“A Long Way Gone” Final Essay
“Somebody being shot in front of you, or you yourself shooting somebody became just like drinking a glass of water.” (Ishmael Beah). “A Long Way Gone” was written by Ishmael Beah and published in 2007. It is a written masterpiece that captivates its readers by telling us his story, a former child soldier. In this he narrates the pain, the suffering and the fear that he endured for three years, literally fighting for his life against the rebels that caused all the chaos and the mayhem. Reading the book was like a rollercoaster ride of emotions and I am going to share what I believe are the three most important scenes. This include Ishmael hiding and surviving from the rebels, Ishmael transitioning and being trained into a child soldier, and Ishmael’s recovery and rehabilitation.
The most important scene in “A Long Way Gone” is when Ishmael and five other people were hiding and trying to sustain themselves from the rebels. This is an important moment in the memoir because it tells us about their struggle and the dread that they felt. One quote from the book that exemplifies this aspect of the book is
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This is an important moment in the memoir because this is the main story in the book and one of the reasons why it was written. One quote from the book that epitomizes this aspect of the book is “Over and over in our training he would say the same sentence: Visualize the enemy, the rebels who killed your parents, your family and those who are responsible for everything that has happened to you.” This quote is important because it shows the reader how Ishmael and a bunch of other children were trained and brainwashed into fighting. In conclusion, Ishmael’s training into becoming a soldier was difficult as he was fed with the ideas of killing the rebels that killed the people he loved and cared