Analysis Of War Child

“Knowing no one is coming, but not wanting to believe it”: How war affects the self concept of those living in the battlefield in The Cellist of Sarajevo

In the article, “In a war, children without a childhood,” by Los Angeles Times, the central idea was that children lose their innocence because they lost their childhood. For example, many children lost their childhood because they’ve watched their parents become victims of murder. According to the article, “Children have seen their parents killed and watched as boys and girls just like them were hurt.” Well, when children see their parents get killed, they tend to grow up with brutal, aggressive tendencies, which causes them to lose their innocence. In addition to being orphaned, children will grow up making mature, adult decisions, also causing them to lose their youth. In conclusion, when children lose their childhood, they lose their

The article “Children of War”, by Arthur Brice, is about several children who had to flee the war in Bosnia and immigrate to the U.S. First of all, these children’s lives before the war were comfortable. However, many kids were affected by the war in Bosnia. In the process of fleeing, these children lost their family, friends, and homes. After being a refugee in Croatia for a long period of time, some of these children were able to relocate to the U.S. Here in America, these children have a good education. Also, they have an opportunity to live a better life away from the harshness of war. Still, these kids miss their friends, family, and country that they left behind. Although these kids are living in the United States right now, they

There is no doubt that war is evil in every way. It is full of hatred and conflict and nothing comes out of it. It brings death, destruction, and the worst out of people. In a pacifistic yet desperate tone, Dalton Trumbo promotes anti-war ideals by explaining the life of a young soldier after he got affected by war in his novel Johnny Got His Gun. While some individuals’ point of view match with Trumbo’s, others may disagree with his reasoning. The controversial issue of the acceptance of war is talked about everybody, even popular artists. Some singers express their opinions on war via their songs, like George H. Cohan in his song “Over There (Johnny, Get Your Gun)”, and the band Metallica with their song “One”. Each sends different messages depending on the setting, their music’s genre, and diction used in the making of the lyrics.

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, 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 the city where he lived, causing many deaths including his Uncle Tommy. Eventually Beah escaped Sierra Leone and managed to reach New York City, where he began a new life. Through the book A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah conveys a central theme of having to survive, at a young age, through the hardships of war with the use of imagery.

In the memoir A Long Way Gone, author Ishmael Beah describes his survival journey as a lost child in his country, because of the civil war in Sierra Leone, then becoming a child soldier facing war daily, afterward the process that Beah went through during rehabilitation and finally in fear escaping the civil war. Ishmael Beah emotional journey has three stages of development in which Beah utilized music. In the first stage, Beah uses music as a survival mechanism to keep sane and safe. In the second stage, begins when he loses his brother and friends, Beah reaches the lowest point with the loss of his entire family again, some friends, music, and being forced to join the war. In the final stage, is the process of rehabilitation where Beah connects with music once again. Ishmael Beah exposure to music at a young age stayed with him throughout his life. (Beah, 2007, p. 5-218)

“I have been rehabilitated now, so don’t be afraid of me. I am not a soldier anymore; I am a child” (Beah 199). Ishmael Beah had a long road to rehabilitate but he was able to rehabilitate because he had vital forces shaping him. In Ishmael Beah’s memoir, a long way gone, Ishmael was a child soldier in Sierra Leone. He wrote a memoir sharing his experiences of being a child soldier and of him rehabilitation. During 1991 to 2002 there was a vicious civil war going on in the western African country of Sierra Leone between the RUF rebels and the government forces. Ishmael Beah was a young 10-year-old boy who lived in a small village, he liked rap music and dancing hip hop with his friends. Ishmael was never affected by the war until one day when

Ishmael Beah: The author and narrator of this novel shares his experience when he was a child soldier for Sierra Leone Armed Services during the civil war. Before the war, he spent most of his time with his friends, rapping along with his cassette tapes, enjoying

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

After reading the memoir A Long Way Gone:Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, I now have a much deeper understanding of the atrocities of war and the effect it has upon young people. As an ordinary young boy in Sierra Leone in the 1990’s, Beah grew up with a love for soccer and rap music. In early 1991 the Sierra Leonean civil war began and Ishmael’s life would never be the same again. The rebels, or RUF (Revolutionary United Front), would raid villages and kill civilians, rob homes and set them on fire. In an attack on his village, Ishmael lost his entire family. Beah, a terrified twelve year old boy, was now forced to fight for himself. While running away from the rebel’s massacres, he was recruited by the government militia as a child soldier. The government forced these innocent child soldiers to fight against the rebels. In order to take their minds off of the killing, the soldiers were

When Ishmael and his friends have to travel all of the Sierra Leone seeking food and shelter, they face many hardships. Men kidnap the boys with loaded guns and show no mercy to any age groups. Luckily, when Beah and his friend’s were captured Beah had a rap cassette in his pocket. In this excerpt Beah explains, “One of them found a rap cassette in my pocket and handed it to the chief. He asked for it to be played… He called for a young man who was from that village...He knew my name, my brother’s, and those of my friends. None of us knew him, not even by his face, but warmly smiles as if we recognized him as well. He saved our lives (ALWG 38).” In Beah’s life his music is what saves him. Also Beah leaves his home to visit the talent show in Mattru Jong. This trip to Mattru Jong saves his life also because his village was raided by the rebels. Music in our lives also pushes us through bad times, just not on the same level as

War is a dangerous game, many people would likely agree to this, however, very few have ever seen a battlefront. The truth is that war, no matter how awful we can imagine it, is always exponentially worse. In Timothy Findley’s The Wars, Robert Ross, the protagonist,­ faces a situation that he finds difficult to come to terms with, and when faced with a similar situation later on in the novel, he must take drastic measures to reconcile the uncertainties of the past situation. Timothy Findley suggests, through the life of Robert Ross, that one’s need to reconcile the uncertainties of past experiences dominate our actions when such situations come up again in our lives. In the words of Hiram Johnson, a US Senator during the First World War,

The article “Children On The Battlefield”by Marcie Schwartz describes the experiences of boys in the military during the Civil War. Boys under 18 signed up to fight in the war. Although they were underage, their parents, religious leaders, and schoolteachers supported their descions to enlist. Sometimes boys would lie about their ages or runned away and changed their names to enroll. When enlisted boys would become musicians,serve as powder boys,water carriers, ect. There were boys who would play music to use music to communicate orders during battle. Powder boys would follow rules to obtain their pay in position. Overtime they would become homesick. Young boys in the military had properly fitted uniforms,found it difficult to maintain

War has tremendous effects on the human mind and impacts all parties involved. Remnants of war can dramatically affect relationships with loved ones and create greater problems ranging from financial problems to psychological damage that has more profound effects on the family infrastructure and its operation. The notion of war produces pressures and strains on the family that is not experienced everyday in the routine family life. Family member who experience PTSD from their service in the military also places unforeseen weights and consequences for the family to carry. There are specific effects distinct to a parent, a spouse, and children when a loved one is serving their country. The relationships between a service men and these family members are transformed with the absence and their reintegration.

During World War II, governments were tried and tested, armies were defeated, and technology leaped forward. However, the effects of World War II extended further onto the American children. Death of fathers, collection of scraps, purchasing of ration stamps, the effects of propaganda, and the technicalities of rationing are all factors that influenced the children of that war. These conditions at work consequently caused the generation of children from World War II to grow into conscious patriots and avid supporters of the war cause.