There Are No Children Here
Dixon 1
Critical Analysis Paper:
There Are No Children Here
Arena L. Dixon
YNL 290
Murray State University
Dr. Roger Weis
November 2009
Dixon 2 Henry Horner Projects was the stage in the lives of the Rivers’ family as it was for many of the people who lived there. It was like its’ very existence dictated the lives of the occupants. Families raised their families there and those children grew up to raise their children there too and it was commonplace. If that wasn’t enough the families often became true victims of their environment by getting involved in the lifestyle that was connected to real inner city living.
The subject matter of the book shows the conditions of poor people in the subsidized housing projects of Chicago, Illinois. The Rivers’ are members of a poor family. The family lives in Henry Horner Homes, a subsidized housing project in Chicago. The family relies on welfare and federal assistance for support. They cannot afford most luxuries and many necessities; therefore, life is an ongoing struggle to survive. Many adults and children reside in the family's household. These extra family members further strain and drain the family's resources and cramp their living room in the family's apartment. LaJoe has eight children, all living in the apartment: LaShawn, Weasel, Terence, Lafayette, Pharoah, Tammie, Tiffany, and Timothy. LaShawn has three children and Terence has three children. Paul, LaJoe's ex-husband, stays with the family on occasion as well as Leila Mae, LaJoe's mother.
Gangs controlled the buildings in the projects. They hired residents of the buildings to store weapons and drugs in their apartments. Gang members sold drugs in the neighborhoods and attempted to obtain help in selling drugs from small children. Some gangs broke into apartments to steal from them and use them as safe havens against the police and other law enforcement agencies. Gangs have "turf wars" which resulted in gun battles which injured and killed many
Critical Analysis Paper:
There Are No Children Here
Arena L. Dixon
YNL 290
Murray State University
Dr. Roger Weis
November 2009
Dixon 2 Henry Horner Projects was the stage in the lives of the Rivers’ family as it was for many of the people who lived there. It was like its’ very existence dictated the lives of the occupants. Families raised their families there and those children grew up to raise their children there too and it was commonplace. If that wasn’t enough the families often became true victims of their environment by getting involved in the lifestyle that was connected to real inner city living.
The subject matter of the book shows the conditions of poor people in the subsidized housing projects of Chicago, Illinois. The Rivers’ are members of a poor family. The family lives in Henry Horner Homes, a subsidized housing project in Chicago. The family relies on welfare and federal assistance for support. They cannot afford most luxuries and many necessities; therefore, life is an ongoing struggle to survive. Many adults and children reside in the family's household. These extra family members further strain and drain the family's resources and cramp their living room in the family's apartment. LaJoe has eight children, all living in the apartment: LaShawn, Weasel, Terence, Lafayette, Pharoah, Tammie, Tiffany, and Timothy. LaShawn has three children and Terence has three children. Paul, LaJoe's ex-husband, stays with the family on occasion as well as Leila Mae, LaJoe's mother.
Gangs controlled the buildings in the projects. They hired residents of the buildings to store weapons and drugs in their apartments. Gang members sold drugs in the neighborhoods and attempted to obtain help in selling drugs from small children. Some gangs broke into apartments to steal from them and use them as safe havens against the police and other law enforcement agencies. Gangs have "turf wars" which resulted in gun battles which injured and killed many