A Long Walk to Water, Chapters 1-9

Nya despises her chore of getting water from the pond.

Nya and her sister go to the pond to get water.

Nya is carrying an empty jug to the pond to fill it with water on a very hot day.

Nya is almost home after going to the pond to get water.

Nya can get to water quickly and easily.

It is very hot where Nya lives.

Nya has been doing the job of getting water for her family for a long time.

Water is not readily available everywhere for Nya and her family.

Salva is afraid of the gunshots.

Salva is happy to be at school.

Salva is forced to flee from his school when the rebel army arrives in his village.

Salva's family raises cattle.

Religion

Land and water

Cultural differences

Politics

"The Nuer and Dinka had a long history of trouble."

"Over the years, there had  been many battles, large and small, between Dinka and Nuer; many people on both sides had been killed."

"No one, it seemed, was sure where Nuer land ended and Dinka land  began, so each tribe tried to lay claim to the areas richest in water."

"The Dinka and the Nuer had been fighting each other for hundreds of years."

Nya's mother has two children who are younger than Nya.

Nya's mother wants her to take her little sister, Akeer, with her to the pond to fetch water, so that she can also learn how to complete the task of getting water for the family. 

Nya had a nice lunch.

Nya and her mother have a nice talk while Nya eats her lunch.

The girls are the best at getting water.

Nya would rather get water than do any other activities.

Girls in the tribe cannot go to school because they have to spend their time getting water.

This is an easy and enjoyable job for them.

Nya has to spend her days walking back and forth from the pond to get water because it is the dry season.

Nya has to watch her little siblings.

Nya enjoys her daily walks to the pond because it is cool and the terrain is easy to travel on.

She is able to go to school every day.

"Where are we going?  Where is my family?  When will I see them again?" (12).

"There were no mangoes among the fishermen's great stores, but sucking on his piece of sugar cane reminded Salva of those happier times.  He wondered if he would ever again see his father riding a bicycle with mangoes in its spokes" (49).

"It didn't matter how often Salva swatted at the mosquitoes, or that one swat killed dozens at a time.  For every one he killed, it seemed that hundreds more swarmed in to take its place" (49-50). 

"Salva shook with terror inside and out.  He clung to Uncle like a baby or a little boy... He looked around constantly: Every movement in the grass was a lion stalking, every stillness a lion waiting to spring" (40).

Goal-setting can be used as a motivational tool.

Physical strength is necessary in overcoming obstacles.

Landmarks are helpful to prevent getting lost.

Independence and self-reliance is necessary for survival.

Uncle encourages Salva to persevere by telling him to focus on smaller goals instead of giving up during the hardest part of their journey through the desert. 

Uncle lets Salva lag behind the group even though it is dangerous for him to do so.

Salva becomes discouraged because Uncle is also discouraged.

Uncle helps Salva get food at the fishing village by the Nile River. 

“Each time Salva would think of his family and his villages, and he was somehow able to keep his wounded feet moving forward, one painful step at a time” (54).

“He had to slow down, and for the first time on the long journey, he began to lag behind the group” (53).

“Thorns gored his feet. His lips became cracked and parched. Uncle cautioned him to make the water in his gourd last as long as possible” (52-53).

“At last, the sun was reluctantly forced from the sky. A blessing of darkness fell  across the desert, and it was time to rest” (54).