Preview

Our Secret By John Edgar Wideman Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
351 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Our Secret By John Edgar Wideman Analysis
In this essay I am going to discuss the issue of individual responsibility for criminal behavior, for this, I will focus my attention on different essays. The first essay “Our Time” written by John Edgar Wideman where he attempts to communicate the emotion that he felt and what his brother Robby went through. In this essay, he focused on explaining what happened to his brother. He writes about the forces that contributed to his brother's bad behavior that automatically lead him to do bad things and ended up in the jail for the rest of his life. Also, Wideman writes about how the pressures of his community and culture that was rooted in the history of oppression and racism affected Robby. The second essay “Our Secret” written by Susan Griffin,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Chapter 12 of Into the Wild, Krakauer tells us that Chris graduated from high school in early June of 1986. At his graduation party, Chris very emotionally presented his dad with a birthday gift--a very expensive telescope. Chris's sister remembers that, as he presented the gift, Chris was fighting back tears as he explained that ''even though they'd had their differences over the years, he was grateful for all the things Dad had done for him.'' Sadly, all of this was called into question that summer as Chris took a journey to see old family friends in California.…

    • 177 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Krakauer attempts to change the readers’ point of view of Chris McCandless and at the same time, further explore his characteristics in chapter 8 and 9.…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    John Wideman’s essay “Our Time” is an intriguing, emotional piece about his brother and the hardships faced while living in a rough neighborhood. Wideman writes this story through the perspective of three people; Wideman’s brother Robby, his mother, and himself as a writer and a person. Wideman tells his story by using creative writing styles to help emphasize the point he is trying to get across in telling his brother Robby’s story. In this essay, the reader will learn not only about Robby and how his life takes a toll for the worse, but also about Wideman personally, and his struggles to create this piece.…

    • 1740 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Sims, B. (1997, February). Crime, Punishment and the American Dream. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 34(5), 5-24.…

    • 1818 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In John Edgar Wideman’s essay “Our Time” he explores the experiences his brother Robby went through and circumstance that led Robby’s imprisonment while he became a well-recognized writer. He considers how someone from your family, grow up the same way as you could live such a different life. Wideman tries to work out why Robby goes to jail in his mind. He tried to understand as someone that lives under the same roof as you can end up on a completely different direction in life. Bases on my understanding their background was not the best they lived in a rough and poor community and faced a lot of challenges in life. Unfortunately there comes a time in your life when you have to stop blaming everyone else and realized that you made these choices and there is no one to blame but yourself.…

    • 693 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Griffin argues that everyone in society is a part of a larger matrix; that if we had been born to a different family, in a different time period, or to a different world, we would not be the same people we are today. Throughout her essay, Griffin ties together four seemingly separate people through their fears and secrets. Secrets are very powerful, in that just one secret can impact the lives of many, even if the person keeping the secret has no intentions of hurting anybody or changing the lives of others. While on the other hand, some people keep secrets to protect themselves and do not mind the pain it causes others. No matter how big the secret is, all secrets have penalties and consequences.…

    • 1175 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The aim of this essay is to compare, contrast and evaluate two sociological theories of crime causation and two psychological theories of crime causation.…

    • 1985 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    "Sentencing and Corrections." Crime: A Serious American Problem. Thomas Wiloch. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Information Plus Reference Series. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 22 Mar. 2011.…

    • 1267 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    References: Foucault, M. (1975). Illegalities and Delinquency. In M. Krasny and M.E. Sokolik (Eds.) Sound Ideas (pp. 456-461). New York: McGraw-Hill.…

    • 1271 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Convict Crimonology

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Jeffrey Ian Ross and Stephen C. Richards are ex-convicts, and they make sure their readers are well aware of that; nonetheless, their status is important, because it provides us with better insight throughout their book. Convict Criminology is a relatively new study in social sciences, in which new research and academia are introduced or taught by ex-convicts. The term “Convict Criminology” was termed by Ross and his associate Stephen C. Richards back in 2001. Ross and Richards book is the first book to feature literary contributions made by other ex-convict professors- addressing topics related to the criminal justice forum. It’s important to note, that Convict Criminology is not limited to ex-convicts who are now a part of academia- but also, current individuals incarcerated with advanced degrees, as well as “non-convicts”. (Sheridan & Richards, 2005)…

    • 874 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Us Crime Measurement

    • 998 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Territo, L., Halsted, J. B., & Bromley, M. L. (2004). Crime and Justice in America: A Human Perspective (Sixth Edition). Prentice Hall: Pearson.…

    • 998 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to Jeffrey (1960) and Matza (1960) attempts to answer these questions proceed within a framework derived from three fundamental assumptions. These elements provide foundation for most contemporary theories of delinquency and encourage testing theory through scientific methods of research. Determinism that is that crime does not result from rational decision-making but from identifiable forces that may be biological, psychological or sociological. Differentiation and Pathology refers to the idea that criminals are different from that of the ‘normal’ person and these differences are so great that they can be referred to as pathologically ill (Burfeind, ) .The Chicago school was the first significant shift to this pathological approach.…

    • 172 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Criminal Intent

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Berger, K. S. (2011). The Developing Person Through the Life Span ( 8t.h ed.). New York , Ny : Worth Publishers. Moore, M.S. (1997) Placing Blame: A general theory of criminal law (35th ed.) New York,Ny: Dunn Publishers.…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The criminal justice system and the criminal justice process has shaped the laws of this country into what they are today from the concerns of politicians and government leaders as far back as the 1800s with crime control. Basically, the criminal justice system was designed to ensure the safety of individuals whom are citizens of this country. Essentially, the criminal justice system is “the structural basis used to maintain social control” (Education Decisions, 2010). The criminal justice system has many components that work together to provide justice for criminals and victims of crimes. This enables violators of the law to be prosecuted in a fair trial. The legal definition of a crime is a wrong doing classified by the state or congress as a felony or misdemeanor, or an offense against a public law. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines crime as “an act or the commission of an act that is forbidden or the omission of a duty that is commanded by a public law and that makes the offender liable to punishment by that law” (2010). “One of the fundamental theories of the United States criminal justice system is that those on trial remain innocent until proven guilty” (Education Decisions, 2010). For the purposes of this paper, one will examine the criminal justice system and the criminal justice process as it relates to the law. In addition to this, one will discuss the government structure as it applies to the criminal justice system. From here, the reader will understand the various components of law enforcement agencies and how the criminal justice system helps a society maintain social control and order.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Doerner, W., Thornton W., James, J. (1982). Delinquency and justice . University of Michigan: Scott Foresman. p271-283.…

    • 2514 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays