Ishmael Is Resourceful In A Long Way Gone

The 6-year war in Sierra Leone captured 10,000 to 14,000 child soldiers and left them displaced after the war with no family and no childhood left. A long way gone by Ishmael Beah gives us a unique perspective of what child soldiers have to go through and what they have survived. Resourcefulness was one of the various skills that Ishmael used to survive well being part of the Sierra Leone war.

Ishmael's resourcefulness helped him in many ways to survive well in war. The first piece of evidence that supports that Ishmael is resourceful is, "I learned about this grass during one of the summers when I visited my grandmother. When I squeezed a bunch of the grass together, they provided foam that left my body with a fresh scent¨ (Beah 52). His use of past knowledge helps him survive during the war. The first way

Ishmael's great ability to notice his surroundings and use what he has around him is a huge reason he was able to survive. If he wasn’t perceptive during the times he spent alone, he would not have survived. Also, Ishmael used the branches from the trees to keep him safe. One way it kept him safe was by keeping him from predators, and he was able to eat the fruit from the tree. The last quote that shows Ishmael is resourceful is, ¨We loaded the supplies in plastic bags, and the six of us went to the nearest market, where we sold them to a vendor¨ (Beah 145). The use of the supplies to get money for himself and his friends so he could go to the city and experience new things was a great example. This example shows how resourceful he is even when he is out of the war. Selling the supplies is the last way that Ishmael shows how resourceful he is. Ishmael's journey was full of many hardships but a way he helped himself survive was by being resourceful and using his