A Long Way Gone Paradox Analysis
Preston Dunford
Mister Bassett
5 Honors Literature
6 October 2017
[TITLE]
Paradoxes define the human race. Man has the capacity to perform the kindest, most noble actions, but he can also destroy in a most horrible and terrifying manner. The given reading, Night by Elie Wiesel, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, and various articles, serve to provide examples of such behavior. The ten quotes these works stem from the first paradox (defined above), which regards the capabilities of sentient beings in taking action when presented as the Human Condition Project, and the ten quotes included in this essay define this capability. The first paradox radiates throughout many authors’ writings, including A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. Throughout his memoir novel, Beah makes many mentions of both wonderful and atrocious events. He describes a child with an “interrupted innocent smile on her face” (Beah 13). To give context, Sierra Leonean rebels opened fire on a civilian village, killing many in the process. …show more content…
This child suffered the arguably worst separation from his family of any person travelling with Ishmael. The rebel soldiers seized his house, beat his father, raped his sisters repeatedly, stole the family’s entire property, and forced the parents to carry it as they left their only son. Saidu’s fear forced him to remain undetected in his attic during this entire course, an invisible listener of horror. These events weighed excessively on his mind as evidenced by his words: “Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us…. part of me dies” (Beah 70). Besides the soldiers’ actions in general, the very act of their intimidating Saidu to the point where he felt that “part of [him] died” shows a sadistic corruption in Beah’s book which fuels tormentors... and paradox one (Beah
Mister Bassett
5 Honors Literature
6 October 2017
[TITLE]
Paradoxes define the human race. Man has the capacity to perform the kindest, most noble actions, but he can also destroy in a most horrible and terrifying manner. The given reading, Night by Elie Wiesel, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, and various articles, serve to provide examples of such behavior. The ten quotes these works stem from the first paradox (defined above), which regards the capabilities of sentient beings in taking action when presented as the Human Condition Project, and the ten quotes included in this essay define this capability. The first paradox radiates throughout many authors’ writings, including A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. Throughout his memoir novel, Beah makes many mentions of both wonderful and atrocious events. He describes a child with an “interrupted innocent smile on her face” (Beah 13). To give context, Sierra Leonean rebels opened fire on a civilian village, killing many in the process. …show more content…
This child suffered the arguably worst separation from his family of any person travelling with Ishmael. The rebel soldiers seized his house, beat his father, raped his sisters repeatedly, stole the family’s entire property, and forced the parents to carry it as they left their only son. Saidu’s fear forced him to remain undetected in his attic during this entire course, an invisible listener of horror. These events weighed excessively on his mind as evidenced by his words: “Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us…. part of me dies” (Beah 70). Besides the soldiers’ actions in general, the very act of their intimidating Saidu to the point where he felt that “part of [him] died” shows a sadistic corruption in Beah’s book which fuels tormentors... and paradox one (Beah