Week 5 Post B

Blood Diamond! I know I'm supposed to be talking about my book, A long Way Gone, but every time I sit down to read it, I can't help but think about the movie Blood Diamond. Both plots and settings match so closely, I thought that the movie was based off of the book but in reality, the movie was made long before Beah wrote his memoir.

There was a particular quote in the novel that matched up almost exactly to the movie. "Because of this raid, Alhaji acquired the name "little Rambo," and he did all he could to live up to that name. My nickname was "Green Snake," because I would situate myself in the most advantageous and sneaky positions."(p.144) In Blood Diamond, the boy soldiers are given names like "Baby killer" and "Blood Reaper" partially to install confidence in the soldiers, but also to strip them of their past lives and identities. In both the movie and the book, it would have been detrimental to the armies to have boy soldiers thinking about their past and who they were. Nicknames ensured that boys would remain loyal to their cause and it provided a sense of family within the army.

Another similarity between the two was the focus on the "boy soldiers." Beah has an obsession writing about his use of drugs. He even goes as far as mentioning them every chapter because they played such a big part in his life. Just like in the memoir, the movie shows scenes were adults give the boy soldiers drugs to make them fearless in battle and feel less pain when they are shot. Without these drugs, the boys would panic and become worthless fighters. It seems that both armies were fueled by drugs; specifically the boy soldiers. Overall, the similarities are quite shocking and I recommend the book and the movie to anybody who can stomach the violence.

Week 5 Post A

Reverie (p.118)- a state of dreamy meditation or fanciful musing: lost in reverie, a dream.

Jovial (p.177)- endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship

Appeals

"Other times, the younger boys sat by rocks weeping and telling us that the rocks were their dead families."(p.145) This emotional appeal demonstrates to the reader just how messed up these boy soldiers were from fighting in the war. So much has happened to the boys that none of us will ever be able to understand the pain they went through however this quote allows the reader to gain a perspective of just how badly the kids were hurt.

One part of the book that I found particularly interesting was Beah's behavior after he stopped fighting. "Mambu and Alhaji walked behind me the whole time and consulted with me about which way to proceed, when to stop... It seemed as if we were still in the front line and I was their squad leader."(p.147) It seems that the boys are unable to complete a simple task like walking through a town without being in the war mind set. This habit that they can not break is a logical appeal because operating in squads and being ready to kill has become part of their human nature.

"I was angry because I missed my squad and needed more violence."(p.140) Although this is probably a emotional appeal, to me, this quote is telling me to stay as far away from Ishmael Beah as possible. Therefor it is a logical appeal. HE'S CRAZY! STAY AWAY!

Quote

"It will be a waste of bullets to shoot them, the lieutenant said. So we gave them shovels and demanded, at gunpoint, that they dig their own graves... When they were done digging, we tied them and stabbed their legs with bayonets...We then rolled each man into his hole, and covered them with the wet mud... they laid back and watched us with their pale sad eyes."(p.151) While this quote was extremely painful to read, it also was impossible to tear my eyes away from the page. Most readers enjoy reading about events that they have never experienced and never get to learn about which is why this quote appealed to me. Being buried alive certainly isn't on my "want to know more about" list but because Beah described it in such detail, he was able to get the reader emotionally involved.

Theme

Nothing is too great to overcome and there is always time to change.

Week 4 Post A

Theme

What would you do to cope with the thought of never seeing your family again? Would you cry or would you put it out of your mind forever? Beah uses strangers and friends to help him get through the tough times and he soon learns that a friend can mean the difference between life and death.

Thatched (p.93)-Plant stalks or foliage, such as reeds or palm fronds, used for roofing.

humongous (p.77)- Extremely large; enormous

Appeals

This quote is a very personal quote for me because it reminds me of a death in my family. "What was left of him was only a memory."(86) For me, the emotional part is tough to deal with and it makes me sad to think that nobody will remember you after you die. Sure there will be people in your family who think about you but after the grandchildren die, not even the memory of your existence will survive.

"But I knew that the chances of coming back to the village were slim, as we had no control over our future. We knew only how to survive."(87) I feel bad for Beah because he had no control over what happened to him. People at Edina High School have lots of choices and hold the future in their own hands. Many times, we mistake that as a bad thing when we don't want to study for a test or do homework but really, it is a gift to control our own future.

"Sometimes the night has a way of speaking to us, but we almost never listen."(81) I had to re-read this sentence in the book before I got the actual meaning. Beah is foreshadowing a terrible death to come, but at the same time, he is saying that humans don't think about their consequences of their actions. Global warming immediately comes to my mind when I think about human consequences. This quote shows insight on Beah's part to see that humans can create bad consequences without even knowing it.

Quote

"That night we stole a pot of rice and cassava leaves. We ate it under coffee trees at the edge of the village, washed the pots, and returned them." This quote relates directly to what we have been talking about in class. At what point is it o.k. to steal from others and break the law? In this case, because the reader is able to relate to the main character and knows him very well, I feel that it was justified. I don't believe there is one right answer to the question but I think that most people would sympathize with Beah when he has to steal food to survive.

Week 4 Post B

"The five men were lined up in front of us on the training ground with their hands tied. We were supposed to slice their throats on the corporal's command. The person whose prisoner died quickest would win the contest... [After the contest] We celebrated that day's achievement with more drugs and more war movies."

