Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers

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Bibliography:

http://www.walterdeanmyers.net/

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http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/229778.Scorpions

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/229778.Scorpions

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Summary

Jamal is a twelve year old boy living in Harlem with his Mother, and Sister, Sassy. Wherever he may be, Jamal seems to find trouble. At school, he is bullied by a bigger kid named Dwayne, who he gets in multiple fights with throughout the story. His principal is always after him and always finds a way to blame any problem on Jamal. He sees him as a loser and an all-out troublemaker. Out of school, Jamal deals with poverty. With his mom working long hours, and no father around, money is everything. His best friend, Tito, always has his back and helps Jamal and never leaves him behind throughout the entire story.

Jamal's main problem starts with his brother, Randy, who is in prison for murder. This not only puts the family in more money problems, but Randy also decides to pass on his gang leadership to Jamal. Randy was the leader of the neighborhood hang, The Scorpions, who ran the dope business there. Jamal did not want to take the position and other gang members did not want him in charge either. However, he decides to take the position after Mack, Randy's crackhead best friend, gives him a gun and promises him protection. Full of anger and thirst for power, two Scorpions, Angel and Indian, want to challenge Jamal.

Later on, Jamal comes to his senses and doesn't want to run a gang because of his age. Angel and Indian agree to have a meeting at night at a park. Tito accompanies him, and carries the gun for Jamal. At the park they are attacked by Angel and Indian. Jamal is badly beaten until suddenly it all stopped after a gunshot. Tito had shot both of them, leaving Angel dead and Indian injured. This overall brings the boys into trouble at home, with the Scorpions, and of course with the law.

Themes

Scorpions by Walter D. Myers

• Strength and Trust
• Decisions
• Respect v.s. Fear- when Mack gives Jamal a gun, he suddenly feels different. Respect in comparison to fear is a big theme in the story because of this gun. With a gun, someone feels bigger than everyone else who has no gun. You could be physically smaller and be bullied by a huge person, but once you have a gun in your hands, that all stops. Jamal took advantage of this and pulled the gun out in a fight. With the power of the Scorpions and the gun, nobody would mess with him. He saw it as respect, when truly he was only starting new problems and gaining fear from people

Quotes

"It's a hard life sometimes and the biggest temptation is to let how hard it is be an excuse to weaken"

"That was the way Tito was. He got nervous sometimes, but he wouldn't let you down."

"I'm thinking about throwing the gun away."

"I'm calling you out", Indian said, "You want to lead the Scorpions, then you got to be a leader. No jive leader, man. You got to get down."

"Next time you dead, man."

"Everything he could do came into Jamal's mind. He could sneak the gun out of the couch when Sassy went to bed and throw it away. He could take it somewhere and hide it. Maybe he could it to Mack and tell him that he didn't want want to be the head of the Scorpions."

Jamal suddenly knows what he has to do to help himself and get rid of his problems.

Main Character Analysis

Jamal: Full of decisions to make, he has the hardest conflicts in the book, putting him and his friend and danger. He is given power which he does not desire and is blinded by said power through fear.

Tito: Symbolizes trust and is Jamal's only true friend who does everything to keep him safe.

Mack: Gives Jamal the gun and leads him closer to the Scorpions, which brought him most of his problems.

Mama: The only example of love that Jamal knows. Mama may represent struggle and strength. As a single mother and with her Oldest son in jail, she does everything to provide for her kids, and also to have Randy back somehow. She is who makes sure that Jamal ends up on the right path to life and is his strength.