What Is The Loss Of Innocence In A Long Way Gone

Ishmael Beah shares in his memoir, “ We must strive to be like the moon” (Pg. 16). This greatly applies to the book A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. Ishmael and his childhood friends believed this was something to live by. Going through so much trauma at a young age can make you forget your true self and purpose. Throughout the text, Ishmael goes through the loss of innocence and humanity.
One of Ishmael’s greatest losses was his innocence. Ishmael had been turned into a soldier and adapted to a new lifestyle. The soldiers were all given drugs daily to make them feel fearless and unstoppable; to make them shut their emotions off and not think about being killed, but to kill. Ishmael says he shot anything that moves because if he didn’t, then

Before Ishmael got sent to war, he played soccer games in his home village. The games the soldiers played reminded him of that and comforted him thinking about his family and life before it changed completely. Even though he still had slight memories left of his childhood, he started having uncontrollable migraines. They would cause him severe pain and leave him unable to think or fall asleep. However, he didn’t tell anybody about them because he thought it was normal. These headaches would disappear when doing soldierly activities and when he took drugs. At times when the drugs wear off, like when he tries to fall asleep, they come back and haunt him, making him stay awake. "Through my mind’s eye, I would see sparks of flame, flashes of scenes I had witnessed, and the agonizing voices of children and women would come alive in my head. I cried quietly as my head beat like the clapper of a bell. Sometimes after the migraine had stopped, I was able to fall asleep briefly, only to be woken up by nightmares” (Beah 103). Even though Ishmael had not been to the war yet, he had experienced so much trauma already. They caused him to picture terrifying situations. Even when he could settle down enough to get some sleep, terrorizing nightmares filled his mind with panic. When these things started happening to Ishmael, he tried to shut them off with drugs but it didn’t help. Instead, it would not only cause migraines but also cause him to shut down completely which demonstrates his loss of humanity. Drugs played a big part in making all these child soldiers feel like men. Ishmael had taken on soldierly jobs and needed the energy to stay awake and be alert whenever he was needed. They were provided cocaine, brown brown, and white pills to boost their energy and make them feel more powerful and fearless. The first time Ishmael took them at the same time, his body began to perspire and have a