When you are growing up your surroundings influence the choices you make and how you grow up. The four text I studied are a short story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” written by Evan Hunter, a novel “The Hunger Games” by Susan Collins, a film “Remember the Titans” directed by Jerry Bruckheimer and lyrics composed by Cat Stevens. These four texts express the theme of “how surroundings can influence your choices when growing up”
In the short story ‘On the Sidewalk Bleeding’, the character Andy displays the theme of “how surroundings can influence your choices when growing up” as he is influenced by his upbringing to join a gang called the Royals. At the start of the story Andy reminisces about how he was accepted into the Royals, and that it was the happiest moment of his life. He joins the Royals to feel accepted. His decision was influenced by his upbringing in a ghetto environment, which made him believe it would be cool to join a gang. He also believed it was the right thing to do. Andy gets stabbed in an alley way and the offender yells out “take that Royal”. Andy was recognised as a Royal because he was wearing his purple Royals jumper with pride. As he is bleeding out on the sidewalk he begins to realise that the only reason he was stabbed was because he was a Royal. He thinks to himself “they didn't stab Andy they stabbed a Royal and now Andy is dying”. Andy then uses all of his diminishing energy to take off his purple Royals jumper because he wants nothing to do with it. This is a very unfortunate story. It showed me that the decisions you make when influenced by your surroundings may not always be positive, as it resulted in Andy being stabbed.
“Father and Son” is a song composed by Cat Stevens. The lyrics are fro...
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...e has been brought up this way. When Gerry goes away on camp there is some initial conflict. He then begins to change his ways and makes friends with one of his African American teammates, Julies Campbell. Gerry changes his ways and starts to respect people for who they are “when I did know you I was only hating my brother” just like when Andy is bleeding out and he realises that he doesn't want to be in a gang anymore. Both Andy and Gerry’s original ways which were influenced by their surroundings where not right and they both realised this themselves.
When you are growing up your surroundings influence your decisions, whether it be family members or your environment. “On the Sidewalk Bleeding”, “Father and Son”, “The Hunger Games” and “Remember the Titans” showed me how surroundings can influence how you grow up whether it is for better or for worse.
The short story, “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” by Evan Hunter, is about how a boy was stabbed during an alley, sidewalk. Andy, the one that got stabbed was a part of a gang known as the Angels. Before he got stabbed, he was at a Nightclub, He decided to take a smoke outside, moments later, Andy was jumped and got stabbed by another gang called the Guardians. As Andy hit the ground, he pled for help, however, no one heard. Time goes by, people were afraid or didn’t know he was dying, Andy began to lose hope. At this point, Andy knew he was dead and wouldn’t see Laura again. Hours later, he was found dead by Laura, Laura tried to help but she was too late. All in all, I believe the moral of this short story was to be yourself.
...ll wants and desires often results in a future filled with deep sadness. However, children do not degenerate by themselves; rather they are not spoiled till those of influential stature in the eyes of the children sink in to the corruption of favoritism. Even though times have changed, this corruption present in “Why I Live at the P.O” is analogous to what favoritism is today. In the modern world, partiality towards a certain child usually comes from strong feelings of love that bury themselves in an prominent figure’s mind and subconsciously spoil the child. This irony, that amplified love actually causes one to suffer later in life, depicts the broader issue that by getting one used to an imaginary life where all desires are fulfilled, he or she cannot accept the fact of human nature that, outside the household, people are indifferent to another person’s wishes.
Environment says a lot about identity, past, and future. Primary environment has the most effect on shaping a child. According to a US National Library of Medicine research study, ”The physical environment and child development: An international review” it says, “What we do know suggests that the physical environment experienced by children impacts their cognitive and socioemotional development across the lifespan, from the prenatal period through adulthood.” In children this is especially important because a child develops most between the ages of two and five. There are three key elements that contribute to a healthy physical for young children, an adequate standard of living (mainly sufficient food, clothing, and housing), healthcare, and safety from injury, violence, and environmental hazards. In The Other Wes Moore, Wes(a) had
Love and hope, together are a timeless literary thematic duo, which continue to inspire countless variations and sub-genres of romance literature. For the last many centuries, romance as a genre, is arguably the most popular of all narratives. However, the theme of love often takes presentences and overarches other thematic interpretation of stories. So why then are people seeking romance in the literature they ready? Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games with the intent to introduce her young adult readership to a number of politically charged themes. Although Collins's work is acknowledged for successfully presenting themes of sacrifice, versions of reality, and power, her audience conversely identifies with the debatable sub-them of love. Social forums, such as the Official Hunger Games Facebook Website exposes an insider's perspective of sort, which reveals public perceptions and interpretations of Collins's work. Even though the purpose for the fan-website built around The Hunger games is to provide a discussion space. Participant's discussions however, unintentionally reveal a...
