A Long Way Gone Argument Essay Examples

A Long Way Gone Argument Essay examples
Eddie Salcedo Mr. Stone December 5, 2012 7th period A Long Way Until The End of This Essay
The author of A Long Way Gone argues against boy soldiers but also against the loss of innocence.
Beah's parents are burned alive by the rebels; this is the first step towards his animosity towards
them. In his story he talks about snorting brown brown, shooting men and how he was slowly
corrupted by the men around him, turning him into a machine. It tells the story of a world as
horrendous as any imagined by the darkest of fiction writers. However, upon completion of the
book, I have realized that I have made a journey from darkness to redemption along with the author.
Look in the book where the UNICEF officials are dehumanizing the ... Show more content on
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Despite the violence caused by the children, one of the staffers, Nurse Esther, becomes interested in
Ishmael, learning about his childhood love of rap music. As a gift Esther gets him a rap cassette and
Walkman, when she takes Ishmael and his friend Alhaji to the city. It is through this connection and
his numerous counseling experiences with Esther that Ishmael eventually turns away from his
violent self and starts to heal from his mental wounds. The second part of the book takes an
uncompromising look at the difficulties this entailed for the boy soldier and his peers, who for a
long time resist the most determined efforts to restore their humanity, their anger at having been
taken from their family. Children are meant to be protected from violence and war. They are
extremely vulnerable both physically and psychologically, to abuse and misguidance. They are
easily influenced by those around them because they are young and incapable of forming
independent opinions. Adult soldiers at Ishmael's base were snorting brown brown and smoking
marijuana, Ishmael, as naive as any child would be, was influenced by these people and looked up
to the adults as role model and leader and so he began to do it as well. "I took turns at the guarding
posts around the village, smoking marijuana and sniffing brown brown" The job of a soldier is to
fight wars, to take lives, to kill if not be killed. If these children are taught hatred
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The Pros And Cons Of Child Soldiers
If you had a choice, kill or be killed. What would you choose? If you had a choice to starve or to be
fed, what would you choose? These scenarios are not common in our everyday life, but to child
soldiers this is what they are suffering through everyday. Although many children had the choice to
become a child soldiers, most of them were forced to become child soldiers. By their families, and
their commanders. Child soldiers were brainwashed to torture, and kill. They did not know any
other way to live. They thought what they were doing was the right thing. Many child soldiers were
abducted from their own homes, after commanders forced terror on their families and village. Child
soldiers needed to stay alive with resources such as food, clothing, and water. The only way that
they could receive this, was by agreeing to become a child soldier. It is ... Show more content on
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Ishmael Beah was only twelve–years old when he witnessed violence. When he was forced to be
violent, forced to pull the trigger, forced to listen to the harsh cold toned commanders. Ishmael Beah
was only thirteen years old when he was separated from his family, and they were later killed in the
country's civil war. He was wandering the countryside with a group of children, when they found a
rural camp, they believed to be an army base. It was too late before they realised that these were a
large body of Sierra Leonean Soldiers. "Somebody being shot in front of you, or you yourself
shooting somebody became just like drinking a glass of water. Children who refused to fight, kill or
showed any weakness were ruthlessly dealt with", Beah stated. Ishmael Beah also remembered
when " . . . a nine–year–old boy cried because they missed their mother and they were shot". Child
soldiers come looking for safety in these camps, and are forced to kill. The commanders destroyed
what Beah new, family, life,

The Lost Boys Survival
Throughout our lives we've heard the expression " Survival of the fittest ". Since the beginning all
species and races have been subject to their survival rate. Thus, the meaning behind " Survival of
the fittest". For generations, people have gone to the extreme to survive; People have been known to
go to extreme lengths, including doing things they would have never imagined doing in their wildest
dreams for their survival. For example, " The Lost Boys", an article based on real events, displayed
how a group of young boys did what seemed like the impossible in order to survive. The Lost Boys
traveled to Kenya (by foot) in order to reach a refugee camp after fleeting South Sudan. During their
journey to Kenya they endured many physical, emotional,

The Issue Of Child Soldiers
The stakes are high, and the risks are obvious. We must remember that we are dealing with lives of
children, not hardened criminals. Child soldiers and previous ones have a lot on their shoulders and
by granting them amnesty we will be able to provide a better future for them. Many countries have
participated in committing the atrocious crime of using children to fight in wars as part of their
armies, some of them being Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Uganda and many others. Many people
believe that previous child soldiers should be put through court to be convicted of the war crimes
that they committed, but this often leads to time in prison and hard feelings of violence towards the
government. There is nothing for these children in jail. They simply cannot thrive in that ghastly
environment and it should be a crime to stop them right in the middle of their development. We
must grant these children amnesty because what they did was only to survive and we can easily
adjust them to a new life by providing them with proper education.
We must realize that these people are first and foremost children, children who still have potential to
be good and to change from their violent past when given the education. Many children who have
fought in wars do not know what they are actually fighting for. They are not involved with politics
and sometimes are simply fighting because they know they will not survive any other way. All these
children know is survival, and that sometimes it comes at

A Long Way Gone Analysis
In Ishmael Beah's memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Beah encourages the
opinion that everyone is responsible for his/her own actions in all cases. Beah proves this opinion to
be true through death, thievery, and violence.
Throughout the memoir there are many cases of death, some because of health reasons and others
for intentional reasons. Through family, anger, and survival of the fittest, Beah makes being
responsible for someone else's death known. After Beah's long, treacherous journey and being
separated from his family, he eventually had the chance to be reunited with his family. "The path
zigzagged up to the top, where when we finally made it, everyone had to rest for a few minutes. I
became angry that we had to rest, and I sat on a big rock away from the rest of the group" (93).
Beah, eager to see his family could no longer wait, progressed to the village only to hear the sounds
of villagers shrieking and see the village burn to ashes. The casualties in the village were caused by
the rebels. The rebels were aware of their doings and knew what they did was wrong, but they did
not seem to care. Although they were following orders, they were still responsible for the passing of
every person there. After Beah loses his family he becomes angry with Gasemu and brutally attacks
him and blames him for the death of his family. "If we hadn't stopped to rest on that hill, if we hadn't
run into Gasemu, I would have seen my family, I thought... I got up, walked behind Gasemu, and
locked his neck under my arms... I fell next to a pestle. I picked it up and hit Gasemu with it" (95–
96). Along with a bloody nose, Gasemu had been shot by one of the rebels and later died. "When we
finally got to the wahlee, Gasemu's eyes were still open. Alhaji closed them. I sat by him. His blood
was on my palm and my wrist. I regretted hitting him with the pestle" (99). Although Ishmael was
not the one who caused Gasemu to die, he still took responsibility for intentionally hurting him with
the pestle and making his nose bleed. After eluding death a numerous amount of times, Ishmael and
his friends become soldiers. They began training hard and acting like the other soldiers. The idea of
killing any rebel was now locked in

