In the novel, "Long Way Down," the author, Jason Reynolds, delves into the life of a young black teenager, Will, who finds himself caught in the cycle of violence. Reynolds explores the cultural context surrounding inner-city communities and the impact of systemic violence on people and their communities. Set inside a single elevator ride, the novel explores the themes of grief, revenge, and the complex web of choices that shape one's life. With the use of complex ideas, he creates a great understanding of the Cycle of Violence in today’s society The cycle of violence is the major cultural issue in the United States. It is a repeated act of violence that is learned. Most people involved in this cycle of violence grow up believing it is the thing they are supposed to do. A great example of this is Will, and wanting to get revenge for his brother. One of the main ideas of the novel is the “Rules”, and these rules are - No. 1: No Crying, No. 2: No Snitching, No. 3: Get Revenge. These rules are a culturally learned idea that is formed in high violence areas. It is often affiliated with gangs. For example, Chicago has a high number of gangs, “150,000 gang-affiliated denizens, representing more …show more content…
In the elevator he meets these people and remembers their stories, which starts to make him question his thoughts. He starts to doubt himself and his intentions on getting revenge. The smoke that starts to form in the elevator symbolizes this, it symbolizes his uncertainty and confusion. I personally couldn’t imagine having something like this happen and being put into that sort of situation. But looking at statistics it shows that happens quite often. In Chicago “The identified offenders' most common age was 18.” (Gang Violence In Chicago Slideshow). Many young people in Chicago are familiar with the situation Will is in and it is shown by the amount of statistics that support
In the newspaper paper article, “No Sanctuary in Chicago’s street Gang wars,” Kass (2017) focuses on a recent murder in Chicago. Kass states that Chicago is a place of death do to the ongoing gang wars that Chicago is experiencing. Kass (2017) further points out Chicago gang crime is an “intergenerational problem, of grandfathers and fathers and sons and mothers and daughters wearing their gang colors.” Kass’ statement about in gang crime being an intergenerational problem is consistent with prior gang research. Intergenerational gangs is not a new phenomenon.
How well Wes Moore describes the culture of the streets, and particularly disenfranchised adolescents that resort to violence, is extraordinary considering the unbiased perspective Moore gives. Amid Moore’s book one primary theme is street culture. Particularly Moore describes the street culture in two cities, which are Baltimore and the Bronx. In Baltimore city the climate and atmosphere, of high dropout rates, high unemployment and poor public infrastructure creates a perfect trifecta for gang violence to occur. Due to what was stated above, lower income adolescent residents in Baltimore are forced to resort to crime and drugs as a scapegoat of their missed opportunities.
Early memories of violence play a significant role in Geoffrey Canada's Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America and Richard Wright's Black Boy. Both had experiences being rob as very young boys and both found this memory crucial enough to include it at the beginning of their memoir. While their stories echo one another in many ways, there are also important differences. Both Canada and Wright experience a share of violence and fear, however Wright had to fight his own battle and conquered his fear but Canada still suffer with fear and constant violence.
Potential gang members were male youths with the age of 14 to 20 committing crimes such as burglary, strong-arm robbery, and vandalism. Later the order for committing a crime became a way of gaining status within the
In the essay Violence and Me: Early Bird Perspectives in Life and in the Media, the question of why is violence continuously occurring, despite the theory that violence is never the answer, was asked. After gaining in-depth knowledge and accumulating plenty of examples of violence in stories written by an array of authors and in movies, there are several factors that contribute to the use of violence although it may not always be justifiably done. As originally known, there are nine types of violence including physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, spiritual, cultural violence, financial and verbal abuse, and neglect. Many of these are evident simultaneously throughout novels, short stories, and movies. For example, America’s Dream by Esmeralda Santiago depicts various types of violence.
