A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Behavioral norms change in war. What was socially unacceptable suddenly becomes the norm.

• How did standards of behavior change as seen in A Long Way Gone?  (topic sentence)
• Provide three examples from the text that support your claim, whether they be from the rebels’ behavior or from Ishmael’s.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, connect this back to the theme of The Traumatic After-Effects of Violence.

2. Ishmael mentions his dreams and his nightmares throughout the story.

• What is the effect of Ishmael’s decision to recount these dreams and nightmares? (topic sentence)
• Use three examples of dreams and/or nightmares from the text to support your argument.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, tie this argument about dreams and nightmares back to the theme of The Traumatic After-Effects of Violence or The Uplifting Aspects of Nature and Spiritual Traditions.

3. Ishmael and his brother love rap music.

• How does rap music perhaps unexpectedly recur throughout the memoir? (topic sentence)
• Provide three examples of times in which rap cassette tapes are mentioned and explain the significance/symbolism of these moments.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence, connect this back to Ishmael’s development as a character.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. By the end of the memoir, Ishmael wishes to champion the ability to rehabilitate child soldiers. In your essay, discuss Ishmael’s development as a character that brought him to this point and the ways in which he has had to grow and change because of his circumstances. Provide at least three textual examples of his growth and connect these back to either the theme of The Capacity for Altruism in Human Nature or that of The Traumatic After-Effects of Violence.  

2. Why does Ishmael often choose to travel with large groups of boys, even before he becomes a soldier himself? Would it have been more beneficial to stay in smaller groups so that villages did not think he and his friends were rebels? Write an essay in which you make an argument for one side of this debate or the other. Be sure to think about how to persuade your readers to take your side and what points your opponent might make.

3. Is this an optimistic story? Why or why not? There are moments of utter depravity in depictions of the violence inflicted upon and by Ishmael and his compatriots. However, there are also moments of great kindness and humanity. Make an argument about what effect reading this book may have on readers, and provide three examples from the text to support your argument. Ultimately, connect your ideas back to the theme of The Capacity for Altruism in Human Nature.