A Long Way Gone: Post 1

Quote #1: "These days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past." ~Narrator, page 20
Significance: When the author thinks this, it is a flash forward to the future and it basically explains in one sentence how he is coping with his memories from the war. He says that he lives in three worlds because he still has horrible memories from during the war and so that is one of the worlds he lives in. I think that what he means is that when he is dreaming he sees memories and sometimes thing in his new every day life remind him of his life in Africa.
Character Judgment: So far in the book the narrator (his name hasn't been said in the memoir yet) seems to be a shy character and keeps his emotions inside. Back in Africa he plays but seems to be one of the more cautious of the boys in his group of friends. I think that his personality is one of the many reasons why he can not go one day in America without having these memories come back to him. Another reason is because, he was not only a victim of the war but was captured as a child soldier and split up from his family.
Question for group: Do you think that the narrator (guessing his name is Ishmael, the author) has seen any of his family members since Africa? Do you think that this is the reason why he is having such a hard time with the memories?

Quote #2: "She followed us to the edge of the village and watched as we descended the hill, switching her walking stick to her left hand so that she could wave us off with her right hand, a sign of good luck." ~Narrator, page 8
Response: I picked this quote because it showed a small part of culture for Ishmael. I am guessing that since he says that waving with her right hand was a sign of luck, it is a superstition they have either in the country or the village. I chose it also because it may have been a form of foreshadowing bad luck.
Connection: Throughout the book so far there have been examples of culture in Ishmael's country and I think that it is interesting to compare their lifestyle and mine. One example is the time the Ishmael and his friends walked for miles, leaving home for what they thought would be only a few days at most and not even thinking about telling their parents. I also thought that the forms of the superstition his culture had were very different to ours.
Question for group: Do you think that Ishmael brought aspects of his culture like these to America with him, or do you think that he lost his culture when he became a child soldier? Explain why.