Loss Assessment task

‘The fact or process of losing something or someone.’ – Loss has been an extremely prevalent topic
within the book I’ve been reading in term 1 English, Illegal. Illegal is a book about 12-year-old-boy
Ebo, and his dangerous journey to Europe, from Africa. Ebo set out to find his missing sister, who he
had just found out, had already made the voyage to Europe long ago. He found many friends on the
way, he even found his brother, Kwame, who later joined Ebo, but as the conditions got harder, in
no time, when Ebo got to Europe, he was the only one left, who managed to get to Europe, and find
his sister. He crossed the Sahara Desert, countless open oceans all with practically no food, or
supplies in general. ‘Loss’ as a theme can be very meaningful and powerful as it can show you how
someone is impacted when they have to let go of something they love.

Ebo was just a little 12-year-old-boy, forced to leave his current living environment to venture of the
other side of the world. It seems like a fairy tale, but things this this do really happen to real life
Refugees and Asylum seekers. Just like how Ebo had to deal with lots of pain and torture from losing
his friends, and relatives, so did real people who fled their countries. I think Illegal is a pretty
accurate representation of how Refugees flee their countries for a better lifestyle, because it shows
you how people can help you along the way, and how even when people try to bring you down, you
should always have hope “Forget It Ebo, He’s gone.” – Page 8; After the boys said mean things, and
picked on Ebo, he still didn’t give up, he kept going, and never hope. Loosing something or someone
you care for can be extremely hard, and can be detrimental to someone’s mental, and even physical
health. It can form in many different ways, and you can lose many different things. Ebo is a character
in which has suffered immensely from a loss of childhood, and trauma that said missing childhood
has caused.

Throughout Ebo’s dangerous journey, he slowly became less and less optimistic as time grew on. He
started of by thinking the journey would be a piece of cake, thinking that he would find is family in
no time, to then thinking he was the problem, and that he would never get to Europe “None of us
can swim. If this boat sinks, perhaps I am bad luck.” Page 5 Contrasting his behaviours and optimism
when he started the journey to Europe. He was on a small fishing boat, in the middle of the ocean,
slowly sinking Ebo constantly finds himself on the brink of death after every twist and turn; He
crossed the Sahara Desert, and only had an abandoned car to sleep in after walking kilometres and
kilometres through the hot scorching sand, crossed the oceans on a crowed fishing boat, and much
more. These scenarios explain to you how even the brightest and most uplifting people can get
dragged down in situations like Ebo’s.

In Ebo’s case, Loss was a crucial part of his journey, and he had to sacrifice many things to get to
were he wanted to. This includes his childhood, his home, his belongings, and even his past life,
because everything, throughout that journey was on the line for him. Illegal shows you how much
Refugees need to give up for a remotely normal life, a life like what we live every day. Illegal can
show us that people can give up so much to be able to live a stable and normal life just like we do
every single day.

Personally, I believe Illegal by Eoin Colfer is a masterpiece, that really paints an accurate picture of
child migration and what Refugees have to do through on the daily. It tells us readers a detailed
story about how Loss can affect someone in many ways and can tell you how someone in Ebo’s place
can deal with the every-day struggles and problems this can come with. Losing someone, or Loss in
media/as a theme, expresses how letting go of something you love can be detrimental, and it is
something no-one looks forward too, but sometimes, in cases like Ebo’s or his friends, sacrifice and
loss is the only way for you to move on, overcome new challenges, and succeed in new things.