Scorpions - Walter Dean Myers

Scorpions

Walter Dean Myers

By: Paul Park 8E

It began...

Summary

Jamal is a twelve year of boy growing up in Harlem. His older brother is in prison for murder, his father stops by the apartment occasionally and his mother works long hours to support him and his little sister Sassy. Jamal seems to find trouble wherever he goes. He is harassed and bullied by an older, bigger boy at school and labeled a trouble-maker and loser by his school principal. His older brother, who is in prison, tells his gang that Jamal is to take his place as leader of the street gang Scorpions. Many gang members disagree with this decision. A member of the gang gives Jamal a gun as he realizes that the gun can not only keep the bully away but also make his gang members and tough guys on the street respect him. Jamal is soon found in a dangerous situation with his best friend Tito.

Where it takes place...

The story is set in Harlem.

Much of the action takes place in the family apartment -the place where Jamal's older brother Randy was arrested by the police, where the family lives, where Sassy and Jamal bicker, and where their father comes on rare occasions.

School is one of the main places where Jamal deals with bullying everyday.

The storeroom of the school is where Jamal gets a hold of the gun and realizes the power of it.

"You see anything?"

"No."

My opinion...

I personally didn't really enjoy this book because I thought the conflict and the plot could have been deeper and not so simple and boring like the one it had. The overall story was good, but the fact that the conflict wasn't really interesting made me not enjoy this book.

Conflict

Theme

Protagonist

Jamal is a 12 year old young boy who lives in a very poor area of the city with his mother and sister. He is later given the job to become the leader of the Scorpions gang by his brother - who is in prison.

Tito is Jamal's best friend and he helps Jamal throughout the story with many conflicts that Jamal faces.

Antagonist

When Jamal is given the role of the Scorpions gang leader, many members disagree and even beat him up like Angel and Indian. Dwayne - Jamal's worst enemy in school continues to fight with Jamal as Jamal points a gun at him, he gets in a bigger trouble with the principle. Angel and Indian try to kill Jamal when Tito - Jamal's best friend, and Mack - the oldest in the gang, protects Jamal.

Dwayne is Jamal's worst enemy in school. They always get into fights with each other.

Mr.Davidson is the school principle. Mr.Davidson hates Jamal and tells him to go to a different school because he didn't want to see Jamal. Jamal was also labeled as the troublemaker and a loser by Mr.Davidson.

Angel & Indian are both members of the Scorpions gang. When they heard Jamal was the new leader, they beat him up.

The 2 major themes in this book is friendship and loyalty. Friendship is seen when Tito - Jamal's best friend, always sticks next to Jamal and protects him when troubles come. Loyalty is seen when Mack - the oldest in the gang, promises to protect Jamal and be loyal to the leader. Mack saves Jamal's life when Angel and Indian try to kill Jamal.

About the Author

Walter Dean Myers was born in Martins burg, West Virginia, August 12, 1937. When he was two years old, his mother died in childbirth which led to his father having to raise 8 children. Walter Dean Myers had a severe speech handicap which caused him to be frustrated and angry when he was picked to read aloud in school. Since he wasn't able to speak due to his handicap, Walter instead wrote what he wanted to say. This allowed Walter to love writing and become an author.