A Long Way Gone - LC#6

Ethan Chan

Blog Post #6 – A Long Way Gone

Quote #1

“I didn't think much about the interview except that I still wondered why the man who had interviewed me smiled. I meant what I said and it was not a funny matter.”

-Ishmael, Page 187

I think this quote relates to how the Americans treat Ishmael and the other children. The Americans don't know the half of what happened back in the Sierra Leone. I think that this quote shows how ignorant we can be, as well as how different the environment is from the Sierra Leone to America.

I can connect to this quote when I have a one-of-a-kind experience, as well as when I do something that others haven't. Sometimes I may feel that these experiences are very important or terrifying, but all the others don't think it's a big deal. Even I have been like this, and this means you can't talk about what you haven't done accurately.

Would you get mad if you were in Ishmael's position, having faced a man who smiled about your bloody past life?

Quote #2

“I've come to learn that if I am going to take revenge, in that process I will kill another person whose family will want revenge; then revenge and revenge and revenge will never come to an end.”

-Ishmael, Page 199

I think this quote explains what he had learned from his experience in the Sierra Leone. He had learned that revenge will start a chain reaction, and it won't end beneficially. I think that this is the main moral of the story, and that Ishmael had experienced a lot throughout the book.

I can connect to this because sometimes I want revenge, but I get in trouble if I do it. I think that this holds true for everything, that revenge will only make things worse.

Have you ever had experiences where you used revenge, but got in trouble?

A Long Way Gone - LC#5

Ethan Chan

Blog Post #5 – A Long Way Gone

Quote #1

“At the end of our handshake, Alhaji stepped back, saluted me, and whispered, “Goodbye, squad leader.” I tapped him on the shoulder again; I couldn't salute him in return.

-Alhaji and Ishmael, Page 180

I think this quote relates to adjusting to the new life, without war. Ishmael receives a salute from Alhaji, but he cannot return it. This shows how even though Alhaji is fond of these memories, Ishmael wants to forget some of his memories. He doesn't want to live in the past; he wants to move on with life. This quote struck me because it was a goodbye, and he probably wanted both of them to live a happy new life.

I can relate to this quote pretty easily. There have been times I have seen old acquaintances in random places. I wave hi, but I usually don't talk to them anymore. There is something holding me back, and that probably is the same thing as Ishmael: moving on with life.

If you saw an old friend, would you like to talk with him, or simply wave hi?

Quote #2

“They wanted to know about me, and I wasn't ready to tell them. It was okay. I liked being alone.”

-Ishmael, Page 184

I think this quote also relates to Ishmael adjusting to his new life. He hasn't completely converted over to city life, in which it is peaceful and there is no immediate danger. He still has some trust issues, but I think that's normal.

I think that I can relate to this because sometimes I'm not comfortable with telling people secrets that I've been keeping for a long time. I think that all people are like this, and they like keeping comfortable and not telling them their past experiences.

If you were Ishmael, would you be able to tell everyone about the war immediately?

A Long Way Gone - LC#4

Ethan Chan

Blog Post #4 – A Long Way Gone

Quote #1

““The rebels are responsible for everything that has happened to you.” I imagined capturing several rebels at once, locking them inside a house, sprinkling gasoline on it, and tossing a match. We watch it burn and I laugh.”

-Ishmael, Page 113

This quote shows how much Ishmael has changed since the start of the book. It's hard to imagine that Ishmael was once a peaceful boy who wanted to escape war. It now seems he became what he hated; he was sort of a rebel, because he killed others for enjoyment. I feel that laughing while killing someone is something only a psycho would do, and perhaps it's what Ishmael has become.

I think that Ishmael has become a completely different person since the start of the book. He used to be a hater of war, and now he doesn't care who dies. Even when some of his friends died, he just didn't care.

If you had become this insane and changed back, what would you think of yourself?

Quote #2

“Whenever I turned on the tap water, all I could see was blood gushing out.”

-Ishmael, Page 145

This quote shows how brainwashed Ishmael, as well as all the other child soldiers, had become. It's hard to believe that to Ishmael, all liquids remind him of blood. He has spent so much time on the battlefield, the only thing he's seen in months is blood. It just shows how hard it is to adjust to the new life in the city, when he's spent such a long time in the army.

I think I could slightly connect to this quote, but not very much. Whenever I do something for a long time, it becomes hard to get out of it. Even though it's the same concept, it's not even on the same scale as Ishmael's hardships.

