Street Literature and the High Price of Ghetto Life - Research Paper Example

Street Literature and the High Price of Ghetto Life Appreciation for street literature has been on the rise during the recent years. Still, the statistics in the increase in street literature readers still has not surfaced. However, anecdotes from those who work among the young adults and teenagers reveal the existence of increasing audience for street literature. One of the famous reasons for this genre's appeal is its ultra-realistic portrayal of street life. This is through the use of slang and graphic language of the story's characters. These characters are often controversial ones such as drug dealers, prostitutes, pimps, and other such socially deviant personages. Street literature is a genre involving an insightful look into the ghetto life (Morris et al. 20). The stories of “Midnight: A Gangster Love Story,” “Midnight and the Meaning of Love,” and “The Coldest Winter Ever” all fall within this gangsta realism that makes readers experience the high price of ghetto life through the characters. Street literature typically involves people from the African-American descent, and the main characters are usually mid-teens to mid-20s in age. They are usually depicted as people who go through extraordinary struggles in life, and they survive through obstacles such as violence, racism, and severe poverty. The whole story is filled with ghetto language, and this is more formally known as the African American Vernacular English (AAVE). The setting is usually in urban areas, and hip hop culture is the dominant scenario. Themes usually revolve around prostitution, premarital sex, illegal sex, crime, drugs, abortion, violence, and other illegal activities. The three novels mentioned above circle around such themes, and they are set within the urban hip hop milieu. However, despite such seemingly negative backdrop, these stories could serve as cautionary tales, and one does not need to go through the same experiences to learn what the characters learn in their life's journeys. The morals involved in the narratives are usually insightful in terms of understanding the, and learning from, the high price of ghetto life (Wright 42-45). “Midnight: A Gangster Love Story” is authored by Sister Souljah. It discusses the life of Midnight, a Muslim black immigrant from Sudan. In the opening lines of the book, Midnight is described as a tall guy with a dominating personality. He is pure black, and even his eyes are jet black. He is also described as lean and muscular, and females want to always be near him. Midnight is such a strong character because he never feels intimidated or insecure. Midnight is a fierce fighter inside and out. Being a fighter is one common characteristic among the main characters in the three street literature novels (Brooks and McNair 129-132). Midnight's young life goes through a process of being sheltered and protected under his father's care, to being vulnerable and open to the dangers of a foreign neighborhood. His character is developed by his experiences, and he bravely surpasses obstacles throughout his teenage years. First, due to hardship, he becomes home schooled, and he escorts his mother daily to and from her sweat shop job. Second, to develop himself, he learns martial arts, and he also becomes a talented basketball player. Third, to get over poverty, he begins to earn his own money through a fish market job, and he helps save up to purchase a bigger house for his family in a less dangerous neighborhood. He gets over hindrances towards his family progress and personal development, that is why even language barrier does not deter him from winning the heart of a Japanese beauty named Akemi. His character is shown even further development as he adheres to his strict Muslim principles while courting Akemi. It can therefore be said that surviving one hardship after another makes Midnight who he is in the novel, and makes him a striking protagonist in this street literature (A Gangster). As a further backgrounder, Midnight is a boy who flees Africa at the age of seven with his young pregnant mother. His father is a powerful political personality in Sudan, and his fall from power causes his family to flee the country. They were once wealthy, so being suddenly poor in the U.S., Midnight is forced to act as the de facto patriarch of the community. Their Brooklyn neighborhood is a tough one, so Midnight's mother has to work harder to promote a peaceful Islamic household amidst the community. Because there is no one else to defend himself and his family, Midnight learns quickly how to defend himself from the drug dealers, gangsters and other unsavory characters in the place they are leaving. Because of hard work, his family is able to start a profitable handmade clothing business while he goes to study martial arts at a local Japanese dojo. He also owns two guns, which paves the way for him to shoot a Jamaican who lusts after his sister. All these street life experiences