Delinquency In Fist Stick Knife Gun By Geoffrey Canada

The book Fist Stick Knife Gun by Geoffrey Canada is a memoir of his early childhood in the slums of south Bronx. Geoffrey’s single mother did the best she could with the little she had to raise him and his four older brothers. She provided them with street knowledge that would later help them survive and not be victims even in the most violent areas of the south Bronx. Geoffrey and his brothers would go on to move from place to place with their mother until they finally settled on Union Avenue, the area where they would spend most of their childhood growing up. Union Avenue became their school of life, there they learned everything they needed to know in order to survive in the ghetto. Geoffrey became strong enough mentally and physically to

The key variables under examination are: age of the learner, intensity of contact with the deviant “teacher”, and ratio of “good” to “bad” social contact in the “learner’s” life. The primary population this theory examines is young males who live in lower income neighborhoods. Cohen characterized this lower-class group of young males as having six focal concerns that need attention. Theses focal concerns are trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement, fate, and autonomy. Canada had all six of these characteristics, early on he was taught by his mother that he had to be tough in order to not be a victim. He also spent most of his time with the older boys who became his deviant “teachers”. The older boys taught him how to fight, how to walk in order to send a message that he was caring a weapon, and how to be tough. Canada was not only street smart he was also book smart and he was always excited to learn

People that have gone to a good school and have a family with positive influences are less likely to engage in deviant behavior. External structures like schools, churches, clubs, police departments, keep individuals from deviating, these institutions push individuals into conforming to the norms of society. Travis Hirschi introduced four elements of social bonds: “attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief” (Vierra 2014). Reckless believed that these four components could prevent crime and deviant behaviors because they give the individual a purpose and sense of responsibility. If individuals in many of these lower income neighborhoods do not have a job and no source of steady income, then they are ever more likely to resort to deviant behaviors in order to attain the means of survival. Canada just like many of the other kids in his neighborhood where missing several of these control variables that could prevent them from deviating. Canada did not have any attachment with positive role models like teachers, coaches, or staff, he mentions how one particular time he trusted a teacher with information that could have got him beaten up and that teacher betrayed his trust, never again did he trust teachers. Canada’s father which is supposed to be the most important role model in his life was missing. He also did not have positive commitments to anything because he was not involved