This seemed to me to be a weird way to end a good book. My doubts about Ishmael's foster family was confirmed in this part. The government takeover destroyed such a happy family. Ishmael's uncle was such a great person who really reached out to Ishmael. I can't imagine losing one family, and Ishmael has lost two.
As Ishmael says, the government takeover seemed too much like deja vu. He was going through those child soldier experiences all over again. But luckily, Ishmael did escape afterall, though I wonder why he didn't take anyone else with him. Maybe he thought that the only way he would be able to get away from Sierra Leone is to go by himself. I'm not sure; maybe Mohammed could've gone with him.
It was so weird that Ishmael ended the story without a definitive, resounding ending. He ended with a story he remembered. I bet there is a lot of symbolism in the short story he tells, but I can't entirely grasp it. He might be saying that if he were in charge of the situation in Sierra Leone, he would eliminate the root of it if he got the chance. I'm not sure. But if it's along the lines of what I'm saying, meaning that it has to do what the political situation in Sierra Leone, that kind of breaks away from what the story has been overall. It has been a personal story about Ishmael's experiences in the war, not a book dealing with what should be done in the war. I think Ishmael is trying to make a point with the anecdote, but I can't quite grasp it.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
LWG Ch. 19-20
This part seemed a lot more light-hearted to me than the rest of the book. It almost seemed like he was trying to tone it down for everyone so the book ends less strongly. There's a bit more humor, like the part where he says he thought that Christmas must be everyday in New York. You get to see the child in him, marveling at the sights and sounds of New York City.
It made me very happy for Ishmael that his new family is so great. They are always happy and very welcoming of him, knowing his past. But there again was the foreshadowing. I don't know what is going to happen, but it seems like something with him and his foster family is going to happen. This would then cause him to move to New York with Laura. It would really make me sad if Ishmael lost another family, and such a great one at that.
It strikes me that Ishmael is so calm about going to the UN and addressing so many people about such an important issue. If it were me, I'd be a nervous wreck! Maybe it's just that he doesn't talk much about being nervous. But he does seem to be a person who is comfortable speaking/performing to a bunch of people; he dances to rap cassettes a lot throughout the book. It's really not that important, but it just struck me.
What also made me think was the way he ended chapter 20. He said,"Because if I was to get killed upon my return, I knew that a memory of my existence was alive somewhere in the world." It was a uncanny way to end a chapter that was pretty light overall. His deep sadness sort of gets through to you because you get a glimpse of the grief and depression he's still going through. Even after being happy and visiting New York City, he still believes in the fragility of happiness and brings a depressing note into the end. That line interested me because of how it just came out of nowhere.
It made me very happy for Ishmael that his new family is so great. They are always happy and very welcoming of him, knowing his past. But there again was the foreshadowing. I don't know what is going to happen, but it seems like something with him and his foster family is going to happen. This would then cause him to move to New York with Laura. It would really make me sad if Ishmael lost another family, and such a great one at that.
It strikes me that Ishmael is so calm about going to the UN and addressing so many people about such an important issue. If it were me, I'd be a nervous wreck! Maybe it's just that he doesn't talk much about being nervous. But he does seem to be a person who is comfortable speaking/performing to a bunch of people; he dances to rap cassettes a lot throughout the book. It's really not that important, but it just struck me.
What also made me think was the way he ended chapter 20. He said,"Because if I was to get killed upon my return, I knew that a memory of my existence was alive somewhere in the world." It was a uncanny way to end a chapter that was pretty light overall. His deep sadness sort of gets through to you because you get a glimpse of the grief and depression he's still going through. Even after being happy and visiting New York City, he still believes in the fragility of happiness and brings a depressing note into the end. That line interested me because of how it just came out of nowhere.
Monday, October 27, 2008
LWG Ch. 17-18
From this section, you get a deeper understanding of how much suffering Ishmael has gone through. You notice that throughout this part, he keeps to himself and is more of an introvert. He doesn't show his emotions and isn't very happy about anything because he believes happiness is too fragile, which is understandable. He basically changes back into innocent child after the rehabilitation from remorseless killer.