In the short story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” by Evan Hunter, Andy, a sixteen year old member of the Royals gang, was walking down the alley, when he was was stabbed. When a couple walked by Andy they would not help him because he was a Royal, and getting involved with a Royal could get them in serious trouble. Andy’s girlfriend came looking for him and found him lying in the alley, hurt. She brought a police officer to Andy, and he pronounced him dead. Once the officer realized that Andy was a Royal, he was not as helpful as he was before. The idea of someone being different doesn't mean that they should be treated differently applies to Andy because he was stabbed for being a Royal, the couple would not help Andy, and the police officer was not as helpful as before knowing Andy’s background.
The environment in which you live shapes up your life, it determines who you become. Many people grow up in a great environment full of good influences, but that's not the case for everyone. There's several children that grow in an environment that has many negative influences especially for children. For instance, in the book Black Boy Richard Wright grew up in an environment full of violence, poverty, and racism. Those traits affected Richard Wright throughout his entire life. Richard Wright had trouble adapting to many things in life, and struggled a lot
“What’s Eating Gilbert’s Grape” directed by Lasse Hallstrom delves into elucidating the various effects of third development concepts: how genetics are correlated to mental disabilities, how environmental influences can affect a person’s lifestyle, and the effects of developmental influences, such as puberty, on young adults and adolescents. Michael Rutter, in his article, “The Interplay of Nature, Nurture and Developmental Influences,” further emphasizes the interplays between nature, nurture and developmental influences to elaborate the multifactorial interconnections effects of influences on childhood development.
Griffin begins her exploration of these external factors through her interconnected “matrix” that connects all individuals to each other and world around them. Griffin states that each individual “is a part of a large matrix of relationship and society…all the lives that surround [them] are in [them]” (Griffin 371). Griffin indicates that there are societal circumstances that a person does not have a choice in at birth, such as military or political presence, cultural and ethnic background, and socio-economic status; these external factors of the “matrix” are molded into the lives of each individual, shaping them to match their surroundings (Griffin 371). At the same time, the influence of relationships on an individual is also a crucial component to the “matrix.” An individual does not get to choose their biological parents or the family that they are born into. The actions exhibited by a person’s family and the treatment they receive from those individuals provides an influential model for behavior; all the lives that “surround [them] are in [them]” as Gr...
Every child searches for individuality; what makes everyone unique? As a child, surroundings will shape who a person becomes. So a child raised in secure suburbs might be more trusting than a child who lives in a large city. Different environments will without a doubt put people in uncomfortable and sometimes unfortunate circumstances. Environment as a whole is what affects how a child behaves, thinks, and reacts to certain situations. In the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou exposes her own struggle to find identity as she endured racial hardships and sexual abuse.
The American Revolution will forever be remembered as the turbulent period when Americans fought for their independence against the British. As a result of this revolution, America is truly the land of the free and home of the brave, where citizens have control of their own fates. In the book, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, there are many events described in the plot that parallel the historic events of the American Revolution. Both the American Revolution and The Hunger Games portray a group of underdogs rebelling against a greater power that is ruling corruptly.
Evan Hunter suggests that sometimes if a person gives in to desires that affect them negatively, they may find themselves confined in what they can do, be, and how they live, in his short story, “On the Sidewalk Bleeding”. An example of how his very essence is confined is when Andy has a chance to be saved but because he is a Royal he is not. Not only is he killed because he joined the Royals, but in a way he is killed again for the same reason. He is left for dead because of his purple silk jacket. Andy believed being a Royal meant something. “There had been meaning to the title” but really all his Royal title meant was that he would never marry Laura, he would never turn seventeen, and the world would never see him as any more than a purple
Adulthood, as a child, was always portrayed as a time of freedom. The short sighted minds of children, as I once also had, only wanted to get away from the parent’s all-seeing eyes. I never thought a job too bad, what my mom did, my dad did, it didn’t seem too bad, but how wrong I was. I thought I could
...lopment is contextual and can change by big or small impacts just like people can be changed by good or bad influences. As humans we constantly change due to our changing environment. Because of these changes three major factors can have an impact on us: normative age-graded and normative history-graded influences and non-normative life events. These three factors can either have a biological or environmental influences on an individual’s development. A normative age-graded and normative history-graded influence that has occurred in my life was getting my driver’s license at the age of sixteen and experiencing the legalization of same-sex marriage. A non-normative life event that I experienced was getting adopted from Russia at the age of eight. All these influences have impacted my development and my character one way or another and have made me the person I am today
There are many different aspects of environment that can affect the development of children. One major environmental impact that influences the development of a child is the neighborhood they are raised in. Within the neighborhood there are several other aspect of influence. Where a child is raised can affect their behavior, attitudes, emotions, personality, values, health, and so much more. This can be seen in their personal lives at home to their social lives around others in classrooms. The affects of a child’s development due to their environment can be seen in both a positive and negative aspect. The neighborhood that a child is raised in can be very critical in their development. It may have a significant effect on what he or she becomes in the future.
Growing up in a massive neighborhood magnificent. My neighborhood flooded with kids around my age to hang out with. Occupying the edge of this neighborhood was a large park where the neighborhood’s kids and I would spend most of our time eliminating their boredom. When this park would not satisfy our needs, there were