Monday, May 28, 2012

Ishmael Beah Foundation

Ishmael Beah is someone I really admire. After everything he went through, he is now helping others around the world. He set up the Ishmael Beah Foundation, which helps children around the world who have been affected by war. It helps give them a second chance at life. If you want to know more about the Ishmael Beah Foundation, here is a link to the website: http://www.beahfound.org/Beah_Foundation/Home.html

Interview with Ishmael Beah


This is an interview with Ishmael Beah. He is talking about his book and his experiences.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Quotes

"If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die." --- Ishmael's father (p.54, A Long Way Gone)


       

 The candle represents hope, and how there is always hope.
                                                                                
The sunset represents one day ending, and the hope that tomorrow will be a better day.    

I love this quote from the book because it is true. There is always hope that another day will be better. I also like the quote because I think that it is saying that if you are alive, your life can get better and that if it was not going to get better, you would die. To me, I think that this quote means that if you are alive, God still has plans for you. 


"I've come to learn that if I am going to take revenge, in that process I will kill another person whose family will want revenge; then revenge and revenge and revenge will never come to an end..." --- Ishmael Beah (p.199, A Long Way Gone)



This picture represents forgiveness. We must forgive, instead of plotting revenge.

I like this quote because it is true. People are constantly plotting revenge and that gets us nowehere because it will lead to an ongoing circle of revenge. One person takes revenge, then another person takes revenge, then another and another and it will never end. This quote is saying that we need to forgive, because if everyone keeps taking revenge, eventually the revenge cycles will never end and the whoel world will be full of vengence instead of love and forgiveness.

"My children, this country has lost it's good heart. People don't trust each other anymore, Years ago, you would have been heartily welcomed in this village. I hope that you boys find safety before this untrustworthiness and fear cause someone to harm you." --- An old man (p.56, A Long Way Gone)



This picture of two hands letting go of each other, represents people not trusting each other anymore. It represents people letting go of trust.

This quote was said to Ishmael and his travelling companions Alhaji, Musa, Moriba, Kanei, Jumah and Saidu, by an old man in a village they had stopped in. At this time in the book, people have started a rumour about the seven boys, Ishmael and his companions. The old man was left behind in the village when the rest of the villagers left because they heard the seven boys were coming, because he could not run and no one wanted to carry him. The old man is talking about how, because of the war, people no longer trust each other.

"I began to worry, because last time I had found someone in the village who had gone to school with us and saved us. This time we were a long way gone from Mattru Jong. A long way gone." --- Ishmael Beah (p.65, A Long Way Gone)



This picture of footprints represents how far Ishmael has come from Mattru Jong. It represents his journey. He has come a long way. He is a long way gone form where he started.

This quote is said by Ishmael when he and his travelling companions had been captured again by a village. They were afraid they would die. In the last village they had been captured in, someone had been there from Mattur Jong and had recognized them and was able to help prove that Ishmael and his friends were telling the truth when they said they were from Mattru Jong. That person had saved their lives. This time, they were very far from any village where someone from Mattru Jong would be taking refuge in. It was very unlikely this time, that someone would be there from Mattru Jong who recognized them and could save them. Ishmael is realizing just how far he has come from Mattru Jong.

"We must strive to be like the moon." --- An old man in Kabati (p.16, A Long Way Gone)


                        

This quote was said by an old man in Kabati. Ishmael is remembering him saying this as people would walk by his house. Ishmael asked his grandmother what the quote means, and she said that a lot og good things happen when the moon is out, and that no one complains about the moon. I think that this quote means that you should try to be good, just like the moon (no one complains about the moon, everyone likes the moon).

