In the book “There Are No Children Here” by Alex Kotlowitz, the author followed the lives of two young brothers (Lafayette and Pharoah) while they grew up in the harsh streets of Chicago in the late 1980’s. The author uses the story of the two boys’ lives to discuss the social divide in our very own society and to persuade readers that there is a major problem in “the projects” of the United States. The historical context of the book is the story took place in the late 80’s-early 90’s in the streets of Chicago. At this era of time, it had been about 20-30 years after segregation was outlawed, but the effects of years of racism and segregation could be shown in the “hoods” of cities. The author utilizes the two boys’ stories to show what the …show more content…
He is able to do this task by using rhetorical techniques. One of the most common rhetorical device that he used throughout the whole book was pathos. Pathos is a literary device that is used to evoke emotion or pity from an audience. The author uses pathos to deliver heart-breaking and thought provoking examples from the story to make readers wonder about what life on “the other side” is really like. A specific scene where pathos is used was when the book talked about the monetary situation of the mother, LaJoe, and the scene said “The $931 she (LaJoe) received each month off welfare and food stamps…$400 for groceries, $80 for burial insurance…”(95). This example of pathos is extremely effective as this scene shocks readers with the fact that the mother uses nearly 10% of her monthly income to just be insured that her children are insured for burial if they are ever killed. This example evokes the audience by making them imagine of how tough of a situation LaJoe was in and how terrifying it must be worrying everyday whether or not her children could be dead at any moment. It shows the audience that nothing is guaranteed in the ghetto. This is very good at achieving the author’s goal of presenting this subject because this example shows to the readers how many people in these parts of the cities are scared of their own homes and safety. …show more content…
Another strong rhetoric device that was used in the story was emphasizing the “subject and audience” aspect of the Aristotelian Triangle. While writing this book, the author knew that most of his audience would not be people who know much about the ghetto. However, he still wanted to write a piece that would allow the readers to read the book and develop a strong understanding of what the it was like and be able to sway over to his side. He tried to make the subject as descriptive as he can to the audience to fulfill his purpose on educating the audience on the “other side of America”. He includes all aspects of the young boys’ lives: problems with the law, drug deals, deaths of close and loved ones, a bad school and education system, and the thought of knowing that nothing can be guaranteed where the two boys live. A description from a scene in the book shows one of the aspects of the young boys’ lives. When Lafayette (the younger, and more scholarly brother) saw that his brother, Pharoah (the misguided and troubled brother) did not get sentenced to juvenile hall, the book described the scene as “Lafayette was shocked when Pharoah walked into the room. One day they’re here and the next day they could be gone”. This scene covers one of the aspects of lives in the ghetto and how nothing is promised or granted to them unlike people in nicer parts of the country. Another topic covered in the book was about
Harding, D. J. (2010). Living the Drame: Community, Conflict, and Culture Among Inner-City Boys. Chicago, IL: The University Of Chicago Press.
The children in this book at times seem wise beyond their years. They are exposed to difficult issues that force them to grow up very quickly. Almost all of the struggles that the children face stem from the root problem of intense poverty. In Mott Haven, the typical family yearly income is about $10,000, "trying to sustain" is how the mothers generally express their situation. Kozol reports "All are very poor; statistics tell us that they are the poorest children in New York." (Kozol 4). The symptoms of the kind of poverty described are apparent in elevated crime rates, the absence of health care and the lack of funding for education.
A Child Called 'It' by Dave Pezler. Setting:.. 1-Russian River - "The Russian River" The Russian River is a place in California where Dave and his family usually go for vacation. He remembers this place as a quiet and peaceful place. He remembers how he and his brothers would play, how his mother would hug him, and how they would all watch the sunset together.
1. In the book, the father tries to help the son in the beginning but then throughout the book he stops trying to help and listens to the mother. If I had been in this same situation, I would have helped get the child away from his mother because nobody should have to live like that. The father was tired of having to watch his son get abused so eventually he just left and didn’t do anything. David thought that his father would help him but he did not.
