Jelani Lynch's My Turnaround

Many individuals say that a person is a product of its surroundings. And for two young men from Baltimore, this could not be any more accurate. In “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore, the author talks about two young boys who shared the same name and the contributions they did in their lives that made them turn out the way they are. Both Wes’ grew up in similar environment with tough childhood and without the presence of a father. Where one becomes very successful and a Rhodes Scholar, and the other is heavily involved in the drug game and receives a life sentence in prison for serving a part in a murder of a former police officer. This book is a major example of how certain decisions can affect one’s life. Both Wes’ had similar lives, yet they ended up in different paths. There are few factors why they ended up having different paths and those factors are; parental support and figures, the environment style, and the social influences.

Hardships are never easy things to overcome, everyone goes through them; some more than others. Just like we go through them, we also have different ways of handling them. In the short story, “Blackberries in June,” by Ron Rash, every character goes through a hardship. While most deal with them in the same way, there are three characters who are polar opposites. Linda, Matt, and Jamie both face some pretty tough problems, but while one likes to play the blame game, the other looks on the bright side. Linda is a complex character. All throughout the story, she does nothing but complain and while it can get frustrating, we soon learn later on in the story that there is a reason behind her madness. Linda and her husband, Charlton, both struggle financially. Of course expecting to have money left over when someone has had three kids in the first five years of being married isn’t likely. (207) Money problems are a common hardship for many, and when we see someone younger than us with more money, anyone can get jealous and/or angry. Even after having the kids through, Linda doesn’t do much to help lessen her growing money issues. As Matt explains to Jamie, “The money they waste on whiskey and her makeup and

Katherena Vermette’s novel The Break, is centered around a sexual assault. Through the perspective of eight narrators the story unfolds over the day leading up to the attack, memories triggered by the assault, and the recovery of all those involved. The novel’s two strongest themes are a juxtaposition of gender disparity and the strength and resilience of the women and girls involved. Gendered performance is common throughout the book, for both men and women, although the focus is on the female characters. This essay argues that the gendered performance of the characters is due to Linda Nicholson’s biological foundationalism as explored in Interpreting Gender (1999). The differences in reactions between the men and women of the story are not

A disturbance in a Tuesday morning routine was a change of a lifetime: my brief car-ride nap was interrupted by a crash, then, the jarring of the ambulance. It was an unexpected awakening. Sixth grade social studies and spelling tests had to be put aside, as the rest of my day would be filled with the beeps of machines and chatter of scrub-clad trauma nurses. Suddenly, my mind was back in my body - and my first conscious words were my complaints of the uncomfortable neck brace, followed by my request to remove it. The nurses exchanged concerned looks. I would see those same eyes in my aunt when she visited me in the ICU, but the difference is that one look was worried for possible neck injury, and the latter was telling the news of my father’s death.

Parents are the biggest influence upon their children. From the time a child is born to the time they leave the household, the values that the parents hold are instilled into their children. Parents are required to make crucial decisions about how to raise their children in order to guide them through the inevitable obstacles and hardships of life. In The Glass Castle, many would argue the lack of care and responsibility the Walls had for their children. The author, Jeannette Walls, uses Rex and Mary Walls to demonstrate that their strong traits of non-conformity, self-sufficiency and perseverance are passed on to their children, allowing them to develop to their full potential. Children are dependent on their parents to

In the essays, “The Joy of Reading and Writing; Superman and Me” and Frederick Douglass’s “Chapter 7: Learning to Read and Write”, Sherman Alexie and Frederick Douglass write about their hardships and challenges they faced while learning how to read and write due to their social economic status. Despite the fact that Alexie and Douglass are incredibly different people, they both use education for freedom and a sense of self-worth. Alexie and Douglass both struggled to receive education and struggled mentally and physically because of their social economic status. Although, Alexie and Douglass both experienced these hardships, they saw the world through a totally different perspective. Alexie saw the world in a more positive manner than Douglass

“Like, when I step outside myself kinda, and when I, when I look at myself, you know? And I see me and I don’t like what I see, I really don’t.” Anthony Michael Hall played the role of the brainiac, Brian Johnson, in The Breakfast Club. Likewise, Brian is portrayed as the typical “nerd” in high school; he strives to do his best and please his parent’s. Similarly, I can relate to Brian because my parent’s expect as much from me as his do. They are always encouraging me to strive to do my best and never settle; nonetheless, I now push myself to try and accomplish anything I set my mind to. Although Brian Johnson is very successful in his school work he struggles deep beneath his skin with being accepted by society.