Thoughts about conflict discussion

During the conflict discussion with Jasmine, we both agreed that the major/most prominent conflict is man vs. self-Ishmael must learn to accept and forgive himself for what he did as a child soldier. We both agreed that if we had been on the run from the war, we would do what it takes to survive but not kill anyone. I learned that Ishmael was faced with a lot of challenges. I learned that the conflicts/challenges Ishmael was faced with made him stronger. I also learned that the man vs. man conflict of the rebels vs. the government army caused all the conflicts that Ishmael had. The reason we did not say that the rebels vs. the government army was the major/most prominent conflict is because this book is written from Ishmael's perspective and in the book you see that he is trying to forgive himself for what he did as a child soldier. We thought that the man vs. self conflict of Ishmael needing to learn to forgive and accept himself was a major conflict because all the other conflicts that he is faced with basically lead up to this one. Even though we agreed on basically everything about the conflict, listening to each other's answers to the questions helped us develop better answers for the questions.

Thoughts about setting discussion

During the setting discussion with Jasmine, we both agreed that the setting had an impact on the story. We agreed that if Ishamel had lived in Canada, none of this would have happened to him. We agreed that he would never have been a child soldier if he had lived in somewhere like Canada. We both agreed that the setting of the first battle Ishmael was in was very depressing and in a forest/swapmy area. During the discussion I learned that the setting in the book is a setting that I will never live in/experience. I learned that Africa is very different from Canada. Although Jasmine and I agreed on basically everything, it was interesting to talk about the setting together and I think we did learn some stuff from each other.

What the book is saying about life

The book A Long Way Gone is saying that in life, sometimes things happen that you can't control, but that if you work hard, you can get through them. It is saying that you cannot change the past, so you should let go of the things you regret having done and move on with your life because you cannot go back and change them.  Ishmael had no control over becoming a child soldier, he was forced to. After some time at a rehabilitation centre in Freetown with the help of Esther, He was able to forgive himself for the things he did as a child soldier, and was able to get through the hard times he faced. Ishmael realized that he couldn't change the past, and began to move on with his life when he went to live with his uncle in Freetown after he had been rehabilitated.

How A Long Way Gone compares with The Hunger Games

The book A Long Way Gone has a few similarities with the book The Hunger Games. In both books, children are put in fighting situations. Both books also have similar themes and moods.

In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael and his friends Alhaji, Musa, Moriba, Jumah and Kanei are picked up by the government army and forced to be soldiers. They have no choice, if they do not join up with the army, they will be sent out of the village and killed by the rebels (RUF). The boys, a long with other boys and a few men, are trained for a brief period of time and then sent into battles against the rebels. Throughout their time in the war, Ishmael and his friends see and participate in acts of cruelty. These acts of cruelty include seeing people be killed, watching villages burn down, and killing people and burning down villages themselves. In the Hunger Games, Katniss, Peeta and 22 other tributes are chosen and forced into an annual hunger game-a fight to the death, where only one tribute will come out of the arena alive. Katniss, Peeta and all the other tributes have no choice, they must fight to the death in the arena or the Capitol (the people in charge) and President Snow, will punish them and their families. The tributes go through a training period to prepare them to fight in the arena. Katniss, Peeta and the other tributes see fellow tributes die and some even kill their fellow tributes.

Both A Long Way Gone and The Hunger Games have some similar themes of bad things can happen to good people and life goes on. In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael and his companions were good people who were just enjoying their lives before they were forced to go on the run. They did not deserve to be forced to become child soldiers. Ishmael did not deserve to lose his family. Ishmael deserved nothing that happened to him during the war. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people, as they did to Ishmael. There may not be a reason for why those bad things happen to good people, sometimes they just do. Also, in the end, Ishmael is able to forgive himself for what he's done in the war, and is able to move on with his life. He discovers that life goes on. Life goes on even when it seems it cannot. In The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta were good people just living their lives and then suddenly they were picked as tributes for district 12 to go into the arena to fight to the death with other tributes from the other districts. Katniss, Peeta and the other tributes don't deserve to be forced to fight. All but one of them will be dead at the end of the games. None of the tributes deserves to die. They were good people that had bad things happen to them (being forced into the arena, and most of the tributes lost their lives). In the end, Katniss and Peeta are alive, having survived the Hunger Games, and have realized that their lives will go on, despite everything they have been through.

