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A Long Way Gone Character Analysis Essay

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Recommended: The relationship between media and society

Peyton Poovey
A1
9/25/15
In the novel “A Long Way Gone” by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael has his mind pulled in conflicting directions by compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. The constant struggle to remain sane was a very real problem for Ishmael. These harsh experiences greatly affected the kind of man he is today.
When the terrors of war abruptly entered Ishmael’s life, Ishmael was only a young boy, leaving him with little wisdom and vulnerable to influence. Left alongside his brother, Junior
Beah, and friends, Ishmael is forced to become his own man. This amount of pressure from such harsh decision making wore away the happy young boy he once was. Ishmael eventually became addicted to drugs, something that only made his scars more visible and his functionality …show more content…

Ishmael's other savior was rap music. As a child, Ishmael knew he was a good performer, but throughout the years of sorrow and drugs, Ishmael had lost his connection. The combination of self expression through Rap, and Esther as a motherly figure was the best rehabilitation for Ishmael possible. The mental struggle that Ishmael faced at a young age boggled his mind through influence, desires, ambitions, and obligations.
Ishmael did have his mind pulled bit by bit, and he was influenced and obligated, but he successfully fought through the suffering and came out better for it. Ishmael believed that more people should know about the horrors of the situation, so much so that he was inspired and created his novel to inform us about his life and to reach out to those in the same situation he was
Peyton Poovey
A1
9/25/15 in. Had Ishmael made it to the U.S. without a scratch or sacrifice it would've been just another story to tell at the local pub. It was this mental tearing and scarring that inspired him to inform others that things like this are really happening in the

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In Ishmael Beah’s personal memoir, A Long Way Gone, music courses through the story quite often. Music is first seen in Ishmael’s peaceful childhood. He and his friends enjoy singing and dancing along to music, in particular, Rap Music. As the story progresses, and the war becomes more prevalent in the young boys lives, rap continues to play a substantial role in their lives, just in a different way. At the end of Ishmael’s life story, there is yet another role that music plays.

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A Long Way Gone Book Review A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is a very powerful memoir that shows his experiences as a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone. His writings show how he went from a regular child living day to day to a violent, bloodthirsty soldier trying to survive. I enjoyed this book because Beah’s writing is honest and blunt, and he’s not afraid to describe the horrible violence and trauma he and his comrades endured as young soldiers. Despite the harsh reality of the book, Beah writes with faith and courage.

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