Reflective paper on They Poured Fired on Us from the Sky
About the book: They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky is the personal stories of three of Sudan’s “Lost Boys.” Sudan’s “Lost Boys” are children that fled the ongoing conflict in Sudan that began in 1983 and continues to this day. At least 20,000 children, primarily boys between the ages of 7 and 17, were separated from the families and fled the violence into neighboring states such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. Some of them have returned to Sudan but are living in refugee camps, others have been assisted by various international organizations to either find their families or to find new places to live beyond refugee camps. Some of the “Lost Boys” were given refuge in the US, and They Poured Fired on Us from the Sky is the story of three of these boys told after they arrived in California.
Assignment:
For this assignment you will be reflecting on the stories and events in They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky. In order to gain a greater understanding of Sudan, the ongoing conflicts, the Dinka tribe that the boys belong to, and the Lost Boys’ struggles, you will also need to find at least one external source for reference. Listed below are possible reference sources for you to use.
Paper Structure
Unlike your previous reflection papers, this paper will have some structural requirements. Please follow the paper structure outline to receive full credit for the assignment.
Paper Structure Outline:
Paragraph 1 – this is your introductory paragraph where you explain the purpose of your paper and your paper topic. This paragraph should also give a brief overview of what you will discuss in your paper and some of the conclusions you made within your paper.
Paragraph 2 –this paragraph should be a brief discussion of Sudan, the ongoing conflicts in Sudan, and an explanation of who the “Lost Boys” are. You may also want to provide some background on the Dinka tribe and why they in particular were targets in the conflict.
Paragraphs 3 on – the remaining body of your paper will be your reflections and analysis of the book. Below are some of the questions and reflections that you should address in the body of your paper. Don’t summarize the book; instead focus on the issues, moments, events, or the characters in the book that caught your attention.
Reflection Questions/Topics:
1. Why do you think that Benson, Alephonsion (Alepho), and Benjamin wanted to tell their stories?
2. Education seemed to be very important to the Lost Boys. What do you think sparked that desire? How does their focus on education compare to your own?
3. What scenes stay with you most when you think back to the book? Are they always the scenes filled with atrocity?
4. Why is it important for us to hear stories which challenge us or are difficult to hear?
5. What do you think America’s role should be when these terrible things are happening around the world and innocent victims like children are suffering and dying?
Concluding paragraph – the conclusion of your paper should sum up what you discussed in the previous paragraphs and provide some level of closure to your analysis. In this paragraph you may want to talk about the impact that reading the book had on your broader understanding of Sudan, conflict, genocide, refugees, or other issues within the book that stood out to you.
Paper Format
Your paper should be 4-5 pages. You must use specific events from the assigned book in your discussion. When referencing specific points or quoting from the assigned book, use page numbers only in your in-text citations. You must also reference at least onesource other than the assigned book, and you must include in-text citations or footnotes and include a reference page; points will be deducted for missing in-text citations and/or references. Any major citation style may be used, as long as you are consistent. In-text citations or footnotes must be used whenever you reference any information that would not be considered “common knowledge,” such as a scholar’s conclusions or data, quotations, etc. Every footnote or in-text citation should include the author’s last name, year of publication, and a page number if you quote or paraphrase material. Do not use a “blanket citation” for a paragraph or multiple sentences with material from a single source. Each sentence that includes gathered material must have its own in-text citation or footnote. Every source listed in the references MUST be cited somewhere in the text. Never describe an author or use an author’s first name. You may supplement your scholarly sources with other credible reference material such as news stories. Blogs, Wikipedia, online encyclopedias, and dictionaries are not considered scholarly sources and should not be referenced as sources. Avoid using phrases or quotes from class lectures in your paper. Summarizing lecture notes in any written assignment will automatically result in a ZERO.
All written assignments are graded on the basis of content, style, organization, grammar, and spelling. Papers must be typed, double-spaced, stapled, with page numbers. Papers are due in class. I will not accept any assignment submitted electronically (via email). Papers will be docked 5 points for every day they are late, up to one week. After one week, late papers will be scored a zero and no longer accepted. If you know that you will be absent on the day a paper is due, you must turn the paper in before the due date or have the paper counted as late.
Possible Sources for Sudan Information: http://www.lostboysfilm.com/ Documentary
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/galleries/sudan/history.htm Washington Post’s Special Report
CIA Factbook: Sudan https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/the-world- factbook/geos/su.html
Library of Congress Country Studies:
http://www.state.gov/p/af/ci/su/ www.unhcr.org www.PassionofthePresent.org www.GenocideInterventionFund.org www.SaveDarfur.org www.TheIRC.org www.CrisisGroup.org
www.hrw.org
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html
USA State Department: Sudan
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sudan: Passion of the Present
Genocide Intervention Fund
Save Darfur
The International Rescue Committee
International Crisis Group Human Rights Watch
