Ishmael Beah Key Passages

798 Words2 Pages

As we read through the memoir A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, there are many striking moments or key passages that have a lot of meaning, character development, or plot development. These key moments occur at many times, such as before Ishmael is a soldier, during Ishmael’s time as a soldier, and during rehabilitation from being a soldier. The three most striking of key passages from the book that are important to character development, plot development, and meaning is when Ishmael learned to be more independent, when war and killing becomes a daily part of Ishmael’s life, and the theme of revenge causes more revenge. A key passage of character development is on page 50, starting at line 19. After Ishmael separates from Kaloko and goes on his way to Bonthe. He is by himself in the middle of a jungle, trying to stay alive. “I walked around to familiarize myself with the vicinity . As I was getting acquainted with my new home, I cleared the dried leaves. Then I took a stick and …show more content…

During Ishmael’s time of war, we see a big change in his personality, “We had been fighting for over two years, and killing had become a daily activity. I felt no pity for anyone. My childhood had gone by without knowing, and it seemed as if my heart had frozen.” This is a key passage for two major reasons. First of all this is when Ishmael realizes that he had lost all of his innocence as a child. Secondly, this is the point of the story in which will cause the main conflict later on in the story, which is him in rehabilitation coming back from all the horrible memories of what he did in war. During this passage, the author is trying to inform the reader Ishmael was a child up until this point. At this point Ishmael could kill any rebel he wanted to and he could not care less about the consequences for the person’s family that he killed (nor did anyone else in the

Show More
Related

  • Character Analysis Of Ishmael's Lessons From 'Bra Spider'

    610 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the book the audience has seen Ishmael go through adventure and sorrow. In the novel Ishmael is forced to go to war at age thirteen, but what keeps him going were his grandmother's wise words. His grandmother was the one who told him powerful lessons that he could use in real life. These lesson that Ishmael is keeping him grounded is not only from his grandmother but also from his friends. Lessons that were seen by the readers are “wild pigs”, “Bra Spider”, and the story about the moon.

    Read More

  • A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

    1691 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...ircumstances as he did, believe that revenge is not good and it keeps on going if no one stops the process. Overall, Ishmael eventually learned that revenge does not solve anything and seeking revenge just results in a longer war sustained by the counterproductive concept of vengeance. Additionally, Ishmael learned that by constantly thinking about his culpability, he was just bringing more harm to himself and in the process was unable to create any progress in his own life. Ishmael eventually realized that merely reflecting on his actions did not do anything and to fix and prevent the problems he faced, he would have to take initiative to reach out to the people who could help. By utilizing the idea of forgiveness, Ishmael learned that he could let go of the huge mountain of stress that was bringing him down and prevented him from overcoming the effects of the war.

    Read More

  • A Long Way Gone Rhetorical Analysis

    445 Words  | 1 Pages

    Throughout the course of this novel, Ishmael Beah keeps the readers on the edge of their seat by incorporating interchanging tones. At the beginning of the novel, the tone can be depicted as naïve, for Beah was unaware to what was actually occurring with the rebels. Eventually, the tone shifts to being very cynical and dark when he depicts the fighting he has endured both physically and mentally. However, the most game changing tone is towards the end of the novel in chapters nineteen and twenty. His tone can be understood as independent or prevailing. It can be portrayed as independent because Beah learns how to survive on his own and to take care of himself. At the same time, it is perceived as prevailing and uplifting because Beah was able to demonstrate that there is hope. Later in the novel, Beah travels to

    Read More

  • Loss of Innocence in A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

    1483 Words  | 3 Pages

    A prominent theme in A Long Way Gone is about the loss of innocence from the involvement in the war. A Long Way Gone is the memoir of a young boy, Ishmael Beah, wanders in Sierra Leone who struggles for survival. Hoping to survive, he ended up raiding villages from the rebels and killing everyone. One theme in A long Way Gone is that war give innocent people the lust for revenge, destroys childhood and war became part of their daily life.

