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Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, is an autobiography detailing the criminal and personal life of Kody Scott. The book tells the story of how and why Kody Scott got involved in gang life, what happened during his time as a gang member, and how his life changed after his incarceration. It gives great insight into the inner workings of gangs in America, and shows how tough life is for the people who choose to be a part of it. Shakur greatly details his early years, his time as one of the leaders on the streets, and his transformation in prison. Kody Scott first became involved with the Crips at the age of eleven (Shakur Preface xiii). From the beginning of his time in the Crips, Scott seemed to naturally fit into the life of a gang member. He quickly gained notoriety for his numerous acts of violence and he was given the nickname "Monster" as a result of a vicious beating he gave a man that left him permanently disfigured and in a coma (Shakur 13). Scott became very well known around the community and was feared by rival gangs, as he quickly rose to the top of his own gang. Throughout his early teenage years, Scott was in and out of juvenile halls and youth camps as a result of his violent behavior. As a result of his affiliation with the Crips and his actions as a member, his relationship with his mother became very poor (Shakur 25). He became so notorious that one night he was attacked and shot seven times (Shakur 92). After this he became even more famous in the gang world and he was quickly becoming the most respected member of the Crips. Shortly after being released from the hospital after his shooting, Kody Scott was arrested for murder and was sent to juvenile hall (Shakur 124). During Scott's ... ... middle of paper ... ... of the theories listed attempt to explain why Kody Scott acted the way he did when he was a young man. The central theme in all of them is that he was not in an environment that taught him to live what is considered a normal life. The people he was surrounded by and who had the most influence on him were the ones who taught him to be the way he was and act the way he did. If he had lived in a different city, or had different role models growing up, then maybe he would not have been led into a life of crime. Unfortunately however, he was surrounded by poor circumstances and was forced to do whatever he could in order to survive. Works Cited Adler, Freda, Gerhard O. W. Mueller, and William S. Laufer. Criminology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. Shakur, Sanyika. Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1993. Print.
The “Thug” series written by Wahida Clark is urban fiction, and the novels from the series have become bestsellers (New York Times and Essence). This series has taken the world by storm, and is full of sex, drugs, murder, and drama, and has set the world of urban fiction on fire. Clark has been called “Queen of Thug Life Fiction” since writing the novels. Clark calls her novels Thug Love Fiction, which is one of the subgenres of urban fiction.
Growing up in a world of gangs, death, and suffering Kody Scott, also known as Monster Kody, grew up in a life of struggle. From eleven years old Kody knew what he wanted a to be, a gangster. Nothing could stop him from becoming one of the most feared gang member of the late 1970?s and early 80?s except maybe his own conscience. Kody Scott goes through an evolution, from a child to Monster Kody to finally Sanyika Shakur, his Muslim name. Sanyika Shakur is a true survivor, considering everything that has taken place in his life he has managed to make something of himself from nothing.
The book emphasizes the idea of how difficult it is to leave the gang lifestyle. There are frequent cases of relapse by individuals in the book, who were once out to again return to gangs. This case is brought by what gangs represent to this in the book and what leaving entails them to give up. The definition of gangs presented to the class was, three or more members, share name, color, or affiliation, or must exist in a geopolitical context. To members associated with gangs, this definition can include your family members, neighborhood, everyone that they associate with. Take for example Ronnie from Jumped in by Jorja Leap it states,” Ronny’s role models are gangbangers. His family is a hood. His mentors are older homies in county jail.”(102). Ronnie and other gang members like him do not
It was on the day of June 15th, 1975 that the world of eleven year old boy named Kody Scott would change completely. A month prior to this day, Kody was suspended from school for flashing a gang sign during the school’s panorama picture; from here it was evident where Kody was heading in life. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Kody was always surrounded by gangs and constantly witnessed the warfare created by rival gangs. Upon his return home from his sixth grade graduation Kody dashed out of the window in his room and ran to meet up with Tray Ball, a gang member of the Eight Tray Gangster Crips who had agreed to sponsor Kody into the gang. That night Kody was beaten senseless by the members of the set as a part of his initiation. Then, Tray Ball came and approached Kody with a pump shotgun that contained eight shells and said: “Kody, you got eight shots, you don’t come back to the car unless they are all gone.” The gang drove north into their enemy territory and eventually found and ambushed their target, a group of Bloods (the main enemy of the Crips). It was instant, gun shots rained from all directions, Kody shot six times before chasing an enemy blood who was then shot in the back by Kody. Kody’s future in the gang was set in stone. He was accepted by all members immediately, especially Tray Ball, who encouraged him to pursue barbaric acts that made Kody’s name soar in the streets. Two years later, at the age of thirteen, Kody was attempting robbery and proceeded to stomp on the man for about twenty minutes until the man was put into a coma at the hands of Kody. The police stated to bystanders that whoever did such an act was a monster, that name stuck to Kody and eventually became more prominent than his actual birth name. Needless to say, school was never Kody’s main focus. Over the course of the next two years, Kody made it his only ambition to fight for the gang and promote the superiority of the Eight Tray Gangsters. Kody’s end goal was to ultimately achieve the status of “Ghetto Star”, a title given to a individual who is known throughout gang because of the barbaric acts they have committed in the name of their own gang set.