In his observation of the boys, he finds that these boys are criminalized by many social forces besides the police. “I found that schools pushed out boys who had been victimized.” (pg. 6). Many boys feel that their school system blames them for crimes that have occurred in their area, or as a danger to other students in the classroom. These boys think that these experiences of victimization are part of their street life. Rios says that if the institutions of social control believe that all young people follow the code of the street, then programs and interactions with margined youth’s will be based on this false information. This dishonest perception of youth is what leads to their
the most important literary elements in the story. He takes a young black boy and puts
The opening paragraph of the story contains a metaphorical passage: "I stared at it in the swinging light of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside"(349). This reference is significant because it is a contrast to the dismal society that the narrator and his brother Sonny live in. The darkness is the portrayal of the community of Harlem that is trapped, in their surroundings by physical, economic, and social barriers. The obvious nature of darkness has overcome the occupants of the Harlem community. The narrator, an algebra teacher, observes a depressing similarity between his students and his brother, Sonny. This is true because the narrator is fearful for his students falling into a life of crime and drugs, as did his brother. The narrator notes that the cruel realities of the streets have taken away the possible light from the lives of his brother and his students. The narrator makes an insightful connection between the darkness that Sonny faced and the darkness that the young boys are presently facing. This is illustrated in the following quote:
There are many policy issues that affect families in today’s society. Hunger is a hidden epidemic and one major issue that American’s still face. It is hard to believe that in this vast, ever growing country, families are still starving. As stated in the book Growing Up Empty, hunger is running wild through urban, rural, and even suburban communities. This paper will explore the differing perspectives of the concerned camp, sanguine camp, and impatient camp. In addition, each camps view, policy agenda, and values that underlie their argument on hunger will be discussed.
The two Wes Moores in this narrative share a common identity. They have the same name, are from the same place, and they are both black males. As children, they both had the same kind of personalities and traits that are beginning to put them down an unsuccessful path. However, as the two boys begin to grow older, they begin to change differently. Their identities begin to differ when you examine their lives and their incredibly different futures. To begin, the author Wes Moore’s future was one that was positive, due to the choices made by him and his family. His family dynamic and support was strong, and became stronger after his father died of acute
Richelle Goodrich once said, “To encourage me is to believe in me, which gives me the power to defeat dragons.” In a world submerged in diversity, racism and prejudice it is hard for minorities to get ahead. The novel “The Other Wes Moore” is a depiction of the differences that encouragement and support can make in the life of a child. This novel is about two men, with the same name, from the same neighborhood, that endured very similar adversities in their lives, but their paths were vastly different. In the following paragraphs, their lives will be compared, and analyzed from a sociological perspective.
Alexander Stowe is a twin, his brother is Aaron Stowe. Alex is an Unwanted, Aaron is a Wanted, and their parents are Necessaries. Alex is creative in a world where you can’t even see the entire sky, and military is the dream job for everyone and anyone. He should have been eliminated, just like all the unwanteds should have been. He instead comes upon Artimè, where he trains as a magical warrior- after a while. When he was still in basic training, and his friends were not, he got upset, he wants to be the leader, the one everyone looks up to.
Comparing ?Everyday Use?, ?Sonny?s Blues? and ?The Cathedral?, one can conclude that they share a common meaning. Although all three stories consider poverty as their theme, each chooses to elaborate it in a different manner. In fact, ?Everyday Use? emphasizes on the state of extreme poverty in which certain people live. On the other hand, ?Sonny?s Blues? contributes to the theme by describing the poverty of spirit of Harlem?s ?inner kids?. Carver?s ?The Cathedral?, however, prefers to explore the notion of poverty as a state of one?s mind rather than the environment in which one lives.
males dealing with family, sexuality and the harsh reality of living in the urban ghetto. Young
At several points in the story, Baldwin emphasizes the quickness at which Harlem residents fall to the pull of evil. The children of Harlem are de...
Starting off the discussion we will start with chapter one. Chapter one is about Decent and street families. Decent families are families who live by society’s norms and try to avoid violence, drugs, confrontation, whereas street families embrace violence and fear because it is a way to stay alive within their neighborhoods. In the chapter they discuss how many families in the inner city actually have the decent family values, but can also harbor the street values. For example in the chapter they actually discussed an instance where Marge a women they had interviewed had a problem with others in her neighborhood. Her story s...