He is suddenly worried that he will be killed like Shemar was; when he is playing video games with Manny in Chapter 3, he is put on edge: "So many guns. In a final Dear Martin letter, Justyce talks about being negatively judged by his college roommate. He then expresses his frustration at Manny, who seems to always go along with the racist things that his friends say and do. Everybody should have someone who believes in them. The details surrounding Shemar's death suggest that he was unfairly killed. Dear Therapist: Im Afraid My Boyfriends Sexuality Will End Our Relationship, Why Child Care Is So Ridiculously Expensive. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Chapters 1-4 1. NS: I started mentoring kids when I still was one. At Bras Prep, Jus is one of only a few Black kids at his school. In part 2, the narrative is interwoven with news reports. Angie Thomas and Nic Stone are among the novelists addressing police brutality from a teen perspective. Tested by racist classmates, skeptical friends from his former neighborhood, and a rain of bullets, Justyce finds himself a target in the battle over police brutality and race. He tells Justyce he has quit the basketball team and that he has hit Jared for a racist comment that Jared made. He resolves himself to find out the kind of person he wants to be. Its a checklist that many black parents impart to their sons long before these teenagers know theyll need the advice. Jus turns away from Manny and walks home alone. When they stop at a red light, Jus looks over and sees a white man driving a Chevy Suburban giving them a dirty look. We know that Jus was not committing a crime that night. After their conversation, Jus can't help but feel discouraged. He tells Jus that growing up, he was the only person of color at his school. After Chapter 1, we see Jus's first letter addressed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Jus explains to Dr. King that he is an exemplary student at his selective preparatory school, which he attends on a full scholarship: "I'm ranked fourth in my graduating class of 83, I'm the captain of the debate team, I scored a 1560 and a 34 on my SATs and ACTs respectively, and despite growing up in a 'bad' area (not too far from your old stomping grounds), I have a future ahead of me that will likely include an Ivy League education, an eventual law degree, and a career in public policy" (10). Jus's encounter with police brutality leads him to think about other instances of police brutality that have made national headlines. "Dear Martin Chapter 10Chapter 14 Summary and Analysis". There's violence, including boys getting into fights with punches thrown and lips bloodied, police brutality, a teen shot, an officer killed offstage, and racist experiences. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. In this section of Dear Martin, we are introduced to Shemar Carson, who Jus spends a significant time thinking about. Who is Dr. Jarius "Doc" Dray? In the 90's researchers predicted that the number of violent crimes committed by Black teen males would skyrocket. He recounts to Martin what happened. But this particular Shuri book, I had a lot of fun writing it and its also about girl power and girls in STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math). SparkNotes PLUS He reveals that he heard a white girl ask "'Why are black people so angry all the time?'" Theres something about the power of reaching back. He is a full-scholarship student who I want to try to live like you. Who was at Manny's grave when Jus showed up. He takes several swigs of alcohol in his distress. As we know, Castillo's use of force in this scene is completely unwarranted. Jus is able to attend on a full-ride scholarship, which suggests that he has had to work even harder than his peers to be able to attain the same level of success. However crime rates plummeted. Teachers and parents! Coming out of the crucible of the past few yearsduring which young people have been integral to pushing conversations about the unjustified killings of black men to the forefrontthe novels capture the many ways that teens of color cope with prejudice, whether through activism or personal accountability or protest. LTP: The #JustyceChallenge donated a copy of Dear Martin to the Prisoners Literature Project for every proof of pre-order of Dear Justyce. To Stone or her character Justyce, it might be more relevant to ask if hed think the same way that he did in the 60s. He feels frustrated that Manny took his white friends' side and expected Jus to act "respectable" during the party. Justyce finds himself torn between two groups when he gets to the party: his prep school friends and the people hes known all his life. In Chapter 10, he tells Manny, "'I keep thinkin' that coulda been me. The class quickly goes off-topic, however, when there is a disagreement over whether everyone is equal in the US today. As the day goes on, there's an ever-increasing buzz, though Justyce never catches what people are murmuring because they go quiet whenever he gets too close" (106). Four months later, Justyce reconnects with Jared at Manny's grave. 2015s All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely followed a black high-school student beaten by a cop who mistakes him for a shoplifter. I would suggest that any parent wanting to let their child read this, read it first to decide, but also to discuss with them. Last I checked, your way got you capped and Manny killed. By positioning Quans choices as antithetical to Justyces, the scene suggests that the characters striving for goodness (even if that effort is futile) are the ones most deserving of the readers compassion. (96). NIC STONE: I will be wholly honest with you, its terrifying. Be respectful; keep the anger in check; make sure the police can see your hands.. Im excited to be part of getting these books in the world, but the thing that excites me the most is there are going to be a ton of kids who see people like me and .css-5z6rvi{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-5z6rvi:hover{color:#B20B16;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Tiffany