It's quotes like these that make me question Ishmael Beah's sanity, therefore I definitely wouldn't want to meet him in person! The quote goes on for another page or so describing how he felt numb to all of the killing and how fiercely loyal he is to his commander. Over the course of three chapters, we see Beah being brainwashed to become a non-sleeping, drug-fueled, killing machine. The story makes it clear how the effects of a war can drastically change one's perception of what is right and what is wrong. One example is the change between Beah's first battle and his later ones. During his first fight, Beah can't bring himself to do anything but curl up into a ball, hide, and cry. But a month later, he finds himself slicing people's throats and laughing at how quickly they fall to the ground.

Many people I know and live with share the same idea about killing. It's wrong and we would never bring ourselves to do it. On the contrary, I believe that Beah's ruthless actions aren’t as far-fetched and unbelievable as we would like to think they are. I feel that most people put in the same situation as Beah, would do the exact same thing.

Week 3 Post B

I have to say that I'm getting tired of all of the violence in this book. At first, the people who die shock the reader and set the tone for the book. However, after 100 pages of non-stop dying and carnage, it loses it's potency on the reader's emotions. Maybe it's just me, but now I ignore Beah when he is complaining about how bad his feet hurt or how many people he has seen die. The book does incorporate other interesting topics such as jungle survival. I always enjoyed watching Surviverman and Man vs. Wild on the discovery channel and reading about the fruit that Beah eats, the shelters he makes, and the animals he encounters is almost better than the t.v. shows. Overall, I like Beah simplistic and blunt writing style which makes the story easy to get into. On the other hand, I feel that he could do a much better job of making the reader sympathize with him and keeping their interest. In other words, all of the dying gets old.

Week 3 Post A

Quote

For those of you who know E.K. McPimpin, you will enjoy this quote from my novel (That's mostly you Ranjit). "Whenever Alhaji spoke, he used elaborate gestures. It was as if he wanted his already long hand to extend toward whomever he was talking to." I found this quote funny because it is exactly how I picture E.K. My friends and I always joke about how E.K. uses too many "hand gestures" and how he folds his hands at the lunch table. LOL.

Congealed (p.61)- To cause to solidify or coagulate or to undergo a process likened to solidification or coagulation.

Flotsam (p.59)-the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water.

Appeals

Jeez! It feels like it is harder to find logical appeals than it is emotional appeals, but I found one. "If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die."(p.54) This quote is a philosophy on life. Yeah, it gets pretty deep but on a more simple level, it is a logical appeal because it is dealing with human thoughts and how this person thinks about life.

"Sometimes I felt as if the birds gave me angry looks for eating so much of their food."(p.52) It's always good to find a humorous quote to go with some of the more serious ones. This one is an emotional appeal mostly because it evokes lightheartedness from the reader and gives the reader something to laugh about in between all of the blood and guts.

"I was afraid of thinking."(p.50) This is one of those quotes you can think about for a couple minutes but ultimately get nowhere. This is a logical appeal because it forces the reader to think about being afraid of thinking; (yes I did intend for that to be confusing).

Emerging Theme

Don't take things for granted.

Week 2 Post B

A letter to the author (Ishmael Beah)

Dear Ishmael Beah,

I must say that you are as blunt as the Brute Hammer with full energy and overshields from Halo 3! It isn't a bad thing; in fact, I enjoy reading your book as a good change of pace. Everything I read for school these days in 10th grade, is very complex and contains lots of hidden and deep morals. I often ask myself "what's the point? Who cares about complex emotions?" Reading your book makes me happy because everything is very straight forward. You don't hide your feelings or emotions and your not afraid to tell people the violent events that occurred in your life. Because your writing style isn't sophisticated, I can better understand the events. The simplistic language even makes for a better overall book and a more memorable one too.

Mark McCool

Week 2 Post A

Maiming- To disable or disfigure, usually by depriving of the use of a limb or other part of the body.

Okra soup- a shrub bearing beaked pods that is often used for soups.

Appeals
Beah talks about the basic needs of a human to survive on page 29. Much like Black Boy, he becomes weak from starvation and has to resort to stealing little kid's food. "We had yet to learn these things and implement survival tactics, which was what it came down to. That night we were so hungry that we stole people's food while they slept. It was the only way to get through the night." This is a logical appeal because it deals with basic human needs to survive. In Beah's case, it was about his hunger and having the energy to run from the R.U.F.

"That night's journey was very quit... When we got to the village, we sat around the fire until dawn. Not a word was said. Everyone seemed to be in a different world or seemed to be pondering something."(p,36) This is an emotional appeal because it evokes unfamiliar thoughts in the reader. Many people would find it extremely awkward not to talk to people they live around for almost a whole day. Beah writes this to show the reader just how traumatic the killings were.

"One of them caught the fragments of the RPG. He cried out loudly and screamed that he was blind. No one dared to go out and help him."(p.25) This quote is both a logical and emotional appeal. It is logical because no one in their right mind would risk their own life to save one of their townsmen. Secondly it is emotional because the reader feels helpless and wishes that all of the violence could stop.

Quote
"People were terrified of boys our age. Some had heard rumors about young boys being forced by rebels to kill their families and burn their villages. These children now patrolled in special units, Killing and maiming civilians."(p.37)

Most people in the United States today don't even want to hear about the cruelness and heartlessness that is happening all around the world. Beah wants people to be aware of what is really happening rather than being ignorant. This quote goes way beyond kids killing people. It is about what people can be driven to do in desperate times. This quote gives a brief insight to what would happen if our world had no order. Let's just say that people would fear for their life everyday if there was no order!

Theme
The most pressing theme is that chaos and being desperate can push man to do very terrible things only for personal gain.