Job #1:
In the beginning of the novel, Ishmael was a skinny, twelve year old African American boy that wore baggy jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and three pairs of socks that he pulled down and folded, which puffed up his sneakers (7). As the novel progressed, Ishmael became very scrawny with dirty, shabby clothes. Ishmael became extremely thin because he was not able to eat regularly. In the novel, Ishmael’s hunger ends up taking over in chapter 5, Ishmael and his friends chased after a little boy and took the boys corn (30). Also, his clothes end up wearing out as he was constantly running away from the Rebels. In Ishmael 's first encounter with the Rebels, he had to jump into a river in order to get away (23). When Ishmael gets recruited by …show more content…
When war first broke out, Ishmael had to quickly adapt to the new environment, and he had to learn how to survive differently (25). During war, Ishmael had to adjust to being aware of rebels attacking him at any time, along with finding food and water between villages and the forest. His view on surviving had to change due to his situation, otherwise he could have been killed. Plus, he had to mature quickly in order to intake, along with survive through the war situation. When Ishmael had joined the army, he had changed significantly. He once trembled with a gun in his hand, then he had no problem shooting one (120). Fighting in war had greatly altered Ishmael’s attitude because he became very aggressive, and also depended on drugs heavily (139). Another event that had impacted Ishmael’s development is when he was finally released from the rehabilitation center to live with his uncle and his family. He slowly got used to being around people who were happy all of the time and that helped him to fully return to a normal society during his time (182). After losing his mom, dad, and brothers, living with his newly discovered uncle, aunt, and other relatives had made Ishmael feel glad to have a real family again. He finally gets back into the groove of living in a war free society when he lives in the city, …show more content…
Ishmael Beah loses his mother, father, brother, grandparents, and dear childhood friends to Sierra Leonen rebels. In the process, Beah manages to lose himself-- his true character. In a country engulfed by war, he is left with no choice other than to be apart of it. As a soldier, Beah, receding his fear, taps into rage and vengeance in order to survive. Ishmael Beah becomes accustomed to the nature of war and begins to experience personal development. After months of fighting on the front lines, Beah confesses, “[He] didn’t feel a thing for him, didn’t think that much about [killing him]” (124). He becomes emotionless and loses a sense of his psyche. Beah is full of anger, seeking revenge, and no longer his free-spirited self. Upon being admitted in the rehabilitation center, Ishmael communicates his thoughts and feelings with his nurse Esther. He realizes, “[Surviving the war, or any war that he is apart of] were just things that made [him] feel [he] was immune from death” (159). Beah recognizes that being apart of the war was not about his act of courage, instead it allowed him to feel superior. He begins to acknowledge the fact that fighting in the war did not enhance his bravery, but rather served as a false sense of beating his own death. Further in the novel, Beah is reminded by Esther of his innocence. He professes, “Even though I had heard [“None of these things are your fault”] from every staff-- and frankly I had
In the beginning of the novel, Ishmael was a skinny, twelve year old African American boy that wore baggy jeans, long-sleeved shirts, and three pairs of socks that he pulled down and folded, which puffed up his sneakers (7). As the novel progressed, Ishmael became very scrawny with dirty, shabby clothes. Ishmael became extremely thin because he was not able to eat regularly. In the novel, Ishmael’s hunger ends up taking over in chapter 5, Ishmael and his friends chased after a little boy and took the boys corn (30). Also, his clothes end up wearing out as he was constantly running away from the Rebels. In Ishmael 's first encounter with the Rebels, he had to jump into a river in order to get away (23). When Ishmael gets recruited by …show more content…
When war first broke out, Ishmael had to quickly adapt to the new environment, and he had to learn how to survive differently (25). During war, Ishmael had to adjust to being aware of rebels attacking him at any time, along with finding food and water between villages and the forest. His view on surviving had to change due to his situation, otherwise he could have been killed. Plus, he had to mature quickly in order to intake, along with survive through the war situation. When Ishmael had joined the army, he had changed significantly. He once trembled with a gun in his hand, then he had no problem shooting one (120). Fighting in war had greatly altered Ishmael’s attitude because he became very aggressive, and also depended on drugs heavily (139). Another event that had impacted Ishmael’s development is when he was finally released from the rehabilitation center to live with his uncle and his family. He slowly got used to being around people who were happy all of the time and that helped him to fully return to a normal society during his time (182). After losing his mom, dad, and brothers, living with his newly discovered uncle, aunt, and other relatives had made Ishmael feel glad to have a real family again. He finally gets back into the groove of living in a war free society when he lives in the city, …show more content…
Ishmael Beah loses his mother, father, brother, grandparents, and dear childhood friends to Sierra Leonen rebels. In the process, Beah manages to lose himself-- his true character. In a country engulfed by war, he is left with no choice other than to be apart of it. As a soldier, Beah, receding his fear, taps into rage and vengeance in order to survive. Ishmael Beah becomes accustomed to the nature of war and begins to experience personal development. After months of fighting on the front lines, Beah confesses, “[He] didn’t feel a thing for him, didn’t think that much about [killing him]” (124). He becomes emotionless and loses a sense of his psyche. Beah is full of anger, seeking revenge, and no longer his free-spirited self. Upon being admitted in the rehabilitation center, Ishmael communicates his thoughts and feelings with his nurse Esther. He realizes, “[Surviving the war, or any war that he is apart of] were just things that made [him] feel [he] was immune from death” (159). Beah recognizes that being apart of the war was not about his act of courage, instead it allowed him to feel superior. He begins to acknowledge the fact that fighting in the war did not enhance his bravery, but rather served as a false sense of beating his own death. Further in the novel, Beah is reminded by Esther of his innocence. He professes, “Even though I had heard [“None of these things are your fault”] from every staff-- and frankly I had