Week 1 blog

  Wes gives credit to being surrounded by people who kept pushing him to not fall into the trap of tunnel vision. They wanted him to see the endless possibilities that were out there in this big world as well as the unexplored possibilities that lay within himself. (Moore 179) He specifically mentioned his mom, grandparents, uncles, and aunts along with certain role models and mentors he looked up to. They wanted him to understand that he does not have to be a product of his environment (being born poor, living in Baltimore/The Bronx, not having a father in his life). He said these people in his life helped him discover what it means to be free (Moore 180). He encourages all of us to pave the way for the younger generation. We should strive to have our kids have a better life than we had. Then teach them to want the same for their kids and so on. Freedom is free in this country, take advantage of it and never be pinned down because of your environment or the people you are surround...

  Giving someone news they do not want to hear and sometimes cannot hear (meaning they cannot accept the truth, they are in denial of what they are being told) can be extremely difficult. Not only is it extremely difficult for the person being told the news, it is difficult for the person telling the news because they are exposed to the emotional reaction that stems from the person being told. This could lead to a meltdown by both people and things could get out of hand quickly if it becomes too much for the person(s) to handle. At the end of the day, you have to own up and break the news, no matter how bad you know the person will take it, it is best for it to come out right away and get it over with. It is especially important that it comes from your own mouth, as we saw in the book, important news did not come from the person it should have come from. We read that Wes and Tony went to their mothers house to celebrate their baby brother's first birthday. At this party Tony droppe...

  To steer away from being involved in violence and hanging around with the wrong crowd, some rules were set in place to set up Wes for success. One of those rules being that he is allowed to explore the neighborhood and check out the basketball court and play there. Wes felt a sense of belonging on the court. He realized this is a place that brings people from all over together. No matter their age, ethnicity, whatever type of religion they were, they came here to shoot hoops. Some came to get their mind off school, get their mind off work, take a break from the household and their family. No matter what they came here for, they all bonded and had the chance to think about nothing but putting the ball in the hoop while being here. As for Wes himself, he felt it was important to not just thrive in the place you grew up, but more so make connections with people with whom you grew up with. These connections can last a lifetime and provide ample opportunities down the road.  I th...

This is an awesome question that requires critical thinking and personal reflection. Right away my gut feeling led me to answer that we are products of our environment. I say this because I think our expectations revolve around our environment. Put it this way, a baby is born with multiple diseases because the parents are both drug/alcohol addicts. That child's whole life is now a product of his/her environment because of who he/she was birthed by. On the other hand, LeBron James’ first son, Bronny James, is a projected first round NBA draft pick. His environment is being surrounded by his Dad, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time. It is expected of Bronny to be a great NBA player because of his environment (LeBron).  My own life and the experiences I have had also contribute to my answer. Both of my parents joined the military out of high school. My dad was also a cop and was/still is a volunteer firefighter as am I. A lot of people talk about how great of a leade...