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Part 5: The book A Long Way Gone, is based on a true of Ishmael Beah, a child that witnessed the horrific civil war in Sierra Leone. Ishmael, along with his friends (Junior, Talloi, and Mohamed) have started a musical group; where sing and dance to rap/hip-hop music. His group was always excited when they had the chance to simply dance and sing. In January, Ishmael and his friends set off from Mogbweno to the town of Mattru Jong. The boys stay at a friend’s house once they reach Mattru Jong. The very next day, news that the rebels had attacked the town of Mogbweno spills out. The boys then began worry, so they decided that they must return to their village in order to reunite with their families. Ishmael, Junior, and Talloi still have not heard from their families, and do not have a clue whether their family survived the attack. However, soon but surely a messenger arrives with carved initials (RUF) on his body. The messengers strongly encouraged that the people of Mattru Jong evacuate the area, because he notes that the rebels will attack Mattru Jong in a matter of time. The rebels attack Mattru Jong, but the boys do escape with no harm physically. Ishmael and his friends walk for a couple days straight in hunger. They once again go to their friend’s house for money and food. But, for now health and stamina they steal food from villagers. As they were walking in the forest, they are captured by the rebels and forced at gunpoint. The rebels divide them into groups, whilst asking the boys to kill each other. Out of no-where, gunfire breaks out, giving the boys enough time to escape. This time around, instead of being captured by the rebels they were caught by villagers who thought the boys were rebels. They took the boys to the chief, and fairly soon with enough evidence the chief let the boys go. As they boys approach Kamator, the village is attacked by the rebels; separating the Ishmael from his brother and friends. Ishmael hides with another family for about 2 weeks. Later, he decides to walk alone toward the sea in hope for safety and food. As he does not find the ideal food, he makes the decision to eat a fruit that could have killed him. Luckily, nothing happened. His loneliness only makes life tougher for him. Then he finds another group of boy, quickly introduces himself, and tags along with them as they reach the next village. Villagers once again question the boys and quickly find out that they are innocent people looking for safety. They find out that the village had been already attacked, because the place was empty, with no energy at all. Fortunately they find a good human, that houses and feeds the boys for a couple days. The boys were informed and suggested to leave because the good and unknown man heard that the rebels were coming again. Ishmael and the boys travel from village to village. Each of the boys share their personal stories of the rebels attacking their hometown. The boys continue moving toward the ocean, but suddenly Saidu (one of Ishmael’s friends faints). During that night, Saidu dies. Leaving the boys in shock. They honor his death, and bury his body in the cemetery. Then shortly after, the boys reach a village where they were told that some of their families were living. They meet a guy by the name of Gasemu, who helps the boys navigate through the village. As they reach the village, gunshots are fired, causing chaos in the village. Ishmael attacks Gasemu with frustration and anger. Worst of all, the rebels end up catching the boys, forcing them to run for their lives. Gasemu is shot multiple times, and later dies. Again they head toward ocean seeking safety. But this time around, the boys are captured by the soldiers where they are put to work. After a couple of days the village was surrounded by rebels. The lieutenant ordered all people to be apart of the army, including boys. They began training and started classifying each individual with ranks. After reading the first 125 pages of the book, I can just say that each line, paragraph, page, and chapter put me on the

edge of my seat. I was always wondering what was going to happen next. It was so unpredictable. This book definitely gave me chills at certain times. For example, when the Ishmael explained how all the dead bodies looked, I think I may have puked a little inside. At moment I was in shock and disbelief. For example, when Ishmael shared about the time the lieutenant practically forced him into becoming a soldier, I was completely disgusted and sickened. This book really made me think about my life. From every tragic thing that Ishmael has gone through, it makes my conflicts look minor at best. This book made me realize how I was living an ideal life; where I had food at disposal, steady shelter, and a loving family. Ishmael’s conflicts that he has overcome, makes me feel like I can achieve everything because I have been blessed with a life full of opportunities. Part 2 Continued: How ethical do you think it was for the lieutenant to turn these boys into soldiers in a time of war? Do you think he made the right move? Justify your answer. In chapter 6, why do you think farming is so difficult for Ishmael and his friends? Justify your answer. On page 37, the quote “This was one of the consequences of the civil war. People stopped trusting each other, and every stranger became an enemy.” Is uttered by Ishmael. Can you relate to this feeling? If so, when and why did you have this feeling? Do you think Ishmael is better off by himself or with a group? Justify your answer. Part 3: Conflict 1: First off, I would have to say that this is a Person vs. Person conflict. At this specific scene, Ishmael found out that the chance of him being with his family was very slim (basically impossible). Which frustrated him to the max. He could not handle himself, so with anger he choked Gasemu with all of his mighty strength. Gasemu, quickly shoved Ishmael out of his way making him land on top of a pestle. Then Ishmael did something totally out of character, he threw the pestle in the direction of Gasemu. I could make the assumption that his perspective over Gasemu had significantly changed. After every thing Gasemu had told him, he realized that every word that he had uttered was a lie. Ishmael saw Gasemu as selfish and egocentric liar because he basically guaranteed that he would reunite with his family, which can we can see never happened. Before all this had unfolded Ishmael viewed Gasemu as a trustworthy elder. I choose to share this conflict because the way he reacted to this conflict showed how eager he was about meeting and being with his family and that really hit me in the heart, because it made me think I how weak I would be if I did not a family that consistently showed love and support for me. Unfortunately, Ishmael was never able to spend time with his family again. Conflict 2: I would have to say that this next conflict was Person vs. Society conflict. Due to the war that was sparked by the rebels, the people in Sierra Leone had difficulties trusting one

another. In this instance, the people of Sierra Leone thought the boys (including Ishmael) were rebels. Then people began to question the boys, while they tortured them. Ishmael was completely scared for his life. He was still a little boy who was still learning how to survive in a warzone. I could tell that Ishmael was freaked out by the actions of the people in the village. His whole perspective regarding relationships was dramatically changed. He began to realize how quickly a relationship with a person can be affected based on the ongoing circumstances. After this scene, Ishmael realized the importance of taking all things seriously. He noticed that at any second he could be in danger of losing his life. I chose to share this conflict because, I thought that this conflict could somewhat be applicable to us, because I can make the argument that relationship between one another are often reflected upon ongoing and past circumstances. For example, some people in the United States despise and throw hate towards Muslims because of the 9/11 attacks. This doesn’t give us the right to assume that all Muslims are terrorists or bad humans. Yet some people, still do so. So the relationship between Muslims and some immoral humans have been altered by past events and circumstances. That is why I chose to talk about this conflict....