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Example research essay topic: Harsh Realities African Americans - 2,427 words

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Coming Up of Age in Harlem Manchild in the Promised Land by Claude Brown is one of the most realistic books written about life in Harlem. Although the book is not a memoir, the main hero of the book resembles the author itself in many ways, there are a lot of details that allow us to suggest that actually the book is about life of Claude Brown himself. The main idea conveyed throughout the book is that life in Harlem was so violent and harsh in its nature, that it was not possible at all to be a regular kid in that community. That is why the word manchild is used in the title although the author describes the life of a child in Harlem, actually, it is a story about how a boy becomes mature, however not in the good sense of the word gangs, shootings, and robberies were the things that turned books main hero into a man. The author describes in the book how Harlem was transformed from a potentially ideal community to a neighborhood with manifold social and economic problems. The most important factor that led to the rapid deterioration of Harlem was the high cost of living in the community.

African Americans were paying 45 % of their wages for housing. Added to the combination of high rents and low wages was the fact that Harlem's apartment houses and brownstones were originally built for people with radically different family structure from that of the new residents. The apartments of five, six, and seven rooms were suitable for older white residents with larger families and larger incomes, however these apartments certainly did not meet the needs of the African American community. They were in need of small apartments for small families with a reasonable rent limit. The higher the rents are, the greater the congestion is. Crowding is more prevalent in high-rent cities than in cities in which rent per room is more reasonable. (Brown, 1986) Along with the deterioration of Harlem into slums, disease did not confine itself to houses.

There was a high correlation between poverty and congestion on the one hand and disease and death on the other, deaths from tuberculosis, pneumonia, heart disease, cancer and stillbirths. The author recalls in his book that a vast amount of African Americans in Harlem had venereal diseases. Children commonly suffered from rickets, caused by malnutrition. Harlem became the most disease-ridden community in Manhattan. Poverty and family instability also led to a high incidence of juvenile delinquency. Working mothers had little time to care for their children.

Young African Americans wandered around the streets until the family came home at night. Large portions of male youths were products of broken families without a male role model. Nor did they ever have time to accustom themselves to the regularity of school life because many families moved many times throughout the year. African American children in Harlem often led disrupted and harsh lives from their earliest years of their existence. These children developed a sense of subordination, of insecurity, of lack of self-confidence and self-respect.

Before coming to New York, it seemed like a promised land to the main hero of the book. "Going to New York was goodbye to the cotton fields, goodbye to 'Massa Charlie, ' goodbye to the chain gang, and, most of all, goodbye to those sunup-to- sundown working hours. One no longer had to wait to get to heaven to lay his burden down; burdens could be laid down in New York. " (Brown, 1986) However, Harlem was not that Promised Land that the main character of Browns book thought about. It was a community so violent, that most of the people living there feared almost everything the gang shootings, the brutality and corruption of the police forces that were patrolling Harlem. There was no certainty and no hope in Harlem as long as a kid was old enough to take care of himself, he would probably get a gun and start life of an outlaw. Thus, the Promised Land actually turned out to be more like hell for those who moved in to Harlem.

Sonny, the main hero of the book, and actually the embodiment of the author himself, was expelled from his school at the age of eight. In the book, the author tells us that it was usual for the African - American kids to be expelled from schools, they did not have time to study, since there was much more vital goal in their lives to survive in their neighborhood, a place where 12 year old kids were carrying guns with them in order to be able to protect themselves on the streets. Sonny, like most of the other African American kids, was admitted to one of the Harlem's gangs when he was nine years old. When he was 13, he was shot in the leg during a robbery attempt, something that taught him that gang life could easily end up in death. Throughout life, ones behavior or attitude is often affected by the environment in which he or she lives. Sonny is surrounded by an urban environment that plays a direct role in shaping his actions and behaviors.

This environment includes certain psychological, physical, and emotional components that have a joint influence in molding Sonny's attitude and behavior toward aspects of his life. In particular, it is the community of Harlem, the harsh temptations, and the people with whom Sonny interacts with that contribute to developing his behavior and his attitude. The community of Harlem affects Sonny's behavior and attitude due to its overwhelming prevalence and influence on many aspects of Sonny's daily life. This community includes the projects, bars, liquor stores, jazz clubs, drug addicts, school, violence, and delinquent adolescents. This compilation of elements in a community was incredibly difficult for Sonny to live in, especially growing up being a teenager. (Brown, 1986) Everyday outlets that individuals may turn to as an outlet from negative behavior were not available for Sonny. Even his school was not an escape from Harlem and the darkness within this urban environment.

Outside after school "A teacher would pass through them every now and again, quickly, as though he or she couldn't wait to get out of that courtyard, " (Brown, 1986). This typical scene was the physical environment seen daily by such adolescents as Sonny. In addition, the harsh temptations in Harlem lead Sonny to heighten his destructive behavior. These temptations consist of drugs, drug addicts, jazz clubs and musicians, and other tantalizing troublesome aspects of the community of Harlem. As Sonny was growing up, he had dreams about becoming a musician.

However, there were many obstacles and temptations placed in his path that would deter him away from his dream and toward a life consisting of destructive behavior and negative attitudes. The temptation to use drugs was too much an integrate part of the urban environment in Harlem. Furthermore, Sonny's friends were drug addicts, many of them "spent hours on the street corners" and were always "high and raggy" (Brown, 1986). Thus, his behavior became destructive and his attitude hopeless.

