Maddie Nelms
Period 1
Ms.Foster-Kelson
8 April 2015
What is there to hope for?
Murder, war, disaster. The world is a scary place. Ishmael Beah suffers many traumatizing and horrific events throughout the war in his home country Sierra Leone.
He endures tragedy, loss, and abuse. But despite all of these events Beah still seems to find hope and meaning in his life. He is a prime example that people who endure tragedy and violence can find a purpose to their life through hope.
“When I was young, my father used to say, ‘if you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die.’ I thought about these words during my journey, and they kept me moving even when I didn't know where I was going. These words became the vehicle that drove my spirit forward and made it stay alive.” (Pg. 54) The hope this memory gives him impacts his entire existence throughout the war, helps him remember there is meaning behind his life, and also that one more day alive is proof that all hope is not yet lost.
When he is a soldier Beah loses a connection to his humanity. His hope begins to dim in the midst of the violence and drugs, and he gives up any thought of a future beyond surviving long enough to wake up the next morning. But his father's advice begins to prove true once he begins rehab. After his speech at the UN he finds hope once

again. He meets many children who have endured similar tragedies as