Examples Of Imagery In A Long Way Gone

Imagine yourself in the shoes of a twelve year old boy who vigorously fought through blood and death, seeking for survival and hope during a Civil War in Sierra Leone. The novel, A Long Way Gone, tells the story of, Ishmael Beah, a young boy who experienced the mental and physical battle of reluctantly becoming a soldier. Today, majority of us can relate to Ishmael’s unfortunate circumstances through his life because it is something that we have all been affected by individually in areas all across the world. Beah’s memoirs as a boy soldier instantly caught my attention from beginning to end because of his clear, apprehensible voice and ability to draw readers into the action. Throughout this book, Ishmael focused most on very descriptive details

Many of the imagery Ishmael portrayed in the book makes us feel like we are also a firsthand witness right then and there. A prime example of imagery in chapter 1 states, “When he opened the door opposite the driver’s, a woman who was leaning against it fell to the ground. Blood was coming out of her ears. People covered the eyes of their children. In the back of the van were three more dead bodies, two girls and a boy, and their blood was all over the seats and the ceiling of the van.” (Page 12-13) As an imagery, this quote displays a visual image that appeals to both sight and hearing. In my opinion, I feel like this quote means a lot to Ishmael because he was just standing there, unable to help or do anything. I think during this moment, a lot of stuff ran through his mind, but he was just too heartbroken to actually express it. For the first time, Ishmael realized that the world is full of

One flashback I found compelling in chapter 10 stated, “Growing up, I had been to several of these ceremonies, but Grandmother always told me about mine. Everyone in the community was presented. Before things started, food was prepared in abundance with everyone’s help. Early in the morning, the men slaughtered a sheep, skinned it, and shared the meat among the finest women cooks, so that each would cook her best dish for the ceremony...” (Page 75) This flashback talks about a ritual ceremony where Ishmael’s name was chosen for him by the imam. As a consequence of this flashback, we were exposed to Ishmael’s past life and what their village prepares when there is a newborn. When there’s a flashback, it adds more depth and intensity and builds more suspense to the book. Without flashback, it is possible for readers to lose interest and have