Temptations In Sonny's Urban Environment example essay topic

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 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 Sonnys behavior and attitude due to its overwhelming prevalence and influence on many aspects of Sonnys 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 Man child 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.