Man Child in the Promise land by claude brown

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Man child promise land
Introduction
The man-child in the Promised Land was written in the year 1965 and details the autobiography of Claude Brown. It details the account of the coming to the age of the author in an environment characterized by violence and poverty. The plot of the book is Harlem and events take place between the year 1940 and 1950 at the time when the civil rights movement had gained momentum in the society. The book achieved much and went beyond the literary environment bringing into consideration the account of the lives of those who lived in the urban settings.
Sonny’s Realizations
Sonny is depicted in the book as possessing new realization in life. In fact, he shows a lot of epiphany in his modern life and changes from all kinds of criminal activities to a successful and more reformed person in the society. The new realizations in Sonny’s life are the basis that forms the transition from a criminal teenager to a more positive and successful adult in the society that is emulated by every person. This is also seen in the way Sonny becomes one of the most celebrated characters in the book as he creates the real transformation needed in an individual.
Sonny learns a lot of new lessons about himself while in his teenage. In fact, Sonny realizes that life is easy and depends on one’s own ability to face all kind of odd with determination. Sonny also learns that the gun is not the only way that one can succeed in life. His realization that the gun plays a little role in his life is one of the many lessons he learns in the book. Sonny also learns that one can achieve any form of success irrespective of the kind of race or place of birth. This lesson comes when he encounters other colleagues in the reform school, analyzes their situations and opts not to fall a victim as his colleagues (Claude, 45). It is at this point that he puts these lessons into practice and decides to avoid early death by changing his character.
The knowledge comes about when Sonny becomes a member of the street gang at only eleven after experiencing several difficulties in life. He is arrested for allegedly stealing and taken to the Wiltwyck School where he is expected to undergo social and emotional maladjustment. Here, Sonny comes into contact with other minors who have a similar experience in life as him. Major changes in Sonny’s life are brought about by the influence of Mr. Papenek, who is illustrated in the book as the school s administrator (Claude, 77). Sonny faces a lot of unimpressive physical commands that makes significant to his knowledge and respect for other people. It is at this point that Sonny takes a dramatic turn in his character and embraces kindness and demeanor. Also, Sonny that if he employees an intelligent and educative mind he will succeed against all odds. He also takes the faith that is instilled in him by Papenek and struggles to become a reformed person.
The Fundamental Nature of Sonny sJourney
The fundamental nature of Sonny’s journey throughout the book is from a young child who is faced with all sort of challenges, problems and crimes to an adult who is of a positive identity and great achievements in life. Psychologically, Sonny has learned not to act emotionally but to analyze the circumstance and come up with sound decisions that would lead to a successful life ahead. Additionally, the reforms, and several institutions and school that Sonny attends bring a lot of psychological changes in his life (Claude, 95). The spiritual nature of Sonny’s education is that he depends on religion for consolation whenever he is depressed. He offers several prayers while nursing the wound on the stomach he got from a gunshot. There is also the aspect of an indifferent and violent father who psychologically affects Sonny’s character. This is worsened by his mother who displays the opposite character as his father. Physical abuse by his father and the shell game also plays a key role in shaping his physical character.
Another fundamental nature of change in Clade Brown’s life is when he undergoes physical abuse from his father after returning to his father’s home (Claude, 115). He can only get sympathy from a powerless mother and gets himself to trouble back to the streets. He becomes a drug dealer and joins stealing gangs again. It is at this point that Sonny is shot while in a stealing mission in a nearby clothesline. He is only thirteen and nobody can imagine the kind of life he undergoes. This lead to an ultimate decision to see Sonny sent to the Warwick Reform School where he begins a series of reformation amid a life filled with crime and ill characters for the rest of his age as an adolescent.
The Changes That Occur Within the Character over the Course of the Quest of Journey:
One of the key players in the book is the author Brown Claude, who appears as Sonny. There are several changes that take place in the live of Sonny as the book progresses throughout the plot. The account of Sonny s journey begins while Sonny is a child only aged thirteen and encounters an ordeal that totally changes his life. Sonny is shot while in the streets at a tender age for allegedly stealing pieces of the sheet being sold at a nearby clothesline. The changes that take place in Sonny’s life who represent Claude in the book are retraced from the age of eight while in primary school. The shooting just happens before Sonny joins the Reform School of Warwick and later escapes from the street to Harlem. At the age of 11, Brown Claude as depicted in the book, goes to a boys’ school in Wiltwyck but later returns to the street (Claude, 215). He is later shot and taken to reformation center. The later years see Brown being taken away from Harlem after obtaining a diploma from a high school. Brown Claude joins the Greenwich Village as a pianist and later joins a college. Brown Claude’s quest in the book is to find an opportunity and probably a land but instead is faced with challenges that only land him to the informal settlements within the outskirts of the urban centers. He tries to maintain the values and good character traits that would make him become successful in life but only ends up in ghettos that are frightening. Indeed, the life of Brown Claude as Sonny takes a lot of changes in the whole book that signifies how long struggle and suffering he has to endure in the quest for his hopes.
Brown also undergoes the baffles of the world with a lot of complexes characterizing his life. He also goes through several mentalities and family ties that end up making him rootless. His expulsion from school reveals the life of a man under continuous struggle. As well, Brown undergoes several odysseys in a treacherous ghetto within Harlem and other parts of the city. He has undergone through both pain and suffering in equal measures. Besides, Brown has experienced. The major changes in Brown’s life are the transformation through the streets of Harlem in tough and difficult conditions making him a hardened fighter in the streets.
Sony’s life undergoes successful transformation and from a disadvantaged and hardship life by enduring hardship and determination. His experience and changes in character is a clear indicator of the common experience in the ghettos. He also comes out of the predetermined life that was caused by his race and his place of birth. He changes from a hopeless person to a hero through all odds that surrounded his personality in his life. He also rises from misfortunes such as the shooting on the stomach, low achievement in academic levels, underprivileged parental guidance with little hope of the future to a more determined and successful man. Despite Sonny falling under the temptations of all sorts of crime, violence and drug trafficking, he comes out of all these temptations after a hard struggle with life (Claude, 315).
After spending most of his time in reform school, playing hooky in various schools and getting involved with several crimes, Brown ultimately eludes the destiny of a majority of his peers and comes out successful. In fact, Sonny escapes several incarcerations, deaths and manages to avoid the potential factors that would have led to his early perish. His life is transformed from a hopeless criminal juvenile to a more determined and focused adult with achievements in high school, becoming a pianist, attending the Howard University and later commencing studies in a law school (Claude, 400).He successfully escapes the life devastations that characterize the informal ghetto and accords himself a positive identity in the entire society. This makes Sonny become a significant example to many youths that anybody can achieve success despite the status or where he comes from.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Sonny’s character changes from a young criminal to a more successful adult through numerous survivals and growth in character. The instances of drug, crime, racial unrest and violence also shape the character change as reveal in Sonny throughout the book. He changes his tactic from using force in fighting anything, anyone and anywhere to courage and determination. The self-witness of how his colleagues with similar experience destroys their life makes his change his character to become a more focused and determined person. This makes Sony struggle so hard to escape addiction, poverty and any possible cause of early death and decides to vacant Harlem through any possible way. He changes his attitude towards life and eventually succeeds in life as a person of God and reputable character and positive identity. His journey throughout the book has depicted a man who is determined to succeed against all odd. The fundamental nature of his transformation is a clear indicator of how success can be achieved without any form of violence.





















Work Cited
Claude Brown Man child promise land 2012. Macmillan $ Co. Print









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