Week 6

On page 212, Ishmael writes, “It sickened me to see that Sierra Leoneans asked money from those who had come from the war. They were benefiting from people who were running for their lives.” More examples of this happening are very often in the book. Anyone who lives in the community, or even in Sierra Leone in general, should help each other out just for the sake of community.  The older men should be helping out the younger boys, especially in the army that Ishmael joins. Instead of giving them drugs, brain-washing them, and making them killing machines they should be trying to get them to a safe area where they can live health, normal lives. But a lot of people don't do this, because the danger is so bad that it has become a "every man for himself" kind of situation. They saying "all is fair in love and war" is very evident in this book. 

At the end of the story Ishmael ends with a story: A man goes into the forest to hunt, as he walks through the forest and reaches the hunting grounds he immediately spots a monkey in a clearing, but to far for a good shot. As he noisily treads through the fallen bushes, the monkey for some reason doesn't notice him. As he reaches a suitable spot to shoot from, about 30 feet from the monkey he raises his rifle, just then the monkey looks up from grazing, directly at the hunter and says "If you shoot me your mother will die, and if you don't, your father will." After telling this story Ishmael comes to the conclusion that he would shoot the monkey so it can't put other people into the same predicament.  This relates to Ishmael's life because no matter what decision you make somebody will be hurt. He says through the monkey analogy that he would try to end the violence, even if someone had to get hurt in the process, just so nobody else would be affected in the future. I enjoyed the end of the book because it showed that Ishmael at least got out of the country, but still left some mystery for the reader as to what he does after that. I also particularly liked the monkey story because it got me thinking about what I would do. 

Week 5

The whole concept of what family is is challenged by A Long Way Gone.  At the start of the book Ishmael has a seeming "normal" family, with a mom, dad, and two brother. Then he is suddenly left without them in the middle of the book, and must make a new one. This new family becomes his best friends which he travels with all over the country, trying to run away from the war. He cares for them deeply and what happens to them happens to him. After once again losing that family he finds a brand new one-his squad. The squad protected each other and left no one behind, even Ishmael, when he got shot in the foot and couldn't move. It was the first family that he actually felt safe and some-what love since his first family. This new and strongest family to date is also one of the most unconventional. It would seem that Ishmael wouldn't like these people, because they drug him, brain-wash him, and force him to shoot people, but in actuality they made him feel important, loved, and protected, which is what is the base of what a family truly is. At the conclusions of the book Ishmael is transported to his final family- one composing of his uncle, aunt, and cousins. This is one also unconventional according to our standards, but it is what Ishmael needs and deserves: a healthy family. A Long Way Gone  challenged what family is by showing that just because your family isn't composed of your blood relatives doesn't make it any less of a family.

On page 128, the soldiers start singing the Sierra Leone national anthem. The words Ishmael reprints are “High we exalt thee, realm of the free, great is the love we have for thee…” Ishmael reprints these lines because he thinks that people in Sierra Leone believe that they are free, even though their rights are restricted. To be a free person in a free country you must have freedom of expression, and be able to make your own life choices. You should be able to chose whether or not you want to participate in an army- and Sierra Leone definitely does not give that right. A free person should also have the freedoms of religion, speech, press, and petition.  The US gives all these rights and should be considered a free country.