Bad Boys ( 174-207)

Summary: As the novel comes to a close, Walter is asked by his doctor if he liked being black. At first he answered yes, but then as he thought about it more, he opened many new doors and looked at race and life in a very different perspective. He expanded on his thoughts of what it meant to be black and the difference that he saw when it came to careers and being a man. How who his ancestors were and what they did didn't define who he was. For example, " I wasn't born with a hyphen linking me to Africa"(Myers 177). This quote was very true and powerful because his ancestors past does not define who he is; like him playing basketball, writing stories and reading were activities that he chose and worked on developing. And how in Harlem, the "binding forces" were based on love and survival and not race. Meaning that some of the things that brought people closer were the love and survival that they shared amongst each other and not the type of color-shade that they had on their skin. After his strong perspective on "Race" and society, the attention was switched back to Walter and his life. He had stopped going to school, again and actually tried to go back this time, but found out that the school year had ended. This was a very sad time for Walter because he felt that the chance to bring his life back around had left him before he even got the chance to say goodbye. He was embarrassed and had a brief depression. Walter then enrolled himself in the army after his seventeenth birthday and decided to tell his parents a few days before he left. His father had favored the idea and thought that it would help develop Walter into a man. His mother on the other hand was sad and didn't want to let go, but Walter wanted to get away from Harlem and try to start his new life. After the army, Walter had returned to writing, he took a long break, but when he returned he couldn't stop writing. He  often sent his work to magazines or literary quarterlies would save the rejection letters to inspire him to improve in certain areas. Walter periodically visited his parents and when asked what he exactly he did, he would say that he was a writer. His parents weren't too happy about the subject, but later on Walter's mother had bragged about how he was a writer to her friends;  for some reason Walter felt that he had accomplished the one thing that he always wanted, which was to make his mother proud.


Quote:  " But it seemed to me that both of these concepts, career and maleness, were only subdivisions of the larger idea of race" (Myers 176).
-This quote was really relevant to everything that Walter was trying to explain. He was thinking about what his doctor meant when she asked him if he had liked being black. Walter then talked about how some one's career and maleness was completely different and usually when he thought of major careers he would think o white people instead of black. And then when he thought about maleness or what it meant to be a man, he would think about black people and their muscles and how they did all of the "bull work" to survive their lifestyle.


Reaction:
The ending of the novel was very powerful, i think that Myers did a good job with summarizing his thoughts on race in society. It was nice to see his deep perspective of the topic and how he did not identify himself as "white or black," instead he identified himself as an intellectual. This was a very powerful statement, because Walter had struggled with segregation before with his elementary/middle school teacher; she did not believe in Walter and often had him go into the Principal's office. She failed to seek potential, which is what Walter had all along; instead she tried to identify him and isolate him by punishing him based on her own circumstances. Another thing that was good to see was that Walter was finally getting used to being in his own skin. He referenced his relationship with Frank and how he was close to him because Frank was an alien on this planet, he didn't care what people thought about him, instead he just worried about himself and the things he needed to do to get by. Walter loved this about him and also wanted to think of himself as different like "different meant that you were not responsible for the normal things in life." (Myers 182). In this case Walter and the constant pressure he was under when it came to being himself. It was good to see that Walter had finally become comfortable with himself as well as confident. Especially the fact that his mother began to brag about him; this was a very important aspect in Walter's life because when it came to writing he was often put down. Very few teachers had believed in him and the fact that his father couldn't read and ignored all the stories that he gave to him made it worse. For the first time no one asked him what he was doing with his life in a manner that made him feel more ashamed than what he already was. This time he along with a key factor in his life, his mother, were proud of what he was doing with his life. Walter especially was proud, coming a long way, developing from a bad boy to a man; and accomplishing every obstacle to see his dreams of becoming a writer suddenly turn into a reality.