The temptations in Sonny's urban environment were so pervasive that he could not escape the effect that they had on his character. In Manchild in the Promised Land, Sonny is encircled by an urban environment that plays a direct role in determining and shaping his actions and behaviors. The urban environment includes certain components that have a great impact in the molding of Sonny's attitude and the behaviors. In particular, these components include the community of Harlem, the harsh temptations, and the people with whom Sonny interacts. All three aspects contribute to the developing of Sonny's behavior. By the age of 14 Sonny was sent to the reform school, and at that very time he met Dr.

Papanek, a person who was to play a significant role in his life. Papanek was a psychologist and director of the Wiltwyck School for deprived and emotionally disturbed boys, and he was a person who encouraged the main hero of the book to forget about the gangs and think about education instead. Brown describes him in his book as "probably the smartest and the deepest cat I had ever met. " (Brown, 1986). Papanek had its influence on the main hero of the book he started to attend night classes at a downtown high school, and worked at various jobs to support himself. To most of the critics, the most important aspect of the whole book is the authors description of Harlem's utterly violent culture, the culture that coerced kids in the very young age to become gang members and earn money for living with robberies and assaults. There were many incidents in the book when the author described 8 - 9 year old African American kids that were armed with homemade guns, zip guns and knives, which was certainly impossible in any white district of New York.

No wonder Harlem was considered the most violent and aggressive district of the city, certainly it was not the Promised Land that the author uses in the title of his book. Browns work also discussed the influence of drugs on Harlem, since drugs were one of the most terrible things that affected the lives of almost any gang member. Sonny was lucky enough his first experience with heroin so vividly illustrated within the book made him sick, thus, he never tried it again. However, a lot of other people he new were drug addicted, there was no way drug traffic could be stopped in Harlem it was one of the major profit makers for the gangs, and the corrupt police forces had no ability whatsoever to stop the supply of drugs that killed thousands of people every single year and provoked most of the robberies and murders in the district, since people were ready to do anything in order to get the next dosage. Certainly, the government of the United States was responsible for the terrible things that happened in Harlem and for the miserable conditions in which the African Americans had to live. It was not a secret from anyone what life in Harlem was like, yet no government agencies or officials ever tried to change the situation for better.

At the time period described by the author in his book, the city officials as well as the government at large did not devote that much attention to the problems that African Americans had to face. They were left alone, although some improvements in their lifestyles were theoretically possible, but only if the government officials wanted to change the life in Harlem for better. However, as one of Sonny's friends tells him, nobody cares about us; its just us and the streets. (Brown, 1986) Despite all the difficulties that the main character had to go through, there was a person that had a drastic influence on his behavior and life at large Dr. Papanek. If Sonny did not meet him, his life might have ended up in a completely different way.

With all the violence that dominated the streets of Harlem at that particular time period, Sonny probably would die even before he reached 20 years mark. He might have started using drugs, like most of his friends did, and that would have certainly lead him directly to the grave. Dr. Papanek was a person that was able to change Sonny's life for better in a situation where nobody else cared about him. This is an illustration of human kindness and sympathy, probably one of the most touching things in the whole book. Sonny's life and childhood in Harlem symbolizes the experiences of most of the young African Americans of that time period, except that most of them were not as lucky as Sonny was.

It was possible for the youngsters to die at the age of ten years or even younger, since the streets were dominated by people that forgot about any human morals and behaved like savages in some situations. Certainly, there is an explanation for such a violent behavior it was the only possible way to survive in Harlem, and those who could not carry gun with them were thought to be crazy by the rest of Harlem population. The black community of Harlem was raised in the conditions so violent, that it is no wonder that any white person that ended up in that district for some reason would be utterly terrified. Life in Harlem was something like a try out for Sonny, since not everyone was able to survive in the cruel reality of the streets where even young kids were carrying guns with them. Sonny was able to survive, however if he had not met Dr. Papanek, his life would have certainly ended up differently.

Sonny's strive for education was the only thing that was able to get him out of the violent environment he lived in and made him focus on something more important than robberies and shootings. He passed on the examination in Harlem, although it was really hard for him to see how people die just because no one wants to take care of the situation and provide African Americans with decent opportunities for living. When Sonny is able to move out of Harlem, he is the happiest person on Earth. I gave my gun away when I moved out of Harlem.

I felt free I didnt need any protection because I wasnt afraid any more. I had been afraid in Harlem all my life. (Brown, 1986) One thing that distinguishes Browns book from most of the others written about gangs and life in Harlem is the realistic approach implemented by the author. Certainly, there is nothing romantic in 13 14 year old kids killing each other, and Brown does his best to depict the violent culture of Harlem and harsh realities of those who lived there. Sonny, his main hero, and actually his prototype, perfectly realizes that he will be able to survive only if he moves out of Harlem and strives for education otherwise his life might end up in a very violent and unpredictable way, like the lives of most of Harlem's dwellers.

Manchild in the Promised Land by Claude Brown is a true account of ones life, and that is one of the most important things that make the book so dynamic and interesting to read there is no gang romance, only harsh realities. Bibliography: 1. Brown, Claude, Manchild in the Promised Land, New York: Random House, 1986.


Free research essays on topics related to: promised land, drug addicts, harsh realities, destructive behavior, african americans

Research essay sample on Harsh Realities African Americans

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