At the village of Yele, a pivotal shift in this memoir begins when Ishmael goes from being an observer and victim of savage, war-triggered violence to being both of these things as well as a perpetrator of such violence. On page 107, Ishmael indicates that they "had no choice." Do you agree? Did Ishmael and his companions have any choice at all? Or were they condemned to become brutal killers?Further, how powerful do you think the value of choice is in your life?
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ReplyDeleteI honestly believe that Ishmael and the other boys did not have a choice in becoming killers. The government soldiers were completely guilty for their transformation. They caught them at their most vulnerable state: hungry, heartbroken, homeless, and angry. They provided the boys with food, a place to sleep, a "family", and a chance to avenge the death of their loved ones. The soldiers used the boys' innocence to manipulate and brainwash them into thinking that killing would somehow bring them peace and be the just thing to do. With the addition of heavy drugs, the boys' minds were completely clouded with no room for rational thought. Also, we must remember that these boys were children, and that children are easily influenced by those around them. So if they see their new "father figure" blowing off a man's head, they follow by example and do not question it. But I do believe that drugs were the sole reason for the boys' loss of conscience.
ReplyDeleteChoice is the most important thing in life. As human beings, we were given the ability to make decisions for ourselves, and the decisions we make define who we are and what we will do in life. However, when we are children, many decisions are made for us (i.e. where you go to school, what you eat, etc.). Sadly, these boys had their fate chosen for them by the soldiers: to fight in an endless war.
I think that the boys did not have any choice in fighting with the enemy. They finally found a place where they didn't have to be always on the run, had a supply of food, and a place to sleep. When presented with an opportunity to "fight" they were also presented with an opportunity to leave. Even though Ishamel and his friends considered the options, the choice was inevitable. They had to stay with the enemy and fight. The next morning, the lieutenant in charge showed them the bodies of a father and child who tried to escape. He basically wanted to show the boys that they didn't have a choice in the first place. If they chose to escape, they would be willing to give up their life because of there morals This wasn't an option for Ishamel.
ReplyDeleteChoice impacts life in many ways. As you grow up, you don't' start making choices for yourself until your older. Ishamel and his friends had to deal with responsibility and choices at a very early age, which resulted in maturing at a fast pace.
I believe that the boys had no choice in the matter because you are all young and incorrigible. What does a pedophile do to attract a young child? They dangle a piece of candy in front of them. This is exactly what the soldiers did for the children. They made them believe killing would bring them happiness. They certainly took advantage of the situation the children were in. The drugs were definitely a part of warping them but over all it was mainly due to the soldiers influence.
ReplyDeleteChoice is a very important part of my life as it is for everyone. Through choice people can take different roads. Like if you choose to do "this" instead of "that" it may lead to something different in your future. Choice affects almost everything in life and is a vital thing for anyone.
Christina
ReplyDeleteWhile I do believe you are right on many accounts I dont agree with one thing you said. I believe that the primary reason for their corruption was not only the fact that they were drugged but I think that it was mainly because of the soldiers. As you said they came to the children in their time of need and forced them into becoming .
Personally speaking i believe that Ishmael and his companions did have a choice. It was clearly stated in the text, that anyone who wished to not fight, would not be given ratio and must leave the village. Everyone knew that they had a better chance of staying and fighting because if they left they would most likely be killed immediately by the rebels hiding in the forest. I think for most of the people there, after losing their loved ones wanted to take revenge and kill the insane rebels that wanted to harm them. Personally if i were in this situation I would stay and fight, because if i didn't i would be almost guaranteed a dead man.
ReplyDeleteChoice is what defines a person. Every single person has the right to choose to do or not do something. People get mixed up sometimes and make the wrong choices but you hopefully learn from those mistakes, which makes choice so much more important.
Joe Pemberton
I completely agree with Ishmael making the statement that they had no choice.
ReplyDeleteat this point in Beah's life (his preteen years) he is just starting to make serious decisions for himself, and almost immediately his own voice is stolen by him as he was forced into the war. Had he not gone into war, or put up some sort of fight, or even thrown a fit, he would have been tortured until he agreed. They wouldn't have killed him because boy soldiers would be no use to the army if they aren't alive.
The value of choice can be looked at as a person's voice. If you take someone's voice away, who are they really? Beah is still a young guy while this is happening so his brain is like undried clay, it's easy to mold any which way you want to. As a child, most people live by the "do as i say and do as i do" mantra, so they see all this violence happening, so taking part in it must be the right thing to do. (he might have also been scared that if he did not do what was expected of him, killing and such, that something bad would happen to him) Also, while living as a boy soldier, the idea that killing brings honor was continuosly instilled in them so by the time the boys gained their voice back, it would be too late or very difficult to change the boys understanding of klling.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what your saying. I was trying to prove a point that you brought up. The boys were given the choice to leave, its shown in the text, "if you do not want to fight or help, that is fine. But you will not have rations and will not stay in the village. You are free to leave...." But due to the circumstances they were in, it would have been a death wish to try and walk out of the village. Like you said, the choice was inevitable.
