War is an eclipse - the darkness that veils prosperity. It has always been associated with negativity and instability. Death and destruction follow every path and the minds of people are thrown into disorder. At times like these, many cannot see any array of hope. However, behind the darkness of the eclipse lies the light of the corona. The corona of positivity that stays strong within adversity and uncertainty. The population most affected by war are the soldiers and the victims. They live, die, and confront both the negative and the positive. However, a soldier’s positivity derives from more brutal and destructive experiences than those of a war victim.
Violence, under many circumstances causes harm to its victims, but it is the blood and lifeline of the soldiers. Ishmael Beah from A Long Way Gone is a prime example of a boy soldier amid war. “We needed violence to cheer us after a whole day of boring traveling and contemplation of about why our superiors let us go” (Beah 136). Beah and the other boys have been exposed to warfare for an ample period that they began to see killing and death as a source of entertainment. After winning a game of slitting throats, Beah was applauded by his comrades. “The boys and the other soldiers who were the audience clapped as if I had just fulfilled one of life’s greatest achievements” (Beah 125). Killing demonstrated ferocity which was respected as power for the boy soldiers. This common attitude displayed by the boys generates a type of friendship consisting of both support and respect. Violence is not just entertainment for the child soldiers, because it is also a source of amenity. Beah has always been haunted by his memories long-perished family. His new hobby of slaughter was able help set his mind away from past horrors and onto the present. When amity is forced onto the soldiers, their pain returns. This is exhibited when Beah destroyed furniture burned many resources in defiance of peace at the rehabilitation center. To Beah and the other boy soldiers, violence is comparable to an addicting drug. Beah had been afraid to sleep because he would relive the horrible experiences of the past. Therefore, like many of the soldiers, his solution to deal with his emotions were with drugs. His use of cocaine and meth gave him long-lasting energy boosts that would prevent them from feeling weary. Without sleeping, Beah was able to avoid the nightmares of his past and focus on the present. “When a person becomes dependent, the drug becomes so rewarding that it may drive the user to continue taking it despite harmful medical or social consequences” (Riggs para. 3). Beah abused the drugs and went weeks without sleep because of the effects of meth. It soon became one of his only sources of motivation. “We walked for long hours and stopped only to eat sardines and corned beef with gari, sniff cocaine, brown brown, and take some white capsules. The combination of these drugs gave us a lot of energy and made us fierce” (Beah 122). There …show more content…
They find happiness in their enduring life and even find joy in the budding life of others. “Love has a way of being infectious. Watching them, I forgot about my problems” (Kamara 82). Despite Kamara’s mental age from the grim scenes and events that she had encountered, she was still a young girl. Like any other female teenager her age, she found an attraction towards the topic of love. This pulled her away from her other worldly difficulties, and she was once again able to blush from a beautiful scenery. As a victim, she is still able to live a normal life and find happiness from it. Before Beah became a soldier, he stumbled upon a similar experience. “Even in the middle of the madness, there remained that true and natural beauty, and it took my mind away from the current situation” (Beah 59). He was closer to the carnage than Kamara was and witness more of the terror. Despite this, he still found assurance and a reason for optimism. Kamara and Beah discovered determination from the present, and this gave them the courage to confront their
Violence, under many circumstances causes harm to its victims, but it is the blood and lifeline of the soldiers. Ishmael Beah from A Long Way Gone is a prime example of a boy soldier amid war. “We needed violence to cheer us after a whole day of boring traveling and contemplation of about why our superiors let us go” (Beah 136). Beah and the other boys have been exposed to warfare for an ample period that they began to see killing and death as a source of entertainment. After winning a game of slitting throats, Beah was applauded by his comrades. “The boys and the other soldiers who were the audience clapped as if I had just fulfilled one of life’s greatest achievements” (Beah 125). Killing demonstrated ferocity which was respected as power for the boy soldiers. This common attitude displayed by the boys generates a type of friendship consisting of both support and respect. Violence is not just entertainment for the child soldiers, because it is also a source of amenity. Beah has always been haunted by his memories long-perished family. His new hobby of slaughter was able help set his mind away from past horrors and onto the present. When amity is forced onto the soldiers, their pain returns. This is exhibited when Beah destroyed furniture burned many resources in defiance of peace at the rehabilitation center. To Beah and the other boy soldiers, violence is comparable to an addicting drug. Beah had been afraid to sleep because he would relive the horrible experiences of the past. Therefore, like many of the soldiers, his solution to deal with his emotions were with drugs. His use of cocaine and meth gave him long-lasting energy boosts that would prevent them from feeling weary. Without sleeping, Beah was able to avoid the nightmares of his past and focus on the present. “When a person becomes dependent, the drug becomes so rewarding that it may drive the user to continue taking it despite harmful medical or social consequences” (Riggs para. 3). Beah abused the drugs and went weeks without sleep because of the effects of meth. It soon became one of his only sources of motivation. “We walked for long hours and stopped only to eat sardines and corned beef with gari, sniff cocaine, brown brown, and take some white capsules. The combination of these drugs gave us a lot of energy and made us fierce” (Beah 122). There …show more content…
They find happiness in their enduring life and even find joy in the budding life of others. “Love has a way of being infectious. Watching them, I forgot about my problems” (Kamara 82). Despite Kamara’s mental age from the grim scenes and events that she had encountered, she was still a young girl. Like any other female teenager her age, she found an attraction towards the topic of love. This pulled her away from her other worldly difficulties, and she was once again able to blush from a beautiful scenery. As a victim, she is still able to live a normal life and find happiness from it. Before Beah became a soldier, he stumbled upon a similar experience. “Even in the middle of the madness, there remained that true and natural beauty, and it took my mind away from the current situation” (Beah 59). He was closer to the carnage than Kamara was and witness more of the terror. Despite this, he still found assurance and a reason for optimism. Kamara and Beah discovered determination from the present, and this gave them the courage to confront their