Essay on A Long Way Gone vs. Blood Diamond

reality of the most brutal 20th century civil war in Sierra Leone. Mariatu tells a very

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.

Bang! Bang! “At that instant several gunshots, which sounded like thunder striking the tin-roofed houses, took over town. The sound of guns was so terrifying it confused everyone” (Beah 23). In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah conveys his amazing journey through war and hardship as a child soldier. Sierra Leone--a country on the western coast of Africa--was embroiled in a bloody civil war in the 1990’s. Battles multiplied as bloodshed abounded and as a child in Sierra Leone Ishmael Beah was forced to survive, find food, and face unimaginable dangers. Running from the battle front was also a routine ordeal. At age 13 Beah was captured by the military and brainwashed into using guns and drugs. As a child soldier he perpetrated and witnessed a great deal of violence. At 15 he was rescued and taken to a rehabilitation center. With time and continual treatment, Beah was able to recover, to some extent, and reconnect with his Uncle Tommy who adopted him. He was later chosen to speak to the United Nations in New York City about his experiences as a child soldier. When he returned to Sierra Leone, war broke out throughout in the city where he lived, causing many deaths including his Uncle Tommy. Eventually Beah escaped Sierra Leone and he managed to reach New York City, where he began a new life. Through Ishmael Beah’s book A Long Way Gone, he conveys a central theme of having to survive, at a young age, through the hardships of war with the use of imagery.

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.

Since the start of the Sierra Leonean war in March of 1991, innocent civilians have been the primary target of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF)’s wrath. The people of Sierra Leone have faced significant problems due to the invasions and attacks by the Rebel Forces and are the main population that is being affected by this group’s disapproval of the government. One person who experienced profound changes in her life due to the start of this war is Mariatu Kamara, a victim of a Rebel attack that cost her both her childhood and her hands. Throughout her memoir, “The Bite of the Mango,” she is faced with numerous traumatic events and meets an abundance of people who were very significant in her life and some of whom helped her survive the war. Kamara also gives the reader a variety of themes to use as a foundation to understanding war life, which also serve to help readers learn more about life, grow as people, and rise above to help others in need. Mariatu Kamara has not only changed the lives of people all throughout Sierra Leone by giving them a voice and an outlet to share their experiences, but has also proved to be an inspiration for countless amputees around the world.

Manipulation is a key factor in the outbreak of a war. Ishmael Beah discusses the several instances of manipulation that occur in Sierra Leone. In his memoir, A Long Way Gone, Beah discuses his life during the civil war outbreak in Sierra Leone. He explains how the affects of war affected in both a positive and negative connotation. Several publishers seek a better understanding of the struggle that Beat faces during the time of the civil war. Throughout the novel, Beah discusses the damage Sierra Leone goes through. He learns valuable lessons throughout his time in combat, which he seeks to share with others. Although Beah describes the importance of soldiers in a time of war, he believes in his memoir, “A Long Way Gone”, that awareness should

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 Ishmael Beah’s memoir “A Long Way Gone”, Beah’s imagery reflects both his decrepit emotional state and Sierra Leone’s disarray. When Beah explains how he and Kaloko went to Kamator to see if there were signs of anything living, he describes the scene as such, “The silence in the village was too scary. I was scared when the wind blew, shaking the thatched roofs, and I felt as if I were out of my body wandering somewhere” (46). Here, Beah’s distinguished use of imagery represents his worn emotional state and Sierra Leone’s disarray. How the war has not only turned villages into ghost towns, but also displays the emptiness and the fear that he has felt during this experience. This imagery represents the effects the war had on Sierra Leone

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

In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah conveys his amazing journey through war and hardship as a child soldier. Sierra Leone, a country on the western coast of Africa, was in civil war, and throughout the country, battles multiplied as bloodshed abounded. Being captured by the military at a young age, he had no choice but to become a soldier. Beah was forced to learn how to survive, find food, face unimaginable dangers and run from the battle front. He fought in battle for a prolonged time before being taken to a rehabilitation

There are many similarities and differences between A Long Way Gone and Beasts of No Nation, but one of the biggest similarities was the war in these foreign countries. In both stories the two boys live very similar lives; fun childhood, war breaks loose, loses their childhood and faith in their humanity. Both boys describe the wars as a horrific experience and are both forced into rehabilitation camps. In Beasts of No Nation we only see Agu living through the war and really what ends up on him and most boy soldiers who have faced such terrible things. As we know Beah from A Long Way Gone gives the reader a look at what it takes to get someone integrated into society again, and even then no one can never be returned. It is much like a used toy. After fifteen children have used it, it can never return to its original brand new state, of course it is easy to care for it more and keep an eye on it but tha can’t make it new again. Humans who have gone through traumatic

When you think about the continent of Africa and the countries that lie within, unpleasant thoughts of the horrible things that happen there are all too common. As unfortunate as this is, it's the cold truth for the underdeveloped continent. Everywhere you can think of in Africa has some kind of tragedy going on, whether it's people living without knowing what a home life is like, or if it's the constant death and disease. Unbeknownst to most people outside of Africa, one of the most common tragedies taking place is the manipulation and militarization of children. There is a plethora of militias out there, those that either abduct and force children into joining them, or those that manipulate children by making them think their only solution to misfortune is to fight. It's a sickening, yet also depressing, thing to think about, and it's no wonder that people choose to stay ignorant of the subject.

“The child soldier is described as a ‘pint-sized, tireless baby Rambo who spends his or hers tender years roaming the battlefields of Africa’s civil wars.”

The cruel and gruesome autobiography War Child by Emmanuel Jal tells the incredible story of a young boy born in Sudan. Jal grew up in a peaceful village with his family until they had to move, as the danger of civil war grew closer. The Arabs in Africa were trying to seize control of Sudan’s land and oil. Civil war soon broke out and one-day Jal’s family was separated; Jal soon learned that his mother had been killed and assumed the same fate for his siblings. However, Simon, Jal’s father, became an important commander in the Christian Sudanese Liberation Army (SPLA). And Jal was soon forced into the same army. Jal only a child endured many years of war while hatred for the Muslim enemy was poured into him. Consumed with anger and malice Jal stayed in a dark place for quite some time. However, it all changed one day when a British aid worker named Emma adopted him and took him to Nairobi where he could go to school. Trying to understand the faith in God his mother taught him, expelled from school, and understanding where he fits in the new world Jal was still lost. The one thing he found comfort in was music, “But I’d start to sing and remember Emma…and I knew there was good”(Jal 220). Jal found a love of rap and music that changed his life and he finally found

This journal article examines the important personal experiences of boys who became child soldiers in the Sierra Leone civil war. Through, the lens of the structuration theory, the authors of the article examined how these boys were transformed into the armed forces. In addition, the authors discuss some of the challenges that child soldiers encounter during rehabilitation.