hone Midnight's personality that makes him more than capable of surviving the dangerous ghetto life (Enciso et al. 255-257). When compared against another narrative entitled “Midnight and the Meaning of Love,” which is a sequel to “Midnight: A Gangster Love Story,” the first novel is more about Midnight's struggles for his family, and the sequel is more about his struggles for the woman he loves. The similarity in both novels is striking, because in both, Midnight is shown as a passionate young man who is after what he wants. In both narratives, Midnight does not stop at anything to fulfill his obligations to his family and to his wife, Akemi. Furthermore, Midnight encounters a foreign culture when his family flees from Sudan to the U.S., and similarly, he encounters several more different cultures in his journey in the sequel to look for his wife. In both stories, Midnight uses his street-smart skills to attain his goals, and he always gets people to be attracted to him in several ways. Also, in both stories, one can hear the thoughts going on in a young man's mind, and these thoughts are raw and unrestrained. The difference however is that in the first novel, Midnight's thoughts are mostly about his new surroundings, his family, and his building of his self. On the other hand, in the second novel, Midnight's thoughts are mainly about Akemi, the wife he is set to rescue (Morris 17-21). “Midnight: A Gangster Love Story” can be set under the definition of street literature, and it falls under several of its characteristic categories. First, it involves the African-American protagonist Midnight, and he is in his teens. Second, Midnight goes through extraordinary life struggles which is common in street literature, and his childhood and teenage years are filled with problems caused by violence and severe poverty. Third, the whole narrative is loaded with the AAVE, and it is one of the striking characteristics of street literature. Fourth, as mentioned earlier, street literature is usually within an urban setting, and Midnight's Brooklyn neighborhood fits this description well. Stories of illegal activities are also mentioned several times in the story. This makes the story provide morals to readers regarding the repercussions of illegal activities. Such morals and insights are always part of street literature (Valdes C05). In the novel, the reader is drawn in the details of Midnight's normal life in Brooklyn’s streets. He protects his family at an extent that most teens cannot. He also helps the mother in building her business. The story also exposes us to the teachings of Islamic faith, and it does not matter whether one agrees or disagrees with the teaching. What is important is that the novels helps readers to comprehend it. The dialogue in the book is realistic, and they are taken from the different conversations people have one the streets. The characters' actions are also believable, and this is despite the fact that such characters are seemingly ordinary, but ones that one does not encounter on a regular basis. The urban fiction is also not loaded with sex and explicit scenes, but it is filled with passionate thoughts and raw ideas through Midnight (Hollenberg 4). “Midnight and the Meaning of Love,” as mentioned earlier, is the sequel to “Midnight: A Gangster Love Story.” The story talks about deep love and the way people express their love and the extent they will go to have it. Here, Midnight is already a fierce fighter and a trained Ninja Warrior. Also, he is still the intelligent, powerful and sensual Midnight just like in the prequel. When Midnight, takes Akemi the sixteen year old from Japan as his wife, they anticipate building a good life together. Their tumultuous teenage marriage is cut short when Akemi is abducted by her own father and taken back to Japan. Midnight prepares vigorously to go and rescue his young love. While he arranges his plan, he divides his time and also plays basketball with his friends (Robinson-Ervin, Cartledge, and Keyes 27-8). The totally captivating event that happened in this book is Midnight's attempt to get his wife Akemi back. First, after getting married to Midnight, Akemi is kidnapped by her own father and she is taken back to Japan. Then, Midnight secures his mother and sister, and he begins his long journey to get his wife back. He then travels across three countries and encounters several different cultures, and he endures all dangers and temptations in his attempt to recapture the woman he loves. Along the journey, he meets different people who will forever change his life, and he influences their lives too. He goes through several trials and tribulations just for the woman he loves. Just like other novels in this genre, Midnight encounters controversial characters in his travel, and he deals with all of them with his self-honed skills. In the end, he comes back triumphant and more matured in experiences than he originally was (Meaning of Love). One interesting twist in the story is when Midnight