The Pact Sparknotes

Improved Essays
In a story called The Pact, written by three doctors named Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt, and George Jenkins, the story describes the struggles and experience they went through to become doctors. Explained each of their point of views on important moments that happened starting from their teen years in highschool and further goes on till when they are in college becoming doctors. Displays the struggles they each had to go through within their community as well as in school to become successful doctors in the future. In The Pact, the story illustrates how the three boys undergo and overcome the different problems low - income communities have presented to them. However, the story also demonstrates the injustice that happens within the education …show more content…
In the novel it displays the communities the three doctors had to live in during their upbringing. They talk about the harsh conditions they all lived under where it was hard to get out of that community, how they were always involved with gangs, thugs, and how all that negativity would then transfer to their schools. As George stated in the story, “ I don't remember the dentist’s name, but I never forgot what he did for me. He gave me a dream. And there was no greater gift for a smart kid growing up in a place where dreams were snatched away all the time.” (The Pact, 5) George explains how in low - income communities students dreams and thoughts are usually seized from them, causing children to lose value in their studies. In an article chapter called Neighborhood and School written by Karl Alexander which describes the crime and schooling that usually happens within low - income communities. He stated, “That weak cohesion at the community level open the door for crime and other forms of predatory behavior, and residential segregation adds a racial layer to urban disadvantage.” (Alexander, 125) Alexander states how there is a disadvantage to children in low funded communities, because kids that end up demotivated with their dreams, end up relying on gangs and the streets to help them grow rather than their education. In addition, …show more content…
Every day within these communities people stay with the fear that violence and crime will be the main priority their children focus on, rather than their education. Because the children are their future and if they are doing the same poor decisions they made, a cycle will keep on repeating itself with no progress. As stated by Alexander from his article, “ In many parts of any big city crime and the fear of it top the list of neighborhood concerns.” (Pg. 128) Describing how that crime is everybody biggest fear, because it just doesn’t affect them but it affects everybody in the long run. Violence ends up becoming the social norm in lower - income communities because that’s what a majority have relied on to survive in the streets. Alexander as well provides studies and statistics about the crime rates and commonly people are exposed to it. (Pg. 128) The statistics present and prove that lower funded communities are revealed to crime at a very young age, as well derailed of their dreams and values. In The Pact, “ And I believe that the kids who grew up in a less sustainable environment were more susceptible to pressure from friends to do the negative things that everyone else seemed to be doing.” (Pg. 10) George explain how that within his community other trouble making kids would pressured other kids to do the wrong things.

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