Preview

Analysis Of A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
378 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis Of A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah
In "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah the author describes his experiences in the Sierra Leone civil war. He faced many challenges, and this affected him in many ways. The Sierra Leone war brought Beah into conflict with his own humanity, specifically his will to live, his empathy, and his trust. To begin with, Beah lost many parts of his life. In the book, he says, "The war that forces us to run away from our homes, lose our families, and aimlessly roam the forests" (Beah, 199). When the war reached his home village, his life dramatically shifted. This shift forced Beah to find a new way to survive. When the author hid alone in a forest, he said "I didn't know what to do with my life, I felt that I was starting over and over
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah Analysis
    • 87 Words
    • 1 Page

    A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah Analysis

    Throughout history wars have been fought mercilessly and without remorse especially in guerilla warfare. In A Long Way Gone, author Ishmael beah, explains in vivid detail his experience during the war and the horrors it came with. Throughout his journey he tends to see the environment around him fall apart. While it may seem hellish and unforgiving nature itself tries to run from the war. Nature itself does not consider war to be natural since it is driven by murder rather than…

    • 87 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of When The Rebels Finally Came Into My Village By Beah
    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page

    Analysis Of When The Rebels Finally Came Into My Village By Beah

    At the beginning of his memoir, Beah illustrates how the civil war split many children, including himself, from their families causing affliction among them by showing how he and other children from his village were abandoned and forced to join the army—or even get captured by rebels. For example, Beah recalls the exact moments when the rebels attacked his village, “When the rebels finally came [into my village], I was cooking. The rice was done and the okra soup was almost ready when I heard a single gunshot that echoed through the town…My heart was beating faster than it ever had. Each gunshot seemed to cling to the beat of my heart…I thought about where my family was, whether I would be able to see them again, and wished that they were safe…

    • 239 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Long Way Gone Language Analysis
    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Long Way Gone Language Analysis

    Beah’s imagery demonstrates to us the falling state of Sierra Leone: “Dogs were feasting on the burnt remains of the Iman, above vultures circled, preparing to descend on the body as well”(46). To clarify, the Iman was a respected piece of the village but now the Iman is nothing. He was burnt and is now scavenger’s food. Beah shows us through imagery that Sierra Leone is like the Iman, being burnt down and becoming the Rebels food. A sophosicated college bound student needs to able to intrept Beah’s imagery and understand what he meant. Additionally, when Beah is in the forest he uses imagery to show us how he felt about the war. Beah wanted to run and flee from the war instead of fighting in it: “Enormous pigs came running at me, they chased me for about half a mile as I looked for a tree to climb”(53). Frequently, Beah ran away from the Rebels and the war instead of staying and fighting. Beah used imagery to show us that Sierra Leone wanted to run away from the war instead of fighting and protecting their land. A high school senior should be able to create meaning through Beah’s figurative language.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Analysis Of When Everything Else Is Gone By Ishmael Bach
    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Analysis Of When Everything Else Is Gone By Ishmael Bach

    In Ishmael Bach’s autobiography, a long Way Gone, he portrays himself as a young witness of the civil war in his home country Sierra Leone. Beach starts his personal journey at age twelve in his small village where he grew up and ends four years later when he escapes to Guinea. At the beginning of the story Beah is a bright, cheerful, and untroubled, but as the book continues Young Beah takes much pleasure in learning the lyrics to American rap songs and performing them at local talent shows. Little did he believe that his passion for rap music would restlessly save his life. As an adolescent Beach was enlisted in the army to help fight against the rebel uprisings in Sierra Leone. After…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Chapter 8 Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis
    • 1267 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Chapter 8 Lord Of The Flies Quote Analysis

    In chapter eight, Beah reminisces on thoughts of his family. I believe him thinking about his family made him mentally stronger. Remembering the good times with his family would’ve fueled his drive to be back with his loved ones. The determination to be back with his family and society kept him alive, instead of letting it harm him he allowed his thoughts to persuade him to go on. The things his family taught him brought him assistance as he traveled. His father’s quote instilled Beah’s will to live; that if you give up on life you are already dead. When faced…

