A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Dialectical Journal

Quote: “That night for the first time in my life I realized that it is the physical presence of people and their spirits that gives a town life” (40).

Explanation: Ishmael has started to realize that he is alone. He can only depend on himself rather than depend on other people. As shown in the quote, the town has no life in it because there is no physical presence of people. That is what is making Ishmael feel alone and have to make decisions for the benefit of himself. With his life constantly in jeopardy as he is on the move, it is hard for him to trust other people, even the members of his family. Because of his absence from his everyday life, Ishmael now realizes how different places and people can be in times of war.

Question: I wonder
Other boys would wake up and start choking whoever was in the bed next to theirs” (248).

Explanation: Fighting in the war has scarred the boys for life. They wake up recklessly from bad dreams, they are constantly fighting each other, and their minds are basically geared for war. Experiencing war at such a young age triggered these surges of aggression. Upon that, the drugs that they were taking made their brain system go haywire. Every time Ishmael tried to get these images of war out of his head, he failed. I can’t even imagine how scared every boy would be, waking up from such terrible nightmares every day.

Question: How were these kids able to live their lives at the end of the war? Did any of get any jobs or have any special interests in life? Did most of them live on to share their terrible experiences of the war with the rest of the world?

Reading Log Entry
Would kids living in wealthy areas who get a lot of things handed to them be able to survive in such terrible times?

Reading Log Entry #4

Quote: “My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector, and my rule was to kill or be killed” (210).

Explanation: This quote marks the point where Ishmael actually becomes a soldier. He has been brainwashed into thinking and acting like a soldier at such a young age. The soldiers who he fought with side-by-side became his family. They all risked their lives fighting in the war together. The other soldiers became his second family. His gun provided hope of winning the war for him, and it protected him on and off the battlefield.

Question: How was it possible for Ishmael to quickly adjust to the life of someone in the army?
He is just a young boy and usually boys that age don’t know how to survive on their own. Most young boys also don’t know of any survival tactics, except for to find food and water. On top of that, out in the jungle there usually isn’t a primary source for clean