Ishmael Character Analysis

Later on in the training, Ishmael has a sentence stuck in his head, “Visualize the enemy, the rebel who killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you” (Beah 112). This sentence really gets to Ishmael in his training which builds up his anger against the rebels. This marks the end of his innocence as he starts to imagine burning rebels in a cage and laughing at

After facing so many challenges and surviving a lot of battles, he easily angers his men by gloating and causing them unnecessary danger.

Ishmael started year nine thinking he can stay invisible like he did in year eight. But some students named “Barry Bagsley, Doug Savage and Danny Wallace” made his life tougher than ever by teasing him, bullying him and even sometimes embarrassing him in front of his home room. In chapter 13, it directly says in the second and the third

Overall, he is portraying his egotistical nature by being willing to kill humans for his self-serving game and being boastful, which is disconnecting him from morality.

To start off, all of Ishmael’s problems stem from his original conflict when he has to run away from the war, his family, and his friends. The origin of the situation was when the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) attacking his home city of Mogbwemo (where his parents were). Later on in the month the rebels attack Mattru Jong (where

He is without doubt a man of high morals which is an important feature of a hero. He agrees to avenge his father even though he almost crushed with the burden. “oh cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right”. It is clear that he does not want to murder but accepts the task nonetheless “I have sworn’t”. He also apologises to

of the people in his city and he becomes loved. He did a great deed for his people, and he felt very gratifying about it. Although this played a role in his personality

Ishmael, in A Long Way Gone was made boy soldier. Ishmael went through many commands to hurt people and try to bring an anonymous message. Treating people with injustice without knowing the reason why he was even doing it. Showing corpses, dead people before torturing them and then killing them. Becoming brainwashed with all the task he was being told to do he thought that this was his life. Making games out of the torture and killing with his friends. Slowly giving up on trying to get away from the rebels. “People were terrified of boys our age” (Beah 37). Having everyone still around scared of him, not doing anything to help him, but just trying to get away from him.

From then on, he became not just a soldier, but a murderer as he was brainwashed to believe that the rebels caused all of his misery. After committing several atrocities, he was put into a rehabilitation center for child soldiers where he learned what it

Ishmael had been killing people and hurting others, he went up to a man, “i grabbed the man’s neck and slit his throat in one fluid motion”(Beah 125) Ishmael had killed a man by slitting his throat, he had also killed tons of other people. Ishmael had been doing this and made people victims without even knowing. He had been a victim of the war but now he is making others victims, being a victimizer. Ishmael had been killing people so much he had been used to it. Ishmael had though, “We had been fighting for over two years and killing had been a daily activity. i felt no pity for anyone” (Beah 126). Ishmael fit the role as a victimizer because he had been killing a lot of people. Since he had been killing people he does not care that he is killing people, he does not feel anything for the people that he is killing. Ishmael made people victims and did not realize of even care, he did not even care that people were dying and having effects just like he was. Ishmael fits the role as victimizer because he had killed people and made them be victims of the war just like he

A significant event was when Ishmael saw dead people. This happened on page thirteen when a man drove his family all the way to Ishamel village with bullet holes everywhere in the van. When he got out of the car he vomited and cried when he noticed that all three of his children and his wife were dead. Ishmael witnessed all of this happen to the man and felt numb and nauseated. He realized that the war is getting closer and closer to the village with him and his family. A whole group of men and women ran through with stray bullets in them and some didn’t notice it until others pointed it out. The last disaster Ishmeal saw was a woman with her shot up baby on her back, but luckily for her the bullet didn’t go through the baby’s body. Now it

Ishmael has been changed many ways on his transition from a normal kid to being a child soldier. In one example Ishmael was brainwashed by watching Rambo movies,

Life or Death Everyone has done something that they may not be proud of, but is everyone responsible for his/her own actions in all cases? There are certain cases where one doesn’t have to own up for their actions. There’s situations in life that drive someone to making a mistake, such as peer pressure, disparity, and even to the extent of life or death. In the book “A Long Way Gone” a boy by the name of Ishmael is introduced, he is running away from the war alongside with a few friends.

his eyes, which was a view his master also held. He was often kind and tended to help those in need if possible. This, however, was contrasted by his brutal form of justice, where he would often kill criminals and thugs, rather than

that his wealth is not worth the harm his weapons caused and puts his reputation and