Literary Analysis Essay on Renegade Dreams by Laurence Ralph

Introduction

In the book Renegade dreams by Laurence Ralph, a life of crime and violence is explored through experiences that are part of the everyday lives of people. It is a piece that profoundly speaks about the life of crime and shunned humanity. He nuances the lives of people who have been injured in different ways, some psychologically and others physically. While some want to dream and live better lives, others are still sinking deeply into the life of violent crimes. Death has become the norm, and several people have lost their lives, and those who survive the violence might be maimed for life. The author goes into the depths of the lives of people that have been irrevocably damaged and tries to understand how they cope as he tries to look for solutions that will make their lives better so that they can dream again.

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The author begins his article by giving a preview of the state of things in Chicago in a community known as Eastwood, which is infested by gangsters. Ralph explains that he tries to talks to several groups in the neighborhood, for instance, the gangsters, AIDs victims, clergymen, and community leaders, among others. The reason for engaging the different groups is to try and find the issues surrounding them and give solutions where possible. He first meets a group of people who have been injured and are now maimed as their wounds can only speak of their past lives of being members of a gang. The author states, "I soon found out that Justin deemed extraordinary: the young men on stage looked like him. They too used to belong to a gang and had been disabled by a gunshot; now they were on stage calling attention to their wounds" (Ralph 3). The excerpt indicates that the people who were formerly members of a gang are willing to give testimonies of what they went through and perhaps through their wounds offer valid advice against crime and violence. The disabled ex-gang members on wheel cheers portray their struggles after they were maimed for life. The author explains that the youth held their catheters and enema bottles a scene that depicts their daily struggles after being gang members. It is an indication that crime does not pay but rather leads to a life of misery.

The author explains that their bodies give unspoken testimonies of the negative effects of crime, and that can and should be avoided. It is evident that the consequences of crime to the criminals and the victims are dire as one of the ex-gang members explains that when one is involved in crime, they either die or get locked up in jail. Tony Akpan one of the disabled ex-gang member confesses "they say when you gang band, when you drug deal he outcome are either death or jail. He continues you never hear about the wheelchair. I didn't know this was an option and if you think about it. It's a little bit of both worlds cause half of my body is dead" (Ralph 3). It is an indication of not only regret form a former gang member but also a lesson to others with similar intentions. Gang members regret their heinous act and say that their suffering is a result of the choices they earlier made. On the contrary, the author gives them a message of hope so that they can dream again and live lives that are free of crime but be examples to others through their testimonies. Ralph elucidates that the disabled ex-gang members bring sobering realities from their experiences, and through anti-violence campaigns, they are able to sensitize the community members of the dangers of crime.

One of the critical facts that the author points out is that several members of gang violence are more likely to be injured than killed. He gives an example of Chicago, where he states over the last fifteen years, at least 36,000 people have been injured while 8000 were killed (Ralph 4). It is an indication that several get maimed instead of being killed. One thing that brings hope in society, however, is that those who are disabled through the gang-violence dream again and take new careers that are not only beneficial to them but to the society at large. A good example is Justine, who turns out to be an anti-violence activist. In addition to him working with a violence prevention agency, he is interested in public speaking so that he can talk about youth affiliated gangs. Ralph explores the saddening reality of the community of Eastwood, where he says that injury is in every place contrary to ex-gangs members whose damage is right with them. The author states that injury in Eastwood is manifested in different forms. In Eastwood, injury is seen through the dilapidated living conditions, as seen from the housing. Similarly, injury is seen among the youth who are potential gang members and also those who had dreams that have been crushed by their involvement in drug dealing. He further adds that injury is seen through the eyes of those suffering from HIV and have to take their drugs daily to manage their illness.

The author explains that he is forced to not look at the injuries in terms of the things that the doctors can diagnose and treat but as things that are present in everyday life and solution have been put in place yet. Ralph states that the injuries present in Eastwood are those that have affected them throughout their entire life and have become a burden that weight them down and also curtail their future aspirations. He explains that injury is not only physical but also emotional. The author elucidates that from the stories given by the youth, he deduced that they are injured not only physically but also emotionally. He states "what really struck me was this: each time that I sat in a teenager's house and listened to him tell about the pressures to seek retribution after a close friend was killed or I heard former gang members recounting stories about being gunned down and left for dead, I immediately noticed the evidence of injury"(Ralph 5). He states that the narrations of such youth are evidence of emotional pain and regret because of the choices made to join violence and crime gangs. On the contrary, he states that a majority of them have dreams for their future, and they are optimistic despite what they have seen or gone through. Ralph explains that the Eastwoodians were not afraid to dream of a good life as their injuries were tied to optimism and a bright future. Form the book, it is evident that dreams never die, and this is the hop that keeps the Chicago people alive. The author gives an example of Barrack Obama, who lived the dreams of his father and pursued his dreams of becoming the president of the United States of America. Ralph states that the dreams of Eastwoodians are tied to personalities that have defied the odds and won the battle by following their dreams. He states that their dreams were linked to great personalities such as Hughes, Luther king jr, and Obama and others.

The people from the Eastwood community wanted a different life, and they were willing and hoped that change would come. He states that the Eastwoodians dreamt even when they were going through discouraging situations. The author states, "Nevertheless Eastwoodians -young and old, male and female alike dreamed in ways that expressed their desires for a different world" (Ralph 7). It is evident that despite their hardship of scanty resources, high rates of crime, the people from Eastwood were optimistic and had great dreams for a bright future. The author states that they were cognizant of the fact that despite the dreams being difficult to achieve, they had to work towards them.

It is important to note that the author portrayed the real-life that people go through in everyday life in some parts of the world. He mirrors the challenges through Chicago's case study and explores the dangers of crime life. People die while others become maimed for life, but there is hope when those living dream to have a better life.

Work Cited

Ralph, Laurence. Renegade Dreams: Living through injury in gangland Chicago. University of Chicago Press, 2014.