Lift Off

Imagine life with no hands, being close to death, and feeling all alone. This was Mariatu Kamara's life. She was helpless, with no hope in living. She didn't have the luxury to have a "regular" life anymore. She felt like she lost everything and that there was no way to get it back again.

This is shown from this quote “I watched as that stubborn bird tried to stand up on its crooked little legs, flapping its wings wildly, only to topple over and lie still before trying all over again. Then something miraculous happened. After the bird had lain motionless for so long I thought it was dead, it stood up as solid as ever and lifted off into the sky... I felt like that bird. Something had knocked me clear out of the sky, and here I was on the ground, trying to get up. But I couldn’t, and I wondered if I’d ever have the perseverance of that small weaver.  I sat in a trance, not moving.” (page 59) This section of the book tells the readers how Mariatu felt after her incident with the rebels. She questioned if she would ever be healthy enough, strong enough, or courageous enough. She compares herself to this bird but she doesn't believe that she can overcome this traumatic experience, and she may not. From the parts of the book before she says this quote we can find out some of her character, and she is a fighter. Instead of lying on the ground and dying after her hands were cut off she ran away to go find other people for help and comfort. She has fought this hard and made it so far that if she gave up now she would have worked so hard for nothing.

Later in the chapter it shows Mariatu starting to get hope in herself again and thinks there may be a light at the end of this long confusing tunnel. This is known because of this quote “I don’t know where it came from but I laughed and laughed. I felt like that little weaver bird again, but this time I had the feeling I could learn to fly” (page 64) She began to stop doubting her ability to "fly" again. But how long would this feeling last before she was hit to the ground again? Was her hardest struggle still hiding, until the perfect time to push her down? How strong would she become if she was pushed to rock bottom and then some?

This text enhances the understanding of yourself because it gives you the message that you are stronger than you think and you can make it through a challenge even when you don't think you can. It also tells us that with hard experiences comes strength and endurance. Your fight with struggles will get easier with more experiences. There is always a plan for your future when you push through, lift up your head, and soar.