Can you imagine yourself being apart of a group or lifestyle, now imagine yourself not fitting in. Maybe some people think you’re weird, but people just like you understand. Many suggest that it’s dangerous while others want to join. Whatever the reason may be you still consider yourself apart of society. As you grow older you realize that many people have different backgrounds and maybe even distinct behaviors. When people feel a deep need for love or respect, values and morals may be forgotten. It’s their customs, rituals, and beliefs that make up their own culture.
...ty ran so deep that he put his life on the line for his kingmany times, and eventually died for his kingdom. Similarly, gangsters are extremelyloyal to their gangs and leaders. They remain members for life and are willing tosacrifice their lives for their fellow members. An example of this bond is a recordcompany which is infamous for violence and gang-relations, "Death Row Records". Although it is a recording company and not a gang, its members including 2Pac, SnoopDoggy Dog, and its CEO, Marion "Suge" Knight, are a tight-knit group whose loyaltyruns high. Gangs and pagan warriors share many similarities. Both thrive on strength,violence, and loyalty to their groups. Today's street gangs seem to take the "OldEnglish" warriors' ideals to a farther, even more violent extent. But all the same, streetgangs exemplify the ideals of the past "Old English" times.
After my Grandfather died in the late 1960's, my Grandmother came to live with us for a short time. It was a wonderful way to learn about my heritage and I got to listen to her stories about when my Father was growing up in San Francisco. I remember a story she told me about when my Dad was around eight years old, about the same time Little Caesar was in the movie theaters. One day he came home from school and told my Grandmother that some kid at school told him that all Italians were cutthroats. My Grandmother got very upset and told him to ignore comments like that, that all it did was reveal the ignorance of the person making that remark, and to always take pride in who you are and your Italian heritage. My Dad looked at my Grandmother and very innocently asked her, "Ma, what's a cutthroat?"
There are several different types of murderers, with one of the most popular in the media being a serial killer. A serial killer is someone who kills at least three people at different times, with time in between each murder described as a “cooling off period”. After killing, they feel a sense of relief for a while, but when it wears off they feel the need to kill again to release their stress. Ronald Dominique is classified as a serial killer for murdering at least twenty-three men in Louisiana over the course of nine years. The number has never been clarified because Ronald claimed to have murdered more, but that he could not recall where he had dumped the bodies. This research investigated his victims, how he killed them, Ronald’s life, and people’s opinions about him. When Ronald was in high school, he was teased and bullied about being homosexual. It eventually became very hard for him to attend
Family Trust, making a profit, violence and being powerful, are all characteristics which the Honor Society also know as the Mafia followed and lived by. People may ask what does this all have to do with life in history, but this is all what the Mafia was based upon. “You have to be like a lion and a fox. The fox is smart enough to recognize traps, and the lion is strong enough to scare away the wolves. Be like a lion and a fox, and no one will ever beat you” Carlo Gambino. Carlo Gambino was a mafia prince and eventually he would help create the Gambino Family and set a standard for organized that no one would be able to touch or come close to. Carlo Gambino escaped being murder at all cost many thought that the reason being was because he ruled quietly. Many may ask what is the importance of Carlo Gambino and how is he tied with the Gambino Family. The Gambino Family was one of the five mafia families recognized in New York City. The Gambino Family was possibly the most recognizable and most powerful Crime Family, and may still be to this day. The Gambino family was created under another name in the 1800s and slowly evolved into what is known as the Gambino Family today. Organized Crime and Crime Families were big in New York City and controlled a lot of entities from loans, bootlegging and controlling shipping yards. With this came violence and murders due to certain Crime Families or members wanting to be in control. Throughout history the Gambino Family has always been in headlines and it shows us how money actually runs a lot of the world including government systems and other parties.
