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Analysis Of A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah

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A Long Way Gone speaks of a child soldier who follows the idea of the word resume. Ishmael Beah's life went through a pause when he found himself surrounded by war. His book speaks of this pause in his life and how he resumed it. As a child in Sierra Leone, Beah had to face much more hardship than most anyone, but life can make anyone lose their way and put who they are on pause. However, Life may have a pause button, but it doesn’t rewind. Beah and others who have lost who they are had to search for that lost piece to bring back the life they wanted to experience. The Pause will forever be a part of them too; as they will never be able to deny their doings whilst they were lost. Beah’s experience as a child soldier caused him to lose himself …show more content…

When Beah first became a soldier, he had already faced immense suffering. He had seen people from both the army and the rebels destroy families and towns. He had lost his brother and friends along his journey. However, he lost the most important thing when he himself became that monster. He had paused his humanity. Beah states in the book how far he had gone with these words: “I grabbed the man’s head and slit his throat in one fluid motion…. His eyes rolled up and looked me straight in the eye before they suddenly stopped in a frightful glance, as if caught by surprise. The prisoner leaned his weight on me as he gave his final breath. I dropped him on the ground and wiped my bayonet on him. I reported to the corporal, who was holding a timer…. I was proclaimed the winner, and Kanei came second. The boys and the other soldiers who were the audience clapped as if I had fulfilled one of life’s greatest

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