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Survival In Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone

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Work: A Long Way Gone Thematic Subject: Survival
In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah presents the idea that the way to survival can be a long and rigorous journey of living each day to the next. Ishmael’s only way of getting through the war was to keep that mind set at such a desperate time. This is shown when Ishmael leaves Kaloko along with the others because he became “frustrated with living in fear” (Beah, 46). He leaves them, taking as many oranges as possible; like it’s his last. When he runs out of oranges, “[he] collected more at every village [he] slept in” (Beah, 47). Ishmael had no idea what was in store for him in the future, but because of constantly preparing, he had no trouble with food. He knew on instinct that this was his …show more content…

However, during the war was insufferable. This time left nothing but the skeletons of flourishing villages, and no food providers whatsoever. When one is starving and left nothing to eat but crow that oddly fell from the sky, then the boys must perform such uncivilized acts like these to survive.

Work: A Long Way Gone Thematic Subject: Sacrifice
In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah presents the idea that sacrifice is what it can take to be successful. In this case, to be successful is to keep living throughout the war: you must give up something to fulfill that wish. This is shown when Ishmael joined the second group of boys in the book: “Once again I was with a group of boys. This time there were seven of us. I knew this was going to be a problem, but I didn 't want to be by myself anymore” (Beah, 55) Ishmael had to give up his independence, but was fortunate with not being alone anymore. He also mention within the quote that being with this many boys was going to be a problem, which yes, it makes the group very suspicious and even gets them captured. This foreshadowing could also be seen …show more content…

Most times, substantial would be in a positive light. However, in this case determination leads to a longer life and unfortunate events. This is shown when Ishmael was just about to reunite with his family. Throughout the first half of the book, Ishmael kept moving forward in hopes of finding his family again. When Gasemu was leading Ishmael and the boys to the village where Ishmael’s family was. Before they arrived, they stopped at the mountain to rest. Ishmael, though selfish, was very determined to see his family. He said, “I became angry that we had to rest, and I sat on a big rock away from the group” (Beah, 93). Unfortunately, he was unable to see his family due to rebels attacking. His mental state was heavily damaged at that point. Waiting years to see your family again just to see them killed is truly depressing. When Ishmael started to train as a boy soldier, he soon became determined to avenge his family. This is shown when the lieutenant was brainwashing Ishmael, telling them to kill the one that killed their family. Everyone then “got angry and drove [their] knives in and out of the banana trees” (Beah, 112). Ishmael became so bloodthirsty afterwards, and justified it as avenging is family. His determination helped him get where he was, though not a very good place, it brought him to where he is

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The book A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is a memoir about himself involved in war as a child. War began happening in Ishmael’s hometown in Sierra Leone, which was Mogbwemo, so everyone broke apart and he lost his family, except for his brother. He had to start running away from the war to stay alive, so he went with some of his friends and his brother into different provinces of Sierra Leone. They went from village to village looking for food, shelter and safety. Ishmael was caught many times by the army and he thought he was stuck with them forever, but he escaped many different ways.

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Ishmael was put into rehabilitation and lived with his Uncle until they were attacked again. Ishmael went from victim of war running away in fear of being killed to a soldier who raided villages. Ishmael is a victim of war running away soldiers in an attempt to survive. After Ishmael was chased

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625 Words | 3 Pages

Hiba Shaqra A Long Way Gone: Typed Reading Log Key Quote Insightful Comment Discussion Question “Perhaps it was necessary he This quote depicts Ishmael’s first Does Ishmael end up cling to false hopes, since they war experience. A child, clearly using this tactic, this had kept him running away dead, had lain in front of him.

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A fair age to become a soldier In a long way gone written by Ishmael Beah he’s a child soldier and he faces many challenges along the way.

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In Ishmael Beah’s personal memoir, A Long Way Gone, music courses through the story quite often. Music is first seen in Ishmael’s peaceful childhood. He and his friends enjoy singing and dancing along to music, in particular, Rap Music. As the story progresses, and the war becomes more prevalent in the young boys lives, rap continues to play a substantial role in their lives, just in a different way. At the end of Ishmael’s life story, there is yet another role that music plays.

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657 Words | 3 Pages

In the book “A Long Way Gone” Ishmael has to overcome his fears and desperation especially when he ends up in villages that dislike little kids because of the assumption that they are rebel soldiers. Sometimes he comes face to face with death like the time when some of the villagers who were suffering the civil war, capture Ishmael and his new accompanied friends they were saying ”We told him we were students and this was a big misunderstanding. The crowds shouted, drown the rebels”(Beah 38). When the village guards found a rap cassette in Ishmael's pocket they played the music and it pleased the chief and so they were excused from execution and as a result they were offered to also stay in the village for how long they wanted. This part in the story paves a path from Ishmael to talk and although that was one of his major obstacles pertaining to his life he succeeded and faced adversity by pleading that they were not rebels but

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775 Words | 4 Pages

Memories “Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose”(Arnold). In the book a long way gone a boy named Ishmael beah tells his story. In this novel Ishmael’s village is eventually raided and he becomes on his own. Through being on his own he thinks of the past and memories of a better life. These memories that he thinks of can hinder him and help him along the way through his journey.

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I could hear gunshots and screams all around me... I ran for hours without stopping, my chest heaving with exhaustion” (Beah Pg. 29). This shows that even in the most trying situations, it is possible to persevere and triumph. Ishmael has displayed incredible resilience in the face of

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1110 Words | 5 Pages

Ishmael has a flashback of his life in the war. In his dream he encounters a body wrapped in white bed sheets, and as he unwraps it he realizes it is his own face he is looking at. He then awakens, sweating and on the ground. He says, “I was afraid to fall asleep, but staying awake also brought back painful memories” (Beah 19). Even being in a different country cannot take away the hell that Ishmael has been through.

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1572 Words | 7 Pages

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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1035 Words | 5 Pages

Desire is the need for an object, a feeling or a person. One can have a desire for something that is essential for survival, such as water or food, but desire could be used to harm others or oneself. Through A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael’s perspective of desire was altered dramatically. These desires were changed from his surroundings or events that were taking place. In the book, Ishmael was easily manipulated by his desires.

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834 Words | 4 Pages

A Long Way Gone: War and Rehabilitation Following the life of Ishmael Beah in his autobiography, A Long Way Gone, readers experience how a young boy adjusted to drastic changes in lifestyles. The first- and perhaps more marked- change in lifestyle was when he became a child soldier in the Sierra Leone Army. The second was when he was taken away to be rehabilitated by UNICEF. Although there are several important components in both Ishmael’s life at war and his life during rehabilitation, it is his relationship with fear, how he deals with trauma, and his character in general which significantly share resemblances in each of the two mentioned lifestyles.

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498 Words | 2 Pages

Additional Activity 1 In the book, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, the reader can gather certain information about the story he told. The point of view of his story truly affects the reader’s understanding. Also, Beah included details that defined his experience and changed his life. He also wrote his memoir with an emotion that drove the story.

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672 Words | 3 Pages

The human condition is full of paradoxes and double meanings. We can commit the most shocking and terrible acts, but we can complete the most virtuous and honorable feats. Ishmael Beah describes the appalling and violent behavior he and other children exhibited toward the human life during his time in the Sierra Leonean civil war in his memoir, A Long Way Gone. Beah also details the forgiveness and kindness of complete strangers that helped him become the man that fate meant him to be. Homo sapiens are complex creatures brimming with irony and surprises.

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Ishmael does a magnificent job in telling his story, he envelops the reader and does not let go until the very end. But some will not want to be let

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