A LONG WAY GONE

Final Portfolio Project

Part Two: Write Your Own

Memoir

Where to start:

Choose an event in your life:

That was a turning point.

Where you learned a hard lesson.

That changed you for the better.

That made you a stronger person.

Where to end:

Make sure to address one of these questions

What did you learn?

Why is the experience meaningful?

Why is it important to you?

How to Structure Your Memoir

Introduction: this is where you will grab your

reader’s attention with your interesting life

experience.

Middle: give necessary background

information (don’t spend too much time here),

details of events, and important information

about your event.

Conclusion: describe what you learned and

why this event is significant to you.

Remember!

Show, don’t tell!

Provide sensory details, dialogue, thoughts,

feelings. Don’t explain what happened, tell a

story.

Determine how you will write your story

Chronologically, flashback, reflective

Make sure you are comfortable writing about

your event

It does not have to be serious or tragic, (but that’s

ok if it is) it can also be funny and lighthearted.

Part One: Analyzing Theme

What is theme?

Central idea or universal truth

Themes for A Long Way Gone The Damages of War

Power

Survival

Hope

Family, Friend, and Community

Memory

Fear

Loss of Innocence

Theme Statements

What is a theme statement?

A single sentence that attempts to explain this

truth (what the story/narrative is telling the reader)

Examples:

Peace – The need for world peace

Love – Love is a double-edge sword

Good vs. Evil – Good will always conquer evil

Theme Statements are general yet specific

Do not refer to specific characters or events

Children Soldiers not Beah; War not Sierra Leone War

How to Write a Theme

Statement

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is about

_________________ and it reveals that

_____________________________________

.

(One of the 8 themes)

(What does ALWG tell you about this theme/human condition)

Example

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is about

memory and it reveals that memories are key

to survival and healing during wartime.

Remember!

Use the TBEAR format!

T – Topic Sentence

B – Background Information

E – Evidence

A – Analysis

R – Recap

You are writing about how theme has

developed so use quotes that span across the

entire memoir.

Part Three: Extended Writing

You must choose one of the “extension”

pieces/information that we have done while

reading ALWG

Your choices:

The Stages of Grief (notes)

Colonization (Guns, Germs, and Steel,

Kingsolver, or Blood Diamonds film)

The Child Soldier (notes)

Survival (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs notes)

How to Begin your Response

Think about how these “extension” pieces help

you analyze or understand Beah’s experience.

How can we better understand Beah’s journey

through the lens of:

The impacts of colonization?

The realities of child soldiers?

The stages of grief?

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs?

Format

Use the double TBEATBEAR! X 2

T – Topic Sentence

B – Background Information

E – Evidence (Quotation)

A – Analysis (Explain the quote and its

significance)

T – Transition sentence

B – Background Information

E – Evidence (Quotation)

A – Analysis (Explain the quote and its

significance)

R - Recap

ALWG Chunk

“Extension”

Chunk