Writer Chloe Rattray once said, “People aren’t always what you want them to be. Sometimes they disappoint you or let you down, but you have to give them a chance first. ” This quote may be interpreted as how just a small push of encouragement can help a person reach their goals. The quote is also relatable to John Edgar Wideman, author of “Our Time. ” In his essay, Wideman speaks of his gangster brother, Robby, and the bad decisions he made. However, instead of helping his younger brother during his rough patches, Wideman stays in another city and does not involve himself with his family, especially his rother.
If Wideman had encouraged Robby to stop his gangster ways, Robby most likely would have discontinued his criminal acts. In the end, it took Robby’s imprisonment for Wideman to begin speaking with his brother again, though a majority of the talking had to do with the book Wideman desired to write about his brother. Although “Our Time” discusses Robby’s life, Wideman incorporates his own obstacles that he faced at a younger age and while writing the essay. A few problems Wideman examines include his pity towards his mom and his anger towards the corrupt justice system.
I believe Wideman raises these problems because he wants readers to get a jist of how discrimination affects African Americans. Passages from “Our Time” also depict how Wideman directly and indirectly refers to his work as a writer by stating that he pays too much attention to himself listening, has a hard time sharing feelings, and has trouble being professional. I believe he talks about his problems instead of keeping quiet in order to reveal the hardships he had to go through while collecting information to write about a his imprisoned brother.
Although Wideman’s life is ompletely different than mine, I can relate to the problems he faces while writing because there are times when I also struggle with viewing events in the perspective of others. To paraphrase, the following paragraphs will review my connection to Wideman’s problems and instances in which Wideman examines the problems he had faced growing up and while writing “Our Time. ” In his essay, Wideman expresses his concern for his mom and uses her as evidence to illustrate how discrimination affects the lives of African Americans.
He writes about how he could identify with his mother’s grief and her constant worrying about Robby. Although Wideman was not physically there with his mother during her phases of concern, he still felt pity for his mother. Wideman remarks, “My mother had already changed, but it took years for me to realize how profoundly she hated what had been done to Garth and then to Robby” (431). Wideman directly indicates that his mother had been affected by Garth’s death and by Robby’s reaction to Garth’s death.
He also indirectly implies that discrimination against blacks played a role in his mother’s feelings. During Garth’s time in the hospital, the doctors and nurses were “jiving the other patients, gnoring Gar like he wasn’t there” (426). Ironically, the people being paid to help others did not want to aid a patient in need. Eventually, Garth died because he had trust the white doctors and nurses to care for him. His death caused a domino effect. It led Robby to engage in more criminal acts, therefore causing his mother to start worrying about him and leading Wideman to feel pity for his mother.
By examining his own feelings and the feelings of his mother, Wideman was able to prove how his family and friends were affected as a result of discrimination against African Americans. Another problem Wideman uses to depict how African Americans are affected by discrimination is the corrupt justice system. At one point in his essay, Wideman discloses information he received from Robby about the experience of an imprisoned black man. According to the information, Leon Patterson, a black male, had been asphyxiated in his cell.
Though Patterson screamed for help, he was never rescued. Robby accounts that “a series of incidents followed in the ensuing year, hunger strikes, melees between guards and prisoners” (440). The quote indicates how other prisoners eacted to the unjust death of Patterson. It not only places importance on discrimination against blacks, but also discrimination against prisoners. For a whole hour in which Patterson was screaming for help, there must have been a guard or authority that heard him but decided not to help.
The event proves that the justice system is corrupt and demonstrates how death and violence are effects of discrimination against blacks. While reading the essay, readers may notice how Wideman incorporates obstacles he faces while writing. These obstacles include his habit of “listening to himself listen,” the difficulty he aces trying to share his feelings, and the awkwardness he feels when speaking to his brother. I believe Wideman raises these problems into view because he wants readers to understand how difficult it was for him to write “Our Time.
After a few days of meeting up with Robby, Wideman confesses, “He was a criminal. I was the visitor from outside… It was easy to half listen… the hardest habit to break, since it was a habit of a lifetime, would be listening to myself listen to him” (437). His statement directly implies that he and Robby are two distinct people. Wideman takes pride in that his reputation is quite lean compared to Robby’s, but that fact makes it harder for him to understand his brother.
He is not able to see Robby in his own terms and that makes it hard for Wideman to understand Robby’s perspective about life and being a prisoner. Another instance in which Wideman refers to his writing is when he states that he and Robby did not know how to exchange feelings. Wideman comments, “We were both rookies. Neither of us had learned very much about sharing our feelings with other family members” (438). After analyzing this quote, it is obvious that Wideman struggled during the process of meeting ith Robby.
He was not able to understand how Robby felt and why he felt that way, nor was he able to tell Robby how he felt about the situation. Therefore, it would clearly be difficult for Wideman to write about a story that he feels no strong connection towards. Lastly, Wideman tells readers that the atmosphere between him and Robby was awkward. He remarks, “A beginner at this kind of intimacy… my double awkwardness kept getting in the way… luckily there was catching up to do” (439). The quote suggests that Wideman felt uncomfortable with Robby’s presence even though they are rothers.
It also implies that Wideman was not able to stay professional because he kept thinking about his relationship with Robby instead of his goal to write an essay. However, as Robby begins the conversation with Wideman, he feels more at ease as the awkward atmosphere dissipates. These three passages used by Wideman depicts the situations he was presented with while writing. Although Wideman and Robby are brothers, they did not have much in common nor did they share a close bond. By using these passages, Wideman shows readers how his situation came to play while writing “Our Time. “