In his book “Code of the Street”, Elijah Anderson presents the term oppositional culture. In the final chapter and conclusion, Anderson shares the story of two men, John Turner and Robert, both raised and affected by oppositional culture. In this essay I will compare and contrast the ways in which Anderson uses the men to illustrate this concept, and explain their life trajectories. I will prove that while John Turner and Robert show examples of oppositional culture in the path of their lives, the two eventually differ at the conclusion of their encounters with Anderson. To prove this, I will begin by defining oppositional culture and its relation to African American culture. Next, I will explain the ways in which oppositional culture affected the
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For example, both men are given a chance to better themselves, however what sets them apart is what they accomplish with these chances. Robert, inspired by his mentor Herman Wrice proves himself by cleaning out a trash riddled vacant lot in order to gain enough trust to earn Wrice’s assistance (Anderson 1999, 294). John Turner on the other hand is given opportunities to succeed, yet appears to consistently fail by not paying his fines, quitting his job, returning to drug dealer life, all leading to his eventual absorption back into the streets, as Anderson states, “ultimately [oppositional culture] immobilized him in the face of conventional opportunity.” (Anderson 1999, 256, 263, 264, 285) Anderson used these two stories to provide examples of the ways in which oppositional culture can shape the life trajectory of an individual. While both Robert and John Turner’s life trajectories are heavily influenced by oppositional culture and share similar experiences, they eventually choose different paths for themselves using their given resources.
Anderson, Elijah. 1999. Code of the Street. New York:
For example, both men are given a chance to better themselves, however what sets them apart is what they accomplish with these chances. Robert, inspired by his mentor Herman Wrice proves himself by cleaning out a trash riddled vacant lot in order to gain enough trust to earn Wrice’s assistance (Anderson 1999, 294). John Turner on the other hand is given opportunities to succeed, yet appears to consistently fail by not paying his fines, quitting his job, returning to drug dealer life, all leading to his eventual absorption back into the streets, as Anderson states, “ultimately [oppositional culture] immobilized him in the face of conventional opportunity.” (Anderson 1999, 256, 263, 264, 285) Anderson used these two stories to provide examples of the ways in which oppositional culture can shape the life trajectory of an individual. While both Robert and John Turner’s life trajectories are heavily influenced by oppositional culture and share similar experiences, they eventually choose different paths for themselves using their given resources.
Anderson, Elijah. 1999. Code of the Street. New York: