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A Long Way Gone - Ismael Beah
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This paper provides a discussion of Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone Memoirs of ...... More...
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Paper Abstract:
This paper provides a discussion of Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. The analysis discusses some of Beah's main points and the impact of his serving as a murderous soldier for the Sierra Leone government at age 12. The impact of decolonization on Sierra Leone and other factors like poverty and corrupt government are also addressed.
Paper Introduction:
A Long Way Gone Introduction The coming of age tale in Ishmael Beah\'s biography A Long WayGone Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is one no teen should have to endure Atthe age of twelve Ishmael served as a murderous boy soldier in the SierraLeone government\'s army in the mid- s The army was in the midst ofwaging war against different groups of anti-government rebels Ongoingconflict and war seemed to be a legacy of Colonialism since gaining itsindependence from Britain in the nation
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We see that despite the poverty,horrific violence, and other atrocities the boys endure on a daily basis,they are still boys who like to play and forge a strong bond. On the dayIshmael and his friends traveled from their village (Mogbwemo) to a largetown to perform in a talent show, they were informed rebels had attackedtheir village and everyone there had fled. However, Ishmael and hisfriends are eventually recruited by government forces to join them becausethey fear the rebels and because they are told it is the best way to avengethe murders of their families and friends. By the time he was twelve he hadbeen brutally ripped away from family and friends and absorbed into thegovernment's army and turned into a vicious killing machine. I became afraid, sinceI could no longer tell the difference between dream and reality" (Beah,2 8, p. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1 2). Fortunately government forces interrupt the plans of the rebels and thebrothers and their friends escape to the jungle. In this ongoingenvironment of conflict and instability, Ishmael Beah endured a harshexistence that included the murder of his parents and two years of brutalkilling as a member of the government army. 14). In this mannerthe boys fall under the spell of strong leaders who promise them revenge ifthey become willing killers. Body Ishmael Beah was born in 198 . Fortunately, a Shakespeare-reading Lieutenanttakes Ishmael under his wing. Ongoingconflict and war seemed to be a legacy of Colonialism, since gaining itsindependence from Britain in 1961 the nation had endured a cyclical patternof corrupt and brutal government followed by rebellion and then replaced bya more brutal and corrupt regime (Beah, 2 8, p. The boys made the decisionto go back to their home village. It is notunlikely Beah and other children put through such trauma came to admire thefear they inspired in others. (2 8). He suffers from bad dreams that will plague him for years alongwith other ailments like migraines due to the trauma he endures, "[The]person pointed the gun at the place where I had been shot and pulled thetrigger. The boys are socialized butthey are socialized through violence and continual emotional upheaval,privy to some of the most brutal acts of barbarity. 126). We see the boys- seeking parent figures - bond readily with their strong leaders and seeklove and bonding where they can find it. The devastation and barbarity theywitnessed there would come to characterize Ishmael's life for the next twoyears. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs Of A Boy Soldier. We see that in this manner theauthor is making the point that child soldiers are often caught in ahorrifying trap between childhood and manhood. It is difficult to tell the good from the bad in anatmosphere where the rebels and the government forces come off just asbrutal and corrupt as each other. After three years of brutal fighting, hechooses Ishmael to be part of a group of young soldiers who are saved byUNICEF officials and sent to rehab. It is difficult to be rehabilitatedfrom the shattering experiences Ishmael and the others endure. Fortunately, Beah is ableto finish his education and go on to college wit the aid of friends hemakes who help him escape Sierra Leone in 1997 when civil war erupted. Ishmael and his brother hide out in the jungle for a while.Eventually they are captured by rebels who want Ishmael's brother to jointheir forces and place Ishmael in the group to be shot by the new recruits. Afterthis shattering dislocation and disassociation from everything he knew,Beah becomes a killing machine for the government forces. Musa had grown popular among the boys and would always endthe night with a different story" (p. Ironically, these leaders are fairly similarto those who killed the parents of the children but there is little choicefor Sierra Leone residents caught between the government and rebel forcesin a war-torn, poverty-ridden and developing nation. The town where they were nowanticipated a similar attack the following day. A conclusion will address howIshmael's experiences are a reflection of the aftermath and legacy ofdecolonization on Sierra Leone and the use of child soldiers in manynations experiencing similar instability and corruption. 112). I woke up and hesitantly touched my side. The use of child soldiers continues to be employed in many nationsthe world over. In rehab heseems offended by what he finds to be the effete workers he labels"sissies" (Beah, 2 8, p. Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone teaches the shatteringpsychological and emotional impact this practice has on children subjectedto it.ReferencesBeah, I. 87781 A Long Way Gone Introduction The coming of age tale in Ishmael Beah's (2 8) biography A Long WayGone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is one no teen should have to endure. The boys are turned intoviolent machines in the name of avenging their parents' murders, "I firststab him in the stomach, then the neck, then his heart, and I will cut itout, show it to him, and then pluck his eyes out. The army was in the midst ofwaging war against different groups of anti-government rebels. He also finds it difficult to accept theirprimary message, "It is not your fault" (Beah, 2 8, p. Unfortunately, Beah'sstory often has a tragic ending and has been experienced by countless otherchildren of both genders in places like Uganda, Somalia, Chad, Sudan andothers. 15). My gun was my provider and protector and my rulewas to kill or be killed" (Beah, 2 8, p. The poor suffer worseunder corrupt government regimes that rob the nation than they do underrebels whose promises also fail to materialize. Atthe age of twelve, Ishmael served as a murderous boy soldier in the SierraLeone government's army in the mid-199 s. 152). For Ishmael, years ofrehabilitation and nightmares and migraines will be the outcome of hisyears as a boy soldier. 14 ). As Beah(2 8) explains, "At night, Alhaji, Jumah, Moriba, and Kenai played marbleson the cement floor under the moonlight that made its way through the openwindowpanes. It is also difficult to rehabilitate a childwhose guns and co-soldiers were more of a family than nurturing parents,"My squad was my family. Conclusion In conclusion, it is readily apparent that the experiences enduredby Ishmael and many other Sierra Leone youths were wrought by theinstability and conflict that have characterized Sierra Leone since winningits independence from Britain in the early 196 s. Ishmael will never see his parents again and provides aheartbreaking account of just missing them at one place they stayed. We see that either corrupt governments or rebels are able to appealto the people because of the widespread poverty and lack of opportunitiesand decent living for inhabitants of Sierra Leone. Remember, he probablykilled your parents....Visualize the banana tree as the enemy, the rebelswho killed your parents, your family, and those who are responsible foreverything that has happened to you" (Beah, 2 8, p. Once British authoritiesand forces pulled out of the region, rebels, corrupt governments, andconflict turned the nation into an atmosphere of war and instability.Fortunately, through the UNICEF rehabilitation program and sponsors in NewYork, Ishmael was able to put together the shattered pieces of hischildhood and soul and make a new life for himself.
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