Joe Pemberton
Johnny,
ReplyDeleteI fully agree with you saying that the soldiers made the boys think that killing would bring them happiness, but just because they are young doesn't mean they are stupid. I think before the boys were forced into the war, they were fully aware that killing is killing and it does not bring happiness. Afterwards, however, the boys are completely brainwashed into thinking killing will bring happiness, but beforehand i think they are just scared of getting hurt by these monsters of men, so they agree.
here's my little timeline:
1. boys know that killing is bad
2. soldiers force boys into war
3. boys are scared and join war
4. soldiers brainwash children
5. boys genuinley believe that killing will bring happiness
Joe,
ReplyDeleteAlthough you did make a valid point that they were presented with a choice, but after witnessing two dead bodies of men that tried to escape, the lietenaut was proving to them that in the end they did not have choice. They could choose to escape the camp, but if they did, the result would be death. That isn't much of a choice, is it?
Joe,
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing your family burned to ashes, and being presented with two dead bodies, how rationally would you be thinking? The "choice" of leaving was not even possible. You would not be in the right state of mind to be making decisions after all this trauma. The soldiers brainwashed these boys. The boys did not stay only because they would be killed if they left. Their staying at the camp was not a selfish act. The soldiers convinced the boys that killing would redeem the deaths of their loved ones.
I believe that Ishamel and his friends did have a choice, but the other choice would be torture and death which would not be the typical choice so in a way they did not have another choice. Based on what is happening in the book, teh events are forcing them to act like animals and kill people that stand in their way becasue it is their only way to survive. I think that in these life or death situations it makes you let go of all your civil characterstics and starts palying survival of the fittest.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteIn some ways i agree with what you said about how the soldiers are making them beleive that killing will get you farther but i disagree with you onhow you say that they think it will bring them happiness. i think that whether the soldiers were in charge of teh kids or not they would eventually resort to killing becasue in times like these you either kill and move on to other things or get killed and then your life is over.
I truly believe that in every single situation in life, there is always at least two choices, though one might be a much better one than the other. People can even choose not to breathe or eat, though their consequence is obvious: dying. No matter what, the choice is always this thing or not this thing, its as simple as that. Thus, of course, I believe that Ishmael and his friends had a choice in the matter. They could have chosen not to fight; however, they would have pretty much killed. But is this not still a choice? The choice is fight or die. It is a fact that the boys had a choice in the matter, period, and no one can argue that. They could have escaped and they probably would have failed and been killed but that is still another obvious option rather than fighting. Thus, I believe that the little kids, clearly, had a choice, though fighting was, at the time, a much better one to choose rather than dying or being tortured.
ReplyDeleteIn my life, choice is extremely important. Every day I am forced to make choices whether it is something like whether or not I am going to blog for English before or after I got to the lacrosse game or something more important like what career I want to pursue when I grow up. The choices I make every day create the person that I am going to be for the rest of my life. Thus, I try hard to make the right choices everyday; however, as in Ishmasl's case, the right choice is very hard to make or it is not quite clear which one is the right one.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to say that I don't agree with anything you said in your post. You said that the boys had no choice, as many before and after you mentioned. However, later on in that same paragraph, you said that the lieutenant showed them the dead bodies of two people who tried to escape. Clearly, the boys could have tried to escape as well. And, if you think about it, if no one who was captured literally had absolutely no choice at all but to fight, how would the two people had escaped. If staying was their only option, does it make any sense that they didn't stay and fight? the father and the son did not end up murderers like Ishmael and his friends because they took the other option that was available: death.
During this particular stage in his life, in the village of Yele, I believe that Ishmael and his companions had no choice but to stay and fight for their lives. If they decided to leave, they would not have survived. The soldiers positioned themselves around the village, leaving no room for escape. There only option was to stay and fight for survival. As a result, they were condemned into becoming brutal killers.
ReplyDeleteChoice is one of the most powerful things in my life. The choices that I make now can help to benefit my future later. The beautiful thing about choices is that it is up to the individual. They have the ability to choose their road to happiness. A lot of events that occur in life are not always in one's control. However, choice is usually under the control of the individual. In this case, Ishmael had no choice but to become a soldier. However, in most instances, people have several options to choose from.
