Imagine if you had to walk for what seems to be an endless amount of time. Starved and thirsty, you see people dying brutal deaths from starvation, thirst, bandits, and animal attacks. Well, this was the fate of the refugees, also known as the Lost Boys of Sudan, who fled from Sudan to escape the Second Sudanese Civil War. Luckily, there are a few pieces of text that documented the events of the war, such as the novel, A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park, and the articles “The Lost Boys of the Sudan” by UNICEF and “The ‘Lost Girls’ of Sudan” by Isabel Matheson. Some events have been followed by the novel, such as the boys’ movement to America. However, many have been altered since when the Lost Boys fled from Sudan. Linda Sue Park includes some events or modifies them to enhance her …show more content…
For example, both the article and novel discuss the Lost Boys’ relocation from Sudan to the United States. Salva stated in the novel that, “The rumor was that about 3,000 boys and young men from the refugee camps would be chosen to go live in America” (Park, 87). This proves that in the novel the aid organizations relocated the Lost Boys to the United States. In the article, it stated, “While many of the boys- who became known as ‘Lost Boys’- were resettled in the United States” (Matheson, 10). This shows that the article also describes the emigration of the boys to the United States. In addition, it says that they were called the Lost Boys in the article, which can also be seen in the novel. Therefore, Linda Sue Park used true events in her novel. While the novel has many fact-based events, some events are slightly altered in the article “The Lost Boys of Sudan”. For instance, when the boys were walking from Sudan, the novel made the movement seem less organized than it was. In Chapter 4 of A Long Walk to Water, it said, “Men and women, boys and girls, old and young, walking,
The film God Grew Tired of Us is a documentary about the journey of a couple of Sudanese “lost boys” to their new lives in the United States. The film is divided in two parts. The first one gives the historical background of what led to the boys’ situation at the time the documentary was being filmed and what their lifestyle at Kakuma camp looks like. It starts by recounting the events that led up to the Second Sudanese Civil War of 1983. The conflict was fought along ethno religious lines between the Muslim North and the non-Muslim South. By 1983, 27,000 people, including the lost boys, from the South were forced to flee as the Sudanese government, held in the hands by northerners, announced that all men in south should be killed regardless of age. After a short stay in an Ethiopian refugee camp, the boys finally arrived to Kakuma refugee
Ishmael Beah’s memoir, A Long Way Gone, narrates the story of Ishmael’s life as a child soldier in the Sierra Leonean civil war. Ishmael chronicles his journey from a scared, adrift child who lost his family in the war to a brutal child soldier who mercilessly killed many individuals to a guilt stricken rehabilitated teen who slowly learns to overcome his remorse from his past actions. Ishmael’s life as a child soldier first started when the Sierra Leonean army took him and his friends with them to the village, Yele, occupied by army officials and seemingly safe from the rebels. Unfortunately, within a few weeks of their stay, the rebels attacked Yele, and Ishmael and his friends decided to make the choice of becoming a child soldier in order to sustain their slim chances of staying alive. Ishmael’s interaction with violence was very different as a child soldier compared to as a civilian: while he witnessed violent actions before, as a child soldier he was committing them. As his life as a soldier demanded more violence from him, Ishmael sank deeper into the process of dehumanization with his main driving point being the revenge that he sought from the rebels for the deaths of his family and friends. After a few months as a child soldier, Ishmael was brought to the Benin home by UNICEF officials who hoped to rehabilitate the completely dehumanized child soldiers. With the help of Esther, a compassionate nurse, and other staff members in the center, Ishmael was able to ultimately reverse the effects of the war on him. By forgiving himself and the rebels who took away his close ones from him, Ishmael was able to restore his emotion of empathy and become rehabilitated.
In 1992, the conflict of the Sudanese Civil War resulted in the mass migration of thousands of Sudanese boys. This huge group of children were without adult supervision and care, and they travelled a total of one thousand miles through the Sahara desert. Many of them died of starvation and exposure during their journey. They were given the name the Lost Boys.
In this novel, various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from around the world try to bring aid into an area of Sudan so dangerous that the UN will not enter it. The main characters are Douglas Braithwaite, an American aviator who flies medical supplies and food to Southern Sudan; Fitzhugh Martin, a former professional soccer player who hopes relief work will give his directionless life a purpose; Wesley Dare, a cynical, pragmatic pilot hiding his true loving persona; Quinette Hardin, an Iowan Christian who goes to Africa to spread her faith and ends up liberating slaves from Arab raiders and falling in love with a Sudanese rebel commander; and the head antagonist, Ibrahim Idris Nur-el-Din, an Arab warlord whose obsessive quest for a concubine makes him wonder if the Muslim holy war against Sudan's southern blacks is right.
I was in the grips of genocide, and there was nothing I could do. Operation No Living Thing was put into full effect (Savage 33). The R.U.F., however, was not alone in servicing children as their own messengers of evil, the military group countering their acts of violence also had children fighting their battles. A Long Way Gone and The Bite of the Mango are eye-opening books because they give people all over the world a glimpse into the horrors kids in Africa face on a daily basis. However different Mariatu Kamara and Ishmael Beah’s experiences were regarding their journeys and disabilities, they both exhibited the same extraordinary resilience in the end to better themselves, create futures they could be proud of, and make the best of what the war left them.
