There are many forms of media that inform us of the disturbing practice of recruiting and exploiting Child Soldiers, but the most prominent and moving of them are the book “A Long Way Gone” (A LONG WAY GONE) written by Ishmael Beah and the documentary, “War Dance” (WAR DANCE) directed by Sean Fine. “A Long Way Gone” follows the true story of the writer, Ishmael Beah during the time when he was a child soldier in Sierra Leone, on the North West coast of Africa. “War Dance” documents the stories of three children living in Patongo, a camp for displaced war refugees in Northern Uganda. Both texts tell the tragic and gory events the subjects experienced as children of war. Globally there are an estimated 300,000 child soldiers fighting, enduring
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Beah in A LONG WAY GONE shows the reader this idea near the start of the book. As he starts to kill, he becomes desensitised to the horror around him and the inhumane things he is forced to do, for example, at the start of the book he says, “(Quote about his childhood)” while near the end he “(quote on laughing at dead bodies).” Loss of innocence in War Dance is demonstrated using a similar technique, through the Dominic’s narration. Dominic is kidnapped and for two weeks has to fight with the rebels. During this time he is forced to shoot innocent people which affected him psychologically. In the film, he tells of how he was forced to kill three people before he escaped from the …show more content…
They tell of the themes of the horror of war, loss of innocence and rehabilitation through music effectively through the narration, film techniques and the storytelling of the main characters. The issue of child solders is told by both Ishmael Beah and Sean Fine in similar ways by having first hand recounts, graphic description and reflection on their pasts. Whether on paper or spoken by the children themselves, WAR DANCE and A LONG WAY GONE are both two of the most influential forms of media surrounding child soldier of the 21st
Beah in A LONG WAY GONE shows the reader this idea near the start of the book. As he starts to kill, he becomes desensitised to the horror around him and the inhumane things he is forced to do, for example, at the start of the book he says, “(Quote about his childhood)” while near the end he “(quote on laughing at dead bodies).” Loss of innocence in War Dance is demonstrated using a similar technique, through the Dominic’s narration. Dominic is kidnapped and for two weeks has to fight with the rebels. During this time he is forced to shoot innocent people which affected him psychologically. In the film, he tells of how he was forced to kill three people before he escaped from the …show more content…
They tell of the themes of the horror of war, loss of innocence and rehabilitation through music effectively through the narration, film techniques and the storytelling of the main characters. The issue of child solders is told by both Ishmael Beah and Sean Fine in similar ways by having first hand recounts, graphic description and reflection on their pasts. Whether on paper or spoken by the children themselves, WAR DANCE and A LONG WAY GONE are both two of the most influential forms of media surrounding child soldier of the 21st