Ishmael Beah: Child Soldiers
I believe that Ishmael Beah should not be prosecuted for war crimes for his actions because he was
manipulated and drugged. Ishmael was forced to become a child soldier at the age of 13. He was
separated from his family when he was 12 and moved from one village to another in order to stay
alive. One day, Ishmael thought he had reached safety in a village called Yele, but this wasn't the
case. He was manipulated into joining Sierra Leone's Armed Forces. The lieutenant told Ishmael and
many other men and boys that they need them to help keep the village safe and "If you do not want
to fight or help, that is fine. But you will not have rations and will not stay in this village" (p. 106).
What the lieutenant did was manipulate a 13 year old boy and many other men. His tactics were
telling them ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
106–107). One of the other boys response to the ultimatum was "It is better to stay here for now. We
had no choice. Leaving the village was as good as being dead" (p. 107). The lieutenant's weapon
was instilling them with fear and telling them that the only way you could stay alive was if you
joined their forces. Of course, the men and young boys complied with the lieutenant because their
first thoughts were this is life or death. What Ishmael did not know when he was a child soldier was
he was being drugged. Before going to war, they would give them white tablets to boost their
energy. The boys free time consisted of "...smoking marijuana and sniffing brown brown, cocaine
mixed with gunpowder, which was always spread out on the table, and of course taking more of the
white capsules, as I had become addicted to them" (p. 121). First of all, a 13 year old boy should not
be smoking marijuana, sniffing brown brown,and cocaine mixed with gunpowder. Those drugs are
lethal and he could have been killed by

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
The word "hope" is defined as a feeling of expectation or desire. People expect things to happen to
them such as winning the lottery or meeting the man of their dreams but hope does not guarantee
that these things will happen. Hope is quite often found in people involved in hard times such as
war. Soldiers have to hope that they will make it home to their families everyday. Ishmael Beah
understood what it was like to have hope in terrible situations. When Ishmael wrote his book "A
Long Way Gone" he was able to show how he had hope when he lost his family, when he went to
New York and when he tragically lost hope when he was in the war. Ishmael went through losing
not only his siblings, but also his parents. At the very beginning of the book Mattru Jong was
attacked by the rebels separating Ishmael from his parents. "We must go back and see if we can find
our families before it is too late"(Beah 10). Instead of him and his brother running away from the
attack, they decided to run back in hope of finding their family. Then later in the book Ishmael was
told that his family was in the next village. "Perhaps my mother and father have gotten back
together"(Beah 84). So Ishmael not only had hope of finding his family but he hoped that somehow
his parents got back together during that time. Throughout all of the villages Ishmael traveled
looking for his family he always had hope. When he was able to travel to New York for the UN
conference for children, he had hope that he

A Little boy forced into a man's shoe Ishmael Beah the boy who survived a war.Ishmael Beah wrote
the memoir A Long Way Gone about himself surviving as a boy soldier for the RUF (Revolutionary
United Front).Ishmael Beah writes in first person view so the experience is more involving to the
reader.Ishmael Beah lived in Sierra leone a small country in Africa he was a little kid with his
friends making a rap group on their way to a talent show until they heard screaming and people
running.Ishmael Beah develops the themes of sanctity of life,loss of one's innocence,and survival
under unique conditions in his memoir A Long Way Gone as an example of describing the
importance of the memoir topic.
In a Long Way Gone shows the sanctity of life, a theme where all lives are meaningful and should
be cherished.Ishmael and his friends go to a village and see an old man "I will not be alive to see the
end of this war" (74) the old man says.The old man says this because he knows he will die and he
wants the kids to survive and draws them a map to another village.The old man saving young lives
he helped Ishmael beah and his friends so they could live then erases the map so no one else could
follow them.The Lieutenant says "When the lieutenant picked me, I stared at his face, but he
ignored me"(157) Ishmael falls in line,This relates to the theme because the lieutenant is saving
Ishmael's life.A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah show the sanctity of life by saving innocent
lives,but they're loss of innocence.
In A Long Way Gone shows sanctity of life, however they're loss of innocence that anyone can
become viscous.When Ishmael gets taken by the RUF, he learns to be a soldier but never truly learns
how to be a kid, so the soft mold finally hardens into a killing machine.When the kid soldiers were
getting tired"The corporal said it will boost your energy,"(142) it was drugs.Now that Ishmael is
taking drugs and soon will become addicted to them losing innocence.At Night "that we stole
people's food"(43) Ishmael was thinking about.Ishmael felt guilty, but finds a way of thinking of
what he did was ok and that it was for survival.
Therefore if there is loss of innocence they lived in unique conditions.Living in unique

A Lot Of The Children Interviewed Within The First Chapter
A lot of the children interviewed within the first chapter of Peter W. Singer's book Children at War
are under the age of 12. They speak of torturing people in the most horrific of ways. Such as when
joining the paramilitaries, A., age twelve, states that the first thing they make you do is kill
someone. A random person is picked for the recruits to chop off his hands and arms. It is important
to realize however, that not all of these child soldiers are as young as 7. Singer explains that a "A
'child soldier' is generally defined (under both international law and common practice) as any person
under eighteen years of age who is engaged in deadly combat or combat support as part of an armed
force or group." What is most horrendous is ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
By the end of the Civil War Cook was involved in more than twenty battles. The example of John
Cook is far different than the young boys involved in today's wars. Such as in Sierra Leone, the
young boys that are soldiers were forced into fighting with rebel groups to cause terror. Much
different from Cook, he was involved because he wanted to and he took actions into his own hands
because of his bravery and patriotism. It is easy to see that child soldiers have been involved all
around the world for centuries. Singer states "by the twenty–first century child soldiers had served
in significant numbers on ever continent of the globe but Antarctica." From 1998 to 2001 the
countries that were active combatants were Mexico, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Northern Ireland,
United Kingdom, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Macedonia,
Algeria, Chad, Republic of Congo, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Rwanda,
Uganda, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan,
Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, East Timor, Philippians, Papua
New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and lastly the Russian Federation. Noticeably a lot of these listed
countries are African. Singer writes, "Africa is often considered to be at the epicenter

Examples Of Perseverance In A Long Way Gone
There may be as many as 300,000 child soldiers, hopped–up on drugs and wielding AK–47s, in
more than fifty conflicts around the world. Ishmael Beah used to be one of these child soldiers ,
Ishmael Beah is a child who lived most of his childhood in the war . He is one of the first to tell his
story in his own words according to http://www.alongwaygone.com/index.html and his memoir "A
Long Way Gone". The war had made ishmael have perseverance in the long run , inference that he
was brainwashed by the war and that ishmael was a very hopeful child always wishing for better
days. Ishmael showed perseverance during his time in the war when in his memoir " A Long Way
Gone" it stated on page 179 " Leslie had told me that I was to be "repatriated" and reinstated into
normal society. I was to live with my uncle. Those two weeks felt longer than the eight months I had
spent at the Benin Home" showing that he had only spent eight months getting over everything he
went through in the war in two years , therefore it showed how much he could overcome in such
little time and how he went through very difficult things in a matter time and still had perseverance
through it all. Another example of how he had perseverance was stated in the book on page 88 " We
were leaving our friend, or as my grandmother would put it, " His temporary journey in the world
had ended." We on the other hand had to continue."Showing how hard it was for Ishmael to have to
keep going on but still continued

