Clarity

As I continue my blog assignment for my independent reading unit book, Gang Leader For A Day, I've been asked to go back and think of the important moments. I really wanted to find quotes from the story that provided clarity into some of the major points. Quotes that connected to deeper parts of the story than just speaking of the daily life a gang.

"Let me tell you something about us. We may be poor, but when you come over here, don't pity us, and don't hold us to a lower standard than you hold yourself up to." -Ms. Mae

-I've used this quote before in a description of a picture on my previous blog. When I read this quote it really resonated with me, because this is something you see all the time. An impoverished person has financial trouble and we begin to feel bad for them, but maybe we shouldn't. No one wants to be looked down upon, no matter what type of situation they are in. You can't just hand a poor friend of yours some cash and tell them to have a nice lunch. It's more of an attack on their character than a charity. What the quote really meant to me was, don't pity anyone just because they're in a worse position, because they don't want it. 

"The gangs and the building are the same." -J.T.

- Short but sweet. This quote goes back into the entire reason for the gangs actions, and why J.T. ever came back to the gang. The things the gang does aren't just for them, but to put Robert Taylor A in the best position possible.

"Whatever you do, try to do it without pissing people off. Make everything a community thing." -Lenny
This also ties into the previous quote by J.T.. This just emphasizes that whatever decisions the gang makes, it affects the building too, so they need to be the right decisions. The Black Kings are the only protection the tenants of Robert Taylor A have, so you can't have them go off and misrepresent what needs to go on. 

As part of another assignment, I was asked to view a blog by any fellow student of mine and react to question they've asked about their Independent Reading Unit books. Here's my reaction and a link to the blog.

Reaction: You ask how sometimes people's success is limited by their opportunity. This is true in that, if you're never given a chance at something and aren't given the ability to practice it, you'll never be able to reach your full potential. Bill Gates, for instance, was given opportunity because his parents would buy him time to use computers, something most people did have money to frequently use. This opportunity allowed him to become as success as he is today.

URL: http://dcnothing.blogspot.com/2012/11/independent-reading-blog-post-1.html