A Long Way Gone Theme Essay
The theme Loss of Innocence was illustrated in the memoir. Evidently, as Ishmael Beah became a child soldier, his story would present a loss of innocence. The hardships and violence of war had been given in the perspective of a child, as Beah describes his experiences simply and without judgement. The Rebel attacks on his village and neighboring villages may have traumatized Beah but however, not have caused him to lose his innocence. He maintains it by pondering over old childhood memories and his ability to rekindle his sense of wonder. For example, Beah and his friends celebrate when they see the ocean. In A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah on page 59 it states “My eyes widened, a smile forming on my face. Even in the middle of the madness
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This change is shown narratively, as Beah stops exploiting the flashbacks to his childhood after he is persuaded into the army, implying that he cannot remember anything good. He begins to meticulously describe the tactics used by commanding officers to create soldiers, which have the effect of eliminating childlike emotions and actions. For example, the lieutenant had hosted a contest to see who could kill their prisoner the fastest. On page 124 in A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah it states ”We were supposed to slice their throats on the corporal’s command. The person whose prisoner died quickest would win the contest. We had our bayonets out and were supposed to look in the faces of the prisoners as we took them out of this world. I had already begun staring at my prisoner. His face was swollen from the beating he had received, and his eyes looked as if they were watching something behind me. His jaws were the only tense part of his facial expression; everything else seemed calm. I don’t feel a thing for him, didn't think that much about what I was doing. I just waited for the corporal’s order. The prisoner was simply another rebel who was responsible for the death of my family, as I had come to truly believe.” This shows that commanding officers orders are what has forced Beah to become so corrupt. Ishmael Beah’s
This change is shown narratively, as Beah stops exploiting the flashbacks to his childhood after he is persuaded into the army, implying that he cannot remember anything good. He begins to meticulously describe the tactics used by commanding officers to create soldiers, which have the effect of eliminating childlike emotions and actions. For example, the lieutenant had hosted a contest to see who could kill their prisoner the fastest. On page 124 in A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah it states ”We were supposed to slice their throats on the corporal’s command. The person whose prisoner died quickest would win the contest. We had our bayonets out and were supposed to look in the faces of the prisoners as we took them out of this world. I had already begun staring at my prisoner. His face was swollen from the beating he had received, and his eyes looked as if they were watching something behind me. His jaws were the only tense part of his facial expression; everything else seemed calm. I don’t feel a thing for him, didn't think that much about what I was doing. I just waited for the corporal’s order. The prisoner was simply another rebel who was responsible for the death of my family, as I had come to truly believe.” This shows that commanding officers orders are what has forced Beah to become so corrupt. Ishmael Beah’s