Notes

make inferences and draw conclusions about why beah wrote a long way gone.
-beah wrote the book a long way gone in order to share with others how swift and devastating war can be, in the first chapter, beah describes how he felt about the war at the age of ten. " the only wars i knew of were those that i had read about in books or seen in movies. and the one in neighboring Liberia that i had heard about on the bbc news" like many of his future readers, beah knew nothing about war except what he heard, watched, or read about. by spending time showing the peaceful life beah had before war tore into his home, he forces the reader to imagine how he or she would feel if war arrived so suddenly, at home. in his current life, beah is an avid speaker on behalf of children who suffer as a result of war, this book is part of his effort to bring awareness to the fortunate ones whose lives have not been touched by war.
how does the setting in the excerpt support beah's characterization?
- the details in setting support beah's characterization by revealing his relationship with his parents. he seems to love his father despite his father's actions. he doesn't want to show his emotion even though he is clearly upset that his father did not speak. beah seems to try to respect the rules when his father is still contributing to schooling. but after his father stops paying, beah ignores the rules so he can see his mother.
how does the setting in the excerpt support the plot?
- the setting is so peaceful and beautiful that it is a stark contrast with the kabati after the rebel attack. it is particularly heartbreaking because it is beah's flashback, which occurs after the boys have spent hours sitting at the wharf in kabati and witnessing victims of brutal violence pass through the entirely abandoned village.
in a short essay
-beah begins the story by describing the beginning of the civil war and his experience of it. he was ten when the war began, and his life was relatively unaffected. sure, he read about it and heard it one the news, but it was something that was happening far away form his peaceful life.
when does the flashback occur
- beah provides this flashback to his father's words he, junior, and talloi give up their attempts to head back to mogbwemo. from the verandah of their grandmother's abandoned home, they had witnessed victims from the rebel attack pass.