tries to recapture his wife back, and he ends up falling in love with another woman. His journey makes him meet some teenage girls, and so he is vulnerable to several kinds of temptations. By now, one knows how attractive Midnight can be to girls, and so it is easy for him to be close to anyone he gets interested in. On his way to Japan, Midnight meets a ninja called Chiasa who is knowledgeable of war and has quick intelligence. Because of Chisa's knowledge, Midnight hires her to be his tour guide and interpreter. This at first professional relationship opened them to both see each other's qualities. The two fall in love during their journey to Korea,, so Midnight ends up trying to rescue his wife and capturing the heart of his hired mercenary. Because Midnight again falls in love, and because polygamy is permitted in Islam, he takes Chiasa as his second wife (Swann, Pope, and Carter 45-7). When this novel is compared against another narrative entitled “The Coldest Winter Ever,” “Midnight and the Meaning of Love” has a lighter story. While both narratives deal with such dangerous obstacles, missions, and personages, Midnight's life journey is towards a positive goal in life, while Winter --- the main protagonist in “The Coldest Winter Ever” --- has a life geared in a downward spiral. For one, Midnight braces himself to support his family after the downfall of his father, while Winter decides to leave her family to go with her hustling activities. Two, Midnight, despite his young age, forces himself to mature to protect and support his family, while Winter, due to her young age, relieves herself of any duty towards her mother and younger sisters. Three, Midnight comes from a family held by conservative Islamic beliefs and practices, while Winter is raised in a household of luxury from illegal activities. However, both stories are about the personal goals of the main protagonists, and both stories portray the means these protagonists do to achieve their goals. Both stories provide a morals from which readers can learn, although these morals are presented by the author through different methods. While Midnight uses life's obstacles for self-development, Winter uses life's obstacles as excuses to simply let go of a straight life (William 119-121). Just like its prequel “Midnight: A Gangster Love Story,” “Midnight and the Meaning of Love” can also be set under the definition of street literature, and it also falls under several of its characteristic categories. Being a sequel, it again involves the African-American protagonist Midnight, and he is still in his teens in the sequel, despite the rare times his age is discussed here. Also, the life struggles common in street literature is evident in this narrative, and his journey to recapture his wife is like an odyssey with lots of trials, tribulations and obstacles. Furthermore, the story is littered with controversial characters such as mercenaries, and this is a strong characteristic of street literature. However, the narrative is not entirely set in an urban and hip hop backdrop. Still, being a sequel, one can understand that the actions and ideas of Midnight as he responds to every trial he meets are due to his ghetto and street-smart background. Also, what cannot be missed her is the story's offer of morals to the readers. The lessons embedded in the portrayal of this way of life are always part of street literature (Venable, McQuillar, and Mingo 24-5). “The Coldest Winter Ever” is a story about Winter Santiaga, and she is the daughter of a prominent drug lord in New York. She is considered a princess in their locale, because her life is filled with luxurious things that money can buy. Winter's life begins to spiral downwards after her mother got shot, and her father was caught by the FBI. All their material possessions are seized, and Winter begins to do a series of activities to remain on top. The narrative fills readers with a luxury-filled view of furs and Lexus, Mercedes, and Porsche within the totally urban surroundings of Brooklyn. However, this mental picture slowly disintegrates into scenarios in depressing child welfare homes, the cold streets, and even miserable prison. The story circles around the price one has to pay in dealing with illegal drugs, prostitution, and hustling. Furthermore, it deals with betrayal of trust, and the misguided family and social values (Coldest Winter). From the luxury of their palatial house, Winter chooses to throw herself to the coldness of the streets away from her family. The actual downward turn of her life really begins even before her mother gets shot and her father gets captured. First, at a young age, Winter is already a hustler. Second, when their possessions are seized, she refuses to let go of her “top” status, and she goes on hopping from on illegal activity to another. Third, in her aim to reach her goals, she forgets about the importance of family and friends, and she betrays them and lavs them during difficulties. Fourth, she is given another chance