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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I think in the war, people don't have choice. They was force into a situation that they don't want to be. If they don't kill people, people kill them. They have to do it for surviving. But they can choose a soldiers that they want to be. Some people become soldiers because they just want to kill people, raping,or they become soldiers just because of surviving.
ReplyDeleteI would not say that Ishmael and his friends did not have any choices at all; but no better ones. If I was in their shoes I am pretty sure that I would have made the same decision. The only choice Ishmael and his companions had was between being a soldier and death. After seeking how gruesome the rebels killed the civilians and knowing that it is impossible to run away from the village there is no choice but to be a soldier. Also, thinking that the rebels have caused all the misery we are experiencing will trigger anger towards them and try to take revenge. If both of the choice has possibility of getting killed, why not be a soldier and express our anger?
ReplyDeleteIf Ishmael and his companions had a better choice, surviving the war without killing anyone, they would have maintained their pure heart. But since they had no choice but to become a soldier, they became very wicked. As you can see, based on the choices we are given, we change. If our life is full of negative opportunities, we are going to behave negatively. The same goes to positive opportunities. Also, depending on the choices we make, our life will be either full of dignity, or guilt.
Chae Hoon Lim
I think at this stage of Ishmael's life he had no other decision. He had to choose whether to be a brave soldier or die. At that age death is a very scary thought. I believe he felt becoming a soldier was the only choice he could make. He has seen how war ruins lives but he had to choose to save himself or kill someone else.
ReplyDeleteAndi McManus
I agree with Chae, the misery he has experienced will make him want to take revenge on the rebels. At his age he is caught between a rock and a hard place. He takes the risk of dying in any decision he makes so why not take revenge for his own peace of mind.
There is always choice, no mater how hopeless or confined things may seem. you may have less choices but there is ALWAYS a choice. Ishmael and his friends could have chosen to try escape. the choice here was simple, either try escape and have a high probability of death or become soldiers and seeing how likely death was (especially after the exhibition of the two bodies) they chose what would seem to most the logical choice to stay and fight with comrades. fight probably did give them a higher chance of survival so i can not say i blame them but if i were in the same position i can only hope that my morals would still be strong enough to try escape. although "running" may seem cowardly to some i believe it takes more courage and in this case would have been the right choice. David
ReplyDeleteI must disagree with and Andi and Chae. Before becoming a soldier Ishameal never expresses any feelings of revenge towards the RUF. in fact seems to only show mostly fear and not even much anger. the angriest moment that we witness towards the rebels is shortly after they kill his parents and still he expresses most of his anger toward his former village friend. I believe that revenge was a tool used by both the army and rebels to make small children want to join the service and to murder. We also do not no if the army was being completely honest about their situation. it is possible that the army was running low on recruits and fabricated the surrounding story simple to trick to the young men and boys of the village to become soldiers.
ReplyDeleteHe had no choice in that situation. He had to be a soldier or die. He had come so far already to live, that he did not want to die. Him and his friends have escaped many times from the rebels, but since the rebels had them this time under their control there chance of escaping was so small. Ishameal has seen over this short course in life how war effects other people and him, but now he has no choice but to cause that pain as well. Since they are all going to be soldiers they will completely change how they run and see their aspect of life. They will think like a killer and be a killer.
ReplyDeletei agree with andi and chae that ishmeal is caught between a rock and a hard place. He sees death as evil, but now he has no choice but to conflict that evil on others. I agree with chea when he said that negative things inflict negative opertunities. Because now him and his friends can only kill and be murders, and they cant really do anything else with their lives.
-erin
due to the starting of much controversy and the breaking of a few keys on my keyboard (jk), i shall refrain from letting the inner "America or Die" guy out... Now.. onto the question.. i think they did have a choice, but it was such a no brainer choice that even a dead man would answer correctly. it was either, you fight with the army against the people who have killed your families and put you where you are now, get fed, and have some sort of a sense of security..... or you can go out and try to survive amongst the rebels. the only catch is, every day (just about), you have to go out amongst the rebels and kill them, except you have a better chance with the army because, well.... your with an army. the value of choice is very important it withholds the ability to control your future and it also withholds one's innocence.
ReplyDeletei have to disagree with David but i also have to agree with him. yes, Ishmael had no thoughts of revenge prior to recruiting in the army, and yes the army did use the kid's situations to turn their confusion and fear into anger and direct that anger towards the rebels. But that was to only make the individual stronger. a dumb@$$ would have been able to make the call on whether to stay with the safety of the army, or go out and live your live in fear or being seen by your own species.... hiding constantly and risking your life. your gonna be risking your life anyway, so you might as well (if your gonna die) die fighting against what started it all.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with David that moral values should be considered more important, or at least we should not harm others. But, during war most of the people do not. It is no use keeping ethical values towards people who shoots everyone, including us. It is just wasting our lives. And during time of war, people are likely going to get killed the most painful way. So why take the risk of getting killed, if there is a way with a higher chance of survival.
ReplyDeleteChae Hoon Lim
yes but is the life of your struggling citizens, country, and family, more important than some simple moral values saying, its not right to show people what to get mad at???
ReplyDeletebecause that higher chance of survival is really not that much better than the other option. so you might as well die fighting than die running.
ReplyDeletebecause i have nothing else to do i shall sit here on youtube and comment on EVERYONES comments!! (sorry Mrs. Da Costa) =)
ReplyDeleteYes I agree that they had no choice, but to fight. The Lieutenant showed all the villagers what had happened too two people who attempted to escape in to the night. If Ishmael and his friends did this they all would have died. He had two choices: fight and hopefully survive, or get killed by attempting to escape. Choices make us who we are. Once we make a choice, whether it is good or bad, we have to stick with it because we cannot go back in time to redo it and make it better.
