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Long Way Gone Quotes

Decent Essays

While writing a memoir, the author does not always have to be truthful. As long as the author gets their point across, then that’s fine. Most authors, in every genre, have either some kind of information that they add in to try and make the book more appealing, or have information that they take out because it's either not worth telling, or it doesn’t add to the point of the story. In the book, A Long Way Gone ,by Ishmael Beah, the author was talking about his experiences as a child soldier. “A bullet hit a tree directly above my head and fell on the ground next to me.” (pg 35). It is clear that it didn’t happen exactly like Ishmael said it did, but it also didn’t change nor impact the chapter in any way. If the author chose to tell that part differently, it still would have supported the point that he didn't get shot. People also have to consider that even though it is a memoir, it still has to appeal to the audience. …show more content…

“..inserted a medicine into my skin that protected me from snakebite and enabled me to control snakes..” (pg 54). That quote explains how he supposedly can control snakes and protect him from a snakebite. Well, on the same page, there was another quote. “I accidentally stepped on the tail of a snake. I ran as fast as I could for a long time.” (pg 54). If the reader pays attention, then they will realize that the two quotes contradict themself. If he could supposedly control and protect himself from snakes, then why would he run away from it? Well, the theme of the novel is to inform readers about how children are affected by war, and having those two quotes contradicting themself, didn’t effect the theme at all. The author may seem dishonest at times, but the reader also has to ask themself if the “lie” affected the mood or theme at

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