What Esther has done for Ishmael and the other child soldiers is very remarkable to me. To deal with the initial hatred that the boys have towards her and to get through to them after a while takes a lot of patience, sincerity, and determination. She really believes in her cause to rehabilitate the kids.
It made me a little happier that Ishmael's uncle turned out to be alive and so glad to see him and be with him. He is so ready to accept him into his family. His family is also very accepting of him. What I wonder, though, is now Ishmael will end up in New York. Hopefully, something bad won't happen with his foster family that makes this happen. I really hope the story gets happier from here on out.
What Esther has done for Ishmael and the other child soldiers is very remarkable to me. To deal with the initial hatred that the boys have towards her and to get through to them after a while takes a lot of patience, sincerity, and determination. She really believes in her cause to rehabilitate the kids.
It made me a little happier that Ishmael's uncle turned out to be alive and so glad to see him and be with him. He is so ready to accept him into his family. His family is also very accepting of him. What I wonder, though, is now Ishmael will end up in New York. Hopefully, something bad won't happen with his foster family that makes this happen. I really hope the story gets happier from here on out.
Ch. 15-16 LWG blog
These chapters showed how extensively the damage that the war has had upon Ishmael. To think he's only a year older than I am in this part! He's gone through more than any normal person could imagine in a full life.
Ishmael can hurt and kill remorselessly and is willing to get into fights at the slightest provocation. You see that with his first encounter with Mamba. He fights and maybe kills two or three rebels without blinking an eye. What I thought was interesting was that the way the rebels recruited the children. They say that the army killed their family so they should join the rebels to fight against them. Switch the words rebel with army, and you have the same exact strategy that the army uses to recruit rebels. Everything just goes around full circle.
It bothered me that Ishmael and his friends attacked those people from UNICEF that were trying to help them, like the guy they stabbed in the foot. He just came back after recovering and said simply that it wasn't their fault that they did such things. I think I would be too afraid of the kids and what they are capable of doing to come back and just smile at them; saying that it wasn't their fault even after being beat up and almost killed by them.
They have also become bloodthirsty, too. Ishmael says that the violence calmed them down and made them content. This shows how much the war has impacted them, being child soldiers. This just freaked me out a bit.
Ishmael can hurt and kill remorselessly and is willing to get into fights at the slightest provocation. You see that with his first encounter with Mamba. He fights and maybe kills two or three rebels without blinking an eye. What I thought was interesting was that the way the rebels recruited the children. They say that the army killed their family so they should join the rebels to fight against them. Switch the words rebel with army, and you have the same exact strategy that the army uses to recruit rebels. Everything just goes around full circle.
It bothered me that Ishmael and his friends attacked those people from UNICEF that were trying to help them, like the guy they stabbed in the foot. He just came back after recovering and said simply that it wasn't their fault that they did such things. I think I would be too afraid of the kids and what they are capable of doing to come back and just smile at them; saying that it wasn't their fault even after being beat up and almost killed by them.
They have also become bloodthirsty, too. Ishmael says that the violence calmed them down and made them content. This shows how much the war has impacted them, being child soldiers. This just freaked me out a bit.
recommended books
i have not read in a long time, but i want to read something with substance. not anything like harry potter or something where its just written for no reason. maybe something like quiet strength by tony dungy or maybe the last lecture by randy pausch.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
LWG Ch. 13-14
Well, this is where we see the transformation from innocent child to remorseless killer. I guess you could say that the moment he snapped and turned into a killer was when he saw Josiah die. He says that he killed anything that moved from that time until the end of that battle. Just before that, he could barely bring himself to fire his gun to defend himself. I think that many, if not all of us, would probably have become the same thing that Ishmael became, if we went through his experiences. If your whole family died, if your friends died, if you saw so many people killed and mutilated for no apparent reason, I think that you would reach a snapping point. It didn't help that the drugs he took made him even more remorseless. I don't blame Ishmael one bit. I sympathize with him fully. I think that maybe after killing those people and reaching that snapping point, his guilt might have kicked in in a while, if it weren't for those drugs he took all the time.
It strikes me when Ishmael says that the military had become his family. His family used to be a loving, mostly happy family. He then becomes part of a "family" that kills people and recruits children and gives them drugs. In this "family," he is encouraged to kill people and is rewarded for it, like when he slit that person's throat to become promoted.
