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.