If I Grow Up Analysis

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Recommended: Gangs in Chicago

The deaths per year done by guns, 80% of them are gang related. If I Grow Up, written by Todd Strasser shows the life of a male kid growing up in the projects in Chicago. DeShawn wanted didn’t want to join the gang and stay in school. But his family didn’t have money or food. His friend that was in the gang had a bunch of money. So DeShawn joined the gang because in school they didn’t teach them much, and the money that his family got was a lot more of it when he got in the gang. I think that DeShawn had a choice not to join the gang because he could get a job, could have gotten a better education, and other people have gotten out of the projects.

Some people thought that DeShawn didn’t have a choice in joining the gang. However, I think that he did have a choice in getting out of the projects or not joining the gangs.

DeShawn could have gotten a job out of the projects or a different job in the projects. First, other he knows people that got a job that wasn’t in the gangs. His girlfriend has a job working for random people. The text state, “All those nights I can’t see you, I babysit.” Also, his friend got a job. According to the text, …show more content…

DeShawn does have the choice about joining the gangs. The people in the projects do have a choice about getting out of there. Almost every male kid in the projects gets peer pressured into the gangs. If you are strong and motivation to get out of the projects; you might have a chance to get out. The people in the projects have the potential to do something with their lives if the go to school, and follow good role models instead of the gang members and leaders. Intercity projects are something that no one wants to talk about. The projects have people dying at a rate 12 people per day in one project. The government doesn’t have more cops sent into the projects. The cops don’t want to go into the projects, because they don’t want to be

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