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Themes Of A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah

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Ishmael Beah, recalls his time as an orphaned child soldier, in Sierra leone, in his memoir A long way gone. Amongst those who were moved by the memorable piece of literature, there are those who quarrel with the idea that it is a completely factual account of the events that took place in Sierra Leone and the details regarding the physical wounds he obtained. While some of the claims made against its accuracy made are valid, It does not diminish the merit of the memoir. Beah’s escapade as a child soldier, his rehabilitation and the universal themes contribute to the immense worth of the novel, and allow the reader to walk away enlightened. It has been proven that Beah is a former child soldier, and because of this has acquired first hand experience of the civil war in Sierra Leone. From this experience Beah has lived with brutal memories--memories he revisits in his memoir. In The Australian, writer Peter Wilson cites Beah in his article, ‘Beah’s …show more content…

Although one can see how Beah’s hope falters and is challenged, it prevails and carries him through his ordeal as a child surviving the war. Memories aid him in his fight for survival. Beah is able to keep himself going with memories of his life, while running from RUF. His father's saying, "If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die,” is one of the best demonstrations of hope in the novel. He expresses that being alive one more day is proof that hope for a better tomorrow is not yet lost. Hope is tested again in the haze of drugs and violence while caught up as a child soldier. However, his father's adage proves true once rehabilitation begins. While this is only one theme that is present in Beah’s memoir, this is one of the most valuable a reader can take after

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The biography, A Long Way Gone, Memoirs of a boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah, tells the story of a thirteen year old boy who spends his childhood being compelled to fight in the civil war in Sierra Leone. Ishmael Beah tries to avoid fighting for the rebels by running from town to town with his friends as the rebels advanced. Finally, his luck runs out and Ishmael Baeh is forced to serve in the civil war for the rebels. The story goes on to describe his horrific childhood as a soldier in Sierra Leone and his eventual rescue by Unicef and rehabilitation center. In this passage, Ishmael Beah created a mental image that allows us to visualize how disturbing and how unreal living in wartone Sierra Leone during the early 1980’s.

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In the memoir, A Long Way Gone written by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael faced the tragic start of war in his home place, Mattru Jong, Sierra Leone on January of 1993. At just the age of twelve his village had been wrecked by rebels who had been going to other villages as well. It was just a normal happy day before everything had occurred. When the news spread, Ishmael, his brother, Junior, and friend, Talliou were at a rap performance. They left in search for money and any family, but everything was gone.

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The influence of war on his inner turmoil is exhibited when he encounters the wounded family in the van. This was his first real exposure to the casualties of war. He personifies the ground he stood on. He writes that he felt the ground moving beneath his feet (13). Beah feels as if he no longer stands on solid ground because the world he firmly knew has shifted, leaving him dazed and confused.

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In his memoir A Long Way Gone, Beah uses rhetorical techniques like metaphors and anecdotes to showcase how your innocence can still be regained. For example, he says “My squad was my family, [and] my gun was my provider and protector” (Beah 154). This metaphor showcases his initial loss of innocence during the war, which happened after he had lost his family when the rebels attacked their village. The personification of his gun and the comparison between his squad and his family highlight that he has been transformed into a mercenary, as he can no longer depend on anyone else to protect or provide for him, the typical duties of one’s family. Beah also describes one of his dreams where he “sat in the rain for a while,” and let it “clean the

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A Long Way Gone is an interesting, self-oriented book on the Sierra Leone Civil War because of the author’s intentions and credibility in writing, biases, and the lessons it taught. Ishmael Beah has made strong points in A Long Way Gone about his contentions of writing. Ishmael Beah wrote this memoir to inform people about the terrors of war and how the world knew little about the war while the innocent civilians suffered great

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Throughout his experience in the civil war of Sierra Leone, Beah was alone. He emphasizes intensity in silence to communicate a feeling of abandonment and a lack of mental, physical, and emotional support. Students must think critically to completely interpret the author’s literal and metaphorical use of imagery. Likewise, Beah spends a large portion of his struggle in the African Jungle.

