After reading the first few chapters
of A Long Way Gone I gained tremendous respect for Ishmael
Beah. We see Ishmael's child hood being violently taken away from him
very quickly and we see his life turn upside down. From such a young
age he goes through what most kids and adults don't
ever imagine experiencing. This novel is emotionally challenging and
throughout the first quarter Ishmael has opened up a lot about his
life and I can only imagine what's to come.
There were a couple of parts of the
first quarter of the book that really made me feel pity for Ishmael, his friends and family. I really admire Ishmael's descriptive way
of writing, he describes everything very precisely. The fact that he even
decided to write about his experience as a boy soldier and let the
entire world in to his life shows his remarkable strength. The part
that struck me the most was when Ishmael said “I thought about where
my family was, whether I would be able to see them again, and wished
that they were safe and not too heartbroken about Junior and me.
Tears formed in my eyes but I was too hungry to cry.” ( page 27 )
That's when I realized how thankful I should be for living somewhere
safe where I have access to everything I need, I have my family and
I'm living in peace which is definitely not what Ishmael had during
that time period of his life, which he evidently needed.
So far I have really enjoyed the book,
and as I said before it could get emotionally challenging but that's
what makes it interesting. I'm sure that this memoir has made a lot
of change and probably helped other child soldiers come out and talk
about their experience. So far I'm really enjoying the book and it's
just the beginning!
Good post and comment. I also think that the quote you chose demonstrates his maturity. He misses his family terribly but also recognizes that they are suffering and hopes that his family isn't too heartbroken over losing him.
ReplyDeleteKeep writing :) Ms. Morton
I agree with you. So far, the book i very interesting and make us want to read it. I felt pity for him and his friends too. It's unimaginable for us have to run away everything: your family, your village and friends. But he had to do it. I truly admire him for that.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on how lucky we are to be living in a safe environment! Imagine if this happened to our community. I think it is important that you pointed out that specific quote because it shows how horrible his situation is. He cannot even cry about the loss of his family because he is starving. It is only going to make me more emotional. :(
ReplyDeleteMikayla