The book “A Long Road Traveled” is about a boy named Ishmael Beah who lives in Sierra Leone. Ishmael Beah was born in 1980 and lived in a village with his mother, father and two younger brothers. In 1991, the civil war in Sierra Leone broke out. Rebels invaded Beah's hometown of Mogbwemo, located in Sierra Leone's southern province, and he was forced to flee. Separated from his family, he spent months wandering the South with a group of other boys. At the age of 14, he was forced to become a child soldier. According to Beah's account, he fought for almost three years before being rescued by UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund). The main message that the author is trying to convey to the audience is that war and manipulation can turn innocence into evil. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay When Ishmael was a little boy, he lived in a village with his family. At ten years old, his brother Junior taught him hip-hop and they later founded a dance group with his friends Talloi and Khalilou. He spent his days going to school, performing in talent shows with his dance group, and listening to his cassette player. When refugees started arriving in Ishmael's village, he was confused about the stories that were happening to the people. He thought their stories were exaggerated and that the only wars he knew about were from books and movies such as Rambo: First Blood. “At ten years old, my imagination did not have the capacity to understand what had taken away the refugees' happiness. » When Ishmaël was first affected by war, he was 12 years old. He left home with Junior and his friends, Talloi and Khalilou. They were walking to a village to take part in a talent show when their house was attacked by rebels. The group of boys had no home or anyone to turn to, so they had no choice but to keep moving and get as far away from the rebels as possible. Over the next two years, Ishmael fled from village to village trying to survive. He was separated from Junior after a stroke, just weeks after leaving home for the talent show. He has faced numerous attacks and near-death experiences over the years. Dead bodies littered every village and every road used by rebels and the government. Innocent people have been senselessly killed in front of him countless times. He became numb to every experience and had nightmares. He was constantly scared and tired. He was eventually recruited by the government to become a soldier. All the boys in the army were around thirteen years old, but some were as young as seven. The lieutenant and their superiors told the boys that the rebels had to be killed because they were the ones who killed the boys' friends and family. The boys were praised after each murder they committed and given medication to deal with their anxiety. Ishmael's first fight was when he was no longer an innocent, frightened boy and became angry and vengeful. “I have never been so afraid to go anywhere in my life as I was that day... I stood there with my gun pointed in front of me, unable to fire.” Ishmael saw all the death around him and thought of his friends and family. He was so angry that he started shooting. “Every time I stopped to change magazines and saw my two friends dead, I angrily pointed my gun into the swamp and killed even more people. » For the next three years, hefought for the government. Killing became a daily occurrence and Ishmael was proud of all the rebels he had murdered. He was eventually rescued by UNICEF and learned how he had been manipulated into becoming a soldier. He had migraines and bad nightmares from all the horrors he had witnessed. In this shelter, he was rehabilitated and reunited with his uncle whom he had never met. Ishmael's uncles and cousins ​​help him through the trauma. Yet he was still broken. He later became a children's activist, speaking at the United Nations. At age 18, Ishmael fled to Sierra Leone after Kabala (a town in Serra Leone) was attacked by rebels. He feared becoming a soldier again and made the decision to leave his family in search of refuge. Ishmael used many rhetorical strategies to help him convey his message. One rhetorical strategy he used was to write his book about his personal experience. Opposed to writing a book with facts and statistics about child soldiers, the reader listens to their story. In this way, the reader can understand what Ishmael was feeling and thinking in this environment. The reader can understand how terrible and sick this topic is from the details given by Ishmael. Another rhetorical strategy used by Ishmael was two themes, war and manipulation. Ishmael was manipulated by the commanders, telling him to kill to avenge his family. He was later praised for his drug and film efforts. Very quickly, Ishmaël is a killing machine. He became such a good soldier that he was recruited as a junior lieutenant and led his own attacks. He had no remorse towards anyone and only wanted revenge on the rebels for the harm they had caused him. The other theme is war, this theme explains how communities disintegrate as people struggle to survive and protect their families. Ordinary men and women must learn to kill. When Ishmael finally escapes the conflict, it becomes clear that nothing has been accomplished. Neither team “won”. And countless lives – including our author’s – were destroyed in the process. Finally, another rhetorical strategy used is tone. The whole book has a very dignified and serious tone. Every village attacked and every person who dies gets the heartfelt description they deserve. The book also gives us insight into many terrifying moments. The scary thing is that they are mixed in with average everyday things. The terrors of war become another part of daily life. The highlights of the book were Ishmael's details of what it was like to live in a war zone and how his book is told from a child's perspective. Ishmaël describes his life in a war zone, communicating all the violence he experienced. For example: “My face, hands, shirt and gun were covered in blood. I raised my gun, pulled the trigger and killed a man. This allows the reader to understand what he was going through and put themselves in his place. In many countries, people don't know what it's like to live in this environment. The reader discovers how cruel people can be to each other. Another strength of the book is how it is told from a child's point of view, unlike many books where the protagonist is an adult. For example: “That evening, as I sat on the porch and listened to some boys discussing the volleyball game I had missed, I tried to think back to my childhood, but it was impossible , as I started having flashbacks of the first time. I slit a man's throat. This is a great example of how.