Question

11 in “is blood there” what clue hints that the killing of shawn might have been personal and not a robbery?

in shawn’s hand is a plastic grocery store bag containing special soap that will and shawn’s mother needs for her skin condition. shawn has been out running an errand for his mother when he was killed. he was not as far as will is concerned doing anything to provoke someone. this drives home the inhumanity of shawn’s death.

eczema is a skin condition that causes patches of skin to become inflamed, itchy, cracked and rough. will’s mother, like many people, struggles not to pick and scratch at the sore patches of skin. it is almost like an invisible thing is trying to eat her.

1. will wonders if “maybe there’s something invisible trying to eat all of us as if we are beef”? thinking figuratively, what could an invisible thing be that is trying to eat the people of will’s community?

analogy - an analogy is a literary device that helps to establish a relationship based on similarities between two concepts or ideas. by using an analogy we can convey a new idea by using the viewpoint of an old one as a basis for understanding. with a mental linkage between the two: one can create an understanding regarding the new concept in a simple and succinct manner. a figurative analogy is a comparison of two things that are not alike but share only some common property.

1. in “beef”, it is clear that will is well aware of the damaging and destructive cycles of violence or ‘beef’. will uses figurative language to explain his perception of violence in his community.

figurative language | what is will trying to convey by this? what is he saying about drama and violence?
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beef gets passed down like name brand t - shirts around here. | ex. people inherit drama and violence from friends and family. it is something people gladly pass down, and the receivers look forward to getting it.
beef is always too big and never ironed out. |

Explanation:

1. Shawn was carrying only a grocery bag with special soap for his mother's skin condition, had no valuable items to steal, and was not acting in a way that would provoke a robbery. This suggests his killing was not motivated by theft, pointing to a personal motive.
2. The "invisible thing" figuratively represents systemic oppression, generational trauma, and the cycle of violence that plagues Will's community. These forces are unseen but slowly erode the well-being and lives of people in the neighborhood, much like an invisible entity "eating" them.
3. For "Beef is always too big and never ironed out": Will conveys that cycles of violence and drama in his community are overwhelming, persistent, and never fully resolved. They grow larger over time, festering instead of being addressed and fixed, becoming an inescapable burden for everyone involved.

Answer:

1. Shawn was only carrying a bag of special soap (no valuables to steal) and was not acting provocatively, so his killing was not a robbery but likely personal.
2. The invisible thing could be systemic oppression, generational trauma, or the unending cycle of violence that slowly destroys Will's community from within.
3. Will is conveying that cycles of violence and drama in his community are overwhelming, persistent, and never fully resolved—they grow and fester instead of being fixed, becoming an inescapable weight on everyone.