It strikes me when Ishmael says that the military had become his family. His family used to be a loving, mostly happy family. He then becomes part of a "family" that kills people and recruits children and gives them drugs. In this "family," he is encouraged to kill people and is rewarded for it, like when he slit that person's throat to become promoted.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
LWG Ch. 11-12
Wow. This story is the most tragic story I have ever read by far. I felt my hope rise up, even though I knew Ishmael wasn't going to meet his family. And then I felt my hope crash down, as his family was killed in the village by the rebels. That is a very graphic part of the novel. Ishmael's sorrow came clear across to me. He was so close to being reunited with his family, and he is denied that reunion. The way Ishmael describes the amount of bodies just piled up, and the blood oozing from them is very gruesome to me. The part about the woman and child who were on fire was horrible, too.
When Ishmael reaches the village guarded by the soldiers, it kind of strikes me that the soldiers don't treat the villagers very well. Most of the time they make fun of them. The soldiers laugh at Ishmael when he steps into the head of a dead person. One of the soldiers shot some rounds into the air when Ishmael had just started training to scare him. There was also a part where when the soldiers came back from fighting, they just randomly shot some villagers.
When the lieutenant talks about what atrocities the rebels committed upon everyone, I felt extremely disgusted. I never knew they made those people do such things. It is bad enough that they were killing them so gruesomely, but to also pile on the other things is just disgusting. It made me cringe inside when I read these things, which was mostly my reaction to this whole section.
When Ishmael reaches the village guarded by the soldiers, it kind of strikes me that the soldiers don't treat the villagers very well. Most of the time they make fun of them. The soldiers laugh at Ishmael when he steps into the head of a dead person. One of the soldiers shot some rounds into the air when Ishmael had just started training to scare him. There was also a part where when the soldiers came back from fighting, they just randomly shot some villagers.
When the lieutenant talks about what atrocities the rebels committed upon everyone, I felt extremely disgusted. I never knew they made those people do such things. It is bad enough that they were killing them so gruesomely, but to also pile on the other things is just disgusting. It made me cringe inside when I read these things, which was mostly my reaction to this whole section.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
LWG Ch. 10
This chapter taught us more about the past of the boys. It seemed to me that they all opened up to each other a bit more. You hear all of their stories and are horrified by each and every one of them. I found Saidu's story to be the worst because of what happened to his sisters and how he had to go through such trauma. I guess it makes sense that he would die because of all the emotional hardship, which is really an understatement, that he's been through. Saidu said it very eloquently when he talked about dying a little more each time he accepted death. I can't possibly understand what he's going through, and I don't I ever will be able to. The boys could share their stories with each other, I think, because they became a bit more comfortable with each other. Those other boys are the only ones who can comprehend what their companions are going through.
In this chapter, the villages they go through contrast sharply with the previous villages they went through because these villages didn't try to actually kill them before they even got to understand them. These villages gave them food and shelter for some nights and didn't chase them away. These villages probably haven't been affected by the war yet.
It really depressed me when Ishmael talked about his family and his memories with his families. When he talks about his family, it reminds me of my own, and I don't want to ever be in this kind of situation with my family. I don't think I could stand it. But there was a glimmer of hope offered by the lady in the village where Saidu died. She said that she has met his mother, father, and brother and that they were in the next village. If I were him, I might've left for the next village at that very moment. But I think that he didn't because he had a sense of companionship with his friends.
There seemed to be a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter. The dogs crying, the babies crying, the oppressive darkness, etc., etc. This makes me think that something really bad is going to be happening in the next chapter. I think that this probably means that Ishmael won't be reunited with his family again. I've got to say, every time a good thing happens to Ishmael, a bad thing happens to counter it. They get some smoked meat, it gets eaten by a dog. Ishmael finds companions, they become more likely to be caught by the rebels. This story makes me sadder and sadder for Ishmael every chapter.
In this chapter, the villages they go through contrast sharply with the previous villages they went through because these villages didn't try to actually kill them before they even got to understand them. These villages gave them food and shelter for some nights and didn't chase them away. These villages probably haven't been affected by the war yet.
