Inmate Masculinity True Notebooks has introduced us to many young male inmates who made writing become a big part of their lives. We saw how many of the young men wore the mask of masculinity and had to hide their emotions from everyone. They all had different views on masculinity and their mentality of what a real man is. Kevin is a very unique young man who went through so much, but still maintains sane and is determined to change himself for the good. Throughout his time in juvenile hall Kevin was aiming towards hegemonic masculinity by adopting a more responsible approach to his life. Hegemonic masculinity is the dominant form of masculinity where young men have a clear status. In Rios and Sarabia’s article Synthesized Masculinities,
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His role in the unit is being the messenger, where his job is to do whatever staff tells him to do. As Francisco describes, “That’s a minor who, you know, never gets in trouble, so the staff give him stuff to do…”(80). The way Francisco describes a messenger demonstrates how other inmates see the job and it seems that as if everyone would like to be a messenger because it gives them more time out of their cells. Having the role of being the messenger has helped Kevin become more responsible by making sure he gets everything done and he treats it as a real job so he makes sure that he doesn’t lose it because it’s a respected roll. His situation is similar to the young man, Jason, in Rios and Sarabia’s article because as soon as he got a job, police officers saw him as responsible and less problematic since he got something he can’t afford to loss and his job keeps him busy rather than wasting his time causing trouble. Being the messenger helps Kevin stay on top of things and keeps him busy which detains him from getting into trouble. The job of a messenger is very important and takes someone who is well rounded. Mr. Sills states, “This is a job that requires, intelligence, dedication, patience, and pride”. (310), meaning that the job of a messenger is only handed to inmates who qualify for each requirement. Kevin demonstrates to staff that he has improved and is the reason why he was chosen to be a messenger. He proved to Sills that he is trustworthy, responsible, and
His role in the unit is being the messenger, where his job is to do whatever staff tells him to do. As Francisco describes, “That’s a minor who, you know, never gets in trouble, so the staff give him stuff to do…”(80). The way Francisco describes a messenger demonstrates how other inmates see the job and it seems that as if everyone would like to be a messenger because it gives them more time out of their cells. Having the role of being the messenger has helped Kevin become more responsible by making sure he gets everything done and he treats it as a real job so he makes sure that he doesn’t lose it because it’s a respected roll. His situation is similar to the young man, Jason, in Rios and Sarabia’s article because as soon as he got a job, police officers saw him as responsible and less problematic since he got something he can’t afford to loss and his job keeps him busy rather than wasting his time causing trouble. Being the messenger helps Kevin stay on top of things and keeps him busy which detains him from getting into trouble. The job of a messenger is very important and takes someone who is well rounded. Mr. Sills states, “This is a job that requires, intelligence, dedication, patience, and pride”. (310), meaning that the job of a messenger is only handed to inmates who qualify for each requirement. Kevin demonstrates to staff that he has improved and is the reason why he was chosen to be a messenger. He proved to Sills that he is trustworthy, responsible, and