ReplyDeleteI agree with chae and everything he said. They were forced into fighting because they had no better option. One option would basically guarantee their death, and the other option would give them a better chance of survival and they would be able to avenge the death of their parents, families, and friends.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Andi that he had a choice to be a brave soldier or death. In mind, people would do anything to survive. Ishmael and his friends was force to be solders. They had to kill people to people will kill them, because everyone want to live, may be they can gain some hopes to have a better life.
ReplyDeleteIf he wanted to survive, I would agree that he had no choice in the matter. I believe he would want to survive and joining them would keep him alive for at least a few days more. Ishmael and his friends did have a choice but they were both ones that lead to pain or death. They could not have joined but they would have been lead down an almost equally painful path. The soldier said that if they didn’t join they wouldn’t be given rations and would be forced to leave. Once told to leave there would be no good way to escape the village without being seen and so the chance of survival was little to none. I believe that they weren’t condemned. They could have chosen otherwise and been killed (not that I think this is any better), there was no positive option for them.
ReplyDeleteChoice is an incredibly powerful thing that so many people take for granted. Even the smallest choice, like what kind of cereal to have, is one that many people wish they could have. Every second of your life you are making choices and don’t even realize it, it just comes so naturally. Other people live their lives being told what to do, how to do it, and when. They have no freedom of choice and so are set living the life that someone else wants for them.
I agree with Chae and David, the soldier did give them a choice. However, death was on both sides of this coin and fighting seemed the only way to prolong their lives (if only for a short time). Given Ishmael’s options at least fighting would let him have revenge. This might make him feel like he was getting back at them for getting separated from his family and suffering so much.
~Alicia~
I think that they do have a choice they could leave and stand up for what they belive is right. yea that might mean they die but they stood up for something. they are giving in to there leaders. now it is easy for me to say this never being in postion but they had choices and could have made a different one. i think the choice they made is very powerful they are still alive arent they? but how many lives did they take by keeping theres? they could have fought back and died but yet they gave in and end up killing more people.
ReplyDeletei disagree with the majority here he had a choice he just chose the one that kept him alive he could have left or at least tried and if that ment dieing that is what would happen but then he wouldnt have to kill more people.
Travis Smith
Ishmael had no CHOICE but to become a soldier. The reason for this is because he and his friends were shown what had happened to two people who had tried to escape. It did not turn out to well for them. So one could say that Ishmael and his friends really had no choice but tobecome a soldier. It was either they become soldiers and live with the terible things that they did or they could attempt to escape or refuse to become a soldier and DIE!! If I was put in this situation I might have refused just because you are killing your own people.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with Chae on this one,
One: Is because I can see that they were stuck between a rock on this one. They were young and they wanted to live so they chose this way to live on.
Two: I also agree with hime when he says that when there are negative oppurtunities then you will do bad things. This is so very true. Becaue if you do not study for the test it usually results in a bad grade.
I feel that in war it is kill or be killed, not in a controlled situation but the hell they are in. They feel that the only way to survive was to fight. If they could get away I think they would. They at a poiunt were on a run until they got caught. He must have felt that he had no choice. I don't blame him. I would do anything to survive in that situation. The boys wanted to live and find their parents and friends, but I feel that all of the other children soldiors wanted to be free as well, they just had no other option.-Zach Thibault
ReplyDeleteI have to agree compleatly with Chae, they had no choice. I feel that if there was a option to run we would all do it, but if it was life or death, I would guess we would all choose life. -Zach Thibault
ReplyDeleteno choice at all, what so ever... some ppl just might give a chance to no go and fight. but in most cases i beleive it fight for us or there will be some type of heinous consiquenece.. therefor he had to do what he had to do.. now in days if you try to escape war you atleast have to serve the country in some way and if you try to escape you put in jail
ReplyDeleteI believe that Ishmael had a choice to leave or stay. Ishmael has been doing well as a group running away from rebels, and he can still do that. He gets caught all the time though, and the next time it might be the rebels. The cassette cannot always save him or his group. The better choice is to stay with the army and living longer, because he is provided food and has a better chance of being safe. If the rebels find the Government Army he would have a smaller probability of getting shot and dying. As if he keeps on running the rebels will only have to kill him and it wouldn't be that tough.
ReplyDeleteChoice is a very powerful. Every decision in life has an effect on yourself or someone else. Choices happen every day and many of the times I do not even recognize it. Every choice can build up to a bigger one. For example I missed school Monday and I am very behind kind of my choice on playing volleyball, but it’s a choice I am willing to make. Also most choices have consequences, good or bad it happened for the choice you have chosen. I have a lot of respect for Ishaemal because it is an incredibly difficult to be in a life or death situation, and possibly choose the wrong thing.
I do not completely agree with cole, but he has a point. They did not have a choice becasue of the rebels were surrounding the land, and it also said in the text many people who tried to escape were killed. I agree with alicia saying that they had a choice, but they were put in a bad situtation it was pretty much either life or death. I fully agree with Logan, him and I see the same point of view. That if they try to leave life will be harder for them. If they stay and fight they might have a chance to live and also have food to eat.
ReplyDeleteI think that Ishmael and his friends did have a choice as to whether or not they were going to stay and fight with the government army or leave. They had survived all of that time before by just walking around and trying to stay out of trouble. Hiding in the woods would be much safer for them than to fight RUF soldiers. I think that Ishmael and his friends just wanted to do something different and were coerced by the lieutenant into fighting for them. he may have been trying to narrow the childrens choices by telling them that RUF had the village surrounded. Choices in our lives are significantly important.
ReplyDeleteI agree with travis in that the choice was most deffinetly there for them. I agree with tina as well in that life would have been tough for them if they left but it could have saved lives.