Appalling acts of violence continue to be the key method for military leaders to gain prominence in society. This is especially effective against those with malleable minds, more specifically children. Specifically, in A Long Way Gone, author Ishmael Beah’s Lieutenant uses murder, abuse, and drugs in order to get Beah to depend on him. Unfortunately, the issue of child soldiers has lost significance in the world today, and because of this a new leader began to rise, Joseph Kony. Kony is the military leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group originating in Uganda. As confusing as it seems, strong bonds actually form between the child soldiers and their leaders. The details of Beah’s relationship with Lieutenant help a reader
…show more content…
Similar to victims of Kony, Beah’s powerlessness in the face of the Lieutenant ultimately resulted in him depending on the Lieutenant for support. Beah’s first step in becoming a killer happens when he describes holding a gun for the first time: “With trembling hands, I took the gun, saluted him, and ran to the back of the line, still holding the gun but afraid to look at it. I had never held a gun that long before and it frightened me” (Beah 111). After getting over his fear, Beah discusses how he was “always either at the front lines, watching a movie or doing drugs”, familiarizing himself with murder as the LRA forced their child soldiers to do (Beah 124). By using trauma to brainwash his army the Lieutenant makes innocent boys into …show more content…
Without this ability, Beah was unable to choose a better role model just like the boys who suffered under Joseph Kony’s LRA. A report entitled “Comparison of Mental Health Between Former Child Soldiers and Children Never Conscripted by Armed Groups in Nepal” discusses just how this mental weakness impacts decision making skills. To quote, “depression, anxiety, and general psychological difficulties” were all results of the war on children (Kohrt et al., 2008). These mental illnesses are all distractions from clear thought, and can have devastating effects on choice making. For example once he was saved, Beah continued to “punch the wall… or anything [he] was standing next to” as he had no clear conscious to make proper decisions (Beah 138). If Beah couldn’t think for himself, neither could the children under Kony’s
Similar to victims of Kony, Beah’s powerlessness in the face of the Lieutenant ultimately resulted in him depending on the Lieutenant for support. Beah’s first step in becoming a killer happens when he describes holding a gun for the first time: “With trembling hands, I took the gun, saluted him, and ran to the back of the line, still holding the gun but afraid to look at it. I had never held a gun that long before and it frightened me” (Beah 111). After getting over his fear, Beah discusses how he was “always either at the front lines, watching a movie or doing drugs”, familiarizing himself with murder as the LRA forced their child soldiers to do (Beah 124). By using trauma to brainwash his army the Lieutenant makes innocent boys into …show more content…
Without this ability, Beah was unable to choose a better role model just like the boys who suffered under Joseph Kony’s LRA. A report entitled “Comparison of Mental Health Between Former Child Soldiers and Children Never Conscripted by Armed Groups in Nepal” discusses just how this mental weakness impacts decision making skills. To quote, “depression, anxiety, and general psychological difficulties” were all results of the war on children (Kohrt et al., 2008). These mental illnesses are all distractions from clear thought, and can have devastating effects on choice making. For example once he was saved, Beah continued to “punch the wall… or anything [he] was standing next to” as he had no clear conscious to make proper decisions (Beah 138). If Beah couldn’t think for himself, neither could the children under Kony’s