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A Long Way Gone Quotes

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Ishmael Beah’s memoir, "A Long Way Gone," tells the story of a young soldier boy in Sierra Leone and explores topics of death and rebirth. The narrative is instrumental in demonstrating how the human being can be strong even amidst the adversities of life. His journey from a happy childhood to a war-torn existence and on to convalescence shows how loss can have far-reaching effects on the possibility of redemption. The dark moments that Beah refers to are described in great detail and evoke emotion, through which he aims to show that it takes courage to overcome such situations. Before the start of the civil war, Ishmael had his family close by as well as a lively community. He has good memories of time spent with his brother and friends, where …show more content…

It explains why this quote represents a sudden end to adolescence, opposite to the peaceful past where he comes from; the contrast between peace and mayhem within his personality is very evident. The serene reminiscences of his clan make him feel closer to their nostalgia and sorrow after losing everything they loved so much. Ishmael undergoes a radical transformation from a young, innocent boy to a hard-working and experienced soldier in war. His humanity is removed when he witnesses and participates in acts of violence, whereby he becomes numb and detached. “We went to work, killing everyone in sight. We didn't waste a single bullet" (Beah 132). This is meant to show his loss of moral direction. Through his ceaseless exposure to violence and death, his dehumanization is complete, leaving him with an intense bitterness that cannot be matched by anything else. Ishmael’s makeover proves how war can rob people of innocence, forcing them to adapt for survival. However, Ishmael’s story is one of redemption, despite the enormous losses he has suffered in life. Although it was difficult for him, his journey through rehabilitation and recovery fell short of healing him

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In the memoir, “A long Way Gone” by Ishmael Beah, his initial perspective on his life and war has dramatically changed in the development of the book. “ It was a beautiful summer day, the sun wasn’t too hot, and the walk didn’t feel long either, we chatted about all kinds of things, mocked and chased each other.” (Beah 7). Ishmael 's initial point of view on the world was the same as any other kid who had never been involved in war or killings. He loved rap music and hanging out with his friends and family, just like most teenage boys.

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787 Words | 4 Pages

(Beah, 122). This fear caused Ishmael to have nothing on his mind except to kill the enemy, it brainwashed him. Although, these experiences turned him into a malicious human. Fear and hope drove Ishmael’s decisions throughout the

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War is a haunting time that affects all humans in one way or another at some point in their lives, and this is explicitly shown in Ishmael Beah’s memoir A Long Way Gone. This book was written from the point of view of Ishmael himself, whose life experiences are almost unimaginably daunting, telling his story as a child soldier in the Sierra Leone Civil War. The whole candor of the story is surprising, as Beah goes into much detail about some of the horrible things he did whilst fighting, and how this has affected him in his adolescence and adulthood. His purpose for writing is not very clear, as he published it a number of years after the war had already ended officially, which is understandable given the things he went through, which leads

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1284 Words | 6 Pages

Chapter 1 :Introduction A long way gone is a true story of Ishmael Beah who was a unwilling boy soldier during a civil war in sierra Leone when he was only 12 years old. Suddenly Beah village was attacked. his country was united sates of America.

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498 Words | 2 Pages

ECR: A Long Way Gone In “A Long Way Gone”, Ishmael Beah's journey as a child soldier in Sierra Leone highlights the resilience required to survive in the face of traumatic events. Ishmael Beah's resilience in the face of trauma and adversity shows the importance of hope and determination in overcoming life's challenges. After a devastating attack in his village, Ishmael escapes and struggles for independence. "I ran for my life, my heart pounding, my mind racing.

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1264 Words | 6 Pages

In the book “A long way gone” Ishmael Beah takes us on a journey through his rough childhood. He was 12 years old and just like other boys living in Sierra Leone at the time, at the age of 13, he became a child soldier. In his journey to escape the war. he had lost and gained people. Running from the rebels, and being taken in by villagers mistaking him and his friends for rebels, he finally made it to Yele.

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1110 Words | 5 Pages

Not experiencing war is a luxury many people unfortunately do not get; however, Ishmael Beah, the author of A Long Way Gone, lives and survives the war, though not without heartache. With war there is always fear, death, and hell. Ishmael Beah proves war is hell through the killing of civilians, the distrust, and the after effects of the war. Ishmael proves war is hell through the killing of civilians. Many innocent bystanders of the war are forced out of their homes, made to run for their lives.

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1258 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the course of the novel, Ishmael portrays the loss of innocence in himself and the kids around him. Before the war, Ishmael was an optimistic young boy with a passion for

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1290 Words | 6 Pages

Ishmael’s hometown is attacked by rebels, leading him to embark on a long journey across the country. His journey comes to a stop when he is indoctrinated as a boy soldier and forced to experience the horrors of war from the perspective of a fighter. His journey ends with rehabilitation and a newfound duty to represent the boy soldiers of Sierra Leone. Throughout Ishmael’s journey his perception of the world shifts analogously with his experiences and overall

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1035 Words | 5 Pages

Later, UNICEF came and decided to take Ishmael out of the war and put him in a rehabilitation center. In this part of the novel, the reader can see how his desire for killing has controlled him completely. By fighting and killing rebel members in the rehabilitation center and beating up the guards to force them into doing what the children wants to do, the reader can see that the war has changed their ways of life and thoughts. The army was able to change Ishmael 's desires and from that, he became a deadly

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507 Words | 3 Pages

Which left ishmael in distress and made him feel like he wasn’t himself anyone more. the war had him society in a different way, all because of his arm and that he felt every looked at him differently, because of his arm. The reason Ishmael was distressed, was because he loved humanity, but dislike people, so that also made him an introvert. So ishmael at the time, invoice society until big disaster happens on San Piedro

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778 Words | 4 Pages

Ishmael sees horrific sights, such as a man who was shot

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467 Words | 2 Pages

When Beah was at the conferences far away from war, he felt like his life finally had meaning again. Beah’s “A Long Way Gone” tells an important story of unwilling boy soldier, Ishmael Beah during a civil war in Sierra Leone. He finally becomes the person he feared, a killing machine capable of cruel and horrible things. This is an important book because during the tough times of the civil war Ishmael was taken to a rehabilitation center where he did struggle to understand his past or even imagine a future.

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810 Words | 4 Pages

Her child had been shot dead as she ran for her life” (Beah 13). This effected Ishmael because he was not used to the images of people being injured. Seeing the infant shot dead, and the mother not having time to properly mourn for the child, scarred Ishmael’s mind. Being young and full of life, as Ishmael once was, had all come to an end when the war hit his village. Furthermore, Ishmael was used to his parents always looking after him, but now he must survive on his own with death knocking at his door.

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946 Words | 4 Pages

The major theme in the story A Long Way Gone is that with family and love a person can make it through anything. Overall Ishmael’s story is a very powerful, eye opening read; it informs people on a subject that some know little to nothing about, the civil war in Sierra Leone. Beah uses the theme of family and love, along with the use of symbolism and other literary devices, to inform a larger audience of the issues that he and others had to face while trying to survive in a war zone. A Long Way Gone, an autobiographical memoir, written by Ishmael Beah, takes place in Sierra Leone during the time of their civil war.

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