Analysis Of A Long Way Gone

“A Long Way Gone” is a novel written in first person point of view about the author, Ishmael Beah’s memoirs as a child soldier. The novel has realistic descriptions of the civil war including the bloody environment, the losses of family and friends, and Beah’s mind. The inclusion of Beah’s thoughts allows you to see Beah’s perspective of the civil war. The novel demonstrates a combination of styles and a great plot with many details, making the story very enjoyable. It displays how much courage, power, and dignity a person needs to get over warfare. Ishmael Beah is a happy 12 year old boy who loves to perform rap dance with his friends in Sierra Leone. While he and his friends were away, their village was attacked. War had unexpectedly caught

Usually, a good plot has an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and the resolution that’s full of suspense and endless up and downs. A Long Way Gone succeeds it as doesn’t only fulfill the criteria, but includes many details such as foreshadowing, character development, subplots, flashbacks, etc. Without important details to create tension and interests such as symbols and motifs like the moon or the RUF burns, a story will not be so compelling. The preface is an element because it’s a genesis that begins with a declaration from Beah’s high school friends who believed that there were more to his life than what Beah disclosed. Then, the novel commences with a description of the main character, Beah, his family, and where he grew up. It displays the content mood that Beah and his friends were in as they were having a push up competition. The suspense builds as Beah foreshadows an upcoming event by stating “The sudden outburst of gunfire had caused people to run for their lives in different directions………………...And as the gunfire intensified, people gave up looking for their loved ones and ran out of town. This town will be next, according to the teachers” (Beah, 9). This quote added dramatic tensions and a cautious mood to the story, drawing ideas that Beah is in war and could lose his family. This leads to the rising action, creating a dark tone and an eerie mood as he fights to survive in the dark forest

Not only that, he was able to include the elements of a novel: mood, tone, plot, setting, language, conflict, genre, and point of view. This novel definitely contributes to the genre, memoir, because it’s written from the personal knowledge of Beah’s history. I recommend this book to others because reading this will benefit readers, as it did for me, by helping us realize and see a different world. It transports us into the lives of children whose lives have been altered by war. It teaches us a lesson that survival isn’t easy and war can change a beautiful person to the most alarming person, but it’ll never be your fault. “There was no right answer. If you spared the monkey, someone was going to die, and if you didn’t, someone would also die” (Beah, 218) This quote shows exactly why it’s not anybody’s fault. No matter the choice you choose, there will always be a consequence. It takes great courage, power, and love in oneself to accept reality, but just remember that you’re not alone. Don’t give up, push through the fear, and be like the kind