T Numarn: A Short Story

Not only did he not love himself enough to be successful, he is also unwanted by his family. Without love for yourself, you won't go nowhere in life. In this book the main social issue is gang affiliation where he experienced gang life first hand. His life didn't start off in a gang, it all started in his childhood life started out by the constant torture and beating from his brother Rano.

On a historic level, I learned about the civil war in Sierra Leone in the 1990’s. The war was fought between the rebels and the government and lasted for over a decade. Numerous attacks on civilians caused many to die, especially parents and families. During this time, orphaned child soldiers were commonly used to fight in the war. Ishmael’s personal history describes these attacks. He describes family members being separated and killed, bodies of the dead, lost children, and a constant state of fear. “The sound of guns was so terrifying that it confused everyone. No one was able to think clearly... Everyone just ran for his or her life. Mothers lost their children, whose confused, sad cries

As this generation grows older and the responsibility for parenthood looms closer, it is our responsibility to understand what leads children to become hateful and violent. This generation has the opportunity to bring an end to the cycles of abuse that have created such cruel people, just as Rufus’ father created a cruel man. Every generation has the opportunity to atone for the sins of the last generation and make the next generation better than the last. The power of influence has poisoned many generations for far too long, and it will soon be time for this generation to use their influence to create a better

The story “The Making and Unmaking of a Child Solider” is an insightful look into the life of a child drawn into the horror of war, yet still managing to survive. Throughout the story you see several examples of how a child evolves in spite of adversity and violence.

To start off, Ka’s father’s past is important to him because of his traumatic experience that changed his life. Back in Haiti, Ka’s father worked in a prison where they captured and killed people who dishonored the president. Ka’s father was ordered to kill the Preacher. However, he brought the Preacher back to the prison opposed to killing him. As a result he was then told to just let the Preacher go. Instead, Ka’s father had taunted the preacher with what the preacher thought of as false hope and humiliation. Ka’s father smiled in his face and held out a not so helping hand. To Ka’s father’s surprise, the preacher fought back, stabbing Ka’s father in the face, ripping the flesh off his cheek with a piece of wood. The preacher thinks to himself, “...but at least he’d left a mark on him, a brand that he would carry for the rest of his

Part biography, part social view, a very thoughtful look into inner-city violence and the rules surrounding it. This book describes how his personal history with violence influenced his work with youth and the programs that he has started to support youth. Geoffrey Canada describes the progression of violence that had happened in his lifetime. He also points out that there is a disturbing difference between what the streets were like in the 1960s compared to those of today.

Imagine you’re a 12 year old boy that just got home from school, today the Nanny was busy so you have to watch your little sister for a little while until your Dad gets home. As you look around your empty house you recall watching the news earlier about a boy about your age in Chicago that was killed as he tried to protect his sister from a home invader.

Away from our sheltered society, there are children without an education. In and around our country, there are people risking their lives for their family’s benefit. This is because in their countries, countries that lack the wealth and luck of our own, there is war. Parents with young children are continuously fleeing in the hopes of a life with little destruction and trauma. They risk everything and venture abroad out of fear, because no child deserves to witness the devastation that war brings. War kills. War kills in front of children’s eyes, and it doesn’t care what age or gender, and it doesn’t care how many hearts it shatters. And these children have to grow up with the image of a loved one passing, and the weight of mental disorders it

As we stood hugging and crying into one another, all I could do was be thankful that God kept my friends and me safe in such a dangerous situation. Upon leaving, my mom asked me if I would sit with her at work and just be close to her, which provided us both with security and allowed us both to return to a fairly relaxed state. When reading Tattoos on the Heart, the stories of Raul and Victor reminded me of this experience. Boyle stated, in reference to gangbanging, “they [gang members] were never around to hear a mother scream when she heard her son was dead” which made me realize the vastness of a mother’s love for her child and be thankful for the family I have surrounding me (Boyle, 169). Both faith in God and the support of the people around me gave me the push I needed to be someone that people could depend on, and go to school the next

A young boy, attempting to have a normal childhood in 1980's El Salvador, is caught up in a dramatic fight for his life as he desperately tries to avoid the war, which is raging all around him. This is a sad reality of many people, who are immersed in a society full of violence and without values, where innocent families including children, lose their lives unfairly by a conflict in which they are not participating, affecting notably their emotional well-being and quality of life. However, despite these conflicts, they seek ways to get by living with the war despite limitations in health, education and expression.

betrayal, and violence. His father abandoned him seeking to find a life less confrontational to a

“That is when I remembered that I had a father. During the alert, I had followed the mob, not taking care of him. I knew he was running out of strength, close to death, and yet I had abandoned him. I went to look for him. Yet at the same time a thought crept into my mind: If only I didn’t find him! If only I were relieved of this responsibility, I could use all my strength for myself… Instantly, I felt ashamed, ashamed of myself forever.” Slowly though, he starts to feel more and more that his father is a burden, like page 107. “I gave him what was left of my soup. But my heart was heavy. I was aware that I was doing it grudgingly. Just like Rabbi Eliahu’s son, I had not passed the test.” On page 108, he becomes frustrated with his father. “I sat next to him, watching him. I no longer dared to believe that he could still elude Death. I did all I could to give him hope.” Then finally, on page 111-112, “The officer came closer and shouted to him to be silent. But my father did not hear. He continued to call me. The officer wielded his club and dealt him a violent blow to the head. I didn’t move. I was afraid, my body was afraid of another blow, this time to my head… When I came down from my bunk after roll call, I could see his lips trembling; he was murmuring something. I remained more than an hour leaning over him, looking at him, etching his bloody, broken face into

His mother treats him like a slave, giving him daily chores and unbelievably ruthless punishments. He has become inhuman to her as she refers to him as “It.” The only hope of survival relies on his dad, in God, or in a miracle. His story promotes the courageous human spirit and the determinate to survive.

The boy and the father have strong morals demonstrating a high level of authenticity, especially in a world where morality is extremely uncommon. To be ‘authentic’ means to genuinely be yourself. Although, as presented by Existentialism, one cannot be their true self until one has defined themselves. First, one must create their authentic selves, then they must live according to that (Varga). The father and the boy have strong principles to do what is right, even when their fellow survivors have completely abandoned morality altogether. At times, the father struggles with following said principles, however, he then justifies his actions which are purely for the safety of his son. This depicts that the father will do anything and everything to assure that the boy lives. The father expresses that “He knew only that the child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God God never spoke” (5). When a man holds a knife to the son's neck, the father does not hesitate to kill him. Although this is

     Imagine an inner city kid having grown u in an environment where real life street violence is a way of life. His body, having survived personal experiences of violence, endured barely life sustained conditions, and many sleepless nights caused by the constant yet unpredictable call of death. His mind doubtful over where his next meal will come from, lost in search of some higher guidance, struggling through a world, not of innocent childish fantasies, but trapped in a forced reality. His only outlet is the loud blaring music coddling his already pent-up rage, an escape from these harsh realities, seducing him to a life of violence. In him is created a “me against the world” mentality that is manifested in