Bad Boys (130-174)

Summary: As the book comes its closing, you start to see Walter develop more and see how he's dreams of becoming a writer are a reality for him now. He doubts himself at times and doesn't know whether or not writing is something that he can actually accomplish successfully. For example, he had seen Langston Hughes once with some White reporters, although he was a writer he seemed like an ordinary person from Harlem.
Walter said that there was nothing extraordinary about him and nothing really lifted him out of the ordinary. This event made Walter disappointed because when he thought of a "writer," he thought of what he saw in school textbooks and expected that Langston Hughes would be more than just a "black man on the street" (Dean,139). However, Walter continued to write, he had stopped going to school for quite a while. Instead he went to Central Park to read and write; he was reading up to 4 books a week and writing non-stop. While writing Walter tried to copy the style of many of his favorite authors; his idea of feedback was by looking right at the author's book. He didn't really let people read his stories; instead he would think about what a certain author would do and catch up to the style and the whole writing process. After a while Walter was caught and returned to school, his mother was very upset but calm about the whole situation. Walter then had to agree to be observed by a social office so that they can make sure that he went to school everyday. Even though he agreed and went to school everyday, he was still stuck in the books and in the writings. He would never look at his homework and teachers would cut him slack by not calling on him because they knew deep inside that he was confident about writing and that he was going to make something out of his talent.


Quote: "The realm of great literature was still far removed from who i was and reinforced the idea that i was at crossroads in my life, with only the lesser path available to me" (Dean,147)
This quote really stuck out because it shows how Walter looks at literature as somewhat of another world. Also how that world was somehow far from what who he was, and at the same time, exaggerated the fact that he was at a crossroad with his life. The only problem was that he wasn't the one choosing; instead it felt like the easy way or the path with less benefits was more available to him. This can e looked at in many ways, based on his race and his status in society; as well as the energy that he receives from his peers and the pressure that he is feeling to just fit in. And just like his look on a "writer" he probably thought that he would not fit into the category, maybe he felt that he wasn't good enough, which is why he might have felt that the easy way out was the only way to go. School also plays a role in this feeling, because he is constantly being put down, because of the kind of surroundings that he is in. Walter simply wants to read and write as well as any author, while the other kids are talking about SAT and scholarships. I don't think that he feels the need to go to school, because he has everything he needs with him. And the fact that he is constantly coming in contact with colleges and scholarships; he might feel that without college or some kind of degree he might not be able to do anything.

Reaction: My reaction to the novel has changed tremendously from the beginning. Now i am more proud of Walter and his accomplishments; he's trying to make it out of a life that he no longer wants to be apart of. He's working hard to break out of the group and stand out. However, the problems with reading.writing in his neighborhood are still apparent  For example, Walter talks about how he did not understand the connection between homosexuality and being called a "faggot." "Faggots" he said were "often pictured, especially in the black community , as speaking with exaggerated precision, reciting poetry and listening to classical music. Logically, i knew that loving books and writing did not make me a homosexual, but more and more i hid those interests." (Myers 137). This showed how Walter was still pressured into hiding who he really was and had a hard time distinguishing what people like his "boys" wanted him to be and what he wanted to be himself, which connects to him talking about the crossroads. Even though he was struggling, it was good to see that people still believed in his; teachers would often tell him to continue writing, he also had a new friend Frank, that he was able to discuss all his problems with when it came down to his life. Frank gave a lot of positive energy even though he didn't read or write; somehow even though they had little in common, Walter looked to Frank as a guide. He always looked to him for advice and developed a strong relationship that would and will help Walter accomplish anything.

Bad Boy's (90-130)

Summary: Throughout the book, we have seen Walter develop into a smart young man, he was staying out of trouble of course, but wasn't ready to put it all away. Walter continued to explore many areas of Harlem more, using some of the outside towns that he would visit as inspiration for many of his writings.He looked at many of these places with amazement and wrote so many poems about them, however in the end he explains how Harlem can never be replaced and how it is and always will be his home. Walter also finishes both 7th and 8th grade in one year due to the special students program, therefore he was able to go to the 9th grade at an early age. During the summer, the relief of school ending had Walter very happy and joyous. However, he had come to realize that he spent less time with his neighborhood "boys." They were still in 7th grade, causing trouble and playing basketball at the same time. The good thing is that Walter had moved on from them and continued to pursue his dreams, stayed out of trouble and did everything that he had to so that he wouldn't be one of the typical "Negroes" that everyone expects him to be. He wanted to be successful and prove everyone wrong; he didn't want to work as a laborer or in a factory, instead something bigger that would exceed past all low expectations that were put on him. Walter also found comfort in many of the plays and readings that they had him perform in school, like The Stolen Prince and other works like The Rime of Ancient Mariner. He wanted to write in the exact same style and theme that these authors had written in, even though he would laugh with everyone when it came to reading these. As the novel goes on Walter is accepted into Stuyvesant High School, which is a very good school that he had tested to get in for. It was an all boys school with loads of work that Walter tried to keep up with. Many of the kids were more friendly and accepting,especially when it came to his speech problem. At the school no one made fun of him or even cared that he had a problem, but still Walter felt alone because he still didn't find the comfort in the school or someone that he could share his love for reading and writing with. At this age Walter was also going through personal problems, like his race.With Eric, Walter's best friend, being Caucasian and Walter being African American, the sudden change from going to parties and having girlfriends wasn't in Walter's best interest, because many of Eric's friends wouldn't let Walter come to a certain event, even when they gave the OK right in front of Walter. The opportunities that he had, like looking into colleges were also limited, many of the juniors including Eric were looking at early acceptions, but Walter couldn't even think of college, because his family was just getting by. The fact that he is African American also gets in the way because teachers/people wouldn't look at the potential that he had, they would just send him to one of the all black colleges. Walter was often discouraged by this and expressed his feelings through his writings, he was even saving up for a typewriter, however his mother spent it all on lottery. With that being done, the relationship with his parents had closed more and things we rent the way they used to be.



