What does Reynolds want his audience to walk away having learned from this book?

Author’s Message/Theme Essay Assignment
As we have discussed throughout our unit, Long Way Down tackles so many societal issues, from community to gun violence to toxic masculinity to the cycle of violence to the dangers of blindly following “The Rules” and beyond. Jason Reynolds uses the approachable format of a novel written in verse (short poems) to communicate a strong overall message to his audience about these urgent social issues (AKA the theme). As we have studied in-depth, Reynolds masterfully incorporates figurative language, different symbols, and detailed character development/relationships to make sure his overall message about these issues is ultimately crystal clear for his audience. For this assignment, you will write a five paragraph essay that decides WHAT you believe is Reynold’s final, most important overall message (theme) behind the novel and HOW he communicates this to his audience.
Think: What does Reynolds want his audience to walk away having learned from this book?
I.C.E. is very important to citing textual evidence.

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