In the memoir, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Jeannette manages to overcome her obstacles by realizing her independence. She is impacted by her parents’ incapabilities because she realizes that she has to do things differently than other children. Her father was a stubborn alcoholic who believed that: “[they] were all getting too soft, too dependent on creature comforts, and that [they] were losing touch with the natural order of the world”(Walls 106). He believes that every human should be independent and fend for themselves. By using the term “creature comforts”, her father is trying to separate himself from what he calls the civilians. When he says “ the natural order of the world”, he means that the world should not be subjected

Through the book “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy the boy and the father show a great amount of change and maturity, while also learning to adapt and love. The story has a good balance of how different events can affect and impact someone's life in either a good or bad way. There are many events that change the mind and heart of the boy and father, but change can only be helpful if you learn from it and mature out of being afraid for things to happen.

People often say that your childhood is the most important part of your life, and it is the part of one’s life that affects them the most. In Ellen Foster, by Kaye Gibbons, Ellen is forced to become independent as a result of a challenging childhood, that also affects her view of others and herself. Her father 's actions had a large impact on Ellen’s quickly developing independence, while the loss of her mother and grandmother exposed her to people who influenced the way she viewed others and herself.

This passage demonstrates the trouble that the author Wes Moore’s family and their friends go through to help send him to military school. Once Wes makes his first attempt at escaping from Valley Forge Military Academy he contacts his mother in an attempt to come home, she then divulged all the sacrifices she’d been making to send him there and steer his life in a better direction. From this, the author hopes to show that people who are supported throughout their lives have a greater chance of success in the future if they strive to reach goals that they set for themselves.

Have you ever thought about how the story of a pie is similar to the story of a person? In the poem “Perfect for any Occasion,” Alberto Ríos explores the idea that there are fortunate and unfortunate people in the world using an extended metaphor of good pies and bad pies. The fortunate people don 't need to work hard for luxuries and attention. However, there are the unfortunate people who had to put up a fight for what the fortunate people have, but no fortune or attention ever came of it. In his poem, Ríos discretely and creatively makes the argument that there are good and bad pies, like there are privileged and disadvantaged people who are placed in their respective situations.

Ever since you were born, you 've been developing as a human being. As you got older, you began to gain an idea of who you were; an identity. This identity could have been developed due to many factors, such as your mindset and attitudes in situations, the people you surrounded yourself with, genetics, how OTHERS viewed you, or even how you believed they did. Out of all these factors, which has the greatest influence on your identity and has made you who you are today?

From the time a child develops the ability to become potty trained, they shorty manifest the desire to mimic the individuals in their surroundings. The early years of a child’s life are extremely vital and will reflect their environment that molded them into who they are. There’s a saying that states, “It’s not where you come from but it’s where you are going,” but I disagree because you would not know where to go if you did not know where you came from. My childhood consisted of struggles, poor community, lack of communication, and the free financial programs provided by the government. The remarkable part about all of this is that I wouldn’t change a thing. Some of the challenging situations I faced tough my important life lessons. Without

Growing up as a kid, my life almost completely revolved around school. I believed good grades would bring me success, and success is the center of life. My family’s Buddhism background taught me to hold a high standard of moral behavior and hope to build merit for eternity. Soon when I started living in the U.S., I realized how needy and weak I really am. Suddenly, the unfamiliar environment restricted me from exploring anything. I couldn't communicate the same way that I did, and I had to depend on someone for everything. My limitation brought out the fact that I can't do everything through my own strength. I met Jesus through a counselor at summer camp before starting college. My counselor showed me from the Bible that He died on the cross for my failures, and rose again after three days. He is able and wants to help me to regain my relationship with my Heavenly Father.