Chapter Title blog

Chapter 1 in ALWG is called innocence because this is the point where Ishmael is mentally a child and isn't corrupted yet by the world that he soon endures. 

Chapter 2 is called first blood since it's the first time he has seen death and the ugly side of humanity. From this point on Beah would never be the same child he once was.

Chapter 5 is called Bannannas and bullets because at this time Beah was starving with a group of boys outside of a small village that got attacked the the rebel army and he narrowly escapes his death when they capture him.

Chapter 8 is named solitude for the fact the Beah is alone for prolonged amounts of time and is left with nothing but his own thoughts that he learns to wrestle and cope with.

Chapter 10 is dubbed foul food because Ishmael's friend Saidu dies from eating a crow that fell out of the sky, which is a bad sign in some cultures.

Chapter 11 is called hope because the boys finally hear news of their families being alive and their spirits are lifted for the first time in a long time.

Chapter 12 is called nest because the boys now found safety in a village that was heavily protected marking the first time they didn't have to travel to be safe.

Chapter 13 is Full metal jacket because now that Ishmael and friends are in the army getting trained to become mindless killers. 

Chapter 15 is named rehab because Beah literally goes to a child rehabilitation center for child soldiers.

Chapter 20 is called revelation because Beah's idea of New York is blown away and he finally gets to see a world outside of his own.

Is Beah still his origonal self?

Ismael goes through many different changes in his life that forces him adapt to his surroundings. He goes from a normal childhood to hiding and surviving in the jungle in small groups or at times even being alone for extended periods of time. He gets recruited into a military force just to become a drugged up child soldier that later must get rehabilitated and get off drugs. It's a whirl wind life that has a constant change of pace but through all of it is Ishmael still the same kid he was before? No, not many adults can endure these kinds of situations without a little deviation from their typical way of thinking so Beah has had to make some changes from childhood to his teens. 

When Beah had his family before the war he was a very carefree spirit that practiced rap songs. After the war broke out music was the last thing on his mind and stress was the predominate force in his mind stripping him of child-like thinking from this point on. Ishmael lost his spiritual side to drugs and a mild form of brain washing later on making him much more prone to violence. The drugs also stopped him from thinking and dreaming about the lives he took and the people around him dying. At this point he took on a completely different persona, wanting to attack or kill anything that he didnt agree with just as the other boys he was put with at benin house. After the drug effects wore off he couldn't return to his normal self as he was used to concealing his emotions. This is evident when Esther talks to him on a daily basis and every time she walked away he would watch her leave thinking about hugging her after their talks but he never does. In conclusion Beah had to make mental changes in order to insure a future in his life. A few core traits that make him unique as a person are always going to be there but the ways of life he has lived has transformed him into someone who has seen life at many different angles. No one can stay the same after enduring life through a civil war and Beah is a prime example of just that.