The Central theme of Oppression and Freedom
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines oppression as the “prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control”. It also defines freedom as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint”. In his novel, A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah effectively uses symbols to emphasize the story’s central theme of oppression and freedom in order to portray how certain objects improved his state of emancipation. The plot is based on real events that Ishmael Beah endured during the Sierra Leone Civil War as a solider. A few of the symbols he uses to emphasize the central theme is Ishmael’s gun, cassettes and drugs.
The first major symbol is the gun given to Ishmael by the lieutenant
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Music helped him hold onto his purity and was evidence of his youthful memories before all was lost during the war. In addition, it saved his life when villagers misidentified Ishmael, and his fellow friends as rebels: “The chief turned his head from side to side as if trying to understand what I was saying. I watched him to see if his face was going to change for the worse, but a look of amusement flickered on his face” (Ishmael 87). This verifies that without them, there would have been no confirmation that they are young ordinary boys passing through villages. Furthermore, music allowed Ishmael to temporarily forget his uncertainties, as it helped him to relax, and reminded him of joyful memories of his childhood: “I didn’t care because the song had taken hold of me, and I listened closely to every word” (Ishmael 186). Likewise, on many occasions Ishmael would have troubles with falling asleep due to the nightmares that will haunt him. He would start to write down lyrics to keep himself occupied: “I had not slept well for months now, and so far I had been able to avoid my nightmares by busying myself day and night with listening to and writing the lyrics of Bob Marley’s songs” (Ishmael 198). Furthermore, this indicates how music enhanced his life as a
“Suddenly, as if someone was shooting them inside my brain, all the massacres I had seen since the day I was touched by war began flashing in my head. Every time I stopped shooting to change magazines and saw my two lifeless friends, I angrily pointed my gun into the swamp and killed more people.” (Beah 119). This is one of the most powerful quotes in the book. As you’re reading you understand that this is just the beginning and it only gets worse from here on out. This is the life of a child soldier.
The novel A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is about Ishmael’s life in Sierra Leone. Would you want to be one of the 300,000 soldiers today participating in current war related events? This is what Ishmael had to do on a daily bases. A change in plans relocated Beah and his older brother, along with his two friends to practice for a contest in a town verily close by. Fortunately for Beah it was a day before the Revolutionary United Front attacked his home in Mogbwemo. Being a child soldier negatively affected Ishmael Beah by making him emotionally unstable, he lost his whole entire family, and he was forced to kill anybody who the RUF requested.
Ishmael Beah's 2007 memoir, A Long Way Gone, tells the story of a boy who's not so lucky. The book records his real-life experiences as a 12-year-old caught up in a bloody civil war in his home country of Sierra Leone. When his village is attacked by rebel fighters, Ishmael loses his home and family. He's forced to wander around looking for food, hiding in the woods and trying to avoid getting gunned down by soldiers.
In the book A Long Way Gone written by Ishmael Beah, an experienced soldier was writing about his memories of the war. Ishmael was born in Sierra Leone with his family, but one day it all changed. At the age of 12, Beah was taken by the Rebels to kill. His whole mindset changed during the war. However, when the war ended child soldiers were taken to a rehabilitation group, and it did help Ishmael go back the way he used to be before the war.
Ishmael did whatever he needed to survive, and he was also manipulated during the war to take drugs, drink alcohol, and smoke marijuana. During the book Ishmael lost, and partially regained his innocence, his will to survive weakened, and the damage of war continued to get worse. From A Long Way Gone someone could learn determination, hope, and empathy.
A Long way Gone, written by Ishmael Beah is a memoir that exposes the reader to a part of the world a majority of people know almost nothing about. An area where life is cut short by conflict and a blatant disregard for the value human life. Where Mothers lose their sons, families lose their homes and people lose their sense of morality. Yet, through these struggles, the resilience of the human spirit and psyche is exposed. Ishmael, through many points in his life was challenged physically, mentally, emotionally and was extremely close to being defeated; changed from the innocent boy he once was into a fiend. Important lessons can be learned from this struggle; Even the worst challenges can be overcome, we should value all that we have because it can all be taken away and also that there is much good and evil in the world we live in.
Bang! Bang! “At that instant several gunshots, which sounded like thunder striking the tin-roofed houses, took over town. The sound of guns was so terrifying it confused everyone” (Beah 23). In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah conveys his amazing journey through war and hardship as a child soldier. Sierra Leone--a country on the western coast of Africa--was embroiled in a bloody civil war in the 1990’s. Battles multiplied as bloodshed abounded and as a child in Sierra Leone Ishmael Beah was forced to survive, find food, and face unimaginable dangers. Running from the battle front was also a routine ordeal. At age 13 Beah was captured by the military and brainwashed into using guns and drugs. As a child soldier he perpetrated and witnessed a great deal of violence. At 15 he was rescued and taken to a rehabilitation center. With time and continual treatment, Beah was able to recover, to some extent, and reconnect with his Uncle Tommy who adopted him. He was later chosen to speak to the United Nations in New York City about his experiences as a child soldier. When he returned to Sierra Leone, war broke out throughout in the city where he lived, causing many deaths including his Uncle Tommy. Eventually Beah escaped Sierra Leone and he managed to reach New York City, where he began a new life. Through Ishmael Beah’s book A Long Way Gone, he conveys a central theme of having to survive, at a young age, through the hardships of war with the use of imagery.