It really depressed me when Ishmael talked about his family and his memories with his families. When he talks about his family, it reminds me of my own, and I don't want to ever be in this kind of situation with my family. I don't think I could stand it. But there was a glimmer of hope offered by the lady in the village where Saidu died. She said that she has met his mother, father, and brother and that they were in the next village. If I were him, I might've left for the next village at that very moment. But I think that he didn't because he had a sense of companionship with his friends.
There seemed to be a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter. The dogs crying, the babies crying, the oppressive darkness, etc., etc. This makes me think that something really bad is going to be happening in the next chapter. I think that this probably means that Ishmael won't be reunited with his family again. I've got to say, every time a good thing happens to Ishmael, a bad thing happens to counter it. They get some smoked meat, it gets eaten by a dog. Ishmael finds companions, they become more likely to be caught by the rebels. This story makes me sadder and sadder for Ishmael every chapter.
Monday, October 13, 2008
LWG Ch. 8-9
It made me a little happier that in this section, Beah finds some companions. They don't share their emotions with each other, but it must be a little comforting that these people can understand his suffering. Kanei seems to be the Junior in this group; the person that is the leader.
It is almost amusing that rap saved Beah and his companions, but not when you realize how dire the situation actually was. I think the villagers should have heard them out and not punish them by taking their crapes away, but it is understandable, considering what has transpired during the war. But also, the way the leader of the village called them devils without understanding them made me a little angry.
It was a great act of kindness that the fisherman took to take care of the kids. He took their responsibility on his shoulders and nursed them back to health. He must have heard the rumors of the "Seven Children," and he risked those being true because he knew what he was doing was right.
There is a part that I had a question about. At the beginning of Chapter 8, Beah says that he could "see the leaves on the tree swaying, but I couldn't feel the wind." Did he actually mean this literally or was this a metaphor? It probably is a metaphor, but I'm not sure. Maybe he meant that he was just going through the motions of life and not actually living it. I'm not sure.
It is almost amusing that rap saved Beah and his companions, but not when you realize how dire the situation actually was. I think the villagers should have heard them out and not punish them by taking their crapes away, but it is understandable, considering what has transpired during the war. But also, the way the leader of the village called them devils without understanding them made me a little angry.
It was a great act of kindness that the fisherman took to take care of the kids. He took their responsibility on his shoulders and nursed them back to health. He must have heard the rumors of the "Seven Children," and he risked those being true because he knew what he was doing was right.
There is a part that I had a question about. At the beginning of Chapter 8, Beah says that he could "see the leaves on the tree swaying, but I couldn't feel the wind." Did he actually mean this literally or was this a metaphor? It probably is a metaphor, but I'm not sure. Maybe he meant that he was just going through the motions of life and not actually living it. I'm not sure.
LWG Ch. 6-7
The theme, it seemed to me, over these two chapters was how no one could trust anyone anymore. The war had deprived people the very experience of getting to know people, as Beah so put it. Such young children could not even be talked to, let alone helped. People detained them to question him, and the family at the river did not even want to talk to him.
The simple truth is sort of thrusted at you when Beah says it was the last time he would ever see Junior. Beah lost the only family he might have left in the world; he has no one left anymore. Beah is officially on his own. The war has taken so much away from him already, and it is sad to know that as the story goes on, he is bound to lose even more.
One of the parts that I impacted me was when Beah leaves from where Kaloko was. Beah started crying, "as if I was being wrapped in a blanket of sorrow." I think some of the bottled-up emotions started to come out. I guess you could say this was a step backward from the remorseless killer that Beah becomes because his emotions came through.
The simple truth is sort of thrusted at you when Beah says it was the last time he would ever see Junior. Beah lost the only family he might have left in the world; he has no one left anymore. Beah is officially on his own. The war has taken so much away from him already, and it is sad to know that as the story goes on, he is bound to lose even more.
