Sierra Nevada

The Sierra Leonean Civil War from 1991 to 2001 affected every citizen of Sierra Leone, including children. Ishmael Beah is a man who was caught in the war as a child, and forced to both witness and commit acts of violence as a child soldier, as expressed in his memoir. The role of violence in the memoir A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is to portray the theme of loss of innocence through the comparisons and contrasts of violent acts while Ishmael was running from the rebels, during his time as a…

In Sierra Leone of Africa, 1991, the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) began to attack villages to gain control of land and overthrow the corrupt All People’s Congress (APC). Sierra Leone took on a civil war between ruthless rebels and the army. Within time, the RUF began to grow and the question of a village being attacked was when, not if.…

Discourse analysis of chosen post-genocide solution The Mozambique case study examined by Cobban seems the most appropriate for this research paper. There are similarities to the execution of atrocities carried out against civilians, in both Sierra Leone civil war and Mozambique’s. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs; United Nations Development Programme (2007) identifies the violence in Mozambique as brutal, they reported that “the civil war in Mozambique during the…

In the ¨Drummer Boy of Shiloh¨ written by Ray Bradbury, a 14 year old boy named Joby is in the military and is the Drummer during the civil war. In the beginning, Joby and the soldiers are at a camp just waiting for the next day. There is going to be a battle on the next day that all of them are traumatized over. Joby is scared the most because he is the youngest and he cannot defend himself like the soldiers. He feels very insignificant. He only has a drum and drumsticks and they have guns. The…

a cultural experience for me because it educated me on the history of wars throughout Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Congo that I had no idea existed. “Beasts of No Nation” tells the story of a young…

literary work, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah uses symbols to underscore his central theme of oppression and/or freedom. First of all, he uses dreams to show the many challenges he faced throughout his life and journey through Sierra Leone. Secondly, Ishmael uses his cassettes to symbolize past memories throughout his childhood and the good times they brought. Last of all, Ishmael uses the moon/sky as a symbol of hope, wholeness, positivity, and freedom. Firstly,…

Ishmael’s life has been operated on autopilot ever since the war struck home, but when his war terminates abruptly he uncovers forgiveness, regains hope, and opts to make a difference in the world. UNICEF is an organization that works with a mutual goal of providing sustenance for the destitute children around the world. One purpose they have is to halt child soldier enlistment and to rehabilitate the child soldiers, so they can reclaim their humanity. After UNICEF took Ishmael and other young…

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is a true story of a young boy soldier’s life. Just at the age of twelve when he was away from home, his village had been attacked. When he returned with his brother and some friends there was confusion and violence that made them go from village to village in search for things for survival such as food. They also do many things in desperation that they may have never thought of doing. Later on Ishmael was taken in as a soldier by the army. He became brainwashed…

11/25 I stopped my reading for one day to relax my mind; I was unconsciously effected by the war Ishmael was in. I detested the rebel who killed his family, friends, and country. The war between the government and the rebels ruined the citizens peaceful lives. Families were separated, and children were brought to fright against their friend in different sides. Most children who became a soldier were either killed others or be killed by others, for most of them turned to be indifference, addicted…

“There is many a boy here today who looks on war as all glory, but, boys, it is all hell.” William Sherman. A Long Way Gone, written by Ishmael Beah, recounts a real life experience of a child soldier in Sierra Leone and like Sherman said he finds war to be hell. The memoir portrays in horrific detail the realities of war and the effects it has on all the people. Ishmael Beah is only twelve when the war arrives on his doorstep in 1993. It tears apart his family and leaves him to wander the…