In the story A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah, we follow the life of the author himself, from the young age of nine years old to when he is about fifteen years old. We see his struggles living life in a time where violence and death held a firm grip on Sierra Leone, and how he lost his entire childhood both running away from the war, and being a part of it as well. Before this novel, I had somewhat of a vague understanding of the civil war that had occurred in Sierra Leone. I watched certain movies that portrayed the Civil War in certain ways, such as Blood Diamonds. This book completely changed my view from what I had believed it to be. It was very intense and revealed the true gore of what was happening, and from a child’s perspective as
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It connects mainly through some common themes. The first is Fate vs Free Will. In the story, Ishmael begins life as a happy, everyday nine year old, filled with curiosity and innocence. He ends the story in a very contrasting way. The unfortunate part is, it was not his choice. It was forced upon him, by the greedy intentions that others had. The same is with Sayuri. Ishmael is forced out of his home, and runs far from it. He also takes on a whole different role in life, changing from a kind child to a cold blooded child soldier. The same occurs in Memoirs of a Geisha. Sayuri is forced away from her home at a young age, much like Ishmael is, and is forced to pursue a life she would not have normally chosen. These actions were done to these children the same way. It was at the hands of someone greedy and powerful. It was not what they wanted, but rather what fate brought upon to them. The second way these stories connect is through another common theme: Appearance vs. Reality. In both books, this theme is seen, but in different ways. In Memoirs of a Geisha, it is seen many times. We see it often exemplified by Hatsumomo, especially at the beginning of the novel. At times, Hatsumomo seems to warm up to Sayuri, but immediately crushes her and her spirit. In A Long Way Gone, it is seen when Ishmael joins the army. They use drugs to manipulate children, and brainwashing them into believing that the rebels killed their parent, even though in Ishmael’s case they did not. These manipulations lead Ishmael to believe that he is fighting for just reasons, whereas in reality, he is
It connects mainly through some common themes. The first is Fate vs Free Will. In the story, Ishmael begins life as a happy, everyday nine year old, filled with curiosity and innocence. He ends the story in a very contrasting way. The unfortunate part is, it was not his choice. It was forced upon him, by the greedy intentions that others had. The same is with Sayuri. Ishmael is forced out of his home, and runs far from it. He also takes on a whole different role in life, changing from a kind child to a cold blooded child soldier. The same occurs in Memoirs of a Geisha. Sayuri is forced away from her home at a young age, much like Ishmael is, and is forced to pursue a life she would not have normally chosen. These actions were done to these children the same way. It was at the hands of someone greedy and powerful. It was not what they wanted, but rather what fate brought upon to them. The second way these stories connect is through another common theme: Appearance vs. Reality. In both books, this theme is seen, but in different ways. In Memoirs of a Geisha, it is seen many times. We see it often exemplified by Hatsumomo, especially at the beginning of the novel. At times, Hatsumomo seems to warm up to Sayuri, but immediately crushes her and her spirit. In A Long Way Gone, it is seen when Ishmael joins the army. They use drugs to manipulate children, and brainwashing them into believing that the rebels killed their parent, even though in Ishmael’s case they did not. These manipulations lead Ishmael to believe that he is fighting for just reasons, whereas in reality, he is