Lily Tikijian
October 13, 2008
Literature Period 6
Mrs. Pfanschmidt
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider
Chapter 8 & 9
Chapters eight and nine were very different from the rest of the chapters I have read so far. These chapters seemed more…. Realistic. I don’t know why but they seemed to be more relatable because they weren’t so filled with blood and war. They had more to do with him be lonely and things like that. That’s why I thought they were more relatable, all of us have been lonely at some point in our life but none of us have been in a war. I am still in shock that Ishmael was able to walk for two days and night without sleeping. He said that he felt as if someone was after him. He even said sometimes his own shadow would scare him and he would run for miles. This is unimaginable. Being so afraid of something that your own shadow causes you to run for miles. The most horrid part of this chapter was at the beginning of chapter eight when Ishmael says. “I had passed through burnt villages where dead bodies of men, women, and children of all ages were scattered like leaves on the ground after a storm.” This sight is becoming more and more natural for him to see. At the beginning of his journey he probably would have been much more bothered at the sight of all of those innocent people that are dead, now its just like seeing leaves on the ground. The rebels are desensitizing him without even being one of them. Ishmael says that he has to try and not think, he is afraid of thinking. He is afraid of the terrible images that he has seen and he doesn’t want to think about them. He says, “I decided to just ignore every thought that came to my head, because it brought too much sadness.” How could he live like this? I couldn’t stand it, I would probably rather be dead. I was so happy when he met up with some boys and they saw the Atlantic Ocean. It was the first time he has smiled in practically the whole book. The last thing that struck me in the chapter was when Ishmael said, “… and laughed about what happened to avoid crying.” They were laughing about being captured by the villagers. It just hurts to even think about it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Yeah, I think you said it pretty well. This section did seem a lot more relatable. It also surprised me that someone could be so afraid of something that they go without sleep for two days and can be afraid of their own shadow. The metaphor about the dead bodies being scattered like leaves gives me a vivid mental picture. Another part that disturbed me was when Beah told how people's head had been smashed by bricks and such. Overall, yeah, I agree, this part was the most relatable so far.
HEY LILY!! yea i agree that these chapters were more relatable. He is now realizing how much this war is affecting him and the part talking about the bodies laying there like leaves was too hard for me to read. I dont know how Ishmael could live like this because i know i couldn't. BUT GREAT BLOG GIRLIE!! :)
Post a Comment