Quote: "Books,on the other hand, provided a dialog between me and the authors who had written them. They spoke to me, and i responded, not in words but in appreciation and consideration of their thoughts. More and more, i would respond with my own writing" (Myers 127)
This quote really stuck out because Walter is going through a lot of things right now and the fact that he still confides in reading and writing is good to see. The fact that he looks at the books as people and says how they talk to him and he responds to them by writing, shows how serious he is about writing and how much reading/writing is apart of his life.




Reaction: My reaction to the book so far is proud; it's good to see that Walter is still trying to pursue his dreams in being a successful writer or in having any successful career. He's still fighting for what he wants to be despite the fact that his family is going through a lot. With his father showing small improvement in his depression, and with him not telling Walter to his face that he enjoys his readings kind of discourages him. However, it was good to see that with all of that he still didn't give up or turn to the kids that he used to hang out with on the streets for comfort. He also stopped fighting and getting into so much trouble. With more of his family around and him being accepted into a great school gives Walter more confidence about himself rather than him just doubting his ability to do anything in life. Although he's still a bit alone, and hos relationship with his mother is still strained, its nice to see that he still shows her poems; it shows that she believes in him and is behind him every step of the way. However, that support was somewhat broken due to the fact that she ignored Walter's dream of having a type writer and bought lottery tickets with it. Although she knew it was a bad thing, she didn't confront him about the situation and some of the things that she was going through at the moment with her and Walter's father; instead she turned to drinking and in time also becomes depressed. Walter, on the other hand was very upset and showed no sympathy for her, which is somewhat reasonable, but in my opinion they should confront each other like they use to and try to regain the strong relationship and bond that they had before.

Bad Boy (49-90)

Summary: So far in the novel Walter Dean Myers talks more about his troubled childhood and about more fights that he had gotten in.However, even though he was still getting in trouble and getting bad conduct remarks, he was still doing better in school and even took a liking in reading. Walter didn't like reading in front of the class that much because of his ongoing speech impediment. He had gotten in trouble once for hitting a kid due to the fact that he was making fun of him. From that day on Walter was sent to the back of the class to read and couldn't participate in any class activities. That is when Walter started to enjoy reading; during the summer he would often go to the library just to read. He wasn't able to play outside due to the surgery that he had during the school year. Usually he would complain, but he enjoyed going to the library and loved how he could take out any books for free. The only problem he had was that older boys would make fun of him on the way back to school when they saw him with books in his hand. He sought out a way to fix this problem and to avoid confrontation by putting his books in a paper bag. The following year, even though he missed a good amount of school, he was still promoted to the sixth grade and he was given his first male teacher, Mr.Irwin Lasher. Walter was put into that class for a specific reason. Mr.Lasher had heard about Walter's violent past and told him up front that he wasn't going to tolerate any kind of violence in his classroom. However, Walter did manage to get into trouble and Mr.Lasher had gone home with him to talk to his mother. Mr.Lasher was a different teacher, he was the first teacher that actually wanted to see Walter Succeed. While in his class, Walter was able to get his grades up, he was one of the best students in the class, and he also cleaned up his act; the constant anger and violence that he subjected himself to had ended and the only thing he was worried about was school,reading and writing. Walter had come a long way and was even put into special class for Junior high school, he was able to handle school easily and loved how everyone excelled. However, at home a tragic death in the family had changed the families life forever. Walters uncle Lee had passed away and Walter's father hadn't taken it too well. Uncle Lee had just gotten out of jail and passed away right before their eyes. Walter's father wasn't as close to uncle lee as he was when they were younger, but his death really affected him mentally.His father had fallen into a deep depression for a year, which caused his mother to feel alone. He was very quite and isolated himself often; he didn't tell any jokes and barely smiled. This made Walter feel along with his mother more lonely than ever before, but he still managed to handle school and continued his writing.