In the book,”Night” there are many examples of symbolism. For example, the title symbolizes a dark time in the lives of Jews, gays, and many different people throughout the Holocaust. I symbolize the night with darkness, the cold, and loneliness.All these factors played a part in the Jews lives during the Holocaust. Juliek’s violin was one, the spoon and knife was one, and the word corpses was one as well.
Themes and symbols are key components to a writing a novel. In the novel A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, Beah utilizes a variety of themes and symbols throughout the book some more dominant than others. Beah uses symbols to underscore his central theme of freedom. Three symbols that he uses effectively include guns, his cassettes and the moon.
In the beginning of the book, Ishmael’s passion is his music and dancing. Ishmael uses music to create an opportunity for himself. His abilities as a dancer lead him to go to talent shows and to different towns across Sierra Leone. When Ishmael is Displaced from his home village and from his parents, music remains as a guiding light for him. He uses music as a method of giving himself hope. When Ishmael listens to music, it gives him hope that one day he will be able to go back to his hometown where he can listen and dance to his music without fear of death.
They started remembering the words and making up dances to the songs. One day, he and three of his friends left their hometown and went to Mattru Jong to be in a talent show. That is when they first learned about war. While Ishmael was running away from rebels he would always start to sing songs that he had learned when he was younger.
Since the beginning of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, the protagonist of the novel Ishmael endeavors to flee from the hardships enkindled by the RUF rebel organization that has amalgamated the country of Sierra Leone, officially making it a war zone. Furthermore, for over 2 years, Ishmael has been on the run as “lone wolf”, moving from one village to the other, escaping near death situations. Self-determination was one of the reasons for such bravery, but it was also due to specific objects that helped Ishmael pursue freedom. The central themes of the novel A Long Way Gone are the theme of freedom and oppression. Seemingly, the central themes are distinguished by objects that Ishmael symbolizes, these include the moon, the rap cassette, and
In the memoir A Long Way Gone, author Ishmael Beah describes his experience as a boy Solider in Sierra Leone. Throughout the hardship, challenges, and pain Ishmael endures the relationship and connection he has to nature remains consistent. His journey has three unique connections to nature and their influence on his transformation. The first is nature’s significance in the role of his grounding. Secondly, the beacon of hope it provides for Ishmael.
As a child grows up, they shouldn’t have to fear their childhood, they should want to relive it. As Sir Roger Moore states: “The saddest sight these days is the image of hundreds of thousands of children kidnapped and lured into being child soldiers from the age of eight.” (Sir Roger Moore). The novel, A Long Way Gone, is about a child soldier, losing his humanity fighting in the war being picked up by the government. Many symbols are used to juxtapose several violent images during his childhood. Beah uses symbols including his AK-47 (gun), the moon, and the cassette tapes to show the central themes of oppression and freedom. In his literary work, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah uses
Symbolism can have a big impact on the chapter or the whole novel. The item symbolized has an influence on the character’s personality. It can either be a motto or an important artifact close to their heart in memory of a person they cared about or a memory from a tragic event that has happened in their life. “Three days later, a new decree: every Jew has to wear the yellow star” (11); this had to occur in order for the Jews to lose their identities so they will be all “equal” and their individual identities are to vanish. The Jews were restricted from going out of their house, “attend synagogue, to be in the streets after six o’clock in the evening” (11). Music is not only an enjoyment, but it is also a part of their identity and without it, they feel empty. A great example of having music a huge part of their life is Juliek. “‘All right, Eliezer… All right… Not too much air… Tired. My feet are swollen. It’s good to rest, but my violin…’” (93); The Nazis even took away the privilege to play any musical instrument like a violin, piano, or guitar. Beethoven’s music was forbidden to be played since he was a German composer and Jews were not allowed to interact or perform anything from the German culture. Juliek was so worried about his violin being shattered to pieces since music has been a huge impact on his life and he cannot see any way to live without his violin. To Juliek he can die with his violin and without it, he is gone. To normal civilians, the most suspenseful time of day is in the morning and afternoon, but for the Jews during night-time is a nightmare. The Nazis’ goal is to exterminate the Jewish race and for the Aryan race to rise. “Were this conflagration to be extinguished one day, nothing would be left in the sky but extinct starts and unseeing eyes” (21); the “extinct stars” are the Jews being exterminated and nobody is left to survive by the end of the