Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
psychological consequences of child abuse
positive and negative effects of child abuse
loss of innocence literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: psychological consequences of child abuse
Regardless of dissimilarities, the gift of innocence is given to all children. From birth, children lack knowledge of evil, and thus free from being accountable for their actions. Nevertheless as this child progresses further in life, they are exposed to violence, sexual behaviours and other evil existing within the world, losing their innocence in the process. The End of East, written by Sookfong Lee, is about the immigrant experience of several youth in the Chan family across several generations, and their experiences in a new country. Similarly, the film, Snow Falling on Cedars, directed by Scott Hicks, tells the story of a Japanese man accused on trial for murder, while the hidden past between a reporter and the wife of the accused is uncovered. Both these works express the idea of individuals starting off in innocence and naivety, and the encounters with unfamiliar situations which steal their precious gift. Ernest Hemingway once said “All things truly wicked start from innocence”. Despite the grave truth in these words, the loss of innocence must occur in one’s life. Through the works, The End of East and Snow Falling on Cedars, the creators show that without experiencing the loss of innocence and dealing with its consequences, one cannot develop the depth in perspective needed to cope with reality.
The End of East, portrays several individuals who lose their innocence, and as a result experience tremendous growth, able to find peace with their decisions. Seid Quan begins his journey as a young adolescent who, “wants his mother” (Sookfong Lee, 14). He is afraid of walking upon the road ahead, unsure of success. Seid Quan loses his innocence through, being exposed to a new country, facing its violence, and eventual...
... middle of paper ...
...ocence in order to take control of their future, and survive the life that lies ahead of them. On the other hand, Ishmael must deal with losing his innocence, in order to move on from the past. While one of these individuals must find right path to take for themselves, the other must release himself from the shackles rooted deep within their heart. The oucome however is shared, as both are able to take a step forward, and in such a condition where they will not crumble at the conquest ahead; tomorrow. The depiction of losing innocence illustrates that only by losing something so dear, does one realizes its’ true value; the purpose of its existence. Through facing the outcomes of decisions made in life, children emerge as adults, with the perspective needed to see the world through others eyes, and the maturity needed to comprehend what it is they are seeing.
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.
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.
As a child, Ishmael Beah seemed like he was playful, curious, and adventurous. He had a family that loved him, and he had friends that supported him. Before the war, Ishmael had a childhood that was similar to most of the children in the United States. Unfortunately, the love and support Ishmael grew accustom to quickly vanished. His childhood and his innocence abruptly ended when he was forced to grow up due to the Sierra Leone Civil War. In 1991, Ishmael thought about survival rather than trivial things. Where was he going to go? What was he going to eat? Was he going to make it out of the war alive? The former questions were the thoughts that occupied Ishmaels mind. Despite his efforts, Ishmael became an unwilling participant in the war. At the age of thirteen, he became a
...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.
Ishmael Beah’s first transition on his approach to family began with a strong sense of hope. Consequently, after the separation of his mother, father, and older brother his life completely changed. When he began to take his journey Beah hoped to find his family and survive the war together. In his memoir, Beah demonstrated the idea of hope when he came across a childhood memory that impacted his life. As he walked alone in the forest Beah remembered his father’s significant words of advice that motivated him to find hope and purpose. With this idea in mind, his father once said, “If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen” (2007, P. 54). For Ishmael, his father, mother, and
Ishmael starts his journey with a will to escape and survive the civil war of Sierra Leone in order to reunite with his mom, dad, and younger siblings, who fled their home when his village was attacked by rebels. Having only his older brother, who he escaped with, and a few friends by his side Ishmael is scared, but hopeful. When the brothers are captured by rebels, Ishmael’s belief in survival is small, as indicated by his fallible survival tactics when he “could hear the gunshots coming closer…[and] began to crawl farther into the bushes” (Beah 35). Ishmael wants to survive, but has little faith that he can. He is attempting to survive by hiding wherever he can- even where the rebels can easily find him. After escaping, Ishmael runs into a villager from his home tells him news on the whereabouts of his family. His optimism is high when the villager, Gasemu, tells Ishmael, “Your parents and brothers wil...