    • 1267 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    A Long Way Gone vs. Blood Diamond
    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages

    A Long Way Gone vs. Blood Diamond

    A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier and the recent 2006 film Blood Diamond both depict how it was living in Sierra Leone, Africa during the Civil War in the ‘90’s. While A Long Way Gone focuses on child soldiers and what they had to live and go through for many years, Blood Diamond focuses mainly on how the country is torn apart by the struggle between government soldiers and rebel forces. The film portrays many of the atrocities of that war, including the rebels' amputation of people's hands to stop them from voting in upcoming elections. Both the movie and the book try to tackle major issues by asking the questions: how did the rebels and the government gain support, what is the price and impact of way on men, women, children and society.…

    • 1301 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Long Way Gone by Ishmeal Beah
    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A Long Way Gone by Ishmeal Beah

    This memoir provides a first hand view on how modern day wars are now fought. At the age of 12 -the author- Ishmael Beah’s village in the country of Sierra Leone in north-western Africa was attacked by the rebels. Ripped away from his family; he spends two years fleeing from the war in a group of seven young boys. Each day they struggle to survive. In time Ishmael becomes one of the people he feared most: a killing machine hyped up drugs and handed an AK47. The marijuana and cocaine are everyday staples that provide the courage to engage in killing as well as suppress all emotions. During this time his family in killed, in which he realizes that everyone in an enemy. This is his reality for two more years. In the spring of 1996 the lieutenant sends him and a few other boy soldiers away with UNICEF representatives. He is relocated to a rehabilitation center in Freetown - Sierra Leone’s capital- where he resides for six months. Here he receives extensive counseling, therapy, and medical care with the ultimate goal of reshaping these war-traumatized young men into productive members of society. He is then released to his last known family member - an uncle who lives with his family of five in the capitol. Short after, Ishmael is invited to speak to the United Nations in New York City along with other children affected by war from 23 other countries. After the conference he returns home only to soon discover war under the country's new leader and is then present at the death of his uncle. Alone, he flees the country and at 16 is adopted by a storyteller he me in New York.…

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Brief Summary Of Beah's Journey
    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Brief Summary Of Beah's Journey

    In the beginning, life was good for Beah, he goes to school, socializes with his friends, and family. He is sheltered from the war that has ravaged the country; he has seen the refugees pass through his village of Mogbwemo, but for him it does not seem real. However, that all came to an abrupt end when his village was attacked by the rebels and continued to capture more villages. Beah, Junior, and his friends began a survival journey where they have seen numerous barbaric acts perpetrated by the rebels and Beah is horrified. The journey was dangerous as a group of six young boys were often mistaken for young rebel fighters. He is separated from his group and lost in the forest, survived and joined another group. They are united with a man…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone
    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone

    “Every day every hour. Turn the pain into power.” Danny O’Donoghue, a vocalist member of the band The Script, sings in “Superheroes” about the strength that comes with overcoming the struggles presented in life; similarly this message can be seen in Ishmael Beah’s recount of the challenges he faced as a victim of war, A Long Way Gone. To me, the song is a reminder of how difficulties can build someone into a stronger person. Throughout the song, all the lyrics hint that without suffer and perseverance, success cannot be achieved. Similarly, in Beah’s story, he becomes a teenager with more fortitude only after breaking down and experiencing immense grief and pain both physically and mentally. From listening to and analyzing “Superheroes” and reading A Long Way Gone, I learn that only after breaking down and…

    • 1039 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Night to Remember
    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A Night to Remember

