew of. It's really sad to think that things like this happen daily. People getting shot mercilessly is just unjust and wrong. I feel sorry for anyone who has such a past and has to live with such horrors of memories
ReplyDeleteThe story was interesting. It was a bit confusing in a few places though. At one point in the story I was really lost. When his mother was in the hospital, where was he and why did it take three years for her to get out?
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could be as heartless as him to just run out of nowhere and kill two hyena's and not even use them for anything. He was killing them for fun, and that's just not fair. You can't take something's life because it's more convenient for you. I know that it's all a culture thing, but I don't agree with it at all.
I actually thought it was really funny near the end of his story where he was saying something about how everything was there, and about his father dying and about living in a village. Then all of a sudden he's like, "now I live in Portland, Maine." I just thought it was funny. That totally didn't belong where he put it, but it was cute.
=]
Hes gone through a lot in his life, killing 2 hyenas and watching his brother and father be killed. The moral is i think that watching family die is just as bad as killing an animal and hopefully he doesn't have to do it again
ReplyDeleteI think I was interesting how he was not afraid but everyone else was and he was only 5 years old. When the soldiers came to his house and killed some of his family it was wrong because they had no reason to go there and kill them. When they killed the little boy for no reason to get to the father it didn't make any cense because he gave them information that will help them and then they just kill him. I think it was a good idea to move to another village because they weren't safe there and then to the refuge camp because they could live a good life there.
ReplyDelete- Tanner Hyland
It's amazing how fearless Ali was when he was younger than 5 years old, killing hyenas, and watching his father and brother be killed. I also think that it was very honorable of him to refuse to kill any more hyenas after showing his friends.
ReplyDeleteAustin Gotts R-3
The thought of his own family members getting killed, in front of his own eyes, is just devastating because he had no power to stop it. He had to sit there, in fear, watching his own family being shot by ruthless men with guns. But, he was able to survive and live a regular life at a refugee camp. I'm glad that he was able to find refuge because he had to endure so much before he actually got to the camp. He also made friends and started learning, and going to school. He was able to live a normal life.
ReplyDeleteSean D
R4
Well it seems really interesting, but, they don't really stay on topic about hyenas, it's like an on and off thing. This story doesn't seem true, like there is a lot of things that I read that I thought were wild and no one would be able to do those things without guns, this guy had knifes. Hyenas are really smart also very fast, faster then us anyway. I can say it is a pretty good story but off topic too. I really didn't like it.
ReplyDeleteI can not believe that she could actually kill a hyena. Her father was even frightened of it, but a little kid could do it. Then did it again. Also I can not believe what the people did to her brother and father. That was really sad.
ReplyDeleteDerek R3
I thought it was amazing that Ali was able to kill a hyena at the ge of 14. Also I thought that Ali must have been sad when her sister had moved and they never saw her again.
ReplyDelete-Eric Howard -Red B:4
It really surprised me after he killed the hyena he said he was only five years old. It seems all the more amazing that all he went through was at such a young age.
ReplyDeleteNicolas Williamson
R3
I want to know who the people were that killed his father and shot their mother, and if they just did it for money or for other reasons.
ReplyDeleteNick Fagone R4
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIts very sad that the father of a son who is 4, would make him kill a hyena because they stole a goat from their house. It isn't the kid's responsibility to kill it, it should have been the fathers but he was to scared to do it himself.
ReplyDeleteRyan Tuttle
Red block 4
I can't imagine being that young, and watch my brother, father, and mother get shot. He was lucky that his mother didn't die, but it was unfortunate that she had to be in the hospital for 3 years. It also must of been hard to not see your sister ever again after she took care of you for that long. But at least he was safe.
ReplyDeleteAlly Bonville R4
I am very surprised that he was willing to write all about his tragic past. It must of been hard for him to write all about that and share it with the community. I can tell that is something he will remember forever. Killing a couple of hyenas at such a young age is an impressive feat. Especially when everyone, even the adults, was scared and his father excepted him to kill it.
ReplyDeleteThuy Nguyen Red 4
I think it's so sad what some people have to go through, and many of them not even through high school yet. I would never have thought that these people go to or went to South Portland High and I have no idea how I would be able to deal with the death of my father and little brother, especially if I whiteness it right before my eyes. Ali is incredibly strong and independent to have gone though all of that and still have a smily on his face and think optimistically. People like this really make you think about what's really going on in the world and make you want to be the best person you can be.
ReplyDelete~Aleina
I thought that it was so sad how they randomly shot the little brother and the the father!