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“Some nights the sky wept stars that quickly floated and disappeared into the darkness before our wishes could meet them,” (Beah 80). During wartime people's values change in order to adapt to the horrifying situation one is placed in. The same occurs in Beah’s A Long way Gone and autobiography of a child soldier's experience in sierra leone. Throughout Beah's journey his values change due to the people around him, the place he is located at and the tragic events a that occur.

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Through compassion and care, the staff at the Beinin house transformed Beah’s community and healed his shattered childhood, allowing him to transition into a fully rehabilitated civilian who can rely on his community for support and care. Beah can recapture his humanity through the love and encouragement he receives from his newfound family, allowing him to undo the manipulation he underwent, and rehabilitate back into civilian life. Ishmeal Beah’s narrative, A Long Way Gone, serves as a beacon of light, proving that healing is possible through the support and care from a committed family, even after experiencing manipulation as a lost and broken child. His journey serves as a testament to the importance of an empathetic community, and the crucial role of rehabilitation in helping soldiers heal and reclaim their lives. Although Beah lost most of his childhood to the manipulation from the army after his family was murdered, he was saved for his future by the compassion and care from the staff at the Benin rehabilitation house, especially Nurse

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After Beah’s village is raided, he is forced to live outside of civilization and treks through the forest. He recalls something his father used to tell him, “If you are alive, there is hope for a better day… If there is nothing good left in the destiny or a person, he or she will die” (54). Beah admits that these words from his father drove his spirit to keep trekking on. The words of his family made him able to persevere through a hellish forest and stay alive.

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The book A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, the main character Ismael Beah tells a story of his first hand account of Sierra Leone’s civil war. Ismael Beah was a boy soldier who went from village to village with his brother and some friends in search of food and shelter. Beah was eventually brainwashed into thinking that what the group was doing would make up for his own family’s death. While his is fighting for the government he is heavily drugged to the point that he believes that what he is doing is the right thing. His lieutenant ended up letting him go with UNICEF so they can have better lives.

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However, Beah was unable to force himself to shoot his gun that they had given him. The commander then yelled “retreat” since the other unit commenced to throwing grenades at them. The preceding event that happened changed Beah’s perspective on his life and the life of the others around him. Beah suddenly felt blood on his face and in this shocked moment he accidentally tasted the blood. He then heard someone screaming for his mother with a vain and pleading voice.

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1706 Words | 7 Pages

As an innocent child, Beah, nor did any of the children in Sierra Leone, did not have any idea that the majority of them would become child soldiers. They would not only be touched by war, but they would be at the epicenter of the war, fighting on the front lines while raping and pillaging villages. Beah and his older brother, Junior, along with another friend left their village to walk to a neighboring one to rap together at a talent show. Not long after they arrived in Mattru Jong, they received news from their friends that their home village has been attacked by rebels, marking the start of war in Sierra Leone.

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His story offers a powerful example of the importance of resilience and hopes in overcoming hurdles in one's situation. Ishamel’s bravery as a child soldier also brings attention to the damaging impacts of war on children and the need for more empathy and understanding for those affected by it. This is important for the story because, in the end, Beah's resilience serves as an inspiration to everyone who has faced adversity by showing that even the most difficult obstacles can be overcome with the proper mindset and

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In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah’s innocence is taken away when is forced into becoming a child soldier. In The Bite of the Mango, innocence is involuntarily taken from Mariatu Kamara through the amputation of her hands and the incidence of rape. Loss of innocence is a pivotal and life changing necessity because of the transformation encountered and the independence gained. Transformations, both mental and physical, can alter the innocence of a being. Beah experiences a mental transformation through being a child soldier.

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Throughout the war, tens of thousands of people were massacred. The book Memoirs of a Boy Soldier exhibits how a war can drastically change and affect mass amounts of individuals, manipulating their fragile culture. Beah lived a fairly average life before his country was ravaged by war. He attended school, had friends, and was passionate about rap music and dance.

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