If you were forced to kill people for many months without end, how would you feel after you stopped?

A Long Way Gone - LC#3

Ethan Chan

Blog Post #3 – A Long Way Gone

Quote #1

“I went to the river, dove into the water, and sat at the bottom, but my thoughts followed me.”

-Ishmael, Page 72

I thought this quote was very powerful because it has a strong metaphor. Even without the wording, I think this is very significant, because it shows how thoughts will follow you everywhere. His thoughts are very sad, and it's hard to let go of sad thoughts. I would never be able to let go of a sad memory of family if they had died.

I think this quote connects to me very well because sometimes, some sad things happen in my life and it's hard to let go. For example, one time, I had a nightmare 3 years ago, and I haven't forgotten. When you face something important in your life, it's very hard to forget.

Quote #2

“To this day, I carry the pain that my sisters and parents felt. When I climbed down after the rebels were gone, I couldn't stand and my tears froze in my eyes. I felt like my veins were being harshly pulled out of my body. I still feel like that all the time, as AI can't stop thinking about that day. What did my sisters do to anyone?”

-Saidu, Page 80

I think this quote tells us how terrible the rebels are. To have the pain of watching your sisters be raped and not be able to do anything, to not see them again, is a very saddening experience. It's hard to believe Saidu could put up with this. You simply can't forget things like that.

I think Saidu has had a lot of worries. I feel sorry for him, having to carry all of those painful memories. I think that Saidu should have lived longer, because through all the hardships he has suffered he deserves a break.

A Long Way Gone - LC#2

Ethan Chan

Blog Post #2 – A Long Way Gone

Quote #1

“Even a twelve-year-old couldn't be trusted anymore.”

-Ishmael, page 48

This quote really surprised me, because I had no idea how bad times had become. I was shocked that boys my age, even maybe a bit less, could not be trusted. It just shows how far a war can take a country, and the madness that overcomes the country in the process. Even children could not be trusted, and in fact, they were feared by many adults. War by children is quite possibly the worst thing to happen to this world.

Ishmael, a twelve year old boy, just tries to survive his daily life. He is on the brink of death, and could be killed any second. I really feel sorry for this boy, because even though he tries to make peace, he is rarely trusted due to the fear of rebels.

How do you think life would be if children your age weren't trusted, and were branded as traitors?

Quote #2

"How many more times do we have to come to terms with death before we find safety?"

-Saidu, page 70

I think this quote that Saidu said had a big impact on me. I didn't realize how many times these boys, and many others, had faced death and survived. This quote is significant because it reminds us of how cruel a country can be when you are marked as a traitor, and how difficult it is to struggle with death every other day.

I think this quote links to me because sometimes when I do something, I am at risk most of the time. It's a bit like Russian Roulette: either you live or you die. I can see how hard it is to live every time, but have part of life taken away from you each time you face death.

How would you feel if you almost died every day? Would you be able to find peace?

A Long Way Gone - LC#1

Ethan Chan

Blog Post #1 – A Long Way Gone

Quote #1

“But what kind of liberation movement shoots innocent civilians, children, and that little girl?”

-Ishmael, page 14

This quote struck me because at first, I had thought the rebels were the good side of the war. It turns out that the rebels were actually evil, because in their quest for liberation, they had destroyed what they were fighting for. This made life for the narrator very tough in his home country because everywhere he stepped, he would be in constant danger. I can only imagine how difficult life would be if every second there was a possibility of death.

I think that this quote connects to the things I do in life, only not as drastic. Sometimes when I try to accomplish something, it has to be perfect because if I make one mistake, the whole thing basically dies. Like a game of minesweeper, caution is first priority.

Why do you think the rebels kill the innocent?

Quote #2

“A shudder racked my body, and I tried to think about my new life in New York City, where I had been for over a month. But my mind wandered across the Atlantic Ocean back to Sierra Leone.”

-Ishmael, page 19

In Ishmael's new life in America, he has trouble forgetting his bloodstained past. One of the many hardships one faces when immigrating is when the past comes rushing back. Even though Ishmael has a new life in New York, his mind is still in the Sierra Leone, where it was eat or be eaten. It becomes hard to forget your past if it is important.

This quote connects to me because there have been bad things that have happened in my life, and I sometimes don't want to remember them. However, no matter how hard I try, these events still come back to memory. I think that these events have been a big enough part of my life to never go away.

In relation to other events in the narrator's life, how important do you think the war is to him?