Death, loss, grief, and pain: These are the agonies of life in Sierra Leone. Two authors chronical their experiences in Sierra Leone to enlighten the world about the tragedies taking place there. A major component in Ishmael Beah’s, A Long Way Gone, is describing how difficult his rehabilitation was from being a child soldier while The Bite of the Mango, by Mariatu Kamara, highlights her resiliency as a victim of various violent crimes. Given the physical and mental components of Mariatu Kamara’s life in Sierra Leone before and during the war, it is clear that her experience was far more negative than Beah’s.
At only twelve years old, both of Mariatu Kamara’s hands were cut off by rebels in the Sierra Leone war. She remembers every traumatizing detail. She recalls, “It took the boy two attempts to cut off my right hand. The first swipe didn’t get through the bones, which I saw sticking out in all different shapes and sizes… It took three attempts to cut off my left hand” (Kamara 40). Physically, she will never heal from this. Ishmael’s physical injuries were not nearly as disabling in the long …show more content…
She was disgusted by the scar from her caesarean section. She wrote, “When I first saw the gaping scar on my stomach from the C-section, I felt like vomiting. All I could think was: ‘what else? What other deformity will befall my body?”’ (Kamara 97). Her scar made her nauseous because it reminded her of the man who raped her. After giving birth, she also experienced many symptoms of postpartum depression which is not uncommon in women who are raped. Before she found out she was pregnant, she did not even know what sex was, and this innocence made her more confused and angry. The man who raped her hurt her in ways that Ishmael Beah could not imagine. While he experienced mental pain as well due to the fact that he was always running from danger, he received counseling services and she did
At only twelve years old, both of Mariatu Kamara’s hands were cut off by rebels in the Sierra Leone war. She remembers every traumatizing detail. She recalls, “It took the boy two attempts to cut off my right hand. The first swipe didn’t get through the bones, which I saw sticking out in all different shapes and sizes… It took three attempts to cut off my left hand” (Kamara 40). Physically, she will never heal from this. Ishmael’s physical injuries were not nearly as disabling in the long …show more content…
She was disgusted by the scar from her caesarean section. She wrote, “When I first saw the gaping scar on my stomach from the C-section, I felt like vomiting. All I could think was: ‘what else? What other deformity will befall my body?”’ (Kamara 97). Her scar made her nauseous because it reminded her of the man who raped her. After giving birth, she also experienced many symptoms of postpartum depression which is not uncommon in women who are raped. Before she found out she was pregnant, she did not even know what sex was, and this innocence made her more confused and angry. The man who raped her hurt her in ways that Ishmael Beah could not imagine. While he experienced mental pain as well due to the fact that he was always running from danger, he received counseling services and she did