A Long Way Gone

by Ishmael Beah

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A Long Way Gone Questions and Answers

What is an example of an allusion in Chapter 1 of A Long Way Gone? Explain the significance.

What are thematic statements about family, choice, innocence and manipulation with quotes that develop each of these themes in A Long Way Gone?

Why would Beah end A Long Way Gone with this particular story? What message does he send to his audience through this story?   "There was a hunter who went into the bush to kill a monkey. He had looked for only a few minutes when he saw a monkey sitting comfortably in the branch of a low tree. The monkey didn’t pay him any attention, not even when his footsteps on the dried leaves rose and fell as he neared. When he was close enough and behind a tree where he could clearly see the monkey, he raised his rifle and aimed. Just when he was about to pull the trigger, the monkey spoke: ‘If you shoot me, your mother will die, and if you don’t, your father will die.’ The monkey resumed its position, chewing its food, and every so often scratched its head or the side of its belly. “What would you do if you were the hunter?” When I was seven I had an answer to this question that made sense to me. I never discussed it with anyone, though, for fear of how my mother would feel. I concluded to myself that if I were the hunter, I would shoot the monkey so that it would no longer have the chance to put other hunters in the same predicament."  

In Ishmael Beah's memoir A Long Way Gone, what is the cultural purpose of the wild pigs and the "Bra spider" stories? What other myths and legends can be found in the book?

What is the significance of the title A Long Way Gone?

Why were Ishmael's cassette tapes so important to him?

What is a moral or lesson learned from the story "A Long Way Gone"?

Whats an example of irony in A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah?

What is a summary of chapter 13 of A Long Way Gone?

In A Long Way Gone, what destructive beliefs had Ishmael become addicted to? It takes many weeks before Ishmael feels comfortable with the relief workers’ refrain that these events are not his fault.

What is a good introduction for an essay on the book A Long Way Gone?

What are most of Ishmael's flashbacks about?

How does Ishmael Beah demonstrate courage, determination, and strength throughout A Long Way Gone?

What's a summary for chapter 12 of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah?

I need examples that show that globalization is an uneven process from the book, A Long Way Gone. I need 3 examples, thinking of examples that display oppression or wealth that took place in the book.

In Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone, war is a potentially stressful experience for those involved: combatants, support staff, medical personnel, civilians, etc. How might such a difficult experience make it hard for people involved to remember details from their wartime experiences correctly?

In A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah pays a lot of attention to the natural world. How does he incorporate references to or descriptions of nature into his narrative?

In A Long Way Gone, what is an example of irony that supports the theme there is hope in horrific situations?

How does Ishmael Beah display love throughout his memoir A Long Way Gone?

What is the summary of chapter 7 of A Long Way Gone?

Explore examples of friendship in A Long Way Gone? I need to write a paragraph that relates to my defination of friendship which is " a realtionship between two individuals that share a mutual bond of trust and liking as well as commitment and personal feelings and experiences, which allows them to benefit from each other. So basically i need to find examples in the book that show trust, commitment and personal feelings.   thank you for the help

Which three events have had the greatest impact on Ishmael  in A Long Way Gone? Support your choices with evidence from the text.

What is the tone of chapters 17–18 of A Long Way Gone?

Beah pays a lot of attention to the natural world. How does he incorporate references to or descriptions of nature into his narrative?

How did the old man in the village in chapter 8 of A Long Way Gone treat the boys differently than most people, and why (pgs. 56–57)?

What theme is included in the following passage from A Long Way Gone: a false sense of hope and the ignorance of youth, the horrors and atrocities of war, the importance and need of companionship, or nature as a source of comfort? "We stood still, trying to determine whether the soldiers had fired the shot..." and "It is just the soldiers testing their weapons" (ch.3).

In Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone, Beah’s narrative follows a common trajectory in narratives about war: he moves from a state of innocence to one of experience. What is Beah’s life like at the beginning, and how does he respond to the sudden change of circumstances? How does he survive and begin to adapt to his new environment? How does he eventually regain his humanity?

How many changes has Ishmael gone through in chapters 10 to 13 of A Long Way Gone, and how have they affected him? Include an important quote that stands out, why it stands out, and the impact on the reader.

What goal do you think Ishmael Beah was trying to accomplish by writing and publishing this book?

What did the men offer the boys in A Long Way Gone?

when did ishmeal beah last fire his ak-47

Beah’s narrative follows a common trajectory in narratives about war: he discusses how he moves from a state of innocence to one of experience. At the beginning he is living a normal life, which is suddenly and forever destroyed when the civil war comes to his area of Sierra Leone. What is Beah’s life like at the beginning?

How do the rhetorical strategies employed by Ishmael to exhibit his PTSD develop a central idea in chapters 15-17 of A Long Way Gone? State a clear, specific central idea and discuss rhetorical strategies employed.  

What theme is included in the following quotes from A Long Way Gone: a false sense of hope and the ignorance of youth, the horrors and atrocities of war, the importance and need of companionship, or nature as a source of comfort? "Was there an end to this madness, and was there any future for me beyond the bushes? I thought about Junior, Gibirilla, Talloi and Khalilou" and "I have never felt more alone as though I was losing everyone, my family, my friends" (ch.7).

What symbols can you identify in a Long Way Gone?What theme do each of these symbols represent? Also, how are each of these symbols used to emphasize the central theme of oppression/freedom? The main thing I need help with are the first 2 parts.

What is the plot of this work?

How is life in Mattru Jong affected by the attacks on Mogwembo in chapter 1 of A Long Way Gone?

Can someone please provide a very detailed summary of each of the chapters in Ishmael Beah's memoir A Long Way Gone?

How are symbols used to underscore freedom and oppression in "A Long Way Gone"?    

In A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, to what is he referring in chapter four when he says, "It was a typical aspect of being in the war. Things changed rapidly in a matter of seconds and no one had any control over anything?"

What is happening in chapter 2 of A Long Way Gone?

How does Ishmael Beah use A Long Way Gone to treat important contemporary issues in a way that challenges the reader?   Please provide examples from the text :)

What is the gist of chapters 14–17 in A Long Way Gone?

What is one quote that conveys a strong image in chapters 14–17 of Moby Dick, and how are Ishmael's behavior and mindset different in these chapters compared to the previous chapters?

What theme is included in the following passage from A Long Way Gone: a false sense of hope and the ignorance of youth, the horrors and atrocities of war, the importance and need of companionship, or nature as a source of comfort? "Birds began building their nests in the mango trees. Dew came down every morning and left the leaves wet and soaked the soil. The odor of the soaked soil was irresistibly sharp at midday. It made me want to roll on the ground" (ch.6).

What was the first sign of war to reach Mogbwemo in A Long Way Gone?

Regarding A Long Way Gone, how is Ishmael Beah contributing to the community today?

From A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, please provide a summary of Chapters 11-21.

Why didn’t he and his friends tell their families they were leaving or where they were going?

how was family a major role in the story? for example how is the milatary an example of family?