Comparison and Contrast Essay

“Sarah’s Key “and “A Long Way Gone” are two books that describe how two different children in totally different parts of the world experience war for the first time. Both stories are based on true-life events that occurred in the lives of Sarah a French girl living in Paris and Ismael, [comma] a Sierra Leonean living in Sierra Leone. Even though these two stories recount distinct periods and distinct wars, [comma] they bear some resemblance to one another.

Both Sarah and Ishmael were introduced to war at such a tender age. A simple knock on the apartment door completely changed Sarah’s life. Sarah was only ten years old when the French police came to her door to take her and her family to an overcrowded arena. Many other Jew families were also removed from their homes and places in uninhabitable conditions in the arena. Sarah was unclear of why they were taken there. Likewise, Ishmael who was a twelve year old boy, was away from his home when he was informed by his friends that his hometown where his family still was, had been attacked by rebels. Ismael was bewildered because the day before he left his home there were no signs of rebels or any signs of war.

Witnessing death can be something very traumatic especially for a child. Sarah witnessed many people gradually losing sanity in the arena. A young woman jumped from the highest railing with her child in hands committing suicide. The disturbing images were too hard for Sarah to process. Likewise, Ishmael encountered many deaths on his attempt to return home to find his family. However, the most unforgettable tragedy for Ishmael was a woman who carried her baby on her back with blood dripping down her dress [add period instead of comma, sentence is too long]. Her baby had been shot to death as she ran for her life. This left an indelible imprint in Ishmael’s mind.

In addition, Sarah and Ishmael both had to experience family loss. Not knowing the severity of the situation, Sarah locked her four-year-old...