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Examples Of Ptsd In A Long Way Gone

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In the novel, “A Long Way Gone,” Ishmael Beah suffers from PTSD due to the exposure to war at such a young age and the rehabilitation process. Ishmael was exposed to guns, drugs and other types of violent acts due to the war at the age of 12. As time went by, Ishmael lost his family and slowly his friends too. Ishmael was traumatized from all the violence he experienced due to the war approaching his village. He had been forced by the Sierra Leone Armed Forces to serve as a child soldier during a civil war and “It was not easy being a soldier, but we just had to do it.”(Beah,239). The child soldiers “ undressed the prisoners and tied them”(120) up, which led to Ishmael feeling guilty and hopeless in the future. Ishmael started “smoking marijuana …show more content…

Rehab had other child soldiers but not all of them were like Ishmael, some were from the rebels' side. Ishmael’s hate for the rebels was strong, once he shot them on their feet and watched them suffer for an entire day before finally shooting them in the head.”(192). While they fought, “someone came from behind me and sliced my hand with his knife. It was a rebel boy”(164) and Ishmael was beyond reason and wanted the rebels dead. Ishmael and other soldiers weren’t normal boys and “a change of environment wouldn’t immediately make us normal boys.”(164). The withdrawal period was very tough, Ishmael “craved cocaine and marijuana so badly”(167) that he had started to fight for no reason. Ishmael and his friends “beat up people from the neighborhood”(168) and sometimes even “threw stones at them.”(168). Ever since the war, Ishmael had lost his innocence and though he was in rehab, he was getting worse before getting better. The child soldiers have been ruthless and hate the civilians, who have no idea how bad the war has been and though innocent, the boys “kicked him relentlessly and left him lying on the floor bleeding and unconscious.”(169). Though rehab was a terrible process, it was necessary for Ishmael to recover because Ishmael had suffered more than enough trauma for one lifetime and Ishmael had to be taught by the nurses and staff at the

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The impact of war can have very harmful effects on people, especially children. In “A Long Way Gone” by Ishmael Beah, he explains the war of Sierra Leone from his point of view. The tragedy of losing his family, becoming a boy soldier, and the effects of war is said throughout the book, making it an interesting story to read. But, while Ishmael explains what he went through, it is hidden that other people were affected by the actions he took. Although Ishmael did play a victimizer, he was also a victim at the same time.

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