A Long Way Gone Informative Essay
Smith 1
Haley Smith
Mrs. Brown
AP English 7
September 18, 2014 a long way gone
Informative Essay
The novel, a long way gone
, written by Ishmael Beah is a true and troubling story of a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone, an African country. Beah faces many arduous struggles and carries out many atrocities while fighting that no child should ever have to endure.
How and why does the army trick these children into doing these abhorrent tasks, specifically
Ishmael Beah while he was fighting for Sierra Leone?
From the time the children walk into the army camps, they begin to be brainwashed into thinking that the army is fun. When Ishmael Beah first walks into the army camp, he sees all of the soldiers laughing, socializing, and playing games that reminded him of home (Beah 1012).
The army makes camp seem enjoyable in order to beguile the children into believing that they are not in danger, but, in fact, in a great community. Not long after this, reality starts to set in. As violence starts to erupt, Beah’s lieutenant calls everyone together to show them two bodies, a man and a child, that had just been gruesomely killed (Beah 107). He spoke to the child soldiers, announcing that,
This man and this child decided to leave this morning even though I had told them it was dangerous. The man insisted that he didn’t want to be a part of our war, so I gave him his wish and let him go. Look at what happened. The rebels shot them in the clearing. My men brought them back, and I decided to show you, so that you can fully understand the situation we are in. (Beah 1078)
Smith 2
Anybody that tries to escape from the rebels is instantly killed, and they often show the bodies to the new recruits (Dupuy 66). One can assume that they do this essentially to scare loyalty into the young soldiers and make them feel that fighting in the war is their only option. Soon after that incident, the frightened children are each
Haley Smith
Mrs. Brown
AP English 7
September 18, 2014 a long way gone
Informative Essay
The novel, a long way gone
, written by Ishmael Beah is a true and troubling story of a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone, an African country. Beah faces many arduous struggles and carries out many atrocities while fighting that no child should ever have to endure.
How and why does the army trick these children into doing these abhorrent tasks, specifically
Ishmael Beah while he was fighting for Sierra Leone?
From the time the children walk into the army camps, they begin to be brainwashed into thinking that the army is fun. When Ishmael Beah first walks into the army camp, he sees all of the soldiers laughing, socializing, and playing games that reminded him of home (Beah 1012).
The army makes camp seem enjoyable in order to beguile the children into believing that they are not in danger, but, in fact, in a great community. Not long after this, reality starts to set in. As violence starts to erupt, Beah’s lieutenant calls everyone together to show them two bodies, a man and a child, that had just been gruesomely killed (Beah 107). He spoke to the child soldiers, announcing that,
This man and this child decided to leave this morning even though I had told them it was dangerous. The man insisted that he didn’t want to be a part of our war, so I gave him his wish and let him go. Look at what happened. The rebels shot them in the clearing. My men brought them back, and I decided to show you, so that you can fully understand the situation we are in. (Beah 1078)
Smith 2
Anybody that tries to escape from the rebels is instantly killed, and they often show the bodies to the new recruits (Dupuy 66). One can assume that they do this essentially to scare loyalty into the young soldiers and make them feel that fighting in the war is their only option. Soon after that incident, the frightened children are each
Cited: . New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print. . Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger Security International, 2010. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. Wessells, Mike. "Child Soldiers. (Cover Story)." Bulletin Of The Atomic Scientists 53.6 (1997): . Web. 17 Sept. 2014.