African American and Hispanic youth are more likely to join gangs than white youth (Bartollas & Miller, 2017). This is often attributed to a variety of factors such as poverty, lack of opportunities, and social exclusion. In addition, some scholars argue that gang membership may serve as a form of identity and a way to cope with feelings of alienation and marginalization (Freng & Esbensen, 2007). Moreover, it has been found that youth of color are more likely to be arrested and charged with gang-related offenses and may face harsher penalties than white youth for the same offense. This has led to concerns about racial disparities in the juvenile justice system.
Throughout different chapters of the novel, Reynolds provides readers with Will’s background and how his family’s influence has taught him how to combat encounters of violence in order to overcome them. Within the first pages of the novel, Reynolds introduces Will and soon after the incident of Shawn’s death. In Will’s neighborhood gang violence is everywhere. He grew up with it and knows, “if the blood/inside you is on the inside/of someone else,/you never want to/see it on the outside of /them” (Reynolds 5).
The three rules are, no crying, no snitching, and revenge. The three rules are meant to be passed down, for example, Buck passed them to Shawn and Shawn passed them to Will. In Jason Reynold's novel Long Way Down it states, “If someone you love gets killed, find the person who killed them and kill them” (33). Since Will has always gone by the rules, he immediately knew what to do when his brother was shot. He was bloodthirsty and his emotions fueled the fire in his heart, wanting to get revenge by killing his brother’s killer.
Will’s Revenge If you were a fifteen year old boy and you witnessed your brother's murder how would you react? In the novel Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, Will watches as his brother Shawn's life slowly fades away. Shawn and Will went to go buy the soap for their mom and on the way home Shawn was shot and killed. While Will is on his way to get revenge he encounters many people that have passed.
There is a 25% increase of gang activity in Chicago as of 2009 to 2011. There are about 100 different types of gangs and a few of the most dangerous ones are in Chicago. For example you have the Latin kings, Bloods, Crips, Disciples, Folks, and many more. One of the most dangerous gangs in Chicago would be the Latin Kings. Each gang could have over 100 members or more in their
GANG INFLUENCE ON LOCAL BUSINESSES Urban cities often contain areas with high amounts of poverty, and many members of these neighborhoods struggle to find employment and financially support their family. Most of the time, the parents of these families neglect and abuse their children. Desperate for acceptance, these children turn to gangs during their adolescence to find belonging. Once grown up, the kids often mimic the behavior of their parents and attempt to raise a child of their own without the proper finances. As a result, the cycle of unfulfilled potential continues, primarily caused by the street gangs.
People in Chicago fear to go on the streets, especially in certain areas because of the amount of shootings there are each day. Although gang killings in the 1920s were more gruesome and violent, gangs in Chicago have changed for the worse over time because gun violence has been at an all time high the past three years. Gangs have moved from killing other gangs to random individuals, and gangs in the 1920s didn’t kill as often as they do now. Gun violence has been at an all time high the past three years. According to the Chicago Police Crime Report, over 2022, there were 2832 shootings in Chicago alone and in 2021 there were 3555 shootings
Well, the rules in this story consist of one no crying, two no snitching, and three revenge. One of the rules that truly shows in the cycle of violence is rule three revenge. This rule in the book says, “If someone you love gets killed, find the person who killed them and kill them.” (Reynolds 33). This quote demonstrates that no matter what, you must get revenge for your loved one who has died by finding their killer.
(Info.publicintelligence.net) The majority of gang members are approximately between the ages of 12-24. The reasons for young people joining gangs, which were stated above, tend to be due to lacking something within their life. They seek protection, possibly because they do not feel safe in their home environment or in their neighborhood.
Throughout the 17th-century gangs have been causing havoc in people's life and destroying the society. The National Institute of Justice (2011) has defined a gang as "A group of collective members which create an atmosphere of intimidation among citizens. " Many of these gangs are well organized, using different forms of violence to control neighbourhoods and to conduct their illegal activities. The National Gang Threat Assessment (2011) reports that “Gangs are responsible for an average of 48 percent of violent crime in most jurisdictions.” Street Gangs have caused incidences of violence that is confined in the inner city of many countries.