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Similarities Between A Long Way Gone And Blood Diamond

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Zack Stefnitz Mrs. Tadross (Class Code) 6 May 2024 The Stripping of Child Innocence in A Long Way Gone and Blood Diamond Within the memoir titled A Long Way Gone and the movie Blood Diamond, both Beah and several filmmakers dive deep into the harsh realities of conflict that are present in Sierra Leone. Born November 23rd, 1980, in Sierra Leone, Beah experienced the great terror of involvement as a child soldier in the civil war before an immense turn around becoming an acclaimed author as well as a strong fighter against human rights. Beah’s memoir provides a deeply personal account of his many experiences, although the film “Blood Diamond” approaches the fictional route while still exploring similar themes. Collectively, both pieces have …show more content…

This transformation from a playful child mind to savagery showcases humanity being detrimental to child soldiers. Lastly, Ishmael Beah’s post-war struggles of reintegrating into society showcase the permanent effects of the traumatic experiences he encountered, and that his innocence has vanished for good. During the last part of his memoir, Beah discusses the border, “I avoided eye contact, afraid that they might see in my eyes that I had once been a soldier in the war that I was now leaving behind” (Beah 219). This encapsulates the emotional turmoil that Ishamael must now go through as a result of his harsh experiences as a child soldier. Despite his newfound freedom, he still finds it difficult to grapple with the recent feelings of displacement in society, knowing that deep down he is a massively different person than he was prior. He strives for a sense of normality, though his mind now present with his horrific past encounters fills him with fear and will stick with him forever. Overall, Beah's journey illustrates how the accumulation of trauma during war as a child soldier not only inflicts wounds in one's mind but shapes one's identity and …show more content…

His longing for connection and belonging within a world of brutality resonates with me, as I have also before wanting a piece of acceptance in times of hardship. These shared experiences allow me to feel a sense of connection with Beah, making his journey relatable. I further feel that through his experiences, readers like myself can reflect on their sense of empathy in the face of adversity. In conclusion, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah and the movie "Blood Diamond" both offer explorations of the prominent cost of child innocence in Sierra Leone, through several manipulation tactics, inputs of violence and trauma, and questioning of morality. While A Long Way Gone delves deeply into the personal experiences and trauma of Beah’s life as a child soldier, the film Blood Diamond helps to showcase a wider view of the influences which drive a child’s mind to be forever impacted by these events. Despite these differences, both works convey the themes of violence and the loss of innocence in a brutal war environment. As for recommending A Long Way Gone to others, I would due to its honesty and portrayal of the realities faced by child

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BOOK REPORT A Long Way Gone Part I: Summary A Long Way Gone is a memoir by Ishmael Beah about his experiences as a child soldier during the Sierra Leone Civil War. The book begins with Beah's childhood in Sierra Leone, where he has a relatively peaceful life with his family until the war reaches his village.

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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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A Long Way Gone is Ishmael Beah’s memoir. It retracts all of the tragic events Ishmeal endured while the Sierra Leone civil war occurred. Ishmael was a child who lived an ordinary life until rebels infiltrated his village which left him and others with no choice, but to flee. He was then forced to become a child soldier. This book shows the physical and mental torture Beah had to go through while has was a child soldier.

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A Long Way Gone is an autobiography written by Ishmael Beah, the book details his childhood throughout the Sierra Leon civil war. The book shows how you can turn an innocent child into a killing machine. We see both sides of the warring party do this with them drugging the children, turning them against the enemy with propaganda and threatening them with death. These are the factors that made a quarter of all the soldiers within this war under the age of eighteen.

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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.

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Carson Edwards English I Ms. Thaden 10 February 2023 Family Provides Strength Twelve-year-old soldiers, blinded by cocaine, violence, and war, can only find strength through the love of family. Ishmael Beah, in his book, A Long Way Gone, is struggling through the war but keeps going toward the ultimate goal of seeing his family again, proving how the unfailing love of family will give one the strength to persevere through the hardest times. This book shows the instinctual longing for the family during times of need. Beah remembers a quote from his father during the beginning half of his war journey.

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Ismael Beah: Ruthless Killing Machine to Healed Civilian 1993, Sierra Leone is a war zone: bombs exploding, rebels attacking, and blood gushing through the streets. Amidst this chaos, Ishmael Beah’s life is hung by a thread as he runs for his life. Every decision he makes is a gamble on his fate, and a single misstep could prove catastrophic. His memoir, A Long Way Gone, vividly depicts his struggles as a child ensnared in war. At age twelve, Beah is thrust into a violent and unforgiving life, witnessing the murder of loved ones, and then falling prey to the Sierra Leone army’s mind-twisting manipulation.

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Ishmael Beah has experienced more violence than most ever will. The bone-chilling fact that he became a veteran in his adolescence shows this clearly. All of this is shown in his memoir, A Long Way Gone. The gruesomely-described violence in the novel causes many reactions in those who read of his suffering, myself included. Beah wrote this story about his life to show the world a hidden truth.

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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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"In order to succeed, people need a sense of self-efficiency, to struggle together with resilience to meet the inevitable obstacles and inequities of life" (Bandura). Resilience is a significant topic in the memoir A Long Way Gone:Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. This harsh story is describing the life of a twelve year old boy named Ishmael Beah, forced into the Sierra Leone Civil War, that dealt with blood diamonds. It also goes into how Beah dealt with overcoming the harmful drugs the government forced the solders to take.

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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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At the age of 13 till the age of 16 the author, Ishmael Beah, pulls himself through many terrible conflicts in Sierra Leone. The author uses conflict to show his readers the realism of his story. By using conflict in many different ways, it allows readers to gain an understanding of how Ishmael struggles changed his life for worse and for better. By using person vs person, person vs society, person vs self, and person vs nature conflict the author is opening doors allowing readers to get a full understanding of Ishmael 's challenges of a life in war. The most commonly seen conflict in ‘A Long Way Gone’ is person vs society.

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People have trouble understanding why and how people become who they are. Ted Bundy was a psychopath that killed many, but no one knows why. What people wonder though is why did he commit these crimes? What made him like the way he was?

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The way Beah explained what happened to him, he did it in a sad way. My response to the writer is that I feel sorry for him. I cannot relate to him in any way since I have never been exposed to war and even been a soldier fighting in it. He was strong through the hardest part of his life; the actual war itself, rehabilitation, and ultimately escaping Freetown, Sierra Leone to eventually fly over to New York and start a new life. Ishmael Beah’s memoir, A Long Way Gone, replays a part of Beah’s life that will always be very vivid to him.

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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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