Situations of high pressure and little time call for quick action. In 1991, war erupted in Sierra Leone. Everyone was affected, even the children. There was no time to for them to evolve; thus, they tried to tackle the war before properly learning how to handle it. In each of their stories, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah and The Bite of the Mango by Mariatu Kamara, two children who experienced the war in Sierra Leone tell about the severe circumstances they were in along with the choices they had to make in order to live. Ishmael Beah of Mattru Jong explains how he was forced out of his home to become a child soldier at the age of twelve, hereupon killing countless civilians himself (48, 159). He wrote that he lost all his family very early
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In essence, he hid like a craven boy, even when he knew the war circumvented him. He heard stories from others but did not fully accept them until the war directly affected him, whereas Mariatu experienced it firsthand. At the first rumor of rebel invasion, her village hid and later had to migrate to Manama, a supposedly safer town nearby (Kamara and McClelland 21-23). Furthermore, Mariatu experienced more savage treatment from the rebels in her initial encounter than Ishmael. In Ishmael’s first meeting with the rebels, one of the boys with him vomits from fear and anxiety in front of the rebels. One of the soldiers, “...pushed him to join us [Beah and a couple other boys] by smashing him in the face with the butt of his gun. The boy’s face was bleeding as we continued on.” (Beah 34). This scene is quite ferocious with such misconduct; nonetheless, Mariatu’s story is more compelling. During her first run-in with the rebels, Mariatu was sure it would be the last day of her life. Auspiciously, the rebels decided not to kill her. However, they gruesomely cut both of her hands off with a machete (Kamara and McClelland 40-41). Between these events alone, it is evident that Mariatu is already going to suffer more than Ishmael, not only through the course of the war but for the rest of her life. Here, she learns to be more cautious. She forgets …show more content…
On top of everything else, she faced betrayal from a close family friend when he impregnated her. Along with the trouble to trust others, she now carried the responsibility of a child. She contemplates, “My family wants me to go to school and get a good job, but how can I do that with no hands?... I want to do well and raise the money to help them return. I just don’t know how I’m going to do that” (Kamara and McClelland 147). She had more to worry about, and it was too much for someone so young. Indeed, Beah lost touch with his childhood, but not to the extent that Mariatu did. He was forced into becoming a merciless killing machine, where she was forced into adulthood with responsibilities of herself and her child. Ishmael had one responsibility, which was to join the rebellion and fight for his life. Even so, he was never truly alone in his battle; he had friends going through the same thing by his side. Mariatu was generally by herself. Even when she had the company of others, she isolated herself whenever possible. Mariatu’s trauma and loss of innocence guided her through motherhood and her progression. She would not have been able to endure this hardship if she did not grow up at such a young
In essence, he hid like a craven boy, even when he knew the war circumvented him. He heard stories from others but did not fully accept them until the war directly affected him, whereas Mariatu experienced it firsthand. At the first rumor of rebel invasion, her village hid and later had to migrate to Manama, a supposedly safer town nearby (Kamara and McClelland 21-23). Furthermore, Mariatu experienced more savage treatment from the rebels in her initial encounter than Ishmael. In Ishmael’s first meeting with the rebels, one of the boys with him vomits from fear and anxiety in front of the rebels. One of the soldiers, “...pushed him to join us [Beah and a couple other boys] by smashing him in the face with the butt of his gun. The boy’s face was bleeding as we continued on.” (Beah 34). This scene is quite ferocious with such misconduct; nonetheless, Mariatu’s story is more compelling. During her first run-in with the rebels, Mariatu was sure it would be the last day of her life. Auspiciously, the rebels decided not to kill her. However, they gruesomely cut both of her hands off with a machete (Kamara and McClelland 40-41). Between these events alone, it is evident that Mariatu is already going to suffer more than Ishmael, not only through the course of the war but for the rest of her life. Here, she learns to be more cautious. She forgets …show more content…
On top of everything else, she faced betrayal from a close family friend when he impregnated her. Along with the trouble to trust others, she now carried the responsibility of a child. She contemplates, “My family wants me to go to school and get a good job, but how can I do that with no hands?... I want to do well and raise the money to help them return. I just don’t know how I’m going to do that” (Kamara and McClelland 147). She had more to worry about, and it was too much for someone so young. Indeed, Beah lost touch with his childhood, but not to the extent that Mariatu did. He was forced into becoming a merciless killing machine, where she was forced into adulthood with responsibilities of herself and her child. Ishmael had one responsibility, which was to join the rebellion and fight for his life. Even so, he was never truly alone in his battle; he had friends going through the same thing by his side. Mariatu was generally by herself. Even when she had the company of others, she isolated herself whenever possible. Mariatu’s trauma and loss of innocence guided her through motherhood and her progression. She would not have been able to endure this hardship if she did not grow up at such a young