A Long Way Gone- Ishmael Beah
By: Janaya Pederson hour 3
A young boy soldier
A well walked trail
A run down building
Loss of Innocence
Strength-Innocence-Reflection-Control-Hunger
Innocence is an important word in the novel because Ishmael's innocence is basically ripped from him and he struggles to find it and make peace with it.
Reflection is an important word from the novel because Ishmael rarely has time to reflect upon his actions until it's too late. Ishmael learns to reflect on his past to make good decisions in his present.
Control is an important word from the novel because of how uncontrolled Ishmael's situation is. Ishmael learns how to take control of not only his thoughts but his actions as well.
Hunger is an important word from the novel because it describes not only Ishmael's hunger for food and drink but his hunger to survive.
"These days I live in three worlds: my dreams and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past." -Ishmael Beah pg (20)
"When I was a child, my grandmother told me that the sky speaks to those who look and listen to it. She said, 'In the sky there are always answers and explanations for everything: every pain, every suffering, joy, and confusion.' That night I wanted the sky to talk to me." -Ishmael Beah pg (166)
"When I was very little, my father used to say, 'If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die.'" -Ishmael Beah pg (54)
Far From Home- Five Finger Death Punch
Sources:
"Lane County Area Soldiers Reunite With Families." Flickr. Yahoo!, n.d. Web.
Five Finger Death Punch. "Tribute to Soldiers (far from Home+lyrics in Description)." YouTube. YouTube, 18 July 2011. Web.
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007. Print.
"Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Nov. 2008. Web.