Ishmael: My Soldier
Ishmael is a 12 year olds old from Sierra Leone who once wanted to be a rapper. He have divorced
parents, brothers and grandparents.They are in a poor family and the mother have to decide which of
her sons can go to school. He and his friends Junior, Talloi, and Mohamed have been rapping and
dancing when they are young. They decide to form a group and go visit Mobimbi where their
fathers works for American company. One day when the boys come back from school they was
reported that the village is under attack by the rebel. This is when Ishmael start his new life and
violent experiences kicks in. He lose all his family and now he have to survive alone through the
war. He sees dead body laying around his and surrounding him "My squad was my family, ... Show
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He was recruited by the government and learn how to use weapons and start to do violence. He join
the army because he wanted to fight back the rebel for his family and another reason is that he want
to survive. It was hard for him at the beginning in training cause he don't know most of the people.
He lose his communication like he used to do. Days after day training taught him how to become a
survival soldier. He and some other boys start to travel through villages to villages to steal foods to
keep him from dieing. The gun is his provider and protector because without them he will be killed.
In the war he either kill the rebel or get killed by the rebellions. He didn't want to be with anyone
cause he lose his trust cause of the rebel. He even become a kid who start violence like shooting and
killing. As he gain trust as time goes every boys he meet is his new family. As story goes on he
moved to New York to live with his uncle. From many violent experiences taught us about the
consequences and aftereffects. Some intended things he did is that joining army to survive since his
family is killed by the

Rhetorical Analysis: A Long Way Gone Memoirs Of A Boy Soldier
The purpose of the book A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier written by Ishmael Beah, is
to show the evil behind arming children and having them fight. Beah tells a story of a personal
experience of being a child forced to become a soldier, and in his story there are many rhetorical
strategies that he uses. Beah uses rhetorical strategies such as Onomatopoeia, Anaphora, and
Hyperbole. He uses these strategies to make the story a more sorrowful story and allow the readers
to feel a certain type of connection or understanding to him. Ishmael who is suffering from what is
going on around his villages goes through many obstacles with his brother and their friends. These
strategies make the story more personal because they give out a lot of detail and lets the reader
really see the perspective of Ishmael. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He uses this strategy most of the time when somebody is talking in the story because there is a lot of
dialect that contains it. One example of Onomatopoeia used in the book is when Ishmael is speaking
to his uncle and his uncles keeps saying "Ah" before he speaks because he is sighing. This gives out
a detail of how his uncle is feeling or one could infer from this that Ishmael's uncle is not in a joyful
mood at that time. This helps create a setting for the reader that the conversation between Ishmael
and his uncle is serious. This strategy helps with the purpose of the story because it creates a
connection to the setting which is not supposed to be seen as joyful because evil things are going on
and if the reader has a connection then the understanding will be

Essay on A Child Soldier's Life
Carolina Quinones
Mr. Paradis
English 10
11 June 2013
A Child Soldier's Life The life of a child soldier is not an easy one; it's full of violence and
bloodshed. Children from most ages get recruited and are forced to do things that they are against,
things that are against their beliefs. But although child soldiers suffer through many mental
disorders, they can still be respectable adults. They go through many things, the recruiting itself,
then the violence, after comes the horrifying rehabilitation and last they are finally reintegrated into
society. In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael suffered from these things, himself explaining that at some
point in his life, he just went numb to everything (Beah 121).
Throughout Africa, rebel ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This program takes away their guns and anything that remind them of the war, like the drugs, after
they put the child in a rehabilitation center and try to give them a new cycle, like going to school
and such and last they reintegrate them into society, both socially, economically and emotionally
("Recent Developments in International Rehabilitation of Child Soldiers"). Different methods are
taken to help these children rehabilitate, but none the less, they are rehabilitated, and helped, taken
away from the war and returned to their childhoods.
After the children are rehabilitated, they are reintegrated into society with the hope that they will
continue their lives violence–free. Actual studies have been made to evaluate the process of the
children after they are rehabilitated and thrown back into society. In the study, children who had
killed someone increased levels in hostility, others who survived rape also had high levels of anxiety
and hostility but they had shown greater confidence and prosocial attitudes. At the end of the study,
the improved community acceptance lowered levels of depression and improved confidence and
prosocial attitudes despite the violent past. (Betancourt, "Sierra Leone's Former Child Soldiers: A
Follow–up Study of Psychological Adjustment and Community Reintegration"). The study showed
that despite their violent

A Long Way Gone 1
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah, tells of the experiences in his
intense journey through Sierra Leone during the outbreak of war. Beah had to learn to survive the
harsh outcome of the war, resulting in the loss of those whom were close to him, family and friends,
and trust in people. The book has a recurring theme of nature and the natural world. In the book, the
world at night, as well as the moon, serves as both a safeguard and a bringer of bereavement. As a
boy, Ishmael has heard stories and proverbs about the moon. An old man in his village would say,
"We must strive to be like the moon." (Pg. 16) Ishmael's grandmother explained that no one
complained when the moon was present. Children would play and ... Show more content on
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88) Ishmael was afraid that the night would take one of them away, like it took away Saidu. At
times, Ishmael feels that the night sky has also protected him from certain death. Ishmael and his
friends, run until night comes and saves them from the rebels. "The moon disappeared and took the
stars with it, making the sky weep. Its tears saved us from the red bullets." (Pg. 98) Ishmael explains
that, he can see the redness that the guns give off when they are fired. Another example of when the
night is his savior, is when he is living in Freetown after the rebels overthrow the government.
"Nightfall seemed far away, it felt like waiting for Judgment Day." (Pg. 206) Ishmael and his cousin
attempt to make a dangerous trip to get some food from a secret market in town, when it is
discovered by the rebels, Ishmael goes into hiding hoping that night would come. He compares the
wait for nightfall to Judgment Day because the night sky is the only thing that could save him, in his
predicament. In A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Beah frequently references to nature
and the natural world; to nightfall and the presence of the moon. In the book, the world at night, as
well as the moon, serves as both a safeguard and a bringer of bereavement. Beside the pain and
suffering he endured from lack of sleep and fear of recurring nightmares, the night has also saved
him in times of need. He may have lost a lot during the war but, there are some things that he has