In both books the mood is grim and fearful. In A Long Way Gone, it is grim while Ishmael is on the run seeing all sorts of atrocities and while he is a child soldier committing horrific, unkind acts. It is also fearful when Ishmael is on the run from the rebels, as he is scared of them because of what he has seen them do. In The Hunger Games, the mood is grim in the arena while the tributes are killing one another. It is also fearful because Katniss is afraid that she won't make it out, and she is afraid for Peeta when he is sick and wounded.


Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Themes

The book A Long Way Gone is a very touching story. I have thought of three possible themes for the book.

The first theme I thought of is life goes on. Despite having gone through so many horrible things, Ishmael was able to eventually get on with his life after a few years. He was able to heal with the help of people at the rehabilitation centre and regain his life. He had lost his family and many friends, seen a lot of gruesome scenes, and had been a child soldier. When he was in rehabilitation, he thought that he would never get through the guilt and sadness he felt from his past experiences, but he did. It took some time, but he was able to realize that he cannot change his past and should continue on with his life. Even though he has been through a lot, it is not the end of the world. He is still alive and will be able to keep living his life.

The second theme is war affects everyone. Everyone in Sierra Leone felt the affects of the war at some point. Ishmael and many other people were losing family members and friends, people had to flee their homes and people were starving. Even the people who lived in Freetown (the capital of Sierra Leone), who did not initially feel the affects of the war, eventually were affected by the war when the government army and the rebel force (RUF) joined forces and attacked Freetown. In the end, throughout all of the Sierra Leone Civil War, everywhere in Sierra Leone was affected.

The third theme is bad things can happen to good people. Ishmeal, his family and friends were good people, just as most people were who lived in Sierra Leone. None of these people deserved to be affected by the war. Ishmael and his friends did not deserve to be forced into being child soldiers. Just days before Ishmael, his brother and friends were forced to go on the run, they had been practicing dance moves and rehearsing rap songs for a talent show. Thye were good kids just enjoying life. They did not deserve any of the hardships they suffered. During the war so may people were victims of violence for no good reason at all. Ishmael's family did not deserve to die. No one who was killed in the war deserved to die. However sometimes we do not know why things happen to people, they just do. It may not be fair, but we are not always in control of what happens to us or other people. Ishmael did not deserve what happened to him, and there is no good reason as to why it happened to him. Ishmael was such a good kid before the war and after he went through rehabilitation. It makes me wonder why he, a good kid, suffered when he had not done anything bad to deserve it. Why did he suffer and not someone else? Why was he forced to become a child soldier? Why did he have his childhood taken away from him? I don't know the answers to any of these questions, which proves the theme bad things happen to good people.



Monday, May 21, 2012

Help?

After having read this book, a thought occured to me. When countries like Sierra Leone are faced with civil wars and other types of violence and need the world to step in, it often takes a very long time for the world to step in, if they do at all. I think this is because most people will hear about what's going on through newspapers and news reports on TV and think "Oh my Gosh, that's terrible, someone should do something." Then people just go back to their normal lives and don't really try to do anything to help. With the United Nations, it can take them a while to step in and do something. I know that it's dangerous to step in, and don't get me wrong, the UN helps so many people and I'm grateful for them and everything they do, but it really makes me sad that it takes so long to help people in need. The UN peacekeepers are very brave and I'm very proud of them and thankful for them. I just wish there was a faster, safer way for the UN to step in and save people in countries such as Sierra Leone.

Question

Why did it take UNICEF so long to rescue Ishmael? It took them about two years to rescue him. You would think they would have intervened sooner.

Conflict Discussion

1. What is the major/most prominent conflict in the book in your opinion?
Vanessa and Jasmine: Man vs. Self. Ishmael needs to learn to accept himself and forgive himself for what he has done (during the war).

2. How does Ishmael overcome the conflict in question 1?
Vanessa and Jasmine: Ishmael is put in rehab (at first by force, but then comes to accept it). After talking to Esther and spending a lot of time with her, he learns to accept and forgive himself with her help.

3. List another type of conflict in the book.
Vanessa and Jasmine: Man vs. Man. The rebels (RUF) are fighting against the government army. It is the civil war.
Vanessa: Man vs. Environment. When Ishmael is on the run he is forced to deal with different weather conditions. When he is alone in a forest for about a month, he has to drink water from a stream and is faced with the challenge of finding food and a safe place to sleep, where wild animals cannot get to him.

