English I: Reading Nonfiction for Author’s Purpose

How far would you go to find freedom?

Think about how you might respond if you were forced to leave everything you knew – your home, your family, your friends, and your belongings.

Imagine:

“You’re a young boy—maybe as young as three or four—separated from your family by civil war, traversing deserts and mountains with little food or water, no medical care, and no protection from wild animals. Imagine watching hundreds of boys perish around you from hunger, disease, or attacks by enemy soldiers and wild animals” (Joan Hecht).

“To most of us, it is unimaginable, but this was reality for “The Lost Boys of Sudan,”

thousands of young boys who were separated from their families and forced to walk

approximately 1,000 miles to reach safe refuge from war and certain death” (Joan Hecht).

The “Lost Boys” journey to safety is the equivalent of you and I walking from Haltom City to the center of

North Dakota.

We will read about these boys, but before we do, there are some things you need to

know.

• What is a refugee?

• A person who flees their home country to a foreign country for safety and protection.

• A refugee leaves his/her home country in order to escape danger & unfair treatment because of race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or political beliefs

What is a refugee camp?A place built by governments or organizations to

receive refugees. People may stay in these camps, receiving

emergency food and medical aid, until it is safe to return to their homes or until they are retrieved by other people outside the camps.

Fact: There are more than 14 million

refugees in the world today.

What is a civil war?A war between organized groups

within the same nation or countryThe African country of Sudan was in a

civil war from 1983 to 2005.

Where is Sudan?

The Civil War in Sudan:

A civil war in Sudan that lasted more than 20 years led to the death of 2 million people. However recent events have pointed to what some are calling genocide and there are estimates of 2.2 million people at risk of dying in the near future due to inadequate humanitarian relief.

Who are the “Lost Boys”?The Lost Boys of Sudan are a group of thousands of young Sudanese boys and men that were forced to flee their homeland due to Civil War. Most of these boys lost their families in the conflict and were only left with each other. Their perilous journey took them throughout war-torn Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda where they not only dodged bullets, but also the wildlife, the heat, and the hunger of the journey. After years of wandering and living in refugee camps, the stories of the boys reached the United States where various charitable organizations helped thousands of boys to enter the United States.

We will read the story of one of Sudan’s “Lost Boys,” Peter Dut.

Quick-Write:

Respond to what you have just learned in a one page quick-write.

Your response should be thoughtful and meaningful.

Truly think and reflect while you write; don’t just fill up the page with words, words, words; blah, blah, blah.

Be respectful of your “topic.”