to correct her ways through Sister Souljah, but her love for money and being on “top” causes her to betray the people who gave her a second chance for straight life. Eventually, all these betrayals get back at her, and her world continues to collapse. Finally, she ends up in prison, and her quest for high life ends inside the cells (Morris 24-29). One can look at Winter through hardhearted eyes, and it is easy to hate her. But one can also choose to look deeper at her misguided actions, and by it, it will be easy to feel bad for her. Winter comes from a family with wrong values, and it is easy to understand through it that Winter would emerge as a teenager with lack of moral merits. The abject poverty and racism surrounding the lives of ghetto people is a good angle to better understand why Winter wants to hold on to money and good life. Furthermore, her betrayal of the good people around her cannot merely be blamed on Winter. It can be argued that her father betrayed their family through his wrong deeds for the sake of money, and this causes Winter to look at money as more important than anything else. Her mother also betrayed them by giving in to addiction and prostitution for the sake of good life despite her children, and this causes Winter to even further believe that good life is more important than anything else. Winter is betrayed by the men she gets involved with, and this all the more crushes her possible outlook on good relationships in life (Sutherland 381-3). In comparison to the first two novels discussed, Winter's story has more depressing themes. “Midnight and the Meaning of Love” and “Midnight: A Gangster Love Story” are both talking about the main character Midnight, and despite life's difficulties, Midnight is able to go through life with flying colors. On the other hand, Winter in “The Coldest Winter Ever” goes through hardships as well, but she reacts to these hardships in a negative manner. Midnight rises from the pieces of his broken life, while Winter allows life's problems to fully engulf her. Midnight goes through a series of failures, but he does not fail to get up everytime. On the other hand, Winter also goes through a series of failures, but she allows these failures to dictate her next responses to life. However, despite the differences in portrayals of people's reactions to life events, all the there narratives provide a deeper perspective of what ordinary people choose to do during extraordinary times in their lives. In reading all three, one can compare Midnight's and Winter's decisions, and in so doing, one can reflect who does better in taking control of one's own life (Hill, Perez, and Irby 78-9). When placed against the definition of street literature, just like the two other novels, “The Coldest Winter Ever” falls under several of its characteristic categories. First, it involves the ghetto princess protagonist Winter, and she is in her teens. Second, Winter goes through extraordinary life struggles uncommon for people her age, and these struggles are common in street literature. Third, the narrative deals with themes of hip hop, racism, poverty, prostitution, and drugs. Fourth, the setting is in an urban area, with absolute ghetto backdrop. Fifth, stories of illegal activities fill the story, and these activities are where the lives of the characters revolve around. The lessons and insights one can acquire through the experiences of the characters are not only moving, but are also deep. Such lessons and insights are always part of street literature, and they serve as precaution to people about the price one has to pay for wrong decisions and lack of morals (Davis 263-5). The themes presented in the novels are also very realistic, and they are things that everyone knows happen within the society. The differences in the socio-economic statuses of people are evident, and they play a big role in shaping these people's lives. Poverty is such a common them in street literature, and it could be interesting to know the history of why this is so. Furthermore, the theme of sexual relationships is another characteristic of street literature, and this theme is present in all three novels. In Winter's tale, this theme is obvious, because Winter, her parents, and her friends are all portrayed to be linked to at least one illicit, sexual relationship. In Midnight's tale, such ideas are hinted in some parts of the novel, but because Midnight tries to adhere strictly to his Islamic upbringing, and the narrative is told through Midnight's voice, the issue of sex is not that dominant. The novels may be talking about the negative thing of ghetto life, but this serves as a means to makes others understand what is going on in this culture and lifestyle. The good thing about putting these ideas in street literature is that it serves as a warning to others about the repercussions of illegal activities (Warren 684-6). However, not everyone view street literature as suitable for the target market. For example, “The Coldest Winter Ever” is