R. Dwayne Betts A Question Of Freedom

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Sometimes life throws at us unfair or difficult situations when we least expect them. As these complications continue to rise, we must face the realities (of the severities and seriousness) of these issues. During these vulnerable moments in our lives, humans either immerse themselves to failure or grow stronger as people. The most successful utilize these problems as a learning opportunity to extend their personal development as they find the good in every bad situation. In R. Dwayne Betts’ book A Question Of Freedom, Betts expands his knowledge, takes responsibility, and ultimately gains a new perspective on life during his struggles in life. Therefore, Betts’ motivation to turn his life around for the better and drive for success …show more content…

Not only does he not make excuses for his illegal actions, but as his friends and family try to unfairly prove him innocent, Betts respectfully denies their arguments. In court, Betts says to the judge, “Your Honor, I have to apologize to the victim. What I did was wrong. I apologize to my family, to my mother. But I have to say, your Honor, that I didn’t do it because I didn’t have a father in the house” (78). He shows great maturity as he denies proof that can shorten his jail time! He accepts the consequences of his actions and serves full justice to his victim. Besides the temptation of freedom, he willingly gives it up because he knows it is the right thing to do. These actions shine a great and positive light in his character and personality that he can use to benefit him in the future. Furthermore, Betts takes the initiative to reach out to different people for support and emotional care as he makes the most of his situation. He tells readers, “I talked to black because he could understand whatever time I had, and if I could understand how he dealt with the time he had without snapping, I knew I could deal with mine” (85). In these moments of desperation, Betts has the courage to ask for help and support; thus showing a sign of weakness to the other cellmates. He accepts the struggles he is dealing with right now and is responsible enough to know how to overcome these challenges. This helps Betts …show more content…

With the different environment Betts must live in, he learns about many different religions along with the different people he meets in prison. This is evident when he says, “Never mind that I didn’t know any person who was Muslim . . . He said that the people who followed the Quran were Muslims. So we read the Quran” (120). With Betts exposed to various religions, he opens his mind to different opportunities and tries new things. Before jail however, Betts did not have the opportunity to know about the diverse and rich cultures of the world. With his new knowledge, it motivates him to do something different and spontaneous; something every successful person must experience. In addition to this, Betts lives with a multicultural group of people for the first time. He states: “Prison was the first place where I was around blacks and whites, Asians and Hispanics on a regular basis. It was also the first place where I actually talked to people from different cultures and ethnicities on a regular basis” (221). Betts encounters many different groups of people in jail. This extends cultural horizons for him, which helps him understand different point of views of different people. Ultimately, this gives Betts a different and positive attitude to life that helps him take on the real world after jail easier to grasp opportunities to help him become successful. To wrap up, Betts experiences

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