God Grew Tired Of Us By John Bul Dau
John Bul Dau is trying to promote war in Sudan, John was a lost boy in the middle of the Civil War
in Sudan, so he had to flee from his family and friends, to escape from being killed or tortured. He
was around 15, one of the oldest children that ran away from Sudan. John then was one of the first
children to get into America. John Bul Dau advocates to ending the civil war in Sudan through his
works, "God Grew Tired Of Us," "Lost Boy, Lost Girl, Escaping Civil War In Sudan," "Partnering
Together: A Church doing Mission In South Sudan."
John Bul Dau's illustration "God Grew Tired Of Us", impacted a social movement in Sudan. When
living happily in the area of Sudan, John's life was disrupted by the rebels who had started the ...
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This is a story of two kids that had their lives disrupted by war. They had to flee from their families
to find a refugee camp to be safe, but did not have too much freedom at the refugee camp because
the rebels found them and started shooting at them.
"There are no paved roads and virtually no buildings of metal or brick. Mud, sticks, leaves, and
grass are our construction materials." –Dau, John Bul. Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Escaping Civil War in
Sudan (p.13)
These people did not have proper roads they didn't have any buildings, they did not have clean
water, so be appreciative of what you have. This book was written because it strides towards
freedom of war and keeping peace. Sudan has had two wars now, the first civil war in the years
1955 to 1972, and the second Sudanese Civil War went on in the years 1983 to 2005.
John Bul Dau's text Partnering Together: A Church Doing Mission in Sudan impacted the Church in
Sudan because the church helped a lot during the war, the church is a really big part in Sudan. This
book is about a church in Sudan that is trying to help the people to be free from war and torture. The
church is on a mission to gain freedom and make

Loss of Innocence in A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy...
A prominent theme in A Long Way Gone is about the loss of innocence from the involvement in the
war. A Long Way Gone is the memoir of a young boy, Ishmael Beah, wanders in Sierra Leone who
struggles for survival. Hoping to survive, he ended up raiding villages from the rebels and killing
everyone. One theme in A long Way Gone is that war give innocent people the lust for revenge,
destroys childhood and war became part of their daily life. In the A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah,
a twelve–year–old explains how he used to go on a swim with his friends and his love for rap music
and hip–hop dance. When Ishmael and his friends went to visit Mattru Jong, they visited Ishmael's
grandparents in Kabati. While staying at the Mattru Jong, they ... Show more content on
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Then, the boys were caught by a group of guarding villagers and they were sent to the chief of the
village. When the chief is decides to drown the boys, the rap tape in Ishmael's pocket leads them to
discover that they aren't a threat and only innocent boys. The boys stayed in Kamator for one month
until it was finally attacked. Ishmael and his brother were seperated and never seen him again even
his friends. Surviving alone in the forest for a month, Ishmael was able to find the exit of the forest
and joins a group other boys. When the boys reach seashore, they were caught by fishermen. The
fishermen gave the boys shoes because of their severe burn feet on the hot sand. After two weeks,
the villagers caught the boys and when the chief saw Ishmael's rap cassette, they allows them to
leave. When they are travelling to the next village, Saidu became sick and quiet. When they boys
arrived, A woman was able to tell Ishmael about his family in the next village. The next day, Saidu
died at night and he was givena funeral arrangements and Ishmael and the other boys became sad
because of their friend's sudden death. After Saidu's death, they head to the next village looking
forward seeing their families. They came across Gasemu and walk with him, but when they reached
the village, the rebels were already attacking and the boys were hiding. Then, the rebels were able to
hear them and Gasemu and the boys began to run while the

A Long Way Gone : Memoirs Of A Boy Soldier By Ishmael Beah
I have read about 7 books this past year.
Over the summer, I have been reading weekly and sometimes a day to day basis.
The book I chose to read for my summer reading assignment was A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a
Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. By judging this book by its title, I knew it was going to be a
nonfiction piece focusing on one person's experience on this gruesome topic. I expected this novel
to graphic and eye opening about the life of a child soldier.
Major Characters
Ishmael Beah: The author and narrator of this novel shares his experience when he was a child
soldier for Sierra Leone Armed Services during the civil war. Before the war, he spent most of his
time with his friends, rapping along with his cassette tapes, enjoying ... Show more content on
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He shares his story with the world.
Lieutenant Jabati: He is the head of the Sierra Leonean Armed Services and trained the boy soldiers,
including Ishmael, during the war. The Lieutenant and Ishmael had a personal connection and
Ishmael saw him close to being father figure. The Lieutenant was the one who sent Ishmael with
UNICEF to the rehabilitation center.
Esther: She was the nurse at the Benin House who formed a friendship with Ishmael during the time
he was there. Esther was loving and determined to earn Ishmael's trust. Esther helped Ishmael open
up about his past and reminded him that it was never his fault.
Uncle Tommy: He was the brother of Ishmael's father. Ishmael first saw Uncle Tommy when he
visited him at the Benin House and continued to visit him every week after that. Him and Ishmael
shared long walks together and got to know each other. Ishmael often described Uncle Tommy's
kind eyes and his contagious laugh. He was generous and loving man who took in Ishmael and other
children without families.
Minor Characters:
Junior Beah: He was Ishmael's older brother. Ishmael never saw him again after they were separated
when they were trying to escape from the rebels.
Mohamed: He was Ishmael's brother's best friend. They were also separated during their time
running, but then they were reunited at the rehab center. They later lived with Uncle Tommy in
Freetown and referred to each other as brothers.
Leslie: He

The True Heartbreaking Story of a Boy Soldier To be quite honest, there are no stories more heart–
breaking than the stories about African war and child soldiers. "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael
Beah is about his own personal experiences through man's most cruel act, war. The story starts out
sad but it has a happy ending thankfully. Ishmael Beah's purpose of the book is to tell readers the
sad truth about what has and what is happening in parts of Africa. The author shares the details of
growing up without parents, constantly hiding from rebels, becoming a child soldier and
rehabilitating years after the traumatic event. Overall, the book was well written mainly because of
the detail used to describe his adventures which help us connect to him personally, the format
worked out nicely but there was only one turning point in Ishmael's character which does not
happen until close to the end. "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah is about his own story. He
started out in a small village that was eventually raided by rebels which caused him and his friends
to run away. They walked miles from village to village in search for food and water. Everyday is a
struggle for survival and they find themselves committing acts they never thought they would, like
stealing food and water from innocent people. Eventually Ishmael and his friends are recruited into
the army which is the main thing he feared. As time goes on, the army becomes his family and he
believes he must kill every rebel to

