The Baddest Dog in Harlem - Analytical Essay
The short story “The Baddest Dog in Harlem” was written by Walter Dean Myers and published in 2001 from the collection of short stories “145th Street”.
The story “The Baddest Dog in Harlem” is about how a group of black men is acting while the police surround the area they are in. The black men get a tip about a guy with a semi-automatic rifle is in an apartment nearby. As the story evolves the main character decides to go with the police and a woman to the apartment where the suspect possibly is, where they discover that the woman’s dog has been a victim. Everybody is relieved that suspect carrying a rifle was absent. When they arrive at the next apartment they see a kid is lying dead in a bed. …show more content…
The slang and words that are used in the text give a texturized verbal picture of Harlem and Harlem´s current situation. The strong tone can be heard when friends are having a conversation and even when the main character is thinking. The author does a great job avoiding using bad language, while he still maintains the characters and keeps them authentic. That makes them relatable and makes them come to life in the short story. The slang can be seen by the incorrect use of grammar and the incorrect word composition. This is appealing in sentences like: “what you young people talking about”. If this sentence should be correct it could be, “What are you young people talking …show more content…
Is one of the sentences in the song. The bridge mentioned quite possibly the third avenue bridge which goes from Manhattan to the Bronx, which you need to cross to get to Harlem. A lot of other things mentioned in the song recognizable in the short story too. “If an officer stops you, promise me you'll always be polite”. This is a clear drawn parallel to the short story where the main character also puts his innocent face on when the police come. The repetition of the words such as “41 shots” and “Is it a gun, is it a knife Is it a wallet, this is your life” is a reminder of the tough and criminal environment. “Willie just stood there and I hoped he didn’t have anything on him illegal”. This suggests that there is a high possibility of him having illegal stuff on him, which also sums up the high criminal rates in
The short story “The Baddest Dog in Harlem” was written by Walter Dean Myers and published in 2001 from the collection of short stories “145th Street”.
The story “The Baddest Dog in Harlem” is about how a group of black men is acting while the police surround the area they are in. The black men get a tip about a guy with a semi-automatic rifle is in an apartment nearby. As the story evolves the main character decides to go with the police and a woman to the apartment where the suspect possibly is, where they discover that the woman’s dog has been a victim. Everybody is relieved that suspect carrying a rifle was absent. When they arrive at the next apartment they see a kid is lying dead in a bed. …show more content…
The slang and words that are used in the text give a texturized verbal picture of Harlem and Harlem´s current situation. The strong tone can be heard when friends are having a conversation and even when the main character is thinking. The author does a great job avoiding using bad language, while he still maintains the characters and keeps them authentic. That makes them relatable and makes them come to life in the short story. The slang can be seen by the incorrect use of grammar and the incorrect word composition. This is appealing in sentences like: “what you young people talking about”. If this sentence should be correct it could be, “What are you young people talking …show more content…
Is one of the sentences in the song. The bridge mentioned quite possibly the third avenue bridge which goes from Manhattan to the Bronx, which you need to cross to get to Harlem. A lot of other things mentioned in the song recognizable in the short story too. “If an officer stops you, promise me you'll always be polite”. This is a clear drawn parallel to the short story where the main character also puts his innocent face on when the police come. The repetition of the words such as “41 shots” and “Is it a gun, is it a knife Is it a wallet, this is your life” is a reminder of the tough and criminal environment. “Willie just stood there and I hoped he didn’t have anything on him illegal”. This suggests that there is a high possibility of him having illegal stuff on him, which also sums up the high criminal rates in