4. How would you handle being on the run from the war?
Vanessa: I would keep running, store/save food and water whenever possible, sleep in a tree where no one can see me and not trust anyone. I would also do what it takes to survive, but I would never kill someone. Flight not fight.
Jasmine: I would just try to survive, not be picky about food, drink water, sleep in a tree, just try to survive and not kill anyone.

5. How did the conflicts Ishmael was faced with impact him? Did they make him stronger?
Vanessa and Jasmine: They made him stronger. There were some negative effects, but he was able to use his experiences to help others like whe he went to the UN conference.

Setting Discussion

1. How does the setting impact the story?
Vanessa: The story takes place in Sierra Leone, where people do not think or act the same as people in Canada. In Sierra Leone, the society and government is very different. Not a lot of people are well educated in Sierra Leone, and people are often poor. Since Ishmael lived in Sierra Leone, where poverty is nothing new, and armed forces seem to think nothing of enlisting children to fight, his life turned out much different than someone who lives in Canada's life. Since the story takes place during the Sierra Leone Civil War, Ishmael has been exposed to many gruesome sights and has experienced some traumatic events, which all eventually lead to him becoming a soldier. Also, since he is in Sierra Leone, it is harder for him to get rehabilitated because Sierra Leone does not have the kind of medicine and treatment that a place like Canada has. He also has a hard time being rehabilitated because he has seen and been a part of so many horrible things that are much harder to recover from than problems faced by people who live in a place like Canada. The rehabilitation centre he went to is most likely not as nice as a rehabilitation centre in Canada is. If he had lived in Canada, none of this would have happened. 
Jasmine: The story takes place in Sierra Leone. If he lived in Canada none of this would have happened. He lived in a place where war happens and there would never be a civil war, like the one in Sierra Leone, in Canada. Sierra Leone is very different from Canada.

2. How does the setting change throughout the book?
Vanessa: Before and during Ishmael's time as a child soldier, the story takes place in the outback/countryside of Sierra Leone. Before Ishmael goes on the run the setting is relatively peaceful and non-violent. Sierra Leone is also poor and not as developped as a place like Canada. Once Ishmael goes on the run, the setting turns depressing, horrific (seeing gruesome things) and violent. There is violence everywhere and lots of bodies and scenes of war. Soldiers and rebels are killing each other and other people, and people no longer trust each other. When Ishmael goes to rehab in Freetown, the setting changes to a city setting. Things are less violent then they were, and there are no gruesome things to see. The setting becomes safer than it was in the outback. The environment at the rehabilitation centre is completely different as there are people there trying to help and care for Ishmael. When Ishmael goes to live with his uncle in Freetown, the setting is safe and happy. Ishamel is happy to have this new family. When he goes to New York for the UN conference, the setting is a lot different from any setting in Sierra Leone. New York is a lot more developped and is richer than Sierra Leone. When Ishmael returns to Sierra Leone and the war returns to him, the setting is full of fear. Once Ishmael goes to Guinea, the setting is basically the same as Sierra Leone. The only difference is that there is no war in Guinea.
Jasmine: Setting starts in hometown village, war comes and Ishmael is forced to run to other villages. He is also put inot the wilderness. At the rehab centre there are different people, it is a different environment and there are people trying to help Ishmael. New York is way more developped then Sierra Leone is, so that was a big change of setting. In Guinea, the only differences in the setting is that there is no civil war there and no soldiers killing people in the streets.

3. Where does the story take place?
Vanessa and Jasmine: The story takes place in Sierra Leone, Africa and a little bit in Guinea and New York.

4. Describe the setting of the first battle.
Vanessa and Jasmine: The setting is in a forest/swampy area and is depressing, violent and there is lots of bodies and blood.

