Post 6/Week6

On page 212, Beah writes, “It sickened me to see that Sierra Leoneans asked money from those who had come from the war. They were benefiting from people who were running for their lives.” I think people are exploiting one another rather than supporting because it's basically every man for himself. Especially in a situation as drastic as this. One thing I can collect from many readings so far this year in Flex is that you have to be selfish to survive. I even remember the Occupy Detroit opposing viewpoint presenter mentioning that. And he said that in terms of America, imagine what he would say regarding a Sierra Leonean. 

The ending of the book is with a story about a monkey. It intrigued me, and Ishmael's answer really warmed my heart. I think the monkey story at the end of the book was to show the balances between good and bad. The war relates to this because people are fighting in the civil war, but there is hope for the children who haven't yet passed away. I think Ishmael wants us to feel better about everything, so he gave us a burst of hope to end the book.

Week 5/Post 5

In this book, Ishmael continuously brings up memories of his family, how he wishes they are doing well and are safe. Then, he gets put into the army for his country (not the rebels) and things drastically change. Ishmael changes the way he views things, and he turns into a completely different person. “My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector, and my rule was to kill or be killed. . . . and it seemed as if my heart had frozen” (p. 126). Here is a prime example of how he changes what he relys on and what he considers protection and love. Ishmael gets sent out of the army, and he feels incredibly awful about it. He feels like he was then denied the 'brotherhood'. He lost his family....again. luckily, he is tested in the UNICEF facility. ishmael continues to challenge the idea of family. he has experienced different families. His parents and siblings to addiction to drugs, and the brotherhood. 

On page 128, the soldiers start singing the Sierra Leone national anthem. The words Beah reprints are “High we exalt thee, realm of the free, great is the love we have for thee…” I think Ishmael includes this part in the book because he thinks he is fighting the rebels for freedom. All countries have been through an identity crisis, searching for it's freedom. What it means to be free in his country is completely different than what it means to be free in another. Before the war in Sierra Leone, it seemed that people were happy, getting education, learning languages, etc. it seemed that they had a good chance at oppurtunity. I would consider this a part of freedom that we get in the United States as well. I would say that a coutry going through war has an altered version of freedom. Everything is distorted and changed in the regular citizen life, especially the civil war Ishmael Beah experienced. Most people weren't as lucky as him.