Analysis of Cooked: My Journey from the Streets to the Stove by Jeff Henderson - Essay Example

11th September Introduction Based on the life challenges that we face, it is vital for each one of us to come up with strategies on how to deal with them. For example, we are at liberty to seek the guidance of counseling professionals or other experienced individuals in order to become successful. Otherwise, we may be engaged on other activities that may make the matters to be worse. There is an adage that indicates that when we think we are rising in life, we are really falling and when we think we are falling we are really rising. This adage is effectively indicated by Jeff Henderson in his book entitled Cooked: My Journey from the Streets to the Stove. As a kid, Jeff Henderson grew in an area that had limited options. As a result, crime was taken as the major ways of getting out of the social problems. Having being raised up by a single mother, Jeff, aimed at attaining big goals that would change his life. Just like other young people in the region, he entered the drug dealing field. According to Jeff, he was not a drug dealer but an established business man. Based on his strong desire to be part of the individuals who were enjoying life in night clubs and other entertaining areas, Jeff Henderson extensively sold huge amount of cocaine with San Diego region an aspect that made him to make more than $35,000 per week. However, he was charged for trafficking drugs by the federal and was taken to prison. It was during his stay in the prison that he knew how to cook and became a skilled chef. Despite being an established drug dealer at the age of 21 years, Jeff was not accepting himself as a drug dealer but he referred himself as a business man (Jeff 47). Thus he was undergoing self denial that made him to think that he was like other drug dealers thus making him to fully engage in selling drugs an aspect that triggered his falling while he was thinking he was rising. Cooked embodies the rising/falling motif discussed in McMahon’s class is evidenced by self denial, ignorant, regret, reinvention and flourishing. During his drug trafficking activities, Jeff was ignorant of the consequences of selling of drugs. Just like Jeff, George, one of my friends was caught up in a group of young men who had formed a gang that embarked on mugging passersby during evening hours. Even though George was not willing to join the group based on the fact that he believes in working hard thus gaining income, he noted that his comrades were freely enjoying their easily earned money. He thus joined the gang as a way of expanding his income. George show himself as a person who was not aiming at mugging the travelers but his focus was to get more money. Thus, self denial made him to refer to himself as an entrepreneur rather than a mugger. Additionally, George was ignorant of the consequences of joining the illegal group that was being trailed by the security agencies without his knowledge. Based on the deteriorating security matters in George’s locality, the security agencies have established the community policing that made the members of the public to identify the members of the gang and reported it to the security personnel. Even though the members were aware of the consequences of their activities, George’s ignorance could not allow him to imagine of what will occur to him once he is arrested. After Jeff Henderson was arrested, it is when he realized how serious it was to sell drugs. His almost twenty years in jail created an aspect of regret that is common to all criminals once they are interdicted by security officers during their illegal activities. On his part, George highly regretted joining the gang rather than continuing with his legal duties. Each of gang members were jailed for years an aspect that made George to experience frustration and low self esteem. While he was aiming at improving his level of income and rise, George process of failing was initiated by his self denial and his association with a group that was not having similar goals like his. Despite the challenges that we face not only when in prisons, it is imperative to have a close look at the fortitude that is adopting strengths as well as tenacity to push forward. Looking at the case of Jeff Henderson, he was earning a lot of money monthly but once he was arrested and jailed, he did self evaluation and adopted his strength of strong desire to cook. Through his reinvention process which was triggered once he was given a least desirable job in prison that is washing dishes, he was able to turn his life around. By getting the opportunity to cook in the prison kitchens he was able to gain a lot of skills that made him to be an experienced chef. Jeff Henderson rise was also faced by the segregation that he was facing as a chef. On his part, Jeff could not advocate for racial discrimination an aspect that indicates that if we are to be successful in our career, we must embrace diversity. On the other hand, George reinvention started once he got an opportunity to design and make furniture a chance that he had been looking for in life. During his stay in the prison, he got an opportunity to learn how to make furniture including tables and cabinets among others. By working with other inmates who had significant experience in carpentry, George became a renowned carpenter making him to be hired with established firms. Jeff Henderson became who he was meant to be, a flourishing chef. His strong will to succeed and the focus to overcome unimaginable adversity, made Jeff to reach at the top of his career. Based on his competitive nature of working and quality of work, he got various opportunities to work for example as the executive chef in Café Bellagio. George flourishing is also indicated by the way he was able to become one of the major furniture maker and designer in his home area. Regardless of the negative perception that the members of the public had at first, his work indicated something contrary. As his design met high demand, he became a famous carpenter, the profession that he was supposed to be in. Conclusion Based on the above discussion, it is clear that the adage that says when we think we are rising in life, we are really falling and when we think we are falling we are really rising is relevant in our lives. Jeff Henderson initial aim was to improve his life by selling drugs. Without taking into consideration the consequences he thought he was rising but actually he was falling. However, his rise became clear once he went to prison where he reinvented and became a world class chef. Similarly, George entry into mugging gang was to earn more money and enjoy life but he never knew he was falling. Once he does his own evaluation, he took the opportunity of training as a carpenter while in jail, a situation that made him to rise and became a first class carpenter. Basically, Cooked, Cooked: My Journey from the Streets to the Stove by Jeff Henderson embodies the rising/falling motif discussed in McMahon’s class evidenced by self denial, ignorant, regret, reinvention and flourishing. Works Cited Jeff, H. Cooked: My Journey from the Streets to the Stove. New York: William Morrow Paperbacks, 2008. Print. Read More