Dylan had always been quite a shy kid in every aspect of his life. Even though he did have a few friends he never talked that much at school, he would hardly talk to his parents about his life and when it came to his sports he was focused on them and didn’t want to distract himself by talking to the other boys not the team. He always new that he was a little different from everyone else but he ever knew how or why, until today. It was a normal day in small town Louisiana where going to church every sunday and abiding by the bible as well as helping out on the farm is the regular routine. The sun was shining and radiating its warmth all throughout his walk to school by himself. Since it was such a small city, everyone knew everyone around town so it was quite a shock when everyone at Clearview High found out that there was a new kid that had transferred to their school. Being a city not used to change, the students didn’t want any part to do with the new kid except Dylan. In fact thats all Dylan could think about on his walk to school. He had always hoped for a day like this where he could meet someone new, as seeing the same faces all around town all the time got to be quite monotonous for him. When Dylan got to school, he grabbed his things from his locker and headed made his way to his first period which was chemistry. When he got to class there was already people talking about who this new kid was. No one had figured out if it was a boy or a girl, but that didn’t stop people from speculating and spreading rumors. There were people had come up with things such as a boy who was a drug dealer and wanted to expand his business, or it was a girl who partied too hard and was forced to move. All of these were completely far f... ... middle of paper ... ...done wasn’t handled very tactfully but he figured it was better to lay everything out in the open for everyone. The next few weeks had been very difficult for Dylan as his parents never really talked to him as they were still trying to believe that what Dylan said was actually true. They avoided telling anybody else in the town for fear of rejection in the community. It was a full month since the incident and things were starting to return to normal in Dylan’s household but his Dad still hadn’t spoken to him since that night, which worried Dylan greatly because he feared that he screwed everything up with his family, until today. Dylan’s Mom had called him into their room because it was finally time that his Dad was ready to face his son. When Dylan entered the room his Dad came up to him and gave him a hug and whispered into his ear. “I still love you.”
The narrator whose name is unknown finds out that his brother Sonny was incarcerated for the use of and dealing heroin, raised in a society where being afraid of fear is constantly affecting both of their life’s in turmoil. “He was frightening me a little” (Baldwin 19). Fear shaped the older brother in becoming an Algebra teacher, endeavoring to save his younger brother from a lifestyle of street habits, influence specifically on drug abuse. According to the narrator, he expects Sonny to follow his footsteps in finishing an education because “If you don’t finish school now, you’re going to be sorry later that you didn’t” (Baldwin 20), in addition the narrator describes the life of Sonny “weird and disordered” (Baldwin 21). The narrator uses his fear to form a communication with his brother, however Sonny’s decision of freedom in becoming a professional musician, and escaping misfortunate moments is not in communion. Thus, Sonny feels neglected by his older brother’s expectations and judgments based on his own future. “I think people ...
Dylan has not been the same ever since . With all Dylan has been through, he takes his anger out in different ways like stealing and being di srespectful to his mom . He’s seen as a loner in school and keeps to himself.
...es your life and everyone around you. No matter what anyone says, you are a lot different after your life (or another’s) has been placed in the hands of others. The boys not only matured a lot, but leadership roles emerged. It became obvious that Gordie was a leader in the group less than halfway through. And as groups tend to do, they relied on his leadership more and more until the end. The group was faced with the additional challenge of dealing with difficult group members. But the group discovered the concept of synergy when they found if they stuck together and used teamwork, they are a lot stronger unified than individually.
He had been scared about being at the bottom of the food chain again. He pulled through well, but had a couple of social issues as this stage in his life progressed. For example, he had some experiences with peer pressure by his fellow classmates. It was important for him to go through this, because he needed to learn about standing up for what he believes in.
That same night, I walked by Hannah’s cell and I saw her staring down at a newspaper clip out of a young teenager shaking hands with another man. I recognized that the boy was the man who visited today. Could he be Hannah’s son? If he is, then why hadn’t he visit her all this time? Hannah brushed her fingers across the books on her shelf, and took out a sheet of paper and started writing in it. This time, her eyes turned grey and they were empty, but free.
His development of the characters seems to focus on one main character at a time, shifting from one to another. Sonny, who the story is about, is a troubled young man, who is also very private and some would say he’s a bit of a dreamer in a sense. At an early age he becomes addicted to heroin. He is also an aspiring musician who tends to keeps all of his problems bottled up throughout the story—except when he plays his music. Music for him is a freeing outlet. The narrator, also known as Sonny’s older brother is compared to Sonny and the many young men of Harlem. He served in the military in his earlier years and then became a successful, hardworking math teacher. Grace, the narrator’s daughter, dies of polio while her Uncle Sonny is in prison. Her death was the reason that the narrator takes the time out to write to his brother Sonny. Her death becomes an act of grace, resul...
Today, the most difficult day in my family’s life, we gather to say farewell to our son, brother, fiancé and friend. To those of you here and elsewhere who know Dylan you already are aware of the type of person he was and these words you will hear are already in your memory. To those who were not as fortunate, these words will give you a sense of the type of man he was and as an ideal for which we should strive. My son has been often described as a gentle soul. He was pure of heart and had great sensitivity for the world around him. He had a way with people that made them feel comfortable around him and infected others to gravitate toward him. Dylan exuded kindness and pulled generosity and altruism out from everyone he touched. He was everyone's best friend.
In an interview with time magazine, Dylan said “I haven’t got anything to say about the things I write, I just write em’, I don’t have anything to say about them, I don’t write them for any reason, theres no great “message”, if you wanna tell other people that then go ahead and tell...
The older brother, the narrator, finds himself struggling at the beginning of the story. While riding the subway, he reads in the paper that Sonny has been arrested for possession of drugs. During his day of teaching, he reflects on prior years with Sonny and their past adventures as young boys. He remembers Sonny's "wonderfully direct brown eyes, and great gentleness and privacy." The narrator sees his brother as a good boy, not "hard or evil or disrespectful." He wonders how many of his algebra students are similar to Sonny in appearance and personality along with his drug habits. This comparison allows the older brother to conclude that Sonny was probably not arrested on his initial use of drugs. It also allows the narrator is see that Sonny may be like most of the other young boys in Harlem.
As we examine the Eric’s and Dylan’s life before the mass murder, we can see several points within their lives which may have had influenced them to which they felt isolated and victimized by society. In order to properly apply the psychodynamic perspective, we must start as early as we can. We must look at the relationships between the child and parents. We must focus on the psychosexual difficulties each one of them experienced. Then we must see how they coped with these urges as they aged. With so little information provided, it may be difficult to substantially apply Freudian perspectives, but I do see some areas which may have contributed to their world view and behaviors.
As a child Dylan was comfortable being the center of attention, often writing creative poetry for his mother and on occasion singing. Dylan had no formal music lessons, but none the less he began to compose. Later at age 14, he took up the guitar and shortly after formed a band, one of many he played the guitar in. Always plunging ahead, performing to his up most potentional, Dylan absorbed his surroundings as a source of inspiration. Even during his early efforts Dylan responded very positivly to mainstream musicians, such as country star Hank Williams. Yet, he responded especially well to early rock stars such as Little Richard, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis. In the summer of 1959, after graduation Dylan began to work at a cafe, where he began to pay increasing attention to folksingers such as Judy Collins and Jesse Fuller. Finding an instant connection with their songs, songs relevant to social issues. Dylan was drawn into both the musical style and the social message of these indivisuals.
The narrator allows Sonny to move into his apartment. By allowing Sonny to live with him he has allowed to trust him again. For example, the narrator explains, “The idea of searching Sonny’s room made me still. I scarcely dared to admit to myself what I’d be searching for. I didn’t know what I’d do if I found it. Or if I didn’t” (pg. 91). This shows how the narrator had the opportunity to search his brother’s room, but had the ability not to. Tension grew among brothers while living under one roof. This starts the climax of both arguing in the apartment. The narrator doesn’t understand why his brother wants to be a musician. This argument was built of emotion both had and not yet discussed among each other. Such as the narrator expressing his anger towards his brother’s drug use and Sonny’s frustration towards the narrator not understanding his plan to become a jazz musician. For example, the narrator states, “I realized, with this mocking look, that there stood between us, forever, beyond the power of time or forgiveness, the fact that I had held silence – so long! – when he had needed human speech to help him” (pg.94). The argument with his brother made him realize that he abandon his younger brother when he needed him the most. He realized that if he would have spoken out and talk about his drug use that he wouldn’t have to go
From there the local setting shifts to a high school classroom, where the narrator reflects on the news and reminds himself what Sonny has done. In the third and
Sam physically exposes Charlie to new experiences that change him into a more confident person. At the start of the school year Charlie is an anti-social and introverted freshman who is reluctant and unsure of himself. He enters high school with no friends, but soon becomes friends with a small group of seniors, most importantly Sam, that influence him to become a stronger individual. Sam introduces him to many new things that he never would have experienced before. For example, drugs, alcohol, love, sexuality, parties and relationships change Charlie into an more confident person by breaking him out if his comfort zone. Sam plays a huge role in his development from being easily influenced to making decisions for himself. Sam motivates him to explore a new side of life and he realizes that life needs to be lived and not watched. Charlie grows from being someone who sits by and watches life to a person who fully participates in life. Charlie begins to develop and mature as his character is faced with unfamiliar situations that take him out of his s...
Bonnie the secretary introduced me to my new teacher. As Mrs. Bonnie was leaving the room, my new teacher Mrs. Evaheart introduced me to the class. As I stared at the class I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. I wanted to go back to my old school where I had friends, knew almost everyone, a place where I didn’t feel lonesome, a place anywhere but here. As I saw each and every one of my new classmates faces the utter dread that I felt slowly began to fade as I saw a familiar face. Seeing one of my former friends give me a renewed hope that maybe being in this school won’t be so bad after