In the nonfiction book, Chew on This, the author's’ argument and purpose of the chapter “Youngster Business” is to inform people about how marketers are using TV characters to advertise and attract people to buy their product.
The era of Don Carlo, which lasted from 1957-1976, was enormously prosperous for the Gambino Crime Family. At the beginning of his rule he, and many other crime families, ran into a pretty large roadblock. As Gambino was being sworn in as leader of the Cosa Nostra, President Elect John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a man who had “sworn to destroy people like him and rid the nation of the scourge of organized crime” had also been sworn in”(Davis 87). The Kennedy brothers, with Robert as head of the McClellan Committee, was the first time that the executive branch of the government directly went after organized crime. Before Kennedy, presidents had even been opposed to going after the mob Harry Truman and Eisenhower discouraged hearings like Kefauver’s to proceed. Another huge obstacle to the federal investigation of the Cosa Nostra lay directly at the feet of corrupt FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. He obtusely denied the existence of the Mafia and was reported to call the reports of its existence “baloney” (Davis 87). Eventually, after overwhelming evidence, Hoover was convinced there was a problem and organized crime was the reason for it. President JFK’s brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy instituted the world’s largest attack on organized crime in all of history. He drew up a list of the top targets, forty in all, and went on his way. After the first year of his war on organized crime, Bobby Kennedy indicted 121 mob defendants and had 73 convictions. By 1963 there was 615 indicted and 288 convictions. One of the most long-lasting tactics that were introduced during Kennedy’s campaign, was the use of bugs and other listening devices in the homes, favored clubs, and hideouts of the mobsters. Electronic surveillance was a new resource an...
When we hear the words gangster or mobster, the first picture that comes to mind is bloodshed and violence. But Warshow shows us in his writings that this is not necessarily the case by giving us examples from the movie The Godfather of how the family is very similar to a normal everyday household yet very different at the same time. The family has this unique kind of courage that allows them to do what they want without having to care about what they can lawfully do. The family does not openly talk abou...
As time moves forward, cultural inevitably changes as well. With that cultural shift, there eventually comes a time when a genre is slightly carved into that of the culture. During the early 1970’s, gangster rap was slowly becoming a popularity. During that same era, was when the notorious rap crew NWA was formed. The Godfather was the first film in the modernist era to show the point of view of the actual gangsters. In previous thriller films like Breathless, the antagonist is never given a fair look of his/her personality and true intentions. However, The Godfather showed the inside scoop of what Mafia’s did and how they ran their group. The etiquettes of the underground world were portrayed and really let the audience understand the true
Improvements and regressions are always a natural cause in the development of a community, psychologically and socially. Children of the Alley demonstrate a cycle of improvement and regression throughout the community with each messenger that Gabalawi is sending to the population. The alley brought gangsterism and gangsterism broke the alley, the messengers were bringing the people together again, but all failed to re-organise it and leave peace in the community forever. Throughout the novel, it showed a cycle that was relating to the religious history of the Middle East, and how Mahfouz suggested some insight into the nature of human society.
"Help! Help!" he yelled. But no one was there to hear him. He swung right into a house on the road and slammed the door shut behind him. He knew the beast would be able to smell him, so he didn’t have much time. He locked the door and leaped up the stairs, taking them three at a time. He opened every closet, and every door in the house, and couldn’t find any weapon. He ran into the deserted kitchen, and there on the counter was exactly what he was looking for - an eight inch chef knife. It wasn’t much, but it would do. He heard the door break open, and the red – eyed monster appeared foaming at the mouth. He grabbed the knife and just as the