5. Name all the places Ishmael went during his journey.
Vanessa and Jasmine: Mogwembo--->Kabati--->Mattru Jong--->Kabati--->Kamator--->Yele--->fighting area--->Bauya--->Freetown (rehab)--->New York (UN conference)--->Freetown--->Kambia--->Guinea--->New York

Friday, May 18, 2012

A song the book reminds me of

The song Eyes Open by Taylor Swift makes me think of Ishmael and the other child soldiers in the book. The song, written for the Hunger Games, is basically talking about the lives of the kid tributes before they were picked for the Hunger Games and then talks about their lives during the Hunger Games. It talks about how their lives change. This song makes me think of Ishmael and the other children because their lives  changed because of the war. Ishmael went from being a happy, music loving kid in his village, to an emotionless, bloodthirsty soldier in the war.

" The tricky thing, is yesterday we were just children
   playing soldiers, just pretending, dreaming dreams with happy endings
   In backyards, winning battles with our wooden swords
   But now we've stepped into a cruel world,
   Where everybody stands and keeps score
   Keep your eyes open..."

This verse out of the song Eyes Open really makes me think of Ishmael and his friends who were forced to become child soldiers because before the war reached them, they had been children playing games such as pretend war games. Ishmael and his friends had been so happy playing games, dancing and singing to rap music. They never thought that they would ever be a part of the war, let a lone be affected by it. Then the war reached them and their lives changed. They lost everything and became child soldiers, now part of a cruel world. They are now part of a world (war world) that does not care that they are children and that does not care if they die or not. This verse specifically reminds me of when Ishmael, his brother and friends were preparing their singing and dancing act for a talent show in Mattru Jong, when they were suddenyl forced to go on the run from the rebels. Also, the last line in this verse, "Keep your eyes open", makes me think of how Ishmael has to keep his eyes open for danger all the time and constantly has to watch his back when he is on the run and when he is a child soldier to make sure he does not get killed.

 " and nobody comes to save you now" 

This line makes me think about how no one comes to save Ishmael for about two years when he was a child soldier. This line makes me think of when the government army told Ishmael and all the boys and men in the village in Yele, that they had to become soldiers, and if they did not, they would be forced to leave the village and the rebels would kill them as soon as they were not in the village. At that moment, I was wishing that someone would step in and save Ishamel and the other boys from becoming soldiers. The government army, who was supposed to be protecting civilians, did nothing to help Ishmael. All the government army did was throw him into the war where he could have been killed, instead of protecting him. The army forced him to be a soldier. There was nothing Ishmael could do to prevent himself from becoming a child soldier. He fought in the war for about two years until UNICEF finally rescues him.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

The things I realized after reading the book

This book has changed a lot of my old views on the world. Reading this book has brought me out of my reverie that everything is good in the world. I have also realized that there are a lot of people in the world who need help.

I am someone who generally thinks the best of everyone and who thinks that the world is just full of rainbows and smiley faces. I now understand after reading this book that there are places in the world where everything is not good and where people suffer immensley and have terrible lives. Since I grew up in Canada, which is generally a very safe and good place to live in, I always just assumed until I was about 14 or so that everywhere else in the world is just as good as Canada, but in a different way. Even when I realized that not everywhere is like Canada, I still thought that there was at least one place in every country in the world that was good and safe. I couldn't have been more wrong. After reading this book my eyes were opened to the reality that there are countries that have no safe spot, such as Sierra Leone. Ishmael had nowhere to go that was safe from the war. I learned while reading this book that every part of Sierra Leone was affected by the war, not just one part of it. I now know that as much as I would like to believe that every country has at least one safe spot, that is not always the case.

Before reading this book, I never thought that there were so many different things that so many people need help for. As someone who is very opposed to violence, I often choose to ignore it. I now know that violence in the world cannot be overlooked. This book has made me realize that all people, including myself, need to do something to help people, like Ishmael and the people in this book, who are being affected by violence. People need help with other things, not just when violence is affecting them. When I was reading this book and hearing about people starving, losing their families and having no where to live, I realized that there are many people who need help for many different things. Ishmael was lucky to find food, his whole family was killed and he was constantly on the run. Ishmael desperatley needed help and it was painful to read how long it took for him to be rescued, and how hard he had to work to get out of Sierra Leone when the war reached him again. I don't think I've ever felt more compelled to do something for the people of other countries who need help than I do after reading this book. This book has really made me realize that there are lot of people in the world who need help and we all need to pitch in and help them out. There is always something we can do. After all, if I was suffering, I would want someone to help me.

