Character Motivation In Jewell Parker Rhodes 'Black Brother'

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Imagine getting moved from home to a fancy private school that hates the new kid. That new kid's name is Donte. Donte is the main character and narrator of the book Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes. This story includes fencing, drama, love, and sadness. The author tries to highlight Motivation. She does so by using Inner Thinking, Dialogue, and a First-Person Narrative. Jewell Parker Rhoades uses Inner thinking to show Character Motivation. Towards the beginning of the book, Donte gets arrested for something he didnt do and thinks, “Of all the kids at school, the police found it easy to arrest me. Why was Mrs.Kay scared? Why did Mr.Waters seem to enjoy my troubles? Worse, why did the Headmaster call the police on me? Since I've been at Middlefield prep, the police never came for anyone else” (Rhodes 18). Although Donte is disgusted by the people at his school, Donte strives to prove them wrong. He uses this to fuel his body and doesn't let anything else get to him. Later on, when Donte is training, he remembers Alan and thinks, “Happiness rushes out of me as I …show more content…

During Donte’s arrest, Alan banged on the window and said, “Hey! Black Brother! Black Brother!” (Rhodes 18). Alan getting under Donte’s skin is rude but Donte uses it to his advantage. He accepted that he was black and that people were scared of him. He excepted that he wasn't going to be treated normally. He takes all the mean and hurtful things that are said about him and makes them into good traits that make him different from everyone else. Before another ordinary day of school, Donte’s mom sees him and says, “Take that hood off. You look like a thug” (Rhodes 32). Not only the school, but his mom worrying about the way he looks made a huge impact on what he was going to do next. Although it hurt a bit, he recovered and realized that if he wanted people to look at him and not fear, he was going to have to work for