Always Have Hope Essay

Ishmael Beah was a boy from Sierra Leone who became a soldier in the country`s tragic civil war. He spent nearly all of his childhood running away from the war and eventually ended up joining the army. During difficult times, Ishmael always had hoped to continue. In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah shows the theme “Always have hope” through his hope to find his family and for a better life, and through the rehab staff`s hope for the boys. Ishmael`s hope for life to get better portrays an eample of the theme “Always have hope”.The war was very traumatic for everyone in the country. In fact, Ishmael joined the army at only 12 years old.While fighting in the war, Ishmael remembered his family. He remembered everything his father told him
During the war, many of the child soldiers were chosen to be taken to rehab centers to be rehabilitated. Ishmael and soldiers from all different troops were taken to a center called Benin Home. At first, the boys do not like the center and want to go back and fight, but soon they begin to enjoy the center and become reformed. The child soldiers gave the staff numerous reasons to give up on them, but the staff continued to work with the boys and hoped for better. The text states, “In the morning I would feel one of the staff members wrap a blanket around me saying, ‘This isn't your fault, you know. It really isn`t. You'll get through this.’” (Beah151). The staff members constantly encouraged the boys and tried to help them improve. Ishmael was able to be rehabilitated because of the hope the staff had for him.
The overall message of A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah, is “Always have hope” as Ishmael had hoped to find his family and for a better life, and the rehab staff had hope for the boys. It is important to always have hope because it can help during difficult times of life. Ishmael Beah’s memoir teaches readers that staying hopeful can help to overcome