    Read More

  • The Human Condition In Ishmael's A Long Way Gone

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the war, there were two prevalent groups. These were the army and the rebels, both of which offered Ishmael a questionable future. As we know, Ishmael ended up joining the army. About his experience in the army, Ishmael says “I had my gun now, and as the corporal always said “This gun is your source of power in these times.It will protect you and provide you all you need, if you know how to use it well.”” (p.124). This type of thinking is in short, self-destructive to Ishmael. It would mean that he would either end up dead during the war, or if he was to survive, it would be very unlikely for him to be rehabilitated because he had been so reliant on his gun during the war. In addition to this, it would leave Ishmael in a precarious state when the war ended if he had not been rehabilitated, since the only thing he knew to do for years was to kill. However, since he was able to be rehabilitated, he was able to conform to society once more. This, unfortunately, could have been prompted once again near the end of the book when history repeats itself when the AFRC took over Sierra Leone. “The entire nation crumbled into a state of lawlessness. I hated what was happening. I couldn’t return to my previous live.”. Once again, war comes knocking on Ishmael’s front door, and this time around Ishmael knows what war is like and what he is going to experience again. Ishmael was

    Read More

  • Values And Choices In A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah

    1315 Words  | 3 Pages

    At the rehabilitation center, Ishmael hears that an uncle he never knew about has offered Ishmael a home with him in Freetown. There is Ishmael is welcomed by his uncle, his aunt and all of his cousins and then begins to adapt to finally having a family he cares about and being far away from the war. When living with his uncle, Ishmael makes another acquaintance, Laura Simms, when he goes to New York to speak about the problems child soldiers face. Shortly after returning to Sierra Leone, the civil war reaches Freetown. The entire town is in chaos and no one dares to venture out of their homes for fear the rebels or the military could kill them. It is at this time when Ishmael suffers another loss; the death of his uncle. After his uncle dies, Ishmael decides to escape Sierra Leone, in order to evade the military. If I was in this situation, I feel that I probably would have not left Sierra Leone as quickly as Ishmael did. Ishmael made an impulsive decision that I wouldn’t have made because I am not able to make choices quickly. Furthermore, in his situation, I feel that the thought of fleeing Sierra Leone would have been on my mind but I wouldn’t have had enough courage to go through with the plan. As a sixteen year old boy, I would have been to scared to try to escape the country illegally because of the repercussions I might face if I was caught. Even if I did leave the country, I wouldn’t have left my grieving aunt and cousins by themselves, right after they just lost one person. Ishmael made the choice to escape the country because he was too afraid that he was going to be found by someone who knew him when he was in the military. That would have been a big concern for me too, but I would also feel that I wouldn’t have the strength to leave the family that I had just recently gained. For me, family is

    Read More

  • Long Way Gone Themes

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    The theme of survival/resilience despite great suffering was shown throughout the book. Ishmael’s ventures from village to village while running away from the RUF, going through treacherous circumstances such as burning sand, angry citizens, and even

    Read More

  • Theme Of Revenge In A Long Way Gone

    896 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ishmael’s search for revenge ended when he was taken out of the front lines of the war by

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah

    1020 Words  | 3 Pages

    Contents INTRODUCTION 2 CHRONOLIGICAL ARRANGEMENT OF EVENTS THAT LEAD TO CONFLICTS 3 CONCLUSION 5 INTRODUCTION An attention-grabbing story of a youngster’s voyage from beginning to end. In “A LONG WAY GONE,” Ishmael Beah, at present twenty six years old, tells a fascinating story he has always kept from everyone. When he was twelve years of age, he escaped attacking the revolutionaries and roamed a land rendered distorted by violence. By thirteen, he’d been chosen by the government, military and Ishmael Beah.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Imagery In A Long Way Gone