To be honest, after reading this book I think I now have a better understanding of what the world is truly like and have realized that many people are desperately in need of help from the rest of the world. I've realized that there are places full of violence where people are constantly at risk of being killed. Not everywhere is as safe as I would like it to be. After reading this book, my eyes have been opened to the problems of the world.

The emotions I experienced while reading the book

A Long Way Gone is a very emotional book. While reading it I experienced many deep emotions that made me feel as if I was watching this story as it took place rather than just reading about it now. I now see the world differently from reading this book.

The first emotion I felt was a deep sadness. At points it would overwehlm me and I would have to stop reading. I was just so overwhelmed with grief and pity for the people in this book, that I just needed to stop and take a moment to grieve them. For example, when Ishmael's family all died, I cried and had to stop reading.The things Ishmeal and all the people affected by the war went through were so horrifying. They were forced to deal with, and participate in so many things that no one, young or old, should have to. These people had to deal with losing their homes and loved ones, with starvation and dehydration, and with the constant fear of death. The young boys had to deal with the fear that they may be forced to become a child soldier, and other boys did actually have to deal with being a child soldier. The violence that came from this war was so horrible that it literally brought me to tears. I never knew people were capable of doing such horrible, unhuman things. Both sides, the rebels (RUF) and the government army, committed many acts of cruelty that can never be justified. An example of some of the cruelties in this book is when Ishmael's squad (government army) forced some rebel prisoners to dig their own graves and then buried them alive; I felt sick to my stomach. However, the rebels were no better. An example of a cruelty by the rebels in this book is when the rebels locked people in their houses and burned them along with the house. When the war reached Ishmael again when he was living with his uncle and new family I was so sad and upset because he had worked so hard to regain his life and now there was the possibility that he might be forced to become a soldier again. I feel very sad about everything that happened to Ishmael, his family, his friends and the people of Sierra Leone.

The second emotion I felt was gratitude. After reading this book, I was so grateful for everything I have. I am so thankful that I will never have to go through what the people in this book went through. I do not think I have ever felt so grateful and lucky in my life, as I did after reading this book. I am very grateful that I will never have to witness such extreme acts of cruelty and violence, that I will always have food, water, family, friends and a place to live. I wish I could say the same for the people of Sierra Leone, but I cannot. This book has really changed how I see things now. I will now always be grateful for what I have, because it is a lot more than what the people in this book and other people around the world have.

The third emotion I felt was guilt. I take so many things for granted every day in my life, while the people in this book take nothing for granted even though they have so little. I complain about so many things that are so tiny and inconsequential to the problems Ishmael and others were faced with in this book. For example, I complain if my mom is making something for dinner that I am not particularily fond of, but in this book Ishmael was grateful for any food he recieved because he was always starving. After reading about how much Ishmael suffered in this book I felt unbelievably guilty about complaining about things in my life. Compared to the things Ishmael faced, such as losing his family, witnessing acts of cruelty, having no place to live, starving, possibilty of death and losing his humanity while he was a child soldier, my problems are like a walk in the park.

Lastly, there were times when I felt some happiness while reading this book. It made me happy when Ishmael and some other boys were taken out of the war and put into a rehabilitation centre so that they could have chance at a new life. Reading about how much the staff at the rehabilitation centres and the people involved with groups such as UNICEF cared about helping Ishmael and the other boys get rehabilitated made me very happy. I was happy that Ishmael and the other boys who had been child soldiers were going to get a second chance at life. I was also really glad when Ishmael met Esther because she really cared about him and I think she was really the one who helped Ishmael heal and forgive himself. When Ishmael found out he had a living relative he can live with after his treatment was done, I was really happy for Ishmael because he could have a family again. When the war reached him again, and he ran away to Guinea and from there was going to go to New York to live with Laura, I was really happy and proud of him for running away from the war and trying to keep his humanity rather than just staying and becoming a soldier again.