    Our past experiences are what make us the person we are today. We are all from different backgrounds, cultures, religions, traditions and therefore we all have different personalities, thoughts, and opinions on certain issues. It’s what leads us to how we react in certain situations and what we want to do in our futures: what we are passionate about. All these things stem from where we came from. Being from a different culture and coming from a different country in my own case has been a huge part of who I am today. Having had the opportunity to come to the USA I’ve been able to experience so many things that I would have never gotten the chance to do if I would have stayed in Sierra Leone. This makes me wonder, how different my life would have been. Think about how your life was when you were ten years old. For the majority of kids, the most important thing they had to worry about was if they did all their homework that night or if they would start in a basketball or soccer game. For me, in Sierra Leone in the late 90’s, it was whether I could survive another hour of the atrocities that were taking place right in front of my own eyes. Each day I wondered if my family and I could escape the clench of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), which at that time was under the control of former army corporal Foday Sankoh. The war was fueled by blood diamonds that the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) mined using slave labor.…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Exit West Analysis
    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Exit West Analysis

    Preserving humanity is difficult, especially when someone is faced with having to escape and leave everything and everyone they once loved behind during time of war. In Mohsin Hamid’s “Exit West,” Saeed and Nadia face this dilemma when they are forced to run away like animals from their home. In the duration of the story, they had to find a way to maintain their humanity. This proves to be something hard during time of war, but not impossible. Taking a different point of view can help maintain someone’s humanity, human necessities remind people of being human, violence is not a true human quality, and love reminds people of their humanity. Mohsin Hamid argues that in times of war and migration it is easy to forget who we are, but there is always…

    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    A Long Way Gone Analysis
    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages

    A Long Way Gone Analysis

    “I concluded to myself that if I were the hunter, I would shoot the monkey so that it would no longer have the chance to put other hunters in the same predicament.” (Ishmael Beah 218). This quote can be seen as a message about the novel, as Beah is trying to spread awareness with this book, and not let anyone suffer the way he did. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is a true story about the author and his first hand experiences of the civil war in Sierra Leone. Theme is defined as the underlying idea or ideas projected throughout a novel. In this particular book the theme is the underlying ideas of humanity, innocence, and survival, before, during, and after the war. Before he is involved in the war Ishmael has a certain level of humanity and…

    • 1456 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Long Way Gone: 4 Way Response Essay Example
    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Long Way Gone: 4 Way Response Essay Example

    This story shows a real life description of a child during the war to overthrow Sierra Leone’s government. Ishmael’s family is dispersed during the initial attack of his village. He keeps his older brother, Junior, with him for the beginning of his travels. He meets up with old friends. They are later dispersed and he finds new friends. The travel and face many hardships. They travel across the country searching for their families and safety from the war. They eventually join the army. He fights for two years and then gets taken to Freetown for rehabilitation. He learns to become a civilian again, lives with his uncle, but turmoil follows him. Freetown is attacked and his uncle dies, and he flees to Guinea so he won’t have to rejoin the army.…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Boy Soldier at the Age of 12
    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Boy Soldier at the Age of 12

    The great benefit of Ishmael Beah’s memoir, “A Long Way Gone,” is that it may help us arrive at an understanding of this situation. Beah’s autobiography is almost unique, as far as I can determine, perhaps the first time that a child soldier has been able to give literary voice to one of the most distressing phenomena of the late 20th century: the rise of the pubescent warrior-killer. Beah was 12 years old when the civil war in Sierra Leone entered his life, in 1993. Sierra Leone, a former British colony in West Africa.…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Music: The Savior of Life
    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Music: The Savior of Life

    After the war Beah ends up in a rehabilitation center called the Benin Home. The rehab process is a very long, hard, and painful process for not only Beah, but as well as all of the boys affected by this war. Beah however ends up finding his true self through the use of his music. It helps him to focus his mind and heal up from the damages of war. Thinking about the lyrics helps him to avoid the flashbacks and bad memories of the war, while opening up to the possibilities of life again. Beah has had a super touch life, especially being a child and music for him seems to be not only a tool to help him, but something that he needs. He explains what it feels like to be one of the victims of war, which is what the music was used to cure, in this quote by him in his book “A Long Way Gone”, “One of the…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics