Literary Devices
an interruption in a narrative that depicts events that have already occurred, either before the present time or before the time at which the narration takes place
Flashback
What did the boys take part in at the rehab center when the European Commission, UN, UNICEF, and NCO's came to visit?
A talent show
when an author indirectly hints at—through things such as dialogue, description, or characters’ actions—what’s to come later on in the story.
Foreshadowing
A pub to dance
when ideas, actions, or objects are described in non-literal terms. In short, it’s when an author compares one thing to another. The two things being described usually share something in common but are unalike in all other respects.
Metaphor
a combination of two words that, together, express a contradictory meaning.
Oxymoron
What did the rehab center ask Ishmael to do after impressing visitors at the rehab center?
Be a spokesperson for rehabilitating child soldiers
when a nonhuman figure or other abstract concept or element is given human-like qualities or characteristics.
Personification
Why did Ishmael's relationship with Zainab (the girl he meets at the pub) not work out?
She asks him too many questions about his past that he does not want to answer
a type of metaphor in which an object, idea, character, action, etc., is compared to another thing using the words "as" or "like."
Simile
when a word or phrase is written multiple times, usually for the purpose of emphasis.
Repetition
Which friend from Mogbwemo does Ishmael reunite with in Chapter 18?
Mohammed
refers to the use of an object, figure, event, situation, or other idea in a written work to represent something else—typically a broader message or deeper meaning that differs from its literal meaning.
Symbolism
Leslie comes to visit Ishmael at his new home; he asks Ishmael if he is interested in participating in something. What is it? Where is it?
An interview with the UN about the children of Sierra Leone/ New York
a series of words or phrases that all (or almost all) start with the same sound.
Alliteration
when an author inserts a famous quotation, poem, song, or other short passage or text at the beginning of a larger text (e.g., a book, chapter, etc.).
Epigraph
Which family member visits Ishmael at the rehab center? Why is he visiting him?
an exaggerated statement that's not meant to be taken literally by the reader.
Hyperbole
DAILY DOUBLE!: What genre is "A Long Way Gone"?
Memoir
when a statement is used to express an opposite meaning than the one literally expressed by it.
Irony
the comparing and contrasting of two or more different (usually opposite) ideas, characters, objects, etc.
Juxtaposition
On a walk with Ishmael, his uncle says "...you are still a boy, you have time to be a little more troublesome" (175). What is the irony of this statement?
Ishmael's childhood has been filled with violence and trouble. He wants to this aspect of his life to change.
a word (or group of words) that represents a sound and actually resembles or imitates the sound it stands for.
Onomatopoeia
Does Ishmael's uncle believe that he is going to New York City for the interview? How can you tell?
No, he continuously makes jokes about Ishmael making it to America. At the end of the chapter when Ishmael is about to leave, he says "So, I will see you later for dinner then" (192).
a story that is used to represent a more general message about real-life (historical) issues and/or events.
Allegory