A Long Way Gone - 3 Essay - 834 Words

A Long Way Gone Ishmael Beah had a really tough life throughout his childhood and teenage years. In his literary work, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah uses symbols to underscore his central theme of oppression and/or freedom. The three symbols he used to underscore his central theme of oppression and freedom was Ishmaels AK-47, his cassette tapes, and the drugs he used. Ishmaels AK-47 was the most important symbol that Ishmael Beah used to underscore his central theme. At the beginning of A Long Way Gone Ishmael was terrified of guns. He didnt want anything to do with them. But once he started in the war against the rebels, guns were there to comfort him. He didnt want to leave his†¦show more content†¦(Beah 15) The rap cassettes made him connect with his friends and family because they would all dance and sing to them. Ishmael would resort to music when he just wanted to think or even just relax. He would find security with his cassette tapes. When his cassette tapes were demolished he had finally lost control of himself. â€Å"A soldier took my old pants and threw them a blazing fire†¦. I ran toward the fire, but the cassettes had already started to melt† (Beah 110). That was when he finally had completed his change to a whole different person. Memorizing lyrics left me little time to think about what had happened in the war. (Beah, 163). Ishmael Beahs rap cassette tapes had a huge impact on his life and how he acted. Without them he was no longer himself, but a monster. The final thing that encapsulated Ishmael Beah that was a symbol in A Long Way Gone was drugs, which particularly were marijuana and cocaine. Drugs had change Ishmael into something he didnt want to be. Once he started on drugs he craved them more and more until he would finally do anything and everything to get them. Drugs made him want to kill others. They would go on huge raids and kill all the rebels just to get some more drugs. â€Å"Sometimes we were asked to leave for war in the middle of a movie. We would come back hours later after killing many people and continue the movie as if weShow MoreRelatedThe Collapse Of The Foreclosure Crisis1002 Words   |  5 Pagesthese events and have fought their way back and successfully righted the financial ship. They are financially stable and better prepared for homeownership this time around. The most common question I face from these would be homeowners are, â€Å"What do I need to do to qualify for a mortgage again? and How long of a wait to buy again after . . . † If you have experienced a foreclosure, short sale, deed in lieu, cash for keys, or bankruptcy, and you’re wondering how long after experiencing one of theseRead MoreThe Physics Of Space Trip1117 Words   |  5 Pagestraining with each other and getting used to how everybody does things. 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