D. Jackson and Jason Reynolds and once they get older, theyll write the books from their experiences. In the letter, he tells Martin that he has "a lot on [his] mind" after spending the afternoon at Manny's house (111). Jus suddenly needs to throw up, and he runs to the bathroom. The tension builds with the questions, until it seems like there's no end to these feelings in sight for Jus. Officer Castillo, who is white, fails to listen to the explanation that Justyce, who is a Black teenager, offers regarding his conversation with a white female teenage friend. At the trial for Mannys murder, the defense attorney cross-examines Justyce, trying to paint Justyce and Manny as volatile and violent. In this passage, Justyce is both valuing his achievements and distancing himself from the neighborhood where he grew up. Justyce is innocent. When Rico sells a jackpot . After being released from the hospital, Justyce attends Mannys funeral and reconnects with SJ. In Chapter 14, Stone uses onomatopoeia to bring the gunshots to life. (120). In Dear Martin, meanwhile, Justyce struggles with the respectability politics that his idol sometimes embodied. Of course, hes only able to ignore such problematic ideas in the first place because he himself has never experienced discrimination and, thus, feels entitled to treat it as nonexistent. They shift their conversation over to SJ, and conjecture that she has a crush on Justyce. During that scene in Chapter 1, Jus tries to maintain a level of respectability in the face of Castillo's utter lack of respect towards him: "Mama told [Jus] how to handle this type of situation, though he must admit he never actually expected to need the advice: Be respectful; keep the anger in check; make sure the police can see your hands (though that's impossible right now)" (8). He reveals that ever since his encounter with Officer Castillo, he's "been on high-alert" and noticing "stuff [he] would have glossed over or tried to ignore before" (100). while he was leaving Blake's party, and he wonders how he is supposed to feel (96). Bond B\mathrm{B}B has a coupon interest rate of 14%14 \%14% paid annually. Jewell Parker Rhodess forthcoming Ghost Boys tells the story of the ghost of a black boy who meets the spirit of Emmett Till after he is killed by law enforcement and enters the afterlife. Doc pulls up two statements for the class to discuss: "All men are created equal" and "What does the obvious change in the application of this phrase from 1776 to now tell us about how our society has evolved?" By the end of his letter, Jus realizes that "there is nowhere to run"the problems that he is dealing with will follow him wherever he goes (37). She is annoyed at Jus's arrival, but as she tries to stand to greet him, she falls over and hits her face against the car door. Their conversation switches to Tavarrius Jenkins. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Manny's cousin. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas.In the highly anticipated. While she is down there talking to the boys, she gets a phone call from her sister who tells Dr. Rivers that her son, Manny's cousin, has been arrested for the murder of a police officer. "Dear Martin" is a first-person perspective about what it means to be a young African American in today's era. Jared then questions what Melo sees in Justyce: "What the hell does a hottie like Melo Taylor see in a guy who can't afford a Happy Meal?" That Sunday, he went home and seethed, thinking about how bad a friend he had been to Jus. Before their conversation can continue, Manny's mom, Dr. Rivers, comes downstairs into Manny's room. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. I could be dead, dawg. Thats why I loved to read as a kid it gave me an opportunity to go to a different place and be in somebody elses shoes and experience life as a person whos not me. PDFs of modern translations of every Shakespeare play and poem. Before he can get his head out of the car, he feels a tug on his shirt and is yanked backward. How did you handle it? Jared Christensen is Manny's friend; he is white and upper class. An active effort to improve the employment or educational opportunities of members of minority groups and women. Jus goes on to reflect on his encounter with Officer Castillo, which reveals what happened after Chapter 1 ended. Justyce grows increasingly uncomfortable over the course of the conversation and excuses himself to the bathroom before class has finished. A series of rapid events impedes Jus from being able to help Melo: first, she throws up all over him; second, she slaps him in the face and then spits on him after he continues to try to help her; and third, a cop car pulls up behind them as Jus is strapping Melo into the back seat. Nevertheless, Castillo still arrests him violently without cause. Justyce stands up to his mother during their conversation. I think literacy and books give these kids hope and something to imagine outside of your punishment. Justyce is irritated by how reductive some of the arguments are, but he doesnt say much. 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Do I just take what they dish out, try to stop being 'so sensitive'? We see anger bubble to the breaking point in several characters over these pages, including the dispute over loud music between Manny, Jus, and the white man driving the Suburban in Chapter 13. Even now, a good number of his subordinates are upset about "having to answer to a black man" (113). Parents need to know that Nic Stone's Dear Martin tells the story of an Ivy League-bound African American student named Justyce who becomes a victim of racial profiling. He is a Black teenager from Atlanta who goes to a prestigious prep school on a full scholarship. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. The question of when and how to speak up for yourself or let things go recurs throughout Dear Martin. LOreal Thompson Payton is a Baltimore-bred, Chicago-based writer whose work has appeared in ZORA, SELF, Bustle, and HelloGiggles, among others. 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