Essay On A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah

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The Voice of A Long Way Gone
A Long Way Gone is a memoir written by Ishmael Beah that tells of his experiences as a child soldier of Sierra Leone. What makes this account of the Sierra Leone conflict stand out is the unique voice that provides it. Beah was only twelve during the book’s events. This viewpoint intricately illustrates the horrific events he witnessed and the personalities of Beah and those around him while articulately illustrating the effects of the devastating war around him.

Throughout the novel Beah writes about his various encounters with death and suffering. These descriptions range anywhere from watching broken people flee from the destruction of their homes to the harsh treatment Beah and his friends met from villagers while on the road, and even the various times he had to kill as a child soldier. When giving these illustrations he always makes a point to describe the cold hard truth exactly as it happened. For example, during his first battle as a soldier, Beah describes how “As [he] spat [blood] out and wiped it off [his] face [he] saw the soldier it had come from. Blood poured out of the bullet holes in him like …show more content…
Beah unique and simple way of writing makes the story seem more of a reality. However, the Beah didn’t write his story like this just for fun. In one of the last chapters of A Long way Gone Ishmael meets a women at the American embassy whose lack of acknowledgement of the war makes him wonder, “If she could only look at [him] directly, perhaps she wouldn’t have asked…” (Beah, 191) The message Beah wants to send through his style of writing and his viewpoint is how people need to be more aware of the world around them and cherish the little things. Beah’s writing intricately illustrated the horrific events he witnessed and the personalities of Beah and those around him while showing the effects of the devastating war around
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