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many of the imagery Ishmael portrayed in the book makes us feel like we are also a firsthand witness right then and there. A prime example of imagery in chapter 1 states, “When he opened the door opposite the driver’s, a woman who was leaning against it fell to the ground. Blood was coming out of her ears. People covered the eyes of their children. In the back of the van were three more dead bodies, two girls and a boy, and their blood was all over the seats and the ceiling of the van.” (Page 12-13) As an imagery, this quote displays a visual image that appeals to both sight and hearing. In my opinion, I feel like this quote means a lot to Ishmael because he was just standing there, unable to help or do anything. I think during this moment, a lot of stuff ran through his mind, but he was just too heartbroken to actually express it. For the first time, Ishmael realized that the world is full of

    Read More

  • Emotional Response in A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

    596 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book is based on actual events and is expressed through a personal point of view. Ishmael wrote a memoir that tells the story of a young boy who is torn from his peaceful life, and then forced into a frightening world of drugs and slavery. In writing about his experiences, he has made the decision to present his experiences in a particular way by missing out details and recounting others. This along with the language used and the order, in which the events are disclosed, all serve to create a particular interpretation and to guide the reader to respond in a particular way.

    Read More

  • Ishmael Ptsd Analysis

    1777 Words  | 4 Pages

    His perspective in life has changed he does not understand how people can act and live so freely and foolishly anymore, he stays up at night and is affected from the loss of his arm, he can not move on and start a relationship. Coming back from his time in the marines Ishmael started to see life differently, Guterson writes, “People appeared enormously foolish to. He understood that they were only animated cavities full of jelly and strings and liquids. He had seen the insides of jaggedly ripped-open dead people. He knew, for instance, what brains looked like spilling out of somebody's head. In the context of this, much of what went on in normal life seemed wholly and disturbingly ridiculous. (Gutereson 35).” With Ishmael's PTSD he has continuous flashbacks that stop him from moving on in life and changing his morbid perspective and outlook on it. From continuously feeling like people do not understand life or the way they could go on like nothing when others can not. Ishmael’s change and outlook on life something clearly seen in many veterans, but while others tried to continue with their life Ishmael did not know how to, Guterson states, “ I can't really understand… but you - you went numb, Ishmael. And you’ve stayed numb all these

    Read More

  • Long Way Gone

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    Due to the fact, [“Marijuana and brown brown”] (page 121) are the main drugs given to the soldiers every day, and the reason of the drugs, makes the soldiers work harder and eventually become addicted. Drugs took a very substantial toll on the soldiers, and later on, rose the decision making of the children, and the ability to trust one another. As a result, the drugs caused Ishmael to “have no pity for anyone”(page 126), which means to not care or feel sorry for anyone. New perceptions are intact when the drugs kicked in, ultimately, going back to the drugs will have an effect on not caring for anyone. Ishmael was rewarded for the amount of time spent and hard work with the nickname “Green Snake”(page 144) because of “his inconspicuous positions, and ability to take out a whole village from shrub”(page 144). With the new nickname, the Lieutenant awarded, Ishmael felt happy with the way the army was treating the recruitments, and himself. All in all, the self esteem felt by the soldiers may not always be true, on the other hand, the drugs have skewed the mindsets of the children, consequently making the self esteem false.

    Read More

  • Call Me Ishmael Captain Ahab Quotes

    507 Words  | 2 Pages

    It’s significant that the book begins with the line “Call me Ishmael,” because it tells the readers that Ishmael doesn’t see himself as a person anymore, just a story. He only sees himself as a story because of what happened and isn’t sure who “Ishmael” really is.

    Read More

  • Melville's Moby Dick: Comparing the Missions of Ahab and Ishmael

    1654 Words  | 4 Pages

    By choice of the name, Ishmael aligns himself with his biblical counterpart as an outcast and wanderer. Because this name also translates “God hears,” however, it suggests a sensibility well suited for its bearer’s role of observing and perceiving the world and its inhabitants. In the opening chapter, he speaks of his own spiritual malaise and views his decision to become a seaman aboard a whaler as a type of suicide because he considers such men as lost to the world. (53)

    Read More

More about Ishmael Beah Key Passages

Open Document