Quote : " I also felt a kind of comfort with books that i did not experience when i was away from them. Away from the books i was at times, almost desperate to fill up the spaces of my life. Books filled those spaces for me" ( Myers 52).
This quote shows how reading and writing completes him. Without is he's often left with an empty space in his body that needs to be filled, without reading he feels empty and left alone. Reading and writing is his place of comfort, a place where no one makes fun of him or gives up on him when he's trying to get them to believe in him. A place where he can express his feelings and just forget about everything and go into his own world that he can lose himself in.


Reaction: So far in the novel Walter is staring to find himself and develop into what he wants to be in life. The recent connection with his biological family had somewhat shown him that he still has a family that cares about him, but that he is also in a better place with the Myers. You can also see Walter's growth, from someone that couldn't spend a day without fighting into someone that is trying to get himself together so that he can be successful. As Walter Develops, you also see the writer that starts to form in him. With his poem being published into the newspaper and the new teacher that encouraged him to make something of himself. Walter had gone from the bottom of the class to the top and leaned to reading/writing to help him with his situations at home and outside of school, like fitting in and just being like one of the "boys."

Bad Boys By Walter Dean Myers (1-48)

Summary:  Bad Boys by Walter Dean Myers is an autobiography of the life of the infamous Walter Dean Myers. In the begining chapers of the book Walter takes us on a tour of his life growing up. He was born in Martinsburg,West Virginia on August 12,1937. Unfortunately, he had lost his mother at a very young age, she had died soon after his little sister was born. Walter had lived with his biological father for quite sometime, but then he had moved in with his sisters mother and her husband. He had moved to New York, which is what he referred to as his first real home and enjoyed the scenary and the music that welcomed him as he settled in. Walter was strangley very close to his "mother" even though he had no relation to her what so ever, except the fact that she was the mother of her sisters. He often stayed by her side and had very interesting and long conversations with her; since he was the youngest of the group he got a lot of attention and spent alot of time with his mother. She would often travel with him to work, but once she started working her day job she hired a babysitter for him, but that didnt keep affect the relationship at all. However, Walter had gotten himself in trouble one day and his mother felt that she needed someone to watch him full time, so he went to go stay with his adoptive fathers sister. There he told many stories about how he would play outside with "the boys" and pick on little Jewish boys because they knew that they wouldnt fight them back. Walter was a very violent boy growing up; only in the first grade and he had knocked a boy out for laughing at him because he spilled glue on his pants. He was also made fun of becasue of his speech impedement, he would often studder on words and kids would say "Dabba, Dabba" whenever he studdered. Walter was a very good student though, he read on a second grade reading level, but wasnt good with talking. The only thing holding him back from good grades was the violent rages that he would cause. At the time, his father had been recruited to the army, whichwas probably one of the reasons he was so angry. His sisters were growing up even more, with one getting married and he wasnt as close to his mother as he was when he was little. Although he was very violent, deep down Walter was a good kid and needed a little bit more attention and hopefully got it before he did or does something that he will regret.


Quote: "what life was about for me in those early years was being with the women i was learning to call Mama" ( Myers 8)
This quote really caught my eye because i was surprised at the fact that his father had let him go with a complete stranger. I dont think that it was fair to Walter, becasue he didnt even know who this lady was and suddenly he had to replace his mother with a complete stranger. His father was tragically left with seven children to raise by himself, but he shouldnt just let each go one by one. My main concern about this decision was why he picked Walter? I was also curious about how this affected him mentally, maybe he was bad becasue his father didnt want him, his mother sent him to his aunt and he was all alone by himself.

Reaction: My reaction to the novel so far is that it is amazing.Walter Dean Myers has a way of telling a story and making you want to read more about the main character. But since this is an autobiography its even more interesting becasue hes letting us into his life and showing us how he grew up and they things that he did when he was little. He's giving us intersting, sad and funny details about his lifestyle and the different things that he did. We get to see his amazing writing style and walk a day or a couple chapters in his shoes and see how he became The Walter Dean Myers.