ENGLISH 2 FINAL EXAM STUDY CHART
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LEFT TO TELL by Immaculée Ilibagiza
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Part One: The Coming Storm
Important Events that Happen:
1. Immaculée introduces her loving and educated family.
2. Ethnic tension between Hutus and Tutsis grows, dividing the nation.
3. Immaculée is denied admission to a university due to being Tutsi.
4. Political conflict intensifies — President Habyarimana’s plane is shot down.
5. Genocide breaks out, and people begin attacking Tutsis.
Significant People Introduced:
* Immaculée Ilibagiza – Main character and narrator; a Tutsi girl committed to her education and faith.
* Leonard Ilibagiza – Immaculée’s father; a respected teacher and Catholic leader in the community.
* Rose Ilibagiza – Immaculée’s mother; loving, generous, and protective of her children.
* Damascene – Her oldest brother; smart and philosophical, studying in Kigali.
* Amiable – Her second-oldest brother; quiet and kind, away during the genocide.
* Vianney – Her youngest brother; close to Immaculée, dies trying to escape.
* Pastor Murinzi – Hutu pastor who risks his life to hide Immaculée.
* President Habyarimana – His assassination sparks the genocide.
Author’s Tone:
Serious, reflective, deeply personal
The Mood Created in the Reader:
Tense, ominous, heartbreaking
Important Notes about the Setting:
* Rural Rwanda, especially the village of Mataba
* Early 1990s, just before and during the Rwandan Genocide
* Transition from peaceful life to a country in chaos and fear
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Part Two: Into Hiding
Important Events that Happen:
1. Immaculée runs to Pastor Murinzi’s house to escape.
2. She hides in a 3x4 foot bathroom with seven other women for 91 days.
3. She prays constantly and begins a personal transformation through faith.
4. Learns English using a French-English dictionary during hiding.
5. Hears news of her family being murdered, but finds strength to keep surviving.
Significant People Introduced:
* Kalisa – Pastor Murinzi’s son; helps care for the women.
* Therese, Sandra, and Athanasia – Other women hiding with Immaculée.
* Interahamwe – Hutu militia responsible for mass killings.
* Felicien – Hutu man who murdered Immaculée’s mother and brother.
Author’s Tone:
Spiritual, intense, fearful but hopeful
The Mood Created in the Reader:
Claustrophobic, anxious, admiring of her faith
Emerging Themes/ Messages for the Reader:
About faith…
Faith gives Immaculée strength, comfort, and even forgiveness in horror.
About the impact of violence on individuals and groups…
Violence tears apart families and communities, leaving emotional scars.
About fear…
Fear is overwhelming, but it can be conquered through faith and mental strength.
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Part Three: A New Path
Important Events that Happen:
1. Immaculée is rescued by Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) soldiers.
2. She finds out that her parents and two brothers have been murdered.
3. Gets a job with the United Nations because of her education and English skills.
4. Reunites with her brother Amiable, the only other surviving family member.
5. Forgives Felicien in person, showing her deep spiritual growth.
Significant People Introduced:
* Bazil – An RPF soldier who helps rescue and protect her.
* Pierre Mehu – UN worker who helps Immaculée start a new life.
* Jean Paul – Friend who tells her details about her family’s fate.
* Felicien – Killer of her family; she chooses to forgive him face to face.
Author’s Tone:
Redemptive, peaceful, forgiving
The Mood Created in the Reader:
Hopeful, emotional, inspired
Themes/ Messages for the Reader:
About faith…
Faith leads Immaculée to peace, strength, and even the ability to forgive murderers.
About the impact of violence on individuals and groups…
Violence breaks families and creates lasting trauma, but people can rebuild.
About healing……
Healing begins through forgiveness and rebuilding life with purpose.
About family…..
Even through loss, family remains central to identity and emotional survival.
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All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
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Important Events that Happen:
Chapter 1.
Paul and friends introduced; Kemmerich is dying and his boots are passed on.
Chapter 2.
Paul reflects on brutal training and emotional numbness.
Chapter 3.
Himmelstoss's cruelty shown; boys lose trust in authority.
Chapter 4.
Trenches and bombardment; horses screaming in pain traumatize Paul.
Chapter 5.
Boys talk about their lost futures and what they’ll do after the war.
Chapter 6.
Massive casualties; soldiers live like animals.
Chapter 7.
Paul goes home on leave; feels like a stranger in his own house.
Chapter 8.
Paul guards Russian prisoners; sees their humanity.
Chapter 9.
Paul stabs a French soldier, Gerard Duval, and is overwhelmed with guilt.
Chapter 10.
Paul and others are injured; Paul goes to the hospital.
Chapter 11.
All of Paul’s friends die; hopelessness sets in.
Chapter 12.
Paul dies in October 1918; final line says the day was "all quiet on the Western Front."
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Important Characters:
Paul Baumer:
Narrator; loses hope and identity, dies at the end
Stanislaus Katczinsky (Kat):
Older soldier, Paul's mentor and closest friend; dies from shrapnel
Albert Kropp:
Smartest in the group; loses his leg and becomes suicidal
Detering:
Farmer who deserts after seeing cherry blossoms; fate unknown
Tjaden:
Skinny and rebellious; hates Himmelstoss; fate unknown
Mueller:
Obsessed with school exams; killed after being shot in the stomach
Haie Westhus:
Peat digger; killed by a lung wound
Franz Kemmerich:
First friend to die; his boots are passed from soldier to soldier
Professor Kantorek:
Patriotic teacher who pressured students into enlisting
Corporal Himmelstoss:
Cruel drill instructor; later fights with the boys at the front
Mrs. Kemmerich:
Devastated mother of Franz; Paul lies to comfort her
Mrs. Baumer:
Paul’s mother; dying of cancer, worried about her son
The Russian Prisoners:
Show the shared suffering of all soldiers, even “enemies”
Gerard Duval:
French soldier Paul kills in hand-to-hand combat; Paul feels deep guilt
Peter:
Wounded soldier expected to die in hospital but survives
Sister Libertine:
Kind hospital nun who helps the wounded
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Battle Scene Chapters & Quotes:
Chapters: 4, 6, 9
Quotes:
1. “We are not youth any longer. We don’t want to take the world by storm.”
2. “Every gasp of air is a danger—death is hunting us down.”
Mood Created:
Helplessness, fear, numbness
Themes:
Dehumanization, trauma, loss of identity
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Off-the-Front-Line Chapters & Quotes:
Chapters: 5, 7, 8
Quotes:
1. “I feel so terribly alone, even among my own people.”
2. “We are cut off from all feeling... we are dead men.”
Mood Created:
Isolation, sadness, despair
Themes:
Disconnection, lost youth, psychological wounds
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All Quiet Figurative Language
Simile:
“We are like a wasteland.”
Metaphor:
“The war has ruined us for everything.”
Personification:
“Death is hunting us down.”
Apostrophe:
“O Earth, thou grantest us the great resisting surge of new life.”
Idiom:
“Bite the dust.”
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All Quiet Imagery
Sight:
“Red poppies growing among the corpses.”
Sound:
“The thunder of shellfire grows louder.”
Taste:
“Greasy soup with dead flavor.”
Touch:
“Lice crawl under our clothes and bite.”
Smell:
“Rotting flesh and powder smoke fill the air.”
Instinct:
“I duck before I even hear the shell land.”
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Annotated Bibliographies/MLA, Research and Literary Analysis Essays
Research – BOOLEAN Operators:
AND – Requires both terms (narrow search)
OR – Includes either term (broadens search)
NOT – Excludes a term
“Quotation marks” – Searches exact phrase
Asterisk (*) – Wildcard (e.g., child* = child, children, childhood)
Effective Research Questions:
* Focused
* Clear and specific
* Avoid yes/no answers
* Open-ended
* Researchable
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MLA/Annotated Bibliography:
MLA Works Cited Entry Elements:
* Author – Who wrote it
* “Title of Source” – Article/poem name
* Primary Container – Book or journal title
* Volume/Number – If a journal
* Publication Date – When it was published
* Location – Page number or URL
* Secondary Container – Database or website
* Access Date – (for online sources)
Organization:
* Alphabetical by author’s last name
* Hanging indent
* Double-spaced
Correct MLA Citation Example:
Smith, John. The Study of War. Penguin Books, 2019.
In-text Citation Rules:
* (Author’s Last Name Page Number) → Example: (Remarque 35)