OVERWHELMNG DILEMMA(S) FOR TYRONE AND WHY 3
One of the overwhelming dilemmas for Tyrone is being AfricanAmerican and having to deal with the daily struggles of racism.Tyrone lives at a time when blacks face many challenges, which arelinked to their race. Inequality in accessing decent livelihood isapparent all through the chapters as he describes the ghetto life.Tyrone lives in a society where blacks are incapable of accessing thesame needs as whites. For instance, he describes the schools as“backward schools with backward teachers (Powers, 1996).” Also,through his family life, we learn that many African American childrenhave had difficult childhoods, like having to live with aggressiveparents apparent in Tyrone’s description of his father’s beatingsand how he rapes the sister (Powers, 1996). His father acts this wayas a manner of venting out the frustrations of being an AfricanAmerican man.
The other dilemma is that of becoming an African American policeman.Tyrone’s decision to become a policeman is admirable. Itdemonstrates that he is intelligent and he has found his way out ofthe ghetto life. However, his decision to become a cop comes at atime when many African Americans have lost confidence in the policeforce. His brothers consider him to be selling out because many blackpolicemen were compelled to back down to their white counterparts(Powers, 1996). This was seen through the black cops’ endeavors toplease whites, resulting in their mistreatment of fellow AfricanAmericans. It would become increasingly difficult for Tyrone topractice being a good cop, especially in a force that looked down onblacks and a society that perceived African American cops as bad.Tyrone, as a policeman, faces the dilemma of dealing with hatred fromfellow blacks, doing what the police force demands and trying to be agood cop.
Reference
Powers, T. (1996). Eyesto my soul: The rise or decline of a Black FBI agent. Dover,MA: MajorityPress.