In the novel A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah we can see two major aspects of shared humanity the first of which being loss, and the second, survival. Ishmael is a boy who lives in the town of Mogwebo. He and his friends started a rap group and decided to go to a talent show in Mattru Jong which was a town a few miles away. During this time a civil war was happening between the government and the rebels who sought to “free” the inhabitants by killing them all except for the boys who they would draft into their army. Ishmael's town is attacked while he and his friends are gone for their talents show and try to go back to their home after they hear of the attack. A whole group of people who are dying or have dead kids are coming their way
…show more content…
Her child had been shot dead as she ran for her life… Junior, Talloi and I looked at each other and knew that we must return to Mattru Jong, because we had seen that Mogwebo was no longer a place to call home and that our parents couldn’t possibly be there anymore.” (Beah 13-14) This shows the loss of all of his friends and his own parents. This is important as it makes this war real for Ishmael and his friends since they lost their families and saw many injured and dead people. The portrayal of this loss makes the reader sympathize with Ishmael because he lost his parents and has no time to mourn or he will be caught and killed or forced to work for the rebels. The loss connects to the situation by showing the reality of the rebels and how they will kill anyone and everyone to get their “freedom.” The second aspect of shared humanity shown in this novel, survival, is best represented after Ishmael gets separated from his friends and ends up fleeing to the forest and then traveling from town to town to try not to get caught. “For five days, I walked from dawn to dusk, never coming in contact with any human being. At night I slept in abandoned villages. Every morning I made my own fate by deciding which way I was going to go.” (Beah 46) The survival is mental and physical. This is important because it shows how Ishmael had to live after he was separated from his friends and was on his own. This shows the reader how he was affected during
Her child had been shot dead as she ran for her life… Junior, Talloi and I looked at each other and knew that we must return to Mattru Jong, because we had seen that Mogwebo was no longer a place to call home and that our parents couldn’t possibly be there anymore.” (Beah 13-14) This shows the loss of all of his friends and his own parents. This is important as it makes this war real for Ishmael and his friends since they lost their families and saw many injured and dead people. The portrayal of this loss makes the reader sympathize with Ishmael because he lost his parents and has no time to mourn or he will be caught and killed or forced to work for the rebels. The loss connects to the situation by showing the reality of the rebels and how they will kill anyone and everyone to get their “freedom.” The second aspect of shared humanity shown in this novel, survival, is best represented after Ishmael gets separated from his friends and ends up fleeing to the forest and then traveling from town to town to try not to get caught. “For five days, I walked from dawn to dusk, never coming in contact with any human being. At night I slept in abandoned villages. Every morning I made my own fate by deciding which way I was going to go.” (Beah 46) The survival is mental and physical. This is important because it shows how Ishmael had to live after he was separated from his friends and was on his own. This shows the reader how he was affected during