On March 23, 1991, the civil war in Sierra Leone began when the RUF attempted to overthrow the Sierra Leone government. The war lasted a total of 11 years ending in 2002 with a estimated total of 50,000 people dead. In the beginning the RUF did not have enough soldiers to fight, so on the idea that the Sierra Leone government would not fire on children, they began recruiting kids as young as seven. After a while the government too had a lack of soldiers and began recruiting children. In 2002 after the RUF been defeated President Kabbah declared the Sierra Leone Civil War over. Published in the early months of 2007 A Long Way Gone tells the story of Ishmael Beah a young boy took in by the army of Sierra Leone and forced to fight along
In the memoir A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah the main idea is the loss of innocence and if it is possible to regain a part of that innocence. A synopsis of A Long Way Gone is that while Ishmael and his friends were out traveling as a part of a rap group their village was attacked by rebels. Once they flee their village they travel, together, from village to village fighting for survival. After wandering for a year Ishmael gets recruited into the war, on the side of the army to commit atrocious acts that he would never have dreamed of committing less than a year ago. Within a short amount of time in the army Ishmael was so corrupted by the systematic brainwashing and the drugs that killing became “as easy as drinking water.”
The book I have really enjoyed reading in the past year is “A Long Way Gone” by Ishmael Beah which is a story that has been making me want to not only read more, but also dig deeper into the subject. This amazing memoir was written in a first person perspective of being a soldier as a boy in the war of Sierra Leone. Ishmael’s writing style draws my attention because of its order of the story, emotional appeals and imagery.
Summary The novel, A Long Way Gone, written by Ishmael Beah, tells the story of a African boy point of view during the civil war in Sierra Leone. The young boy goes through a rigorous lifestyle that will forever changed him, and with the relationship he accumulate with his older brother and two friends, they go on an adventure to survive by eluding the deadly rebels, or so they thought. Characters Ishmael: Leaves his family when the rebel attacks his hometown; Mogbwemo. He sees the horrific casualties of people trying to escape, realizing that returning was not an option and having to accept the fact that they’re families are gone.
In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah, a former boy soldier with the Sierra Leone army during its civil war(1991- 2002) with the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), provides an extraordinary and heartbreaking account of the war, his experience as a child soldier and his days at a rehabilitation center. At the age of twelve, when the RUF rebels attack his village named Mogbwemo in Sierro Leone, while he is away with his brother and some friends, his life takes a major twist. While seeking news of his family, Beah and his friends find themselves constantly running and hiding as they desperately strive to survive in a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. During this time, he loses his dear ones and left alone in the
In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah descriptively writes about his experience as a child soldier in the civil war in Sierra Leone. In his memoir he shows how everyday things can be seen in a hostile way from war. Beah uses rhetorical strategies such as characterization and imagery to help.
Unfortunately, it brings about a needless cycle of cruelty. Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone is his autobiography, it takes us on a heart-wrenching journey through his childhood in Sierra Leone. Once living in a peaceful and happy country, the idealism was shattered by a brutal civil war.
How would you react to the situations we see Ishmael in? We see his reactions at every turn as he is faced with the toughest of challenges. With this we also see how poorly he offen handles them. When kids are, put in the most stressful situations, often people see their reaction through actions they would normally never do. In A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, we see the memoirs and struggles of a child faced with war.
A Long Way Gone is a heartbreaking story on how war can change lives. Ishmael Beah, who is also the author, tells the true story of his life and becoming a young soldier against his will. Ishmael finds himself committing acts he could never do normally, such as stealing, killing, and doing drugs. It all started when Ishmael’s village was attacked. Ishmael and his friends are forced to wander from village to village. Eventually, Ishmael is recruited and becomes a soldier. He is forced to kill and commit acts of violence he could never see himself doing.
Taryn Honors English IV 8 March 2024 The Losing Battle of Andy Beah Judgement causes people to make assumptions that can lead to the loss of the things we care about. How that connects to A Long Way Gone is about a young boy named Ishmael Beah, who is a child soldier who must fight in the Civil War in Sierra Leone in the early 90s. Beah explores the theme of discrimination, isolation, and judgement amongst civilians in the villages.
Imagine being stuck in a civil war crisis all by yourself when you were 12 years old. In A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, an 12 year old , Ishmael Beah, becomes a soldier for the government to fight against the rebels. Beah lost both of his parents during the war. He was eventually put into rehabilitation after two years of fighting. Also, in an biography of John Clem, John joined the army as same age as Beah. John joined the army during the civil war in the United States. These two kids fought in a civil war at an age 12. Anyone can do anything even if you are too young because these two kids fought in a civil war.
In the introduction of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, he writes, “There were all kinds of stories told about the war that made it sound as if it was happening in a faraway and different land. It wasn’t until refugees started passing through our town that we began to see that it was actually taking place in our country” (Beah 1). During this statement Beah says that he is completely oblivious to the war around him. These people living in Sierra Leone had adapted to the war to the point where their perception had been altered. With this memoir he shares his experiences and obstacles he faces throughout the war to become a beckon of hope in this despairing country. Ishmael uses his social skills, timely luck, and emotional strength, to find the courage to overcome these adversities and survive in and out of the war.
Sustaining motivation can be tough under the best of circumstances. One of the ways to stay motivated is to set a goal and visualize it down. For athletes, they visualize their performance ahead of time. Another way is to make a list of the reasons you want to accomplish the goal. It is crucial to write down the list with a pen. Moreover, when people write by their hand and connect the letters manually, they engage the brain more actively in the process. A different way to maintain inspired is to break the goal down into smaller pieces. Furthermore, if people take on a project and try to do the whole thing all at once, they are going to be overwhelmed. They need to break it down into the smallest realistic steps and only do one at a time. In A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, Beah was a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone. His village was attacked by rebels. Then, he was forced to join an army unit who brainwashed him into using guns and drugs. Later on, he witnessed a great deal of violence and UNICEF removed him from the army and put him into a rehabilitation program. With the help of some of the staff, he was able to return to a normal civilian life and get off drugs. Even though Beah had a terrible experience from the civil war, he was able to stay strong through willpower, not listening to peer pressure, and eventually had no free will to disobey his superior commanders.
In a Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah describes his life as a child soldier in the Sierra Leone Army and how it impacted his childhood. Ishmael’s small village was taken over and he was forced to join the army at the age of 12.
Children exposed to violence within their communities are left with emotions of hopelessness, insecurity, and doubt. Historical events such as the war on terrorism, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the tragic events of September 11th have had a detrimental effect on the entire nation, including the children. Although every child is not directly affected by the aspects of war, it somehow has an emotional effect on all. The involvement of a nation with war affects every individual differently, whether it is out of fear, anger, doubt, hope, or love. In the short novel A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, he narrates the story by telling his own involvement in the Civil War in Sierra Leone as young boy and the many issues he faces while living in
Hope enables people to move on by providing the thought that maybe tomorrow’s events will be better than today’s. Hope is a theme that remains constant in every part of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. Ishmael begins the novel optimistic, believing he will find his family again. This optimism is later lost when Ishmael is recruited by the army to fight against the rebels, causing him to become addicted to drugs and the thrill of killing. Three years after his recruitment, Ishmael is rescued by UNICEF-a group dedicated to rehabilitating child soldiers. During his rehabilitation, Ishmael discovers hope once more by relearning how to trust, love, and have the will to survive. The presence of hope throughout A Long Way Gone enables Ishmael to