One of the parts that I impacted me was when Beah leaves from where Kaloko was. Beah started crying, "as if I was being wrapped in a blanket of sorrow." I think some of the bottled-up emotions started to come out. I guess you could say this was a step backward from the remorseless killer that Beah becomes because his emotions came through.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
LWG Ch. 3-5
These section of reading was very strong for me. Getting caught by the rebels the first time is one of the parts that really jumps out to me. I thought that they were actually going to get recruited this time, but they didn't. It is very heartbreaking that Beah had to stand in front of the only family he probably had left and be faced with the choice to kill or be killed. The emotions going his brother and his head are incomprehensible to me. And to think that they risked their lives and got caught by the rebels for nothing! Afterall, the money they got came to no good use. Frustrating is a severe understatement of what that must have felt like.
Torturing the old man was a very sick thing to do. The rebels seemed so comfortable doing this and they enjoyed it thoroughly. It disgusts me that people can be like that, but I guess these rebels must have been like Beah nine to ten years ago. That transformation from an innocent child to cold-blooded killer is so abrupt and so horrific. I can't imagine Beah turning into this type of killer, but I know its going to happen.
One of the things that I wondered about was were the rebels that captured Beah and his companions on drugs, too. Or were they actually consciously doing what they were? I'm not really sure.
Torturing the old man was a very sick thing to do. The rebels seemed so comfortable doing this and they enjoyed it thoroughly. It disgusts me that people can be like that, but I guess these rebels must have been like Beah nine to ten years ago. That transformation from an innocent child to cold-blooded killer is so abrupt and so horrific. I can't imagine Beah turning into this type of killer, but I know its going to happen.
One of the things that I wondered about was were the rebels that captured Beah and his companions on drugs, too. Or were they actually consciously doing what they were? I'm not really sure.
Monday, October 6, 2008
LWG Ch. 1-2 Blog
As I read the first two chapters of this book, many things stood out to me. One thing that stood out to me was the portion before the first chapter. You get a feeling of the naiveté that people in the US have towards issues like child soldiers, which is not at all the peoples' fault; its more of a media thing. Another thing that stood out to me was the innocence that the novel is written in so far. The main character talks about his exposure to rap music and how he tries to imitate the rappers' style of speaking "English really fast, and to the beat." Another part like this is when his brother and him go pick up Ibrahim from school, and Ibrahim comes running to him and challenges him to a soccer match.
This is such a sharp contrast to what happens later on in the first chapter and in chapter two. In chapter one, Beah sees firsthand all the suffering that occurs when the people attacked by the rebels are fleeing to his village. What really hit home for me was the passage about the parents and their children. One man was trying to convince himself that his son was still alive and that he would take him to a hospital. Another part was when the baby had been shot in the head, and her mother was "in too much pain and shock to shed tears." Beah really accentuated parts like these for me with the emotions. He talks about how the child who was shot had an "interrupted innocent smile on her face." He also describes how the mother rocked her child back and forth after she had died.
Another part that stood out to me was how Beah describes how he mindlessly walked through a ravaged village that was attacked by the rebels, carrying a wheelbarrow with a dead body ridden with bullets. He gives you a strong and disturbing image about the plight of child soldiers and the various wars in Africa.
All in all, I think the innocent way he starts out the novel sort of shocks you into the parts where he talks about the war and its victims. It is a very strong beginning for a novel that will probably get even stronger as the plot progresses.
This is such a sharp contrast to what happens later on in the first chapter and in chapter two. In chapter one, Beah sees firsthand all the suffering that occurs when the people attacked by the rebels are fleeing to his village. What really hit home for me was the passage about the parents and their children. One man was trying to convince himself that his son was still alive and that he would take him to a hospital. Another part was when the baby had been shot in the head, and her mother was "in too much pain and shock to shed tears." Beah really accentuated parts like these for me with the emotions. He talks about how the child who was shot had an "interrupted innocent smile on her face." He also describes how the mother rocked her child back and forth after she had died.
Another part that stood out to me was how Beah describes how he mindlessly walked through a ravaged village that was attacked by the rebels, carrying a wheelbarrow with a dead body ridden with bullets. He gives you a strong and disturbing image about the plight of child soldiers and the various wars in Africa.
All in all, I think the innocent way he starts out the novel sort of shocks you into the parts where he talks about the war and its victims. It is a very strong beginning for a novel that will probably get even stronger as the plot progresses.
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