Hai Pham 6/16/99 Criminology One child grows up to be somebody who just loves to learn. And the other child grows up to be somebody who just loves to burn (198) An excerpt of this poem paints a picture of two brothers, John and Robert Wideman, leading different lives. Robert Wideman, embraced a path common for black men during that era; a life of crime, glamour, and drugs. Quietly sitting in jail, he reminisces deeply about his …showed first 75 words of 1539 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1539 total…for Robert to succeed, he would have certainly taken that chance. Unfortunately, the only opportunities present in his neighborhood were criminal opportunities. Robert’s greatest failure was to perceive his fate as something that can’t be changed. Only through times of isolation did Robert realize his mistake. We can change our attitudes by first looking within ourselves for that commitment. Bibliography Works cited Wideman, John E. Brothers and Keepers. New York : First Vintage Books, 1984