And the other child grows up to be somebody who just loves to burn

An excerpt of this poem paints a picture of two brothers, John and Robert Wideman, leading different lives. Robert Wideman, embraced a path common for black men during that era; a life of crime, glamour, and drugs. Quietly sitting in jail, he reminisces deeply about his troubled past and the consequences of the future that now haunts him. John, on the other hand, chose the path less taken by those living in the same world as he did and in due time become a successful professor at a University. How did two people from the same origin, living in similar environments, and raised by a caring family choose such different paths? Some might explain the cause to be risk factors, learned behavior, or missed opportunities. When explaining criminal behavior, it is inevitable to identify sociological, behavioral, and psychological problems as causes of crime.

John and Robert always dreamed about running away from the poverty embracing their community. Even though they shared the same dream, each considered different means of achieving this dream. John determined early on that " to get ahead, to

Robert's aspiration is to achieve prosperity but rejected the method to accomplish this dream. Merton would define this type of behavioral adaptation as innovation, which explains why Robert stole the television from his family. Robby was obviously hooked on drugs. The urge to use drugs (goal) was overwhelming. To satisfy the drug habit, Robert burglarized his family (the means), to pacify his cravings. It is difficult for someone to view this type of behavior as wrong. Robby admits that "[h]aving lived in the "life", it becomes very hard-almost impossible-to find any contentment in joining the status quo" (57). Conformity is not a behavior that Robert found gratifying. In his community " the emphasis was, get the most you can get with the least amount of work" (241). This statement has profound effects. It is an attitude that frames the minds of criminals. Practically, it is stating that crimes are acceptable and that prosperity through education is wrong.

make something of myself, college had seemed a logical, necessary step; my exile, my flight from home began with good grades, with good English" (27). In order for John to climb the social status, he realized that his only ticket out of poverty and his community is through a good education. Status must be earned through hard work and determination. Robert is just the opposite of John. Early on, Robert acknowledged that school and sports could not satisfy the glamour that Robert so much desired? Unlike John who disliked blackness, Robert "got a thing about black. See black was like the forbidden fruit" (84). Robert embraced the people living in Homewood, Pittsburgh. He felt connected to them especially when he discovered Garfield "cause that's where the niggers was. Garfield was black" (85). By embracing what other people valued and thought, Robert incorporated the same criminal values as his own. Robert has accepted his fate, a life of glamour through deviant behavior.

As a child Robert constantly needed the attention of his family members especially his mother. From a different point of view, we can say that Robert was a neglected child, emotionally. During a time when Robert needed the people he loved most, they were not there for comfort or guidance. Sometimes Robert felt the "least important. Always last. Always bringing up the rear. You learn to do stuff on your own because the older kids are always busy, off doing their thing" (88). To strive for the atten

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Approximate Word count = 1672
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)