Lee Johnston
Lee,
ReplyDeleteyou also contradicted yourself in your paragraph. You started out by saying "Ishmael and his companions had no choice but to stay and fight for their lives" however you say right after that "If they decided to leave..." This makes no sense to me. First you say that they had no choice but then you say if they decided to leave thus implying that there was another decision to take, i.e. leaving and thus completely contradicting yourself. How can it be that one has no choice but to fight but they can chose not to fight?
Gabriel,
ReplyDeleteOnce dying is brought into the situation,
it's not a choice anymore
if someone asks you if you want to live or die, what will you say?
note, i am exempting suicidal people from this matter.
thats different. of course i would say live but the point i had a choice did i not? i could have chosen to die i just wouldn't. however i might choose die over kill someone any day.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Ishamael had no choice. His options were to fight or leave town. Leaving town would result in him being shot or captured by the rebels. Another outcome could have been starving to death in the woods. I think that Ishmael and his friends were not exactly condenmed, but fighting was a better choice for survival in the long run. I think that the power of choice is extremely powerful in my personal life as it dictates the outcome of my day to day life. I think that Ishamael's dicisions are also very important as they are a matter of life or death, but when you are influenced by something more powerful or greater than you, than choice becomes more influenced and limited.
ReplyDeleteDo you really think these boys would have made the decision to fight if they knew that they were going to turn into the same people that killed their families? THEY WERE BRAINWASHED. They didn't know that the government was just as bad as the rebels and by the time they were killing innocent people, they were too hopped up on drugs to gully know what was going on.
ReplyDeletethanks for the advice but i think im going to pass because I have a choice just like Ishmael did.
ReplyDeleteI believe Ishmel and his companions had no choice in the matter. People were getting killed left and right, and since they didnt want to join them they joined. They also had a food supply and place to stay. They didnt have to hide and fight for survival like they had been. Actually i'm sorry i meant to say in the beginning they did have a choice. However the choices were joining with them and death. So i believe they had a choice, but they chose the right one because no one wants to die. Choices are really important today because they show people who you are. The choices you make form you. Being able to make your own choices is vital because then people would lose their individuality. JD
ReplyDeletefully* Sorry for the spelling error. :P
ReplyDeleteThank you JD,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. their choice was either fight or die and it was obvious which one they would choose.
I agree with Gabriel in that there is definitely a choice in this situation. When I said that they had no choice, that doesn't have a literal meaning. The choice to stay in fight is most obviously the better decision and therefore it is like their only choice. To add to your comment on choices, Ishmael also had many more factors influencing his decisions. For example the rebels burning down the town probably has more influence on his decision regarding visiting that village more than anything that exists in your life today.
ReplyDeleteAyesha,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment which compared a young person's mind to that of undried clay. Younger children usually do listen to and respect their elders, which makes their minds more susceptible to being molded. However your earlier statement about how he might have ended up being tortured contradicts your previous argument that he had no choice in the matter. Here, he had two choices...either being tortured or fighting for survival.
Joe,i am going to have to agree with you on one thing. but the rest is a different story. I agree on the fact that they did have a choice, but the choice they had was pretty clear. It was either join them or die. You keep on saying you would stay and fight. That is just plain stupid. You would have absolutley no chance of survivingg at all. I believe you said " Personally if i were in this situation I would stay and fight, because if i didn't i would be almost guaranteed a dead man" (Pemberton 1) YOu say you would be guarenteed a dead man if you made the same decision Ishmel did. We know he made it out, so this doesnt make any sense. So i have to dissagree with you because of those reasons. Sincerely JD Tomlinson
ReplyDeleteGabriel,
ReplyDeleteyou overlooked the part when i said that once dying is brought into the situation, it is no longer a legit choice
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ReplyDeleteI do not think that Ishmael and his companions had a choice because very few people would choose death over life. Technically speaking they did have a choice, but in reality there was not much of a decision to make. Also as bad as it sounds there were a few positives to come out of the situation. They no longer had to be afraid of being killed and they were not at risk of starvation either.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the choices we make form who we are as people and the value of choice is extremely powerful.
-Matt
Gabrial,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about there always being a choice no matter how lopsided the situation may be and i believe that you make a very valid point.
Of course they had a choice, but any other choice would be stupid and risk their lives. They boys pretty much chose a place to stay and food over dying. When people are in desperate situations, they will do whatever to be able to survive, or to have life a little easier. When the boys got to the village, they found it to be humane and relatively comfortable. They probably were relieved to be getting food and when they asked the boys to be trained as soldiers, they agreed and went along with it because they trusted them and they talked of how the rebels hurt their families. The Lieutenants pretty much brain washed them into believing what they were doing was the only way and that if they left, they would die.