A Long Way Gone Memoirs Of A Boy Soldier By Ishmael Beah
The book A Long Way Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah portrays seamlessly what
the human condition should be. Human condition is the "characteristics, key events, and situations
which grow the essentials of human existence, such as birth, growth, emotionality, aspiration,
everyday conflict, problem solving, and mortality." Additionally human nature refers to specific
characteristics such as morals, attitudes, feelings, thoughts and actions. After reading A Long Way
Gone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, we have been left with the question, what precisely does Ishmael 's
experiences tell us about the human condition? What does this exactly mean to be human? To truly
understand this, we have to understand what he was capable of ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
I didn 't know what I was going to do with my life. I felt that I was starting over and over again."
This quote introduces us to a multitude of issues that Ishmael faced and survived. It portrays how he
was a victim of violence who had lost his family and is considered dangerous to most people; he
survived more than physical pain but mental anguish as well. The anguish of his everyday battles of
losing his family and friends brings him a great deal of sorrow and grief. He continues on through
each village realizing how no one cares for him and how hopeless he truly is and with no one by his
side he comes to the conclusion that he has no place to call home anymore. His village was
destroyed by the rebels and as a whole, Sierra Leone now fears him. He worries no such place will
exist for him as long as he is alive. In particular when he says "I was starting over and over again,"
he is realizing that he has no place to stop as long as Sierra Leone is in war because he has to avoid
the rebels and the terrified victims of the war, that fear him. With no place to stop and the constant
need to be on the move he realizes he has no time or place to rest. Finally he is coming to the
conclusion that his dreams have been obliterated by the war and that the only thing he can do is
survive each coming day. Overall Ishmael had to survive a great deal of emotional, mental, and
physical pain to

What Is The Theme Of A Long Way Gone
"A long way gone" will be my choice as it gives primarily, an overview of the negative impacts
Sierra Leone's 10 years devastating civil war, had on children in the late 90's. A long way gone is the
true story of Ishmael Beah (the author), who became an unwilling soldier during the civil war in
Sierra Leone. At age 12, he was forced to flee his village with friends from his rap band, after an
attack from rebel fighters. Ishmael, his friends and brother wander from village to village in search
of food and shelter, amid the confusion, violence, and uncertainty of the war. Eventually, Ishmael as
a soldier by the army. He gradually became a fierce killing machine capable of horrible violence.
With the army being his new home, he was brainwashed

Independent Reading Book
Independent Reading Book Writing Assignment A long way gone, memoirs of a boy soldier, by
Ishmael Beah is a story of about a boy named Ishmael and how his ordinary life was suddenly
changed by a civil war in his home country (Sierra Leone). He is separated for his family when the
war starts and he is determined to find them. Ishmael is resorted to moving from place to place with
different groups of boys/friends along the way. He faces challenges and life threatening situations
everyday and does everything he can to stay alive. He has many close calls that almost result in
death, but he is saved many times, usually due to the music tape that he carries in his jacket.
Eventually ishmael is recruited to the army. The army changed Ishmael is a negative way. He is like
a killing machine and uses drugs and eventually gets to a point where is addicted to them...From this
point on Ishmael learns many lessons and goes through ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This corrupt government is Sierra leone lead to rebels fighting/rebelling and a civil war broke out.
This war then lead to the breakdown of the economy and basically every government controlled
system. Money and other ways of communication/payment were useless and that meant that it was
an absolute disaster. Cause and effect is displayed to me when reading this book and it shows how
harmfull an argument can become. Also this book showed me how harmfull an event like this civil
war can scare and destroy a person for the rest of their lives. I learnt this when Ishmael said that is
now a fully grown man, but he still can have a good sleep at night. Overall this book really helped
me facilitate history by letting me see the big picture and the cause and effect that historic events
play in people's lives. In conclusion this book created a huge learning curve for me and I thoroughly
enjoyed reading

What Are The Effects Of Argumentative Essay On Child Soldiers
In multiple developing countries right now, there are ongoing wars. These battles are greatly
affecting the local communities, but especially the children. Extremist or terrorist groups are forcing
these children to fight for them. The majority of child soldiers are given no choice whether or not
they desire to fight. Therefore, as long as these children show remorse for their actions and are
mentally stable, they should be granted amnesty. Many child soldiers are drugged before going into
battle, and threatened to avoid them running away. If imprisoning them wasn't inhumane enough,
this is truly unacceptable. Some people may think that child soldiers might pose a danger to the
public because of their previous experience in a war–zone, but ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
If a child can not comprehend the idea of death yet, then why would they be able to comprehend
how awful it was to murder someone? This is an advantage for those who desire to use them as
soldiers, but a great disadvantage for the children themselves, or anyone who gets in their way.
Fortunately, many governments have argued that, "If a child under the age of 15 is too young to
fight, then he or she must also be considered too young to be held criminally responsible..."
(Johannesburg, paragraph 6). This rule of thumb protects those who truly don't yet understand the
terrible things that they've done and can't be trusted to make large decisions for themselves.
However, no matter how many children are freed, there are always more to use. These soldiers are
so effective because of many factors, but mainly because children are much more easy to
manipulate than adults. Said by Ishmael Beah himself, "Everybody asks why do they go after
children? Because you can easily manipulate them,"(Barnett, paragraph 19). Even if, miraculously,
all child soldiers were set free, they would still be targeted, which is why they need to be granted
amnesty. After all, why train a new soldier when you can just as easily reclaim an old

A Long Way Gone Freedom Analysis
Since the beginning of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, the protagonist of the novel Ishmael
endeavors to flee from the hardships enkindled by the RUF rebel organization that has amalgamated
the country of Sierra Leone, officially making it a war zone. Moreover, for more than two years
Ishmael has attempted to escape from the rebels, moving from village to village, rummaging
through abandoned homes. Seemingly, the rebels would make their way to Ishmael, sweeping all
villages. Deprived of food or any sign of hope surviving as a "lone wolf", Ishmael enlisted in the
Army of Sierra Leone to fight against the radical organization. Ishmael risked his life for the prime
purpose of surviving and to pursue freedom. Furthermore, self–determination was one of the
reasons for such bravery, but it was also due to specific objects that aided in Ishmael's journey for
freedom. Nonetheless, in his literary work, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael
Beah uses symbols to underscore his central theme of oppression and/or freedom. The most evident
symbols that accentuate the theme of oppression and/or freedom are the moon, the rap cassette tape,
and the AK–47.
The moon's role in Ishmael's journey is very prominent, as it exhibits the theme of freedom also
oppression in the novel. When Ishmael is in dire need of comfort he looks to the moon for help
when struggling to survive the civil war alone. Furthermore, the moon for many in Sierra Leone
portray the moon as a symbol of peace

Should Child Soldiers Be Forced To Become A Child Soldier?
Would you like it if your children where taken from you to become a child soldier, well in Somalia
children have been taken to become child soldiers. They are getting prosecuted for it as well, child
soldiers should not be prosecuted for this. Theses child soldiers are being forced to fight against
their will. Ishmael Beth was a child soldier in a news report on CBS News and he said that they
were drugged. Also a gun was held up to there held every second this went on. The children were
also drug or sold out of their homes and put in the army, plus boys with no home or food go
wandering into military base seeking help, instead they get enlisted and drugged. Children who
wished to leave armed groups and resume a civilian life told Human Rights

