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A Long Way Gone: Memoirs Of A Boy Soldier By Ishmael Beah

501 Words3 Pages

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of A Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah is a memoir of

his experiences as a soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is a country

in West Africa that had a civil war that lasted from 1991 till 2002. The war started when

Revolutionary United Front (RUF) attempted to overthrow the Joseph momoh

government. The war resulted in over 50,000 deaths. During the civil war, children as

young as seven years old were recruited to serve in the army but they weren't really

recruited at all, they were threatened to join or they would be killed or kidnapped.

Ishmael was threatened and forced to join the army of Sierra Leone at the age of

twelve. By that time he was a killing machine. Ishmael describes his experiences of …show more content…

During his time in

the army Ishmael becomes addicted to drugs (marijuana, cocaine and other pills). One

day a UNICEF truck comes to his normal life, but Ishmael and many others have

withdrawals from drugs. During his rehabilitation he is reminded of his love for rap

music. With help of rap and a nurse named Esther, Ishmael is be fully rehabilitated. He

then goes to live with his Uncle Tommy in Sierra Leone. Ishmael is chosen to meet and

speak with the UN about his experiences as a child in the war. While he’s there he meets

Laura Simms, a good role model for him. After he returns to Sierra Leone he escapes and

catches a flight to America, where he is adopted and lives with Laura.

Theme

An important theme throughout the book is Survival. Ishmael is forced to survive

on his own after he loses his family and friends. Ishmael survives his training in the army.

Then he is forced to fight on the front lines of battles. During his rehabilitation, Ishmael

fights his addiction to drugs, and in the end he wins. Ishmael survives all of these

obstacles, flees to America and lives happily ever after.

Name

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The first time Ishmael was ever touched by war was at age 12. At 13, he was picked by the Government Army and brought to a vicious and brutal world. He woke up everyday with fear of dying. He tried his best to look the toughest and satisfy the rebels by fulfilling their demands. Ishmael took a dose of drugs daily to keep him energized and to keep him awake.

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Memories “Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose”(Arnold). In the book a long way gone a boy named Ishmael beah tells his story. In this novel Ishmael’s village is eventually raided and he becomes on his own. Through being on his own he thinks of the past and memories of a better life. These memories that he thinks of can hinder him and help him along the way through his journey.

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In the country Beah lived in, Sierra Leone, there was a large war going on for diamonds. The Rebels (RUF) were vicious and destroyed everything in their path to get to their goal. Unfortunately, Beah was one of the many people that suffered in the war. He ran for so long to get away and find safety, just to be caught up in it. Ishmael Beah went from an innocent child to a violent soldier.

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“My squad is my family, my gun is my provider and protector and my rule is to kill or be killed. ”(Ishmael Beah)”A long way gone”was written by Ishmael Beah and published in 2007. Ishmael Beah was very happy kid he was really close to his family but they were seperated when the war happened with the rebels, later on he was caught by the rebels but he was able to escape, the rebels killed all his family so he was recruited by the army, they gave him drugs so he wouldn’t feel anything he had no emotions. The three most important scenes in this story include when Ishmael was alone in the jungle, when Ishmael was in the army,and when Ishmael was NYC.

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