Analysis Of Gwendolyn Brooks 's ' The Boy Died On My Alley '

This poem is written from the perspective of an African-American from a foreign country, who has come to America for the promise of equality,

In this article, as the title suggests, it explains the use of social class differences to explain racial differences in crime. Among earlier arguments are the subculture of violence and subculture of poverty theories, which argue that African Americans tend to have pro-crime norms and values. The article's author, Robert D. Crutchfield, goes in depth with recent and more advanced theories to explain the link between poverty, crime, and race, while criticizing the subcultural theories. These new theories tell a different view from that of the subcultural theories with evidence showing that economic disadvantage and the way how society is structured accounts for the link between poverty, crime, and race. From these evidence, ethnographers conclude

The starting point of violence takes place in communities and at home--not at school. Youth take what they hear and see at home and in their communities to school. The environment in some communities and households are positive and the presences of protective factors outweigh the high risk factors. However, there are communities and households where there is a lack of informal social control and high risk factors exist more than protective factors--, which affect youth in a negative manner.

Violence shows it face in many forms. It is slowly taking over the youth of our society, and becoming more prevalent than ever. Is it really environmental factors that are the cause of violence in our youth today? Or is the increase in violence to be blamed on a group of variables, that together, create the perfect recipe for disaster? In the book, Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them, author Dr. James Garbarino discusses possible reasons that childhood aged boys are experiencing violence that is carried into their adolescent years. Also, Dr. Garbarino expresses a similar rise in violence in young girls in the book See Jane Hit: Why Girls are Growing More Violent and What Can be Done About It. He looks at elements from birth to adolescence, including cultural influences that may not play as big of a role as one may suspect.

When it relates to violent crimes, specifically murder, the level of poverty in a city has been shown to be a contributing factor. According to (Horton, 2002), in his research comparing the rate of poverty to the rate of homicide, he found that there was a correlation between the two. In his article he talked about how those who fall under the poverty line tend

According to statistics provided by the Department of Justice, in 2014 African-American males aged 15-34 - 3 percent of the population - committed 33 percent of violent crimes in America. African-American people as a whole, despite only being 13 percent of the population committed just under 55 percent of violent crimes in America for 2014. Alarming statistics have come out about the violent nature of African-America people in America and around the world since the 1950’s. Crime happens everywhere and its perpetrators are worldwide. When it comes to crime there are basically 3 arguments as to why it happens and how it happens. This first one says that crime is necessary evil. The argument says that crime “strengthens group cohesion” it makes

Published first during the decade of the 1990s "The Boy Died in My Alley" remains a significant poem of Gwendolyn Brooks as she moves from traditional forms of poetry such as sonnets, ballads to the most unrestrictive free verse and includes the sad rhythm of the blues. This poem offers an amazing juxtaposition of dramatic poetic forms, narrative, and lyric (Guth & Rico). The story is most often simple but with the last line, they transcend the restriction of place and cover universal plight. Most often the characters of the people are memorable only due to fact that they are trying to survive the trials and tribulations of daily living. For example, in the poem, “The Boy Died in My Alley”, the author narrates an incident when a black boy is murdered in her back alley and the policeman asks her whether she has heard the shot. As she was passionate about the bad experiences of black community in the United States, her poetry is mainly about their plight in the society (Guth & Rico). The main focus of the poem, "The Boy Died in My Alley" is to study and analyze the reasons behind the violence that is associated with African-American children who live on the street.

Youth Violence in African American communities is still considered to be at epidemic proportions. The traditional risk factors for youth violence (i.e. delinquent friends, poverty, drug use, carrying a weapon etc.) do not account for the disproportionate overrepresentation of African American males. This study sought to better understand the propensity for violence among African American males ages 14-19 years (N=224) from four different programmatic sites: A Philadelphia high school, an African-centered charter high school, a youth detention facility, and a program that serves youth who are on probation or parole. The findings indicate that internalized racism enhances the variance explained above the variables typically explored in the delinquency

There are many causes of youth violence, and I will be explaining some of them. When children fight physically with one another or fighting through communication. Children are not born with this ability. They have picked the actions up from their parent or guardian. Many of which include parents separating, guardians physically hitting, slapping, etc. Also when talking about youth violence children can use violence through social platforms. Instagram, Snapchat, MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Other causes for youth violence could be drug or alcohol use at a young age. If parents or guardians are in a relationship with someone and they are facing drama and personal problems, then it can get hard to look after a child. So children can easily be influenced by the internet to do the wrong things like smoking and drinking especially at a young age. Poverty can also be a big impact on youth violence. Poverty when you are young is not great at all. I personally have been to many places in Europe and I saw many people,

This context of violence promotes child maltreatment as there is a big portion of the United States population that suffers psychological and emotional problems, alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, eating disorders, obesity, high-risk sexual behaviors, smoking, and physical assault. Additionally, this context of violence promotes child maltreatment as there are people who haver poor knowledge of child development.

The origins of poverty and inequality can be traced back to the time of slavery and greed that this country encouraged. Some Americans, including African Americans, experience significant hardships, including temporary food shortages, inadequate housing, and unfair treatment, but these individuals are a minority within the overall poverty population. Poverty remains an issue of serious social concern, but accurate information about that problem is essential in creating a solution. This kind of poverty and inequality is rooted in the nation today by blatant segregation, discrimination, and immorality among individuals of higher power.

Time and time again we witness minorities fall victim to the cycle of poverty and violence. As each generation passes by, they are unable to release themselves of the conditions they grew up with and are familiar with. Based on a 2016 survey, it revealed that there were nearly three times as many blacks and Latinos living in poverty in the U.S compared to whites (Poverty Rate by Race/Ethnicity). With statistics like these, it leads me to wonder why minorities are more likely to live a life of poverty and violence. Although some may say that it is purely due to a lack of motivation to improve their lives, they ignore the reality of institutional racism and the psychological affects which play a role in enforcing the longevity of the poverty

Violence in general is an international problem although focusing on violence against children has become an increased issue, which is in desperate need of assistance. The issue of violence

Violence is the choice of drug for children today. By using examples of how to harm others or act in a destructive way in books, children get the wrong idea of how to act socially when confronted with the unknown. When children get treated differently in society and do not know how to express feelings, this often leads to self harm and harmful behavior to others. If everyone could be treated equally with no dark books to reflect on, children would not feel the need to use violence as a

How old are these children? Where do they live? Most importantly, what can we do to help them?” (Marchionna 1). I expect to discuss key themes focusing on the effects of these deviant acts experienced by children. I also expect to compare the children who have been exposed to violence versus the children who haven’t. When thinking about this subject, we have to take in consideration that there is a difference between a child who was a victim of savagery, and a child who was exposed to it. We also can’t forget that the same effects may occur nonetheless if the child were a victim or not.