Summary: Should Child Soldiers Be Prosecuted For Their Crimes
Imagine being in a community that is going through war, you are a 9 year old boy and your family is
killed. You feel lost, and like you have nowhere to go, so you decide to go to a military base for
protection. While you are there you get brainwashed and drugged. They tell you you will go out and
fight, or they will kill you. Being such a young child you just follow directions, and fight, and kill
others. Then an American soldier picks you up. They bring you back to America to be tried for
murder. You never had any idea that what you were doing was wrong because you were told what
you were doing was for your country, and that you were just following directions. You are found
guilty anyway and are in jail for the rest of your life. Not everyone ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
In the article, "Analysis: Should Child Soldiers Be Prosecuted For Their Crimes?" it said the child
soldiers were, "Pushed by their commanders to do perpetrating atrocities." This just goes to show
that the children did these horrible things because they were told that it was okay, and that is what
they were instructed to do. Also, In the CBS interview with Ishmael Beah, referring to his
commanders and fellow child soldiers said, "you develop a strong sense of attachment to these
groups and at this time these people are the only type of structure you have in any way." and also,
"you want to please them." This proves that the children look up to the commanders as a role model,
and they think of the other soldiers almost as family. Lastly, in the CBS interview with Ishmael
Beah he said, "The sergeants begin to look like older brothers," and, "The commanders begin to
look like your father figure." This just illustrates that the child soldiers have no body other than the
commanders and sergeants to look up to, so they do look up to them, but they are not very good role
models. Furthermore, the commanders are not good people for these children to be looking up to, so
naturally they learn that doing bad things is okay, and that is all they

A Long Way Gone Character Analysis
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier: Character Development
Ishmael Beah was an ordinary twelve year old boy from Sierra Leone, until one night changed his
entire life. The author of A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy soldier is Ishmael Beah himself
because he wanted to portray is life journey for readers to understand what life is like for children
fighting to live their lives during warfare.
He was recruited like many other children to leave behind his life and fight in the civil war against
the rebels.After time of being a soldier, Ishmael received help from others so he is able to heal and
speak up to the world about these wars involving children. Ishmael Beah transformed from an
ordinary twelve year old boy to an enraged killing soldier and then to a man that speaks up for
children affected by these wars.
The twelve year old Ishmael Beah didn't live like any ordinary twelve year old kid would have.
Ishmael, his brother Junior, friends Talloi and Mohamed, are in a rap group together and they left
their village to go and help out a friend's talent show. When they reach their friend's village they
find out that the rebels had attacked their home. After a while, the rebels finally reached and
attacked the village of Matru Jong causing chaos. The group of friends luckily escape and a whole
new life begins for them. "It was a typical aspect of being in the war. Things changed rapidly in a
matter of seconds. And no one had any control over anything. We had yet to learn

In A Long Way Gone, the author Ishmael Beah laments about how "the war had destroyed the
enjoyment of the very experience of meeting people." He elaborates on these experiences and
sufferings throughout the memoir, A Long Way Gone. He experiences these things when he tried to
escape war, when he fought as child soldier, and when he got dismissed and sent to a rehabilitation
center.
War destroys the experience of meeting people, and one experience Ishmael had was his encounter
with a man and his family, who were also trying to escape war and were roaming throughout the
woods. After an attack on a village that Ishmael and his older brother Junior stayed in, they
separated and that prompted Ishmael to have to roam alone in the woods for safety. On the sixth day
in the woods alone, he saw people and approached them as he was desperate for human interactions.
The people he saw was a family, and he spoke to a man, most likely the father. He cordially spoke to
the man and tried to start up a conversation to figure out what the man's plans were. Ishmael was
trustworthy even towards strangers at the time. Unfortunately, the man did not trust Ishmael enough
to share his family's plans, travel routes, and background; instead of learning about another tribe's
culture, Ishmael was simply directed to a certain location. Aside from the brief human interaction,
Ishmael did not enjoy meeting this man due to the lack of mutual trust and openness. Later on, after
Ishmael serves in the war as a

The Factors That Made Survival Possible For Salva In A...
Anisha Shaikh 12/19/17
Class – 721 E L A Final Draft
End of Unit 2 Assesment
What factors made survival possible for Salva in "A Long Walk to Water"
Salva the main character of "A Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park was an 11–year old boy
when his village was attacked. His teacher urged him to run away from the village and to run to the
"bush." After that attack, his life made a turn for the worse. With no family around him, he was
completely lost. During his journey, he had some problems, but overcame ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Therefore the first survival factor for Salva was the thoughts of seeing his family again. The second
survival factor that made survival possible for Salva was Uncle Jewiir's advice. Not only was his
advice a survival factor, but he himself was a survival factor. While Salva was crossing the desert in
chapter 7 he found himself losing hope. But Uncle Jewiir didn't let that happen. He made sure to
stay by Salva's side when he needed somebody for comfort and he gave advice. According to
chapter 7 (page 41), it states that "If it hadn't been Uncle, Salva might have gone crazy with fear.
Uncle spoke to him all morning in a steady, low voice." This shows us that Salva was afraid of the
lions and he needed someone to comfort him. This also shows that without Uncle Jewiir Salva
would probably be long gone. It also says in chapter 9 (page 53) that "As if by magic, Uncle was
suddenly at his side. "Salva Mawien Dut Ariik!" he said, using Salva's full name, loud and clear.
Salva lifted his head, the sobs interrupted by surprise. "Do you see that group of bushes?" Uncle
said, pointing. You need to only walk as far as those bushes. Can you do that, Salva Mawien Dut
Ariik?" This shows us that Uncle Jewiir's advice helped him a lot and what Uncle was trying to
imply to Salva was to take a step at a time instead of taking it all in one time. Not only did Uncle
Jewiir's advice help now, but years later too. He was

Beah's use of imagery is extremely important for portraying Ishmael's life as a child soldier. The
description Beah uses makes the reader ultimately feel like they are there with him. The imagery
shown also describes in great detail how Ishmael's life went from innocent to an unimaginable life.
Ishmael Beah writes a novel, A Long Way Gone, to show the violent images in his journey through
Sierra Leone. The author uses imagery to show his innocence and pureness of being a child before
his world changed entirely. As a young child, Ishmael never first handedly experienced war, but
have heard stories about the past battles from his elder family members. For example, "There were
all kinds of stories told about the war that made it sound as if it was happening in a faraway and
different land" (Beah 5). The thought of war never really crossed Ishmael's mind as a child, as he
was too occupied by school and friends. The way Beah describes how the stories felt like they were
happening in a faraway and different land shows not only has he never been touched by war, but
thinks of it happening in such a remote area that it will never happen to him. Junior, Ishmael's older
brother, Mohammed and Talloi, his great friends, and Ishmael himself, all fell in love with dance
and rap music, later forming a group that helps them further in the journey. For instance, "The four
of us had started a rap and dance group when I was eight" (Beah 6). The rap music symbolized
freedom and innocence of the

