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  • Essay / Analysis of Walter Dean Myers' Image of the 145th Street Neighborhood

    Response to "Monkey Man" and "Angela's Eyes" From "Monkey Man" and "Angela's Eyes", Walter Dean Myers depicts the neighborhood of 145th Street as a character, with strengths, weaknesses and values. By telling these stories about 145th Street itself, he manages to portray the neighborhood with human values ​​and characteristics all along 145th Street. In the stories, the events that occur give an overall idea of ​​the values ​​that generally dominate in the neighborhood. That being said, "Monkey Man" gives an overall positive example of the neighborhood's values, while "Angela's Eyes" gives a more negative portrayal. In "Monkey Man", the main character, Monkey Man, is wanted by the local gang for interfering with the excision of an innocent person's limb. This person, Peaches, rallies the neighborhood to try to find a way to save Monkey Man. Although it doesn't seem to succeed, he hatches a plan on his own, ultimately relying on the moral values ​​of the neighborhood to counterbalance the gang's evil intentions. He explains his reasoning: “I just thought some people were going to be wrong, and some people were going to be right. No matter what happened to me, everyone would know the difference” (Myers 85). Through the events of this short story, we see the 145th Street family bond, the care they have for each other, and the courage to do what's right when necessary. “Angela's Eyes,” on the other hand, depicts a child named Angela who lives with her mother and whose father recently died in a work accident. Angela begins to have dreams, the first in which she sees her father and Poli. Angela reveals the details of her dream and Poli dies shortly after. This worries the neighborhood enough, but Angela then has another dream in which she sees Eddie Robinson, who also dies shortly after. As a result, the neighborhood is terrified of Angela and her apparent ability to see future deaths. Angela is treated badly and she no longer likes to go out in public. Mr. Rodriguez says of the neighborhood: "Today they talk about Angela and tomorrow they will talk about me, if the people in this neighborhood don't have a job, all they have for entertainment is is what they can make up. » (Myers 47). This paints the neighborhood as superficial and ignorant, believing everything they hear and accelerating the spread of rumors that demean people. Through the actions of the neighborhood and the events of "Angela's Eyes," we see the mob mentality that led to the mistreatment of a young girl for nothing it could have affected. Thanks to “Monkey Man” and “Angela's Eyes” by Walter Dean Myers, I learned to show and describe a place like a character. By telling these different stories about the neighborhood, we learn what the values ​​or morals of the neighborhood are like. It's almost as if the book 145th Street itself is a biography of a character, that character being 145th Street. Accounts of events occurring on the street are like events in a person's life, shaping the character's portrayal of 145th Street. Walter Dean Myers achieves this in both “Monkey Man” and “Angela’s Eyes.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essay