ReplyDeleteBrian Weden
I was surprised when he said that he killed a Hyena before his father died and his father died when he was 5. I can't imagine someone younger than five killing a hyena.
ReplyDelete~Danielle R3
What I thought after I read this story really made me think about how lucky I am, and that life could be so much worse. It made me think I've been lucky enough to not have been through things that so many people have experienced in their life. This kind of thing makes me sad and makes me feel guilty of whenever I complain about the things I don't have. I think everyone should be grateful for what they have, and that they haven't had to go through these kind of things like in this story.
ReplyDeleteLani Edwards Red3
It was a very interesting but sad story. It began as a boy who had simply killed a hyena out of necessity, but then began to turn into a darker story about how his father was shot and killed and his mother was injured. I really saw no point to the hyena in the beginning and the middle, but then the writer tied the story together at the end with the part about the Hyena. I like how he did that, it's almost as though he planned the story out.
ReplyDelete- Dylan Carlson, R4
I think this is a really good thing for Americans to read. Most of us don't go through anything like this. If we all realized that this happens to many immigrants, I think we would have more compassion and respect for them.
ReplyDelete-Maddie R3
The story was very interesting and sad story. I made me think about how lucky I am to be living in a place were you don't have to worry about people coming to your home, kill you and rob you afterward. I couldn't believed that someone who was younger than 5 years old could kill a hyena, while people who were older than him were afraid of the hyenas.
ReplyDeleteBao Loc, R4
This story was really sad, but ended fairly well. When I read this story, I tried to think of how I would feel going through something like this. Having your father get shot and die, and see your mother also get shot, but live. I'm sure he felt helpless and sad.
ReplyDelete-Lia B.
R.4
This story was very different than American culture because in everyday culture, we don't have to worry about killing wild animals and protection from nature. This also shows that the boy in the story is very brave because as a young boy he killed a hyena that older men were even afraid to get near. Overall the story is very different which made it interesting.
ReplyDelete-Ben Burks
This is a different story.. I think his culture is very different from American culture. To him, that didn't mean anything, killing the hyena, but in America, that wouldn't be considered normal, or okay. I think it's also really sad, how he says, "that was before my father died," when he was referring to him killing his first one. When he is telling about when his family had a little house with two beds, and him and his brothers had to sleep on the floor, at first I felt bad for him. Then I was thinking about how so little would mean so much to him, and how he would appreciate the little things in live that I take for granted. I wish I could appreciate what I have and not always want more.
ReplyDeleteIt's awful how he saw people killed like that, his brother, mom, and dad. That's horrible. And then to have everything stolen from him?! I think all in all the story is sad and he has gone through a lot, but I hope he has a better life here!
Olivia Hamlin
I don't think I was here the day we got this, so I just checked homeworknow and saw I had to do this.
I was shocked that he could kill a hyena when he was only five years old. I feel awful for him that he had to see those men kill his father and brother, then shoot his mother in the leg. It also surprises me that after staying with his sister while his mother was in the hospital, he never saw her again. I would think that they would stay close after something like that. I hope he is now enjoying Portland and he will get to go back to Kenya when he's older.
ReplyDelete-Lyndsay L. Red 4
I like how in his ulture family is very important, for example how he is so close to his grandmother before she dies. He learned a lot of things from listening to her stories like how to kill a hyena, even though he was only five. Though it is said what had happened to his family, but I am glad that he and his mom, brother, and sister were able to get out of there. I also think it is neat that he wants to go to collage in Kenya. Tough this is a sad story it is inspiring.
ReplyDeleteSarah St.Pierre R3
I think it's terrible that people came into his home and killed his dad and brother and also stole everything. It's amazing that when he was 5 he killed a Hyena and everyone else was so afraid of them.
ReplyDeleteRiley Erskine R3
it really shocked me how a five year old killed a kenya! but i think this is a really great article for americans to be reading because it tells some of the real things people of different cultures deal with in their every day lives. As an american i am very greateful for all the things i have, we are very lucky. The boy in this story was extremely brave, his father wasnt even as brave as him, i find that amazing.i thought this was a very interesting story.
ReplyDelete-olivia cummings
R4
I think the story was very sad how he lost his brother and father. It must have been very tragic for him to whitness. I couldn't imagine losing my father and one of my brothers that way, especially for no reason. The hyena part was really cool. I couldn't imagine killing a hyena that young. Even when I'm 30, I probably couldn't kill a hyena without a gun. That's really amazing to share something special like that and have those memories(:
ReplyDeleteLuLu Marchant Red Block 3