LOSS OF INNOCENCE

INTRODUCTION

• In the book Beahs village was attacked by rebels of the Sierra Leone Civil War.
• Beah had to learn to survive and escape the rebels on his own.
• Later he was recruited by the rebels and had to kill people in order to not be killed.

INTRODUCTION CONTINUED

• Later on in the book, Beah was rescued by The military, finished school and war broke out again in 1997

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

• The book "A Long Way Gone" talks about the life of a 12 year old boy during the Sierra Leone Civil War.
• The 12 year old narrator of the book is also the author, Ishmael Beah.
• I believe the authors intentions on writing "A Long Way Gone" was to tell his story and inform others about different situations children endure throughout the world.
• "

DEFINE THE THEME

• The theme I've chosen is Loss of Innocence.
• I chose this theme because it really fits the book. Many children experienced very traumatic events and feel as though they've loss their childhood.
• "I could no longer tell the difference between dream and reality"(Beah 27).

THEME TO CHARACTER

• Ishmael and older brother Junior connect the most to the theme.
• Ishmael was a small and skinny12 year old boy and Junior was taller than Ishmael.
• Ishmael and Junior connect the most to the theme because they've seen terrible things happened before their eyes.
• "There was a bullet hole in his forehead and underneath the stoop lay the bodies of two men...that was on the ground next to their piled body parts" (Beah 41).

THEM TO CONFLICT

• Ishmael and his friend were captured by the rebels and the rebels picked the strongest out of the group and told the boys to kill the weak.
• Junior was chosen as one of the strong boys and Ishmael was chosen as one of the weak.
• Luckily, gun shots from a far distracted the rebels and the boys got away.
• "I felt the fear...causing my teeth to feel somehow sour..."(Beah 50).

THEME TO SETTING

• Loss of Innocence connects to the five boys and Ishmael stealing corn from a five your old boy.
• They were so hungry and were at a point where they'd do anything to survive. So, they chased and stole the little boys corn ears.
• "We didn't know where else to get food...I was busy trying to survive everyday obstacles" (Beah 44).

CONNECT TO YOUNG ADULTS

• This theme connects to young adults everywhere that have had traumatic experiences.
• Things that effected there childhood does effect their adulthood.
• Many feels as though they were robbed of their childhood and can't get it back.

CONNECT TO PERSONAL LIFE

• I personally do not feel as though I have lost my innocence.
• I have not been though an extremely traumatic experience to where I did not feel like I child.
• I have had experiences that have made me more cautious. Once I was running barefoot in a park and cut my foot on glass when was 6 and now I wear shoes in parks or check the area I'm in for glass.

WORKS CITED

• Beah, Ishmael" A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider" New York City, New York: Sarah Crichton Books. 13 February 2007