Violence In Thomas Moore's Talk About The Street Culture

How well does Moore describe the culture of the streets, where young boys grow up believing that violence transforms them into men? Talk about the street culture - its violence, drug dealing, disdain for education. What creates that ethos and why do so many young men find it attractive?

Moore describes the culture of the streets almost perfectly, especially in a passage where he describes how a drug operation works (110-111). He talks about the roles in the other Wes’ drug operation, starting with the corner boys, who could be as young as seven. He then moves on to the hitters who dealt with the money. From there he describes the job of a houseman. Lastly he describes the muscle. This passage has one key statement in it, and that is the comment

Once you have someone other than yourself being affected by your actions, then you have become a man. The author states, “I think it was when I first felt accountable to people other than myself. When I first cared that my actions mattered to people other than just me. (66)” The author Wes understands that becoming a man is a huge step. As soon as your actions affect other people, you have to start thinking about the bigger picture. Usually becoming a man isn’t identified by one single event in a person's life, but rather a few actions made by that person. I think a defining moment in a boy’s life is when he is forced to choose between bettering himself, or his family. The other Wes responds to the question by piggybacking off of the author’s response. “Providing for others isn’t easy. And the mistakes you make trying are pretty unforgiving. (66)” Looking back at his mistakes, the other Wes understands that second chances are far and few when your choices affect other people. He only received a few second chances in life, and those were only given to him when his actions/crimes affect other people. The event or series of events that led to the author Wes’ manhood, was joining the military school, specifically when he jumps out of the plane as an airborne ranger. From this point on, the author Wes has a different outlook on life. He now