Dear Martin Book Analysis Sample

People sometimes feel that their identity is impacted by some situation or circumstance. The identity of an individual represents the true nature of the person, or the blend of the reactions of one's past experiences. This aspect is demonstrated in the book, Dear Martin by: Nic Stone  and the poem, I am offering this poem. In the book, Justyce, the protagonist, is faced with a series of traumatic problems and those problems cause miseries in his life(like Manny´s death). The way he is treated significantly impacts what he thinks about the world, especially his identity. In the poem, the poet talks about how the reader won't have to worry about  what kinds of ¨directions¨(decisions) to take in life, and the poet reveals his identity by including his feelings about the world. Identity shapes the way people view the world because of the reactions of their past experiences, and the way they are treated.

First of all, the identities of both of the main narrators in the poem and book are shaped by the way they view the world because of the reactions of their past. In Dear Martin, Justyce constantly experiences failures of trying to act like Martin since no matter how hard Justyce tries, he can't establish a long-lasting relationship with someone else without thinking about their race or physical appearance. These experiences change the way he behaves with others, which will show a change in his identity too. For instance,“Right now, I feel guilty for even talking to SJ. Especially about race stuff! What does it say about me that I willingly left a party with a bunch of idiots, but the white person who does treat me as an equal is the one I most wanna run away from right now?(Stone 9)” Justyce´s identity affects his relationship with SJ since being black has added on some ¨expectations¨ to keep up, like only dating a black woman. This causes him to view the world around him as biased. In I am offering this poem, Jimmy talks about how Jimmy wants the reader or audience to use this poem to avoid real-life issues, which conveys that Jimmy could have gone through problems too. Jimmy´s intentions for desiring to keep the reader ¨safe¨ from life´s atrocities show that his identity could have been impacted severely previously. . For example, according to I am Offering this Poem,¨and I will answer, give you directions, and let you warm yourself by this fire.(Baca 20)¨ This quote reveals that the author knows the directions to approach to safety in life and conveys that the author himself has experienced the same circumstances of not knowing the directions in life.

Next, Both Jimmy and Justyce’s identities are shaped based on the way they are treated. In both texts, the author includes how they were opposed to the world and struggled to prove themselves in the world in different ways. For example, in Dear Martin,““Whatever. All I know is that no matter what college I end up at, when I see a minority, I’m gonna wonder if they’re qualified to be there.” (Stone 18).” This quote conveys that Justyce understands that African Americans(and other minorities) aren’t given the same opportunities as well as resources as others due to their skin color and even race. The way minorities are treated will cause their identities to become “at stake” and will eventually cause them to feel that 99% of the world is most likely biased towards minorities. Another example from the poem, I am Offering this Poem is,“when the world outside, no longer cares if you live or die;....” Jimmy didn't have anyone to guide him in life and that affected his overall identity. So, he decided to create this poem as a reference to overcoming obstacles in life and making it easier for the reader. Furthermore, the poet decides to at least help the reader out and care for the reader’s life since he has experienced not being cared for and felt upset(dejected) about it.

Both of the authors of I am Offering this Poem and Dear Martin present strong representations of how the identity of an individual is affected by the way that person is treated and the outcomes of the past. In Dear Martin, Justyce’s beliefs of the world change when his experiments to act like Martin turn into “failures”, and he eventually realizes that there is nothing he can do to eliminate the biases towards minorities in people’s minds. Similarly, in I am Offering this Poem, Jimmy’s identity is affected by how the world views him since he clearly told the reader in his poem that the world won’t care whether one lives or dies. So, he tries to not make anyone feel that way by providing all the right directions to life in his poem. Learning that one’s environment can have various impacts on the same individual’s identity can definitely help people learn about how other people feel and what people can do to make this world a better place.