The Homewood Trilogy Analysis

The Homewood Trilogy by John Edgar Wideman questions the effects of his first true influences, the Academy and the Street. “My university training had both thwarted and prepared this understanding, and the tension of multiple traditions, European and Afro-American, the Academy and the Street, animates these texts,” Wideman acknowledges. The essence of Wideman’s argument is that the life he lived at the academy and in the street influenced him to become the person he is today. I agree with author John Edgar Wideman about the positive and negative results of his first true influences. My mother has influenced my morals, the way I treat other people, and how I allow other people to treat me. On the other hand, the city I am from has influenced …show more content…
My mother and I are from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, which is currently known as “the unhappy place in America.” I went to high school right in the middle of the city with kids from seven different towns, which created a diverse student body. The diversity in school was never an issue for me, but I watched many good people get mixed up in the wrong crowd. A gang known as the “bloods” became a huge threat to the city during my senior year of high school. This gang recruited many kids that I use to go to school with, which caused me to witness how violence and drugs could change someone. In addition to gang violence, many hard drugs became an issue in the city. After watching so many kids I knew get mixed up with the wrong people, I realized how important it was for me to set goals for myself. I strived to get the best grades I possibly could by constantly studying and keeping up with my homework. In addition to setting academic goals, I also set athletic goals. I devoted myself to becoming a better student athlete and without the influences my city brought upon me, I would not have been able to do it. All of these threats in the city influenced me to be cautious about my everyday life choices. I often had to ask myself if it was okay to go to the pizza place at that hour or if I would be okay to go to the movies so late. It was always important for me to be cautious about the decisions I was making because I never wanted to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. I believe this influence has both positively and negatively affected my life. Sometimes I am too cautious and I think that I miss out on a lot of adventurous opportunities, but on the other hand I believe it is better to be safe than sorry. I will always be proud of the city I am from even in its worst conditions because without its influences on me, I would not be the person I am