A Brief Summary Of Ishmael Beah´s A Long Way Gone?

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 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

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

A long way gone by Ishmael Beah, attempts to evoke a powerful response from the leader, by using vivid descriptions to show how he has become emotionally traumatized by the acts of violence in the war. The reader then sympathizes with Ishmael and begins to understand the lasting and deep, emotional pain that Ishmael deals with on a daily basis.

Ishmael Beah’s memoir, A long Way Gone, is very descriptive and has a very effective way of painting a picture in the reader’s mind of what he went through as a boy soldier. Throughout the memoir, Beah used quite a few statements that impacted me emotionally, on a personal level. His vivid detail, word choice and how personal, yet professional he kept his writing led me to understand how exactly the war affected him, and everyone else who lived, and lives, in Sierra Leone.

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.

A long way gone by Ishmael Beah, attempts to evoke a powerful response from the leader, by using vivid descriptions to show how he has become emotionally traumatized by the acts of violence in the war. The reader then sympathizes with Ishmael and begins to understand the lasting and deep, emotional pain that Ishmael deals with on a daily basis.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah, tells of the experiences in his intense journey through Sierra Leone during the outbreak of war. Beah had to learn to survive the harsh outcome of the war, resulting in the loss of those whom were close to him, family and friends, and trust in people. The book has a recurring theme of nature and the natural world. In the book, the world at night, as well as the moon, serves as both a safeguard and a bringer of bereavement.

The novel, “A Long Way Gone”, documents Ishmael Beah’s youth in Sierra Leone in the year of 1993 during a civil war. At the age of twelve, Ishmael lost his family due to the invasion of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) causing his village, Mattru Jong, that he cherishes the most to be destructed. This was the start of his difficult journey of survival. At the age of thirteen, he became a brainwashed child soldier who was filled with raging vengeance against the RUF. Ishmael lost his pure innocence and childhood due to the civil war. Eventually, he escaped from being a corrupted indoctrinate child soldier and was sent to rehab. After some time in rehab, Ishmael received the treatment he needed. He then, lived with his uncle Tommy in the city for some time and soon the war began to repeat in the city, the killings, invasion, and demolition of homes. Ishmael became fearful again and this time he’ll be escaping to another country to avoid from being a soldier again.

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.

In the novel, “A long way gone” by Ishmael Beah, Beah is overwhelmed with the situation in Sierra Leone that he has been forced into. Beah looks at the world as if they are both at war with one in other, in Beah’s mind everyone and everything is trying to kill him. For example, Beah and a couple others are attending a church service, when the rebel forces come into the town and try to kill everyone. Beah and his friends flee into nearby bushes, but the “imam” (pastor) continues to pray. The rebel’s take the imam to Town Square, “tied him to an iron post, and set fire to his body. They didn’t burn him completely, but the fire killed him”(pg 44). This tragedy, most likely made Beah question his religion, because how could God stand by and let

Now take another African country, Sierra Leone, for instance. RUF with the assistance of NPFL mediated in Sierra Leone in an effort to take over the Joseph Momoh government. Once again, children were needed to fight the battles of these adults and with the innocent smiles of these children the adults felt no shame in robbing them of their childhood. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a memoir written by Ishmael Beah, an author from Sierra Leone. The book is a personal account of Beah's time as a child soldier throughout the civil war in Sierra Leone. In his novel, he described gun shots piercing through the bodies of innocents and specifically says, “It was a girl, and her eyes were still open, with an interrupted innocent smile on

A Long Way Gone is the true story, about a young boy who becomes an unwilling child soldier during a civil war in Sierra Leone. When he is twelve years old, His village is attacked by the Rebels the R.U.F. while he is away performing in a rap group with friends. Among the confusion, violence, and the war, Ishmael, his brother, and his friends wander from village to village in search of food and shelter. Their day-to-day existence is a struggle of survival, and the boys find themselves committing acts they would never have believed themselves capable