Life is made up of decisions and choices. Every single day, people make numerous decisions, some big and some small. Many choices can impact your entire life while others, like what you eat for breakfast, aren’t as important. However, all of your choices build the track for your life and make you who you are. The choices you make can be greatly impacted by your surroundings and environment. They are also made based on your values and beliefs. In the memoir A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael is a young fourteen year old boy thrown in the middle of Sierra Leone's civil war. During the war, Ishmael is given a series of obstacles where he is required to make important life choices that would impact his life greatly. At one part of Ishmael's
The youth are acknowledged for having innocence, and witnessing certain events can take it away. In Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay experiences cause innocence to be lost. Losing freedom affects an individual personality, making the person more mature. Losing hope causes an individual to change their views on life. A person’s family dying causes a lifetime of pain. When experiencing a horrible event, one should not let it change them.
Anaya demonstrates this through uses of word usage, contrast, and tone; all of these aspects lead to the overall theme of lost innocence through exposure. The novel conveys how the exposure to alternative ideas in the world lead to a gain in understanding. This is shown through the use of words of that portray pessimistic meanings. The contrast between innocence and impurity demonstrates the loss of innocence as well through exposure through the comparison of opposites. Lastly, the tone of the specific part of this novel backs up this claim by stating that loss of innocence has a negative impact. As previously stated, all of these writing techniques that Anaya uses shows how Tony’s exposure to new ideas lead to his loss of innocence as he
This is at core a pitiful story which encompasses of ruthlessness and miseries endured by Ishmael Beah. All the trials in this story are chronologically prescribed and heart sobbing, in which a person who reads can in time weep while interpreting.
Inevitably, there comes a point in everybody’s life at which they have an experience that completely alters their view of the world. This moment is when one loses his or her innocence, or comes of age, and he or she realizes that they do not live in a utopian Golden Age. Parents are charged with the monumental duty of protecting their children’s innocence, but everybody inescapably grows up. This experience can be anything from an embarrassing situation at school to coming within seconds of death. In the short story “Ambush” by Tim O’Brien, the author tells the true story of his daughter confronting him and asked him if he had ever killed anyone. In an effort to be a good parent and protect the nine-year-old’s innocence, the author does not share with her the story he goes on to tell to the reader. He explains how many years ago, he was serving in the army and was taking a shift guarding his troop’s campsite when all of a sudden, a young man from the opposing army came walking up the trail. Without a second thought, O’Brien killed the boy with a grenade, and he lost his innocence after realizing he had killed a defenseless man without hesitation. Tim O’Brien develops Ambush as a coming of age story through the use of literary devices.
The term loss of innocence is an ambiguous term. Most commonly, loss of innocence is associated with virginity. Additionally, lost of innocence can be associated with adulthood. A person is no longer a child, and therefore may view the world differently than they did when they were a kid. As a child they may have been naive, unaware; not yet knowing the bad or evil that exists in the world. The idea of loss of innocence may even be traced back to the Book of Genesis and story of Adam and Eve. In this biblical narrative Adam and Eve experience a loss of innocence.
Ishmael was taken from the wild and held captive in a zoo, a circus, and a gazebo. During his time in various types of captivity, Ishmael was able to develop a sense of self and a better understanding of the world around him. Ishmael states that the narrator and those who share the same culture are “captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels you to go on destroying the world in order live” (Quinn, 15). He goes to explain that releasing humanity from captivity is crucial for survival, but humans are unable to see the bars of the cage. Using the cage as a metaphor, Quinn is referring to human culture and how they do not see the harm it’s causing. As the novel progresses, it elaborates on how culture came about and why certain people inherit certain cultures. Ishmael refers to a story as the explanation of the relationship between humans, the world and the gods. He defines to enact is to live as if the story is a reality. Ishmael suggest that humans are captives of story, comparing them to the people of Nazi Germany who were held captive by Hitler’s
Marita Bonner starts her short essay by describing the joys and innocence of youth. She depicts the carefree fancies of a cheerful and intelligent child. She compares the feelings of such abandonment and gaiety to that of a kitten in a field of catnip. Where the future is opened to endless opportunities and filled with all the dream and promises that only a youth can know. There are so many things in the world to see, learn, and experience that your mind in split into many directions of interest. This is a memorable time in life filled with bliss and lack of hardships.
Religion is defined differently by different cultures and experiences, therefore; children and adults views differ greatly. Songs of Innocence was written from the point of view of children who only knew of “innocent wonderment and spontaneity in natural settings” (Literature). In The Lamb, Blake