Comparing Linda Sue Park's A Long Walk To Water

Compare and Contrast Essay Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to have everything that you know and love suddenly be ripped away from you by the outbreak of a civil war? Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk To Water narrates the stories of victims of the Sudanese Civil War and their hardships. This war displaced many people and orphaned several thousands of children. “The Lost Boys of Sudan” by UNICEF tells the tale of the young boys who suffered from this war. They suffered hardship after hardship to just find a place to live. Similar to UNICEF's article, "The Lost Girls of Sudan" written by Ishbel Matheson also brings to light the hardships the "girls of Sudan" had to face. However, unlike many of the "boys of Sudan" who often received more help, the girls were constantly ignored and thrown

Therefore, on top of using actual events in history, Linda Sue Park, in her novel, also used history and incorporated the personal stories of victims (such as Salva, Uncle Jewiir, and Marial) who suffered the war first-hand to inspire an emotional response from the readers. She also used history to write about the brutal struggles of the children who were running from the civil war in Sudan. “The Lost Boys of Sudan” is unique to the novel because it tells the story from a vague and omnipotent standpoint rather than a personal standpoint. According to the story, “...no way of knowing how near the war was. The fighting could be miles away–or a plane carrying bombs could fly overhead at any moment” (Park 43). UNICEF wrote that “...the journey was during heavy rains, and many perished crossing the rivers or hit by aerial bombardment” (UNICEF 17). Park makes her novel more personal by adding an aspect of emotion to enliven the story. Due to the point of view of the article only telling the story of everyone as a whole, there is a lack of detail and