A Long Way Gone
6. In Chapter 6, how and why do Ishmael and his companions start farming in the village of Kamator? Why is farming so difficult for Ishmael?
They started going to Kamator for a place to stay, and the village is far away from Mattru Jong, so they think they will be saved from the rebels. It was hard for Ishmael, because when he went to his grandmother’s house during the harvest season, she just let Ishmael pour wine to the soil, so he never really knew how hard farming was.
7. After Kamator has been attacked, and the two boys have been cut off from the others in fleeing, Ishmael and Kaloko sneak out of the bush an
d back into Kamator, bringing along brooms every time. Why do they bring brooms? And why, later, does Ishmael set out on his own?
They brought brooms, so they can sweep away their footsteps on the road, so no one knew where they hide. Ishmael went on his own because he wanted to find peace somewhere else, and Kaloko decided to stay because he was afraid to leave the swamp.
8. What does Ishmael tells us was the “most difficult part of being in the forest” (p.52)? And who are the six boys Ishmael encounters after wandering and surviving in the forest on his own for more than a month? Where does he know some of these boys from?
Ishmael tells us that the most difficult part of being in the forest was loneliness. Some of the six boys Ishmael met were Alhaji, Musa, and Kamei. Ishmael recognizes those three people, because they all went to the same school which was Centinnal secondary school.
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