The Issue Of Child Soldiers
Every day, thousands of children around the world wake up in the morning, grab their shoes and
backpacks and head to school. Thousands of other children pick up their AK–47s and head to battle.
The issue of child soldiers is as complex as it is atrocious, and its heinous nature has prompted the
international community to pour vast amounts of time and resources into finding a solution. Despite
humanitarian and government organizations' best efforts, the numbers have remained relatively
static over the decades, with over 300,000 underage combatants worldwide (Vautravers 96). Many
scholars have declared the U.N.'s current policy as a failure and offered up proposals of their own,
ranging from placement of sanctions to international ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
While the use of child soldiers is not a new occurrence, the real international push to end the
practice did not begin until the late eighties, with the 1989 Convention of the Rights of a Child, or
the CRC. It quickly gained over 190 signatures, making it one of the most ratified U.N. documents
in history and ushering in a new era that prioritized child rights and fought injustice (Singer 569).
However, since then the number of child soldiers has remained relatively stagnant, with 85 countries
utilizing child soldiers in armed groups as of 2004 (Kargbo 487).
Some scholars, such as P.W. Singer in his article, "Talk is Cheap: Getting Serious about Preventing
Child Soldiers," would contend that current legislation lacks teeth, allowing militant groups to run
rampant and flout responsibilities without consequence. For example, a rebel group in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, promised not to use child soldiers, only to continue
flaunting its underage army weeks later (Singer 571). Since the U.N. lacks any methods of enforcing
legislation other than diplomatic pressure, which is rarely successful, armed groups will often
deliberately disregard standards set forth and receive little or no punishment. This, coupled with the
fact that most commanders these standards are aimed at are either illiterate or out of reach of state
authority, makes almost all current legislation useless (Kargbo 490). A possible solution that

Effects Of War : Being Touched By War
Christina Randazzo
Mrs. Grabo
Freshman English
12–10–2015
The Effects of War Being touched by war can change a person, especially if they're someone like
Ishmael Beah, the author of A Long Way Gone. Ishmael's life started off as normally as yours or
mine. He had a father, a mother, two brothers, a good group of friends, and a love for rap music.
These were the days before the war. After the war came, everything changed, and now I feel that the
phrase "A long way gone" applies to his life in many ways, whether it be physically, emotionally, or
socially. Ishmael has gone through many physical changes throughout his time as a boy soldier.
When he was a boy, he had never even touched drugs, but once he was plunged into the heart of the
war, drugs became a part of the everyday routine. The drugs that they gave him to keep him awake
and energized did their job. They did it a little too well. He is so full of drugs that he hasn't slept or
eaten for weeks. When he does sleep, he is quickly woken by horrible nightmares, and when he's
awake, he suffers from throbbing migraines. Before the war he never had to deal with things like
that. Due to the war, Ishmael has been displaced, and lost many things. He was physically driven
away from his home, and had his family stolen from right underneath him. Not to mention all of the
friends that he has lost along the way as well. His cassettes and clothes, the things that constantly
saved his life, were taken from him and burned

A Long Way Gone : Memoirs Of A Boy Soldier
There are approximately 250,000 child soldiers in the world today. Sixty percent of these soldiers
are young boys, and eighty percent of them are under the age of fifteen. In the memoir, A Long Way
Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah describes his three–year experience as a child
soldier in Sierra Leone. Throughout the five phases of the novel Ishmael 's personality changes
drastically. It is more of an evolution than it is development. In the end, he ends up as an entirely
different person than he began as. Throughout the book, Ishmael faces many challenges. In the
beginning, he copes with the trauma of losing his family. Later, he struggles with his addiction to
cocaine. In the end, he 's learning how to adjust to a normal life. These significant moments shape
his character, and explain why he acts the way that he does. The first part of the book is about
Ishmael 's life before the war, which lasts until he is about twelve years old. In this section, Ishmael
appears to be ignorant. He says, "At times I thought that some of the stories the passerbys told were
exaggerated. The only wars I knew of were those that I had read about in books or seen in movies"
(pg. 5). Ishmael doesn 't believe the others because he doesn 't understand what is going on with the
war. He 's never experienced kind of suffering, and he doesn't believe how it could be possible. The
fact that he doesn 't trust them also portrays him as skeptical. He 's not convinced that the travelers
are

Child Soldiers Research Paper
CHILD SOLDIERS
"Somebody being shot in front of you, or you yourself shooting somebody became just like drinking
a glass of water." –Ishmael Beah. Ishmael has lived most of his childhood being a child soldier.
Everywhere he goes there's killing, as he is also forced to be doing the killing. Ishmael was only
twelve years old when he was forced to join the army. Going through all the suffering he has gone
through, soon he got used to the feeling, changing him. After getting forced to commit murder, it
became a daily routine for him. Ishmael's situation is common throughout the world, mainly in
Africa, even today. Child soldiers don't join the army without a justified reason, and that's
something some people don't understand. Currently there ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
For instance, people may say they should be prosecuted for their crimes. The article, "Should child
soldiers be prosecuted for their crimes?" demonstrates how these crimes can be developed to
becoming a habit to the child soldiers. It says "'If minor children who have committed serious war
crimes are not prosecuted, this could be an incentive for their commanders to delegate to them the
dirtiest orders, aiming at impunity.'" (JOHANNESBURG, 2011). Even if they're committing a
crime, what do you expect from children that have been torn away from their families and have
nowhere else to go? These child soldiers don't know any better. Something you should consider
thinking about is how they feel about all this and having their childhood taken away from them just
to survive. Like any other children, child soldiers just want to have a family and have a shelter.
Moreover, others may argue saying allowing child soldiers immunity from prosecution denies
victims justice. In the debate " Child Soldiers Should Be Prosecuted", many people argue whether
child soldiers should be prosecuted. It says " It is unfair to victims that will have to live side–by–
side with their attacker and see them walk free without any punishment.". It may seem wrong to let
a child go for committing a crime just because they're a child, however child soldiers are ordered to

Theme Of Hope In A Long Way Gone
Ishmael Beah was a boy from Sierra Leone who became a soldier in the country`s tragic civil war.
He spent nearly all his childhood running away from the war and eventually ended up joining the
army. During difficult times, Ishmael always held on to hope to continue his life's journey. In A
Long Way Gone, the theme is "Always have hope", and is shown through Ishmael Beah's hope for a
better life, to find his family, and through the rehab staff`s hope for the boy soldiers.
Ishmael`s hope for a better life portrays one example of the theme "Always have hope". The war
was very traumatic for everyone in the country. In fact, Ishmael joined the army at only 12 years
old. While fighting in the war, Ishmael recalled his family and the wisdom they left with him. For
example, Ishmael`s father said, "If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person he or she will
die" (Beah54). Ishmael holds on to his father`s words as they comfort him and divert his attention
away from the war around him. He could`ve given up many times during the journey. Instead,
Ishmael does not lose hope and continues to move on because he knows that life will get better.
Another way the theme, "Always have hope" is shown in A Long Way Gone is through Ishmael`s
hope to find his family by keeping his will to live and the memories at the forefront. In Ishmael`s
first account of war, his village was overturned by the rebels and his family was split up. Therefore,
Ishmael and his friends were left to survive

