Gerardo Martinez's Journal
36042
Hope-2/12/16
In "A Long Way Gone," during chapter eight Ishmael remembers a quote from his father that he uses as inspiration to stay alive. The quote his father tells him is "If you are 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 sees that quote as a motivation to keep him to pull through and stay persistent. To me, that quote would also give me a sense of self-worth, and that every day I am alive is a blessing, which is true, and that being alive means that hope will always be there and always keep me going for me and the ones I love. The other sentence about if a person will die if nothing good is left in their destiny I also agree on. Anyone could have the bare necessities of life, but if they are not emotionally/mentally happy, they will most likely die for having no true reason/purpose to live. The quote explains that one must be happy just being alive, because it indicates that being alive means the future will bring greatness, and that being mentally unhappy/have nothing good in their destiny will not and simply die.