laden with carelessness, promiscuity, drugs, violence, and crime. If the reader is not responsible enough, Winter can serve as a character worthy of mimicking. For responsible readers though, the narrative is not only entertaining, but an eye-opener as well. Therefore, it can either be a map of morals or a map to devastation. The choice then lays at the hands of the readers. One can disregard meta-message of the story, and be like Winter. Or one can be wiser and take control of things, like Midnight (Stovall 56-7). People may have differing ideas on the emergence of street literature, and the ideas it could plant in the reader's mind. However, as mentioned above, Midnight showed us that circumstances do not dictate who we are. Rather, our decisions make us who we decide to be. In these novels, one does not need to be black to “experience” how it is to be black. The novel not only speaks realistic themes, but also provides a reader with a front seat view of the “hood” world. The novel also provides a deeper insight on priorities, and they make readers see that sometimes, what we want is not necessarily what we need. Midnight is able to set his goals and priorities straight, and it is good to learn from him. Winter is not able to set her goals and priorities straight, but we should still learn from her (Young 21-23). In conclusion, I think the old adage is true that one should learn from other's mistakes because you cannot live long enough to make them all. I agree that even if portrayed negatively, street literature gives readers a deeper perspective on the consequences of one's act. I also think that sometimes, reading about ordinary people who go through big things in life can help one relate easier to the character. I think this is one of the good characteristics of street literature. I agree that ghetto life has a predominantly negative connotation among most people, and portraying these ghetto people going through same circumstances such as falling in love, having friends, or valuing family just like anyone else makes these negative connotation seem a bit more acceptably “human.” I also think that depicting what really happens in ghetto life do not really add to the negative image it has, but actually makes one learn from them. Works Cited Brooks, Wanda, and Jonda C. McNair. “'but This Story of Mine Is Not Unique': a Review of Research on African American Children's Literature.” Review of Educational Research. 79.1 (2009): 125-162. Print. Davis, Rachel T. "African American Females' Voices in the Classroom: Young Sisters Making Connections Through Literature." New Advocate. 13.3 (2000): 259-71. Print. Enciso, Patricia, Shelby A. Wolf, Karen Coats, and Christine Jenkins. “Children's Literature: Standing in the Shadow of Adults.” Reading Research Quarterly. 45.2 (2010): 252-263. Print. Hill, Marc L, Biany Perez, and Decoteau J. Irby. “Street Fiction: What Is It and What Does It Mean for English Teachers?” English Journal. 97.3 (2008): 76-81. Print. Hollenberg, Norman K. "Literature Alert." Current Hypertension Reports. 12.1 (2010). Print. Morris, Vanessa I. The Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012. Print.(Morris 1-138 [coldest 24-29]) Morris, Vanessa J., Sandra Hughes-Hassel, Denise E. Agosto, and Darren Cottman. “Street Lit Flying Off Teen Fiction Bookshelves in Philadelphia Libraries.” Young Adult Library Services Fall 2006: 16-23. Print. Robinson-Ervin, Porsha, Gwendolyn Cartledge, and Starr Keyes. "Culturally Responsive Social Skills Instruction for Adolescent Black Males." Multicultural Learning and Teaching. 6.1 (2011). Print. Souljah, . The Coldest Winter Ever: A Novel. New York: Pocket Books, 1999. Print. Souljah, . Midnight: A Gangster Love Story. New York: Washington Square Press, 2009. Print. Souljah, . Midnight and the Meaning of Love. New York: Washington Square Press, 2011. Print. Stovall, TaRessa. “Parental Guidance: Gangsta Lit—Do You Really Know What Your Teenager is Reading?” Black Issues Book Review July-Aug. 2005: 56-57. Print. Sutherland, LeAnn M. "Black Adolescent Girls' Use of Literary Practices to Negotiate Boundaries of Ascribed Identity." Journal of Literacy Research. 37.3 (2005): 365-406. Print. Swann, Joan, Rob Pope, and Ronald Carter. Creativity in Language & Literature: The State of the Art. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011. Print. Valdes, Marcela. “Souljah On.” Washington Post 3 Dec. 2008: C05. Print. Venable, Malcolm, Tayannah McQuillar, and Yvette Mingo. “It’s Urban, it’s Real, But is This Literature?” Black Issues Book Review Sept.-Oct. 2004: 24-27. Print. Warren, Crystal. “South Africa.” Journal of Commonwealth Literature. 45.4 (2010): 659-692. Print. William, C G. "From the Streets to Academia: a Librarian's Guide to Hip-Hop Culture." Collection Building. 26.4 (2007): 119-126. Print. Wright, David. "Streetwise Urban Fiction." Library Journal. 131.12 (2006): 42-45. Print. Young, Earni. “Urban Lit Goes Legit.” Black Issues Book Review Sept.-Oct. 2006: 21-23. Print. Read More