A Long Way Gone. Ishmael Beah. New York. Sarah Crichton Books, February 13, 2007. 229 pages.
A Long Way Gone, expresses many emotions; happiness, anger, and sadness, all at once. Ishmael
Beah, an innocent civilian who became a child soldier, learned to live life the hard way, facing many
challenges, struggling for survival, and suffering from nightmares but have helpful memories.
The novel, "A Long Way Gone", documents Ishmael Beah's youth in Sierra Leone in the year of
1993 during a civil war. At the age of twelve, Ishmael lost his family due to the invasion of the
Revolutionary United Front (RUF) causing his village, Mattru Jong, that he cherishes the most to be
destructed. This was the start of his difficult journey of survival. At the age of thirteen, he became a
brainwashed child soldier who was filled with raging vengeance against the RUF. Ishmael lost his
pure innocence and childhood due to the civil war. Eventually, he escaped from being a corrupted
indoctrinate child soldier and was sent to rehab. After some time in rehab, Ishmael received the
treatment he needed. He then, lived with his uncle Tommy in the city for some time and soon the
war began to repeat in the city, the killings, invasion, and demolition of homes. Ishmael became
fearful again and this time he'll be escaping to another country to avoid from being a soldier again.
Ishmael Beah encountered many unexpected events and challenges, whether it's good or bad. For
example, he lost some of his close friends that he would consider as brothers. Ishmael states,
"I was in disbelief that Saidu had actually left us. I held on to the idea that he had just fainted and
would get up soon. It hit me that he wasn't going to get up after he was lowered into the hole, just in
the shroud, and the diggers started covering him the earth" (pg 86).
This was an abrupt event that I would've never thought would happen. After the death of Saidu,
Ishmael says, "The cockcrows faded, only to make us aware of our silence, the silence that asked,
Who will be the next to leave us?" (pg. 88). To indicate this, Ishmael never really had the thought of
losing the people in his group before, but after Saidu's death leaves him questioning who's next. In
my opinion, one

Essay about A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
Hope enables people to move on by providing the thought that maybe tomorrow's events will be
better than today's. Hope is a theme that remains constant in every part of A Long Way Gone by
Ishmael Beah. Ishmael begins the novel optimistic, believing he will find his family again. This
optimism is later lost when Ishmael is recruited by the army to fight against the rebels, causing him
to become addicted to drugs and the thrill of killing. Three years after his recruitment, Ishmael is
rescued by UNICEF–a group dedicated to rehabilitating child soldiers. During his rehabilitation,
Ishmael discovers hope once more by relearning how to trust, love, and have the will to survive. The
presence of hope throughout A Long Way Gone enables Ishmael to ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
The more people Ishmael loses, the less he has to fight for– the less he has to hope for. Upon finding
his family's ashes, Ishmael is enraged– not hopeless. Ishmael's hope is alive, but shrinking as
Gasemu indicates when he says, "Your forehead used to glow naturally when you were just a child
... We thought it was because you were happy all the time. Your mother said you even smiled when
you slept. But when you started your troublesomeness and were angry, your forehead glowed even
more...And here you are, it isn't shining anymore," (Beah 92). Ishmael's forehead did not glow
because he was mad or sad or embarrassed or happy. Ishmael's forehead glowed because he was
passionate and hopeful. The angrier he got when he was younger, the more his forehead glowed
seeing as he believed in his anger. Despite the fact that his hope shrank when he was faced with the
death of his family, the threat of the rebels, and the fear of dying, these events did not destroy
Ishmael's hope– Ismael's hope begins its descent to nothingness when he becomes a child soldier
and, consequently, a drug addict. When Ishmael no longer mourns the death of human life, his hope
is lost. When Ishmael cannot care less if he lives or dies, his hope is lost. When he would rather
continue killing as

Ishmael's 'A Long Way Gone'
If I could, I would give Ishmael a dozen of other awards after his story as a boy soldier, but I think
this award suits him best. A Long Way Gone tells the story of a young boy who experiences war for
years without any family and only the hope of living to find them one day. The story begins with the
terrible happening of rebel attacks while Ishmael is far from his family. He had travelled to this city
near his home to attend a talent show. Soon, as they return, they take notice of the attacks and have
no choice rather than fleeing far from their home. Accompanied by his older brother and a few
friends, they suffer in staying alive while trying to keep away from the war the best they can. With
no map, they begin their journey. Hunger, fear,

Speech On Child Soldiers
Imagine you are in Syria, you are in a military base, drugged and there is a gun pointed to your
head. This is what child soldiers face every day. The issue of children being soldiers has dated back
to World War 1, when 250,000 children under 18 in Great Britain enlisted to fight. Today, there are
300,000 child soldiers around the world, fighting grown men with more experience, and many are
dying. The big issue with children being soldiers is the fact that they're being intoxicated with
harmful drugs and alcohol, their minds aren't fully developed to make educated decisions, and these
children are becoming soldiers against their will. On top of all of this, the child soldiers and their
commanders are committing war crimes. Examples of war crimes are willful killing, causing great
suffering or serious injury to body or health, and torture or inhumane treatment. In some parts of the
world, people think children being soldiers is okay, but it really isn't. Even though some children
commit war crimes on purpose, most do not; therefore, should be granted amnesty. The first reason
why child soldiers should be given amnesty is because they are being fed harmful drug concoctions
to make them better killers and their minds aren't developed enough to make good decisions.
According to an interview of a former child soldier, "By the time he was 12, Beah's parents and two
brothers were all dead." (Beah) Ishmael Beah escaped his hometown to find safety from the rebels
that killed his

Redemption In A Long Way Gone By Ismael Beah
People will sometimes think which would be the most effective method to use to right wrongs
redemption or revenge? When righting a wrong, redemption is a more effective method than
revenge. Redemption will usually result in less violence and there will be less problems to deal with.
Revenge on the other hand, will usually result in more violence and it occasionally bites back on
whoever was getting revenge on someone else or a group of people for some specific reason and
sometimes things will tend to not go as planned.
An example would be from a book titled A Long Way Gone by Ismael Beah. In page 128 of the
book, Ishmael says "I was talking at gatherings in Freetown about child soldiering and how it must
be stopped. "We can be rehabilitated," I would emphasize [...] I would tell people that I believe
children have the resilience to outlive their suffering, if given a chance." After Ishmael rehabilitates,
he comes to believe that child soldiering must be stopped and how children can outlive their
sufferings if they are given the chance. Through rehabilitation Ishmael redeems himself as he now
sees that being a child soldier is not a good thing. Another thing he says in the book is on page 151
where he says "What I have learned from my experiences is that revenge is not good. I joined the
army to avenge the deaths of my family and to survive, but I've come to learn that if I am going to
take revenge, in that process I will kill another person whose family will want revenge; then revenge
and revenge ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
A Long Way Gone shows Ishmael redeeming himself after rehabilitating and the "Redemption
song" shows that to redeem themselves, they have to free their minds from a mental slavery. Where
in revenge it's shown to usually fall apart and bite back much like Radin's plan did in an episode of
The Twilight

A Long Way Gone Argument Essay Examples

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