Since 1983, the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Sudanese government have been at war within the southern region of Sudan. This brutal conflict has ravaged the country claiming hundreds of lives and exiling a vast number of the southern Sudanese people. Most of these outcasts were young men aging between five and twelve years of age who returned home from tending cattle to see their village being attacked and their fellow villagers being killed by government militias . These boys fled, not knowing what they would encounter on the journey to escape the violence in their own country. Hungry, frightened, and weak from their long and hellish journey, the boys reached refugee camps outside of Sudan. Even though many young men were killed on their journeys to and from refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, many remained at these camps for numerous years. While in the camps, they heard news of an opportunity to travel to the United States for hope and a promise of a better life. In Mark Bixler’s The Lost Boys of Sudan: An American Story of The Refugee Experience, Bixler depicts the story of these young men or Lost Boys’ and their determination to receive an education that would not only transform their lives but also the lives of their kinsmen.
Heart pounding, feet throbbing, thoughts swirling: Salva painstakingly walked through the Akobo Desert in hopes of reaching safety and peace with the help of the encouragement of his uncle and the hopes of finding his long-lost family. Salva is the main character in the book A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park; it is a historical account of the Lost Boys of Sudan during the fight for separation of South and North Sudan, in the Second Sudanese Civil War. There were many factors that played into the characters’ survival like fighting, food and water, and disease among others. Some factors that made Salva’s survival possible include; a code of honor for his parents and family, to encouragement from Marial and uncle, and his capability and
Everyday the average American family uses about 400 gallons of water a day. In some countries, the average family is lucky if they can even get enough to fill up a glass. In Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water, we hear the story of a boy in Sudan, named Salva in search of water and refuge. Salva shows that he is a survivor by making it through challenges like, dangerous animals, loss of loved ones, and mother nature. This story takes place during a war in sudan. It forces Salva to leave home and go on a journey with a group of people that he’s never met before.
Tim O’Brien, the author of The Things They Carried, is still undecided of whether to doge the draft and lose the respect of his family and friends, or go to the Vietnam War and lose his life, in the chapter “On The Rainy River”. Elroy’s actions reveal his good qualities that help Tim make this important decision, without any words of judgment or criticism. Elroy’s actions reveal heroic qualities. He is a silent Observer who helps Tim overcome his fears.
The Lost Boys of Sudan was about 17,000 boys. Some of the boys died of starvation hunger, dehydration or by getting eaten by animals during the journey to a place of safety. Although this may seem like a made-up story. it wasn’t. It was all real to salva, a lost boy in Sudan who survived the journey. This young boy (Salva) endured long walks to camps across the country, becoming a leader and making a positive impact on water in sudan which was a consistent struggle in Sudan. This boy has been written about in a book called “A Long Walk To Water” By Linda Sue Park. Salva’s life wasn’t easy as we read in the book. Salva has lived and survived with these survival factors: Hope, Persistent and Bravery.
A Long Walk to Water is a Realistic Fiction book that can be about Determination and it is made by Linda Sue Park. Nya is the main female character, and she has to fetch water everyday and it takes 8 hours of the day to get water and come back. Nya sometimes has to move to a lake during dry season and still has to get water, Nya. also doesn’t get to go to school or learn. Salva is the main male character, the part where Salva lives has been having war and Salva has to get to a refugee camp in Ethiopia along the way Salva meets a boy named Mariel and he finds his uncle, he makes it to a camp but a couple years later the government is falling and they have to go to another camp. Later on Salva got to go to New York and live with a new family.
Along the way, to survive, the boys ate leaves, wild berries and small insects and drank water from mud and even their own urine. According to Amal, one of the lost boys, planes from the United Nations and the American Red Cross would sometimes drop food for them. Despite this, many of the boys died due to starvation, dehydration or were killed by wild animals.The older children would pick up the younger ones and help them when they were too tired to walk. After two long months of walking the boys finally reacheda United Nations refugee camp in Ethiopia. They stayed there for four years; during that time they studied and learned English and made their own families−composed of 9-10 boys− every one of them looked after one another. Following the changes of government in Ethiopia, in 1991, they found themselves running for their lives once again. Chased by tanks and armed militia the boys, headed for Kenya, came in contact with the River Gilo; the river was swarmed with crocodiles and its waters were high. They rushed to it and frantically swam towards the other side, safety, but many drowned, were shot at or w...
Have you ever been so thirsty that you couldn’t stand it? Or have you ever felt so close to starvation? Well, I’m sure lots of people think they have, but they haven’t even been close to that. In the book, “A Long Walk to Water” by Linda Sue Park, the author describes a true story about a boy named Salva Dut, who lived in a village called Loun-Ariik in Southern Sudan. Salva started his journey at 11 years old because he was forced to evacuate his school after an attack on his village. When this happened, Salva separated from his family and went on a journey to save his life. As he continued aging on his journey, he was considered a refugee at the refugee camps because of the Civil War that happened soon before his journey. As Salva got closer
Taylor, Rupert. “The Plight of Child Soldiers.” Suite 101. Media Inc., 11 May 2009. Web. 15 Feb. 2011. .
The newest country in the world is South Sudan, which gained its independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011, as a result of a referendum that passed with 98.83% of the vote. South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in Africa, although it has the third largest oil reserves in Sub-Saharan Africa. Though it is currently a sovereign state, South Sudan still faces issues that can disrupt its stability and eventually lead into the new nation’s first civil war.