ReplyDeleteMaking choices in life are inevitable. We must make choices everyday, and when we have to make a serious choice, it is very important that we choice the hard right over the easy wrong. If we make a bad choice that was easier to make, we may regret it or it may backfire on us. The better choices you make, the better of a person you will be. It is easier to do this later on in life. When you are young, you tend to be naïve and let others influence you into doing things that aren’t right. In Ishmael’s case, he was influenced by the lieutenants to fight in a terrible war that would change his life forever. Maybe if he was older, he wouldn’t have gone along with the lieutenants because he knew better than to be so savage.
"creepcity",
ReplyDeletei believe your comment about Gabrial was very immature and inaccurate. Just because he is very smart does not mean that he has no life. Furthurmore, i would like to say that not putting your name and deleting your comment displays that you are a coward. The fact that you would even write something like that shows that you are insecure about yourself because you must put other people down to feel good about yourself.
Yours sincerely,
Matt
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI disagree with what you said. They had 2 choices, one was to fight and the other was not to fight. Obviously, the boys would choose the comfort of a place to stay and being able to eat over possibly dying. However, they could have chosen to refuse to fight. They only had one mildly okay choice to make and that was to fight. They could have refused and be killed, but it was still an option.
There is always a choice in every situation. The outcome may have appeared worse if they had left the village and refused to fight, but there was a choice. They could have abandoned the village and made their way to another village or even create their own shelter. They were not forced to do anything. There were, however, consequences that might occur if they had left. First of all, anyone who did not want to help might have been executed by the military secretly and then blamed on the rebels. Second, they could just have easily been found by rebels and killed brutally. Lastly, they could have left the military unscathed just to starve or die of thirst out in the wilderness. This was a very difficult choice to make for the boys in this memoir, but i believe Ishamel and his friends made the more logical and more well-thought out choice that maximized their chance of survival. Choice in life is easily the most important thing there is. The choices we make everyday define who we are and what kind of person we are.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteI am going to have to disagree with your statement saying that the boys had no choice in the matter. There is always choice in every situation. I will agree with you that there was some sort of coercing that occurred from the soldiers to make them fight, but they also offered to let them leave without any problems at all. I also do not see how the drugs would have any sort of effect on their choice to stay in the village. It almost seems like ishmael is disgusted by the smell of it(p.101), so i do not see how that would be an incentive for them to join.
I think that people always have a choice, but one of those choices could lead to death. In this example of course Beah and the other boys could have ran away, although by running away that had a much higher chance of dying. With people like the rebels running around, it was very hard to survive. So for their choice it was more of do they want to take a chance and most likely end up dying or become a soldier along with everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI think choice is very important in my life as well as others. No matter what choices you make it will make a difference in your future. We make choices all the time and its an important value. It ranges from as simple as choosing what we want as a snack to choosing where we want to go to college
I do not think that Ishmael had a choice to commit the crimes he did, because if he had refused he would have been killed by rebels. In a sense, he did have a choice. He could have partaken in the killings and he would survive, or he could have refused to stay in the village and risk being killed or tortured. Ishmael and his companions traveled a long way and they suffered and overcame many hardships, and all of their misery would have gone to waste if they had been killed by some rebels. I think our ability to make choices throughout the day is a very important aspect of our life. What if someone told you to wear the same color shirt every day. Or you didn’t get to choose what you ate. Or you could only watch one channel on TV. Life would be pretty mundane wouldn’t it? A lot of times, we, or at least I, take choices for granted, simply because I have rarely been forced into one choice.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ishmael and his companions had no choice because they were not ever going to choose to die. In a way you could argue that they had the choice between fighting and living and not fighting and dieing but that is hardly a choice at all. This is hardly a choice because there is almost no one in the world that would choose death when there is another option that has a chance at life.
ReplyDeleteChoice is very important part of life because it is what shapes your life. The choices you make determine what is going to happen in your life and how you will end up.
Dylan,
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree with you saying they had no choice because of course they did. As you said they could have starved in the woods. Yes they could have because they would have CHOSEN to do so. Also the could have left town by CHOICE. I did notice that later on you went to explain that it doesn't have a literal meaning. I agree that there is definitely a better choice, but it doesn't mean it is the only one.
I think Ishmael and everyone in general has a choices. People may say stuff like, "..I have to because Mrs. Da Costa says...(Molina 1)", but really people have the ultimate say on what they do. They may choose to do something based on the consequences, but it is still their choice. Ishmael and his rag tag team had a choice to stay or leave. They weighed the risks on both sides and decided it was better to stay and fight, than leave and risk death without any real defense.
