I agree to the class commitments.
Questions for Tuesday’s lunch:
(Kelvin and Terrence) Obviously, being in prison has shaped your life paths and personality. But to what extent do you think that your incarceration has defined your life?
(Kelvin and Terrence) One of the takeaways of the book is the injustice within our justice system. What are some things that you think could be applied to get closer to a just and meritocratic society?
(Kelvin and Terrence) What are the main takeaways of having contributed to the publication of a book?
(Kelvin and Terrence) What are some things you have regret in life and why?
(David Coogan) How does it feel to have been engaged to that extent with people in prison but have not been one of them? Did you start seeing specific patterns, understanding them better, and empathizing with them?
I agree to the class commitments.
I agree to the class commitments.
I agree to the Class Commitments
Class Commitments – Storytelling and Identity – Fall 2023 (richmond.edu)
(Kelvin) One quote that stood out to me was when you said, “I put the quick money in front of the sure money and benefits every time.” Do you think that this culture of chasing quick money and instant gratification is one of the root issues of the environment you grew up in?
(Either) A common theme I saw throughout the book was the importance of never showing emotion and always having to be hard. If you did show emotion, others would label you as being soft. What would happen to you once you had that label of being soft?
- What lasting impacts did jail have on you? I’ve heard it can be jarring to be back in the world after being released. Is that true in your experience? Is there a habit that you formed in jail that you continue to this day?
- What was the hardest part of being in jail? What kept you going throughout the experience (light at the end of the tunnel, etc.)?
- What’s something that you wish people would ask you when you come to places like this to talk about the book?
- What was your routine like inside jail? When did you have time to write/where did you usually write?
- How did you decide which stories to include in the book? Is there a story that’s not in the book that, looking back, you wish you could’ve fit in there?
- For Kelvin specifically: You said that, being the kind of person that you are, you shaped your world into what you thought you wanted it to be when you were younger. What world have you shaped for yourself now?
- For Terence specifically: You mention that being raised by your mother and your sisters, without a male authority figure, you felt like you were missing things that you would have benefited from learning from a father figure. But are there things you learned from your mother/sisters that you think you might not have learned otherwise? How close are you with your siblings today?
On a side note, I found a Terence quote that really resonated with me today: “There is something wonderful, blessed, blissful, almost surreal about the gift of youth. You notice, then you don’t notice. A problem can be there, confronting you, but there are big people dealing with it.” Well, like it or not, you guys, we’re right on the edge of that point in life. We’re living by ourselves, without our parents here to guide us or plan out our schedules. We’re being treated like adults, but, of course, we’re helped along by the fact that we have a dining hall, easily accessible laundry, don’t have to clean our own bathrooms, don’t have to pay rent, etc. And Terence, and Kelvin, and all of the others didn’t have those things to ease them into independent life. And they got thrown in at a much, much younger age. Honestly, I have so much respect for them because of their ability to survive in those conditions, to painstakingly carve out some sort of life for themselves, even if it led them to become involved in illegal activities. I feel a little bit overwhelmed here, in this little bubble of semi-adulthood; I know I wouldn’t have been able to survive in their circumstances. These guys have endured more than I could even imagine. And society looks down on them?? That just doesn’t make sense to me. Anyways. I guess it just got me thinking.
1. (For either Terence or Kelvin) Both of you grew up in less-than-ideal situations, and as children you were subject to things that children usually are not and should not see. Do you think that if there had been intervention by social services your life may have gone a different way? And if so do you think that social services failed you as children, or do you think that intervention would have been irrelevant?
2. (For Kelvin) Years after you finished your memoir, you were rearrested for marijuana possession. When buying, did you ever see yourself in or relate to the person you were buying from? Did you ever consider that you were contributing to a system that had previously hurt your life?