Family and FutureRadiance of Tomorrow by: Ishmael Beah

Project Created by Hans Chan and Journey Smith

Question What is the role of family in Imperi? How is family life Imperi distorted by the raiders and the mining company? What do you predict for the tomorrow generation of Miata and Abu?

Response● The role of family in Imperi is very important in the book

"Radiance of Tomorrow." ● A family will help each other in both dealing with the past

and getting through the present post-war struggles. ● The parents seek to guide their children into a better

future, though their lives are extremely hard and horrific. ● Without the support of their family, we doubt that many of

Imperi’s people would be able to deal with the intrusion of corruption and the mining company.

Response● The mining company changes the traditional Imperi

family life in many different ways.● Many families are destroyed by deaths. Examples are

Roger’s son being killed by an electrical wire, women dying of rape and the aftermath of the incident, etc

● People begin to not have enough time for their families. For example, when Bockarie gets a job with the mining company, he is so busy and tired that he turns his children away and refuses to spend a lot of time with them.

● Storytelling and gatherings are no longer possible because of the bar in town. As a result, family traditions begin to be lost.

Response● We predict that the "tomorrow" generation will place

more of an emphasis on money, industry, and work, because of the early difficulties of their parents to earn a living.

● However, because they were subjected to cruelty earlier in their lives, they will also empathize with the daily hardships of the common people, and perhaps push for a more humane method of business.

● Finally, because of the struggles they faced growing up, the generation of "tomorrow" will be more determined, resilient, and capable of shaping their own future.

Quotes● "She believed in the knowledge of her great-

grandparents, who had made the paths and knew the land better than those foreigners...." Pg. 9 Chapter 1

● “A young boy, sixteen years old, one of Bockarie’s students, had stepped on a live electric wire in the dark.” pg. 87 chapter 5

● “The sweetness had been soured by the behavior of the drunkards in their midst.” pg. 120 Chapter 8

● “‘Go back inside and do your homework.’ Bockarie’s response used to be an invitation to sit near him…” pg. 155 chapter 10

Visual

The growing tree represents the life of the people in Imperi. Family is valued first and foremost and a family tree shows the connectedness of the individuals. It emphasizes that despite the arrival of a mining company, the family tree and the families are still able to grow and flourish. For the tomorrow generation, the tree shows that the children are resilient and have been able to overcome adversity and still find joy in the simple things. With this in mind, a tree also represents that as the children grow, the mindsets of the people grow, while still carrying some of the same values and traditions of their elders.