ReplyDeleteI think the value of choice is one of the most powerful things in my life. The choices I make will decide my destiny. The only other thing I can think of that rivals the power of choices is environment.
JD,
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying because you can say that they had pretty much no choice because they were given one option that gave that an opportunity to live and another that would mean certain death, but at the same time you could say they had a choice because they were given two options. Ishmael although given what can be technically called a choice was only given one sensible option.
John
ReplyDeleteYou aren’t not wrong because the boys being young had nothing to do with having a choice in staying or leaving. A full grown man would have made the exact same choice because it is the smart thing to do, unless you want to die. And you also said young boys are incorrigible, I actually believe the opposite, because old men who have done the wrong thing for 60 years are less corrigible than young boys whose minds are constantly changing. And also you said the soldiers duped the children into believing that killing people would bring them happiness by means of drugs and whatever else. But the soldiers didn’t trick them, their chance of survival is at least tripled if they had stayed rather than left the city. If the children left the town, they would have run into the hands of the rebels.
that was alvin
ReplyDeleteTechnically they had a choice... join or die. That is like saying the slaves that were taken from Africa had a choice... be sold into slavery or be shot in the head. Its not a real choice when a persons life is in danger. It is human nature to try to survive. Its not a choice when its a choice between life and death.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cristina completely. The boys were tired and hungry and desperate. They were young boys that had just lost their families to a horrible war, and they knew that their futures were nothing if they didn't do something. A child that has lost everything and has witnessed things no person should ever even have to hear about, can be swayed very easily. Ishmael was a young boy, that didn't have to make many decisions by himself except what rap music to listen to before he was exposed to the war. Its not a choice if the person is being told what to do.
Kristi
If you think kind of concretely, you can actually say that Ishmael is wrong and that he had a choice. The lieutenant himself said that if there were people who didn't want to participate in war, then that was fine. But yet, there were some consequenses of not doing so, such as not being able to participate in that community anymore.
ReplyDeleteAnd so because of the reason stated above, and many other reasons, Ishmael can kind of be considered right. For example, another reason for it to be right was what the lieutenant said about considering this fighting as a revenge against what happened to each of the people's families. Also, if they left, then it is possible that they would just go to another village in ruins, where they could get captured and killed. So then, why not stay back in this nice village where there is a higher chance of survival? So, in a way, they did have a choice, but since circumstances made one of the choices bad, they kind of didn't.
Choices in your life are very powerful, and sometimes, they play a huge role in defining who you are. For example, if you choose not to take a jog one day, and that was the day you were to be awarded a lucky winner for jogging, then it defines your life a lot. If you did jog that day, then maybe your life would be completely different.
Maria Korah
I do not think the young boys had a choice. They were completely malnourished and the soldiers offered them everything they had been so deprived of. They were in no state of mind to make any other decision other than survival.
ReplyDeleteDanielle,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about how the boys could've ran away, but that it could lead to their death because this means that they actually did have a choice. But, as you said, their one option was very weak. In fact, I believe that it is such a weak option that it couldn't even be called an option. I also agree with you on how important choices are, and just like what you said, I believe that choices can be big or small, because no matter how much thought is put into it, a choice is still a choice.
Maria Korah
John,
ReplyDeleteAlthough you made several valid points with the pedophile example, I still disagree with your position. The boys may have had many incentives to choosing to stay and become a soldier, but they still made a choice. i do not agree that soldiers took advantage of the children. Also, I do not know how drugs got involved in this conversation. It said that the officers were smoking marijuana, but there was no indication made that the boys were given this drug.
I feel i should make this point that I did not make in my previous comment. There may be choices that have so many pros on on side that we say, "oh there was no choice." But really there was a choice.
sincerely,
broken record
I do believe that Ishmael and his companions had no choice. They had to choose either fight or die. Rather than they just die, fighting for their country is less regrettable I think. They have been suffered from watching the rebels killed their parents, or family. What they have done to people is horrible. Leaving the village of Yele to die is irresponsible and it only reflects their fear of dying. Fighting for their country and people will shows their last pride.
ReplyDeleteChoice is the most important thing in life. Every little thing, what we usually do in daily life is the example of choice. Also, depends on our choice, it may lead to something different in future and makes you more independent as you growing.
I agree with Kristi. They had to choose between life or death. they choose life. "Cowards die many times before their deaths..." (104) This is the qoute that i think keeps Ishmael alive. He has to be strong to survive this
ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point that the soldiers made the boys believe killing would bring them happiness, but I don't think the soldiers took the advantage of the situation the children were in. Soldiers let the children to choose whether they want to leave or not. Also, there was only two choices, either die or fight.