A Long Way Gone: Chapter 20
Whether you chose to continue reading A Long Way Gone or switched to a different novel, it is important to consider what Ishmael Beah has to say about our place in the world. At the end of Chapter 20, for instance, his departure from New York City on November 15, 1996, leads to this insight:
My sixteenth birthday was eight days away, and throughout the flight back home I still felt as if I was dreaming, a dream that I didn’t want to wake up from. I was sad to leave, but I was also pleased to have met people outside of Sierra Leone. Because if I was to get killed upon my return, I knew that a memory of my existence was alive somewhere in the world.
Beah is describing a very human need: to have left a mark on the world. He knew, even then, that he would persist through the memories of the people he had met. The way he has continued to impact and influence people around the world is simply a larger and more powerful version of this.
If you are reading this, you have already left a mark on this world, and you will continue to do so. Your existence has impacted others. Your day-to-day life continues that impact. Still others remember you, even if you are no longer a part of their lives, and that memory of your existence is alive somewhere in the world.
This is existentially heavy stuff. But it leads us to a straightforward opportunity for reflection, introspection, and more of that psychonaut exploration we have undertaken before.
The writing prompt: Consider the excerpt from A Long Way Gone carefully, and then write a letter to yourself about the mark you make on the world. You may write about the impact you’ve had so far in your life, the impact you intend to have in the future, the idea of “a memory of [your] existence,” and any related subjects that arise from your contemplation of Beah’s words.
This letter can be private or public to any extent you choose. You may publish it as an open letter, or you may keep it from even your teacher, making it a purely personal exercise Either way, you will be asked to write about the letter-writing process. That metacognitive analysis is what lets you control every aspect of the letter’s audience.
You also have the option of printing this letter, sealing it in an envelope, and leaving it to be opened by a future version of you — at the end of this year, the end of next year, as you graduate, or at any other point you choose. Every choice you make has an impact, which reflects the core of the assignment itself.
Ask questions below. Deadlines and other requirements will be posted to Google Classroom.
Featured image source: “Nora’s Letter,” as archived at The Victorian Web.