Sunday, October 7, 2007

The Pact - Discussion # 3

Describe how mentors have played an important role to the characters so far. Pick one and explain in detail. Be sure to use examples.

14 comments:

Darlene Arias said...

During the summer programs the three men had many mentors that indeed did influence them. In fact, a mentor is usually an older person who guides another throughout a certain period n their life. They may give advice, and are usually a trusted individual.
The main person who was a mentor t these boys through out this program was Carla Dickinson. Se was the counselor who had interviewed the three men and had gotten them into the pre med/pre dental program. She was also their cap counslor and would always be ther for the boys if they wanted to talk. While others would go to speak with her about classroom problems, the boys, especially Sam would speak to her about problems at home and emotional problems. Carla was a counselor whos advice and help extended outside of her work area also because she would speak to the boys from home if they ever needed her. She was such an influental person and because of her was partly the reason why the boys made it throughout there college years.

Muna said...

There were many mentors throughout the chapters. These mentors help guide the young men and also shaped them into good people.
I felt Mr. Baraka was a great mentor for Rameck. He was a friends dad who would help him and his friends out. In the book he gave guidence, advice, and money to pay for their limousine. He really him out.

EAZE said...

The men had different mentors through out and because of that it allowed them to become very successful. it got them to the point that they are at. They were helped and pushed by diffrent older people. Those people gave them advice and told them what to do when times got hard.
I believe the person that influneced them the most as a mentor to them was Carla Dickinson the conselor. She pretty much helped them to get into school. She helped them with school problems and personal problems also. Anything that went on at home and anything they went through acdemically. She helped them through college and they opened doors for them. i would think its safe to say that she was a very influential person to them.

Garry said...

As a person grows up and becomes more succeddful, there is always someone behind the scens that helped make that person who they are. Whether if they are parents or teachers they somehow had a huge impact on this person.
In this book many of the boys had different mentors that helped shape them. However, i feel that Rameck had a very important mentor. Her name was carla Dickson. She was couselor who interviewed the boys and recomennded them for this program. She also was a teacher in one of their classes. she was very important to Rameck because she taught the boys had to become confident and she ultimately rose their self esteem. It say on pg 116 "In class one day, she instructed each of usto pretend we were getting a big reward at a banquet- any award we wanted- and had been asked to give an acceptance speech. The exercise was designed not just to work on our writing skills, but to help build our confidence..." This clearly shows Carla had a huge impact. She was not just teaching the boys lessons about writing, but she was also shaping them into being self-confident men.

KASIE said...
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KASIE said...

While the three boys were growing up they all had a mentor or someone to look up to so they can keep it together. For example, during his early teen years Sam had Reggie to look up to. Reggie was a Kung Fu trainer who helped Sam keep away from danger and the temptations from the streets. George also had people to look up to while he was growing up, like on page 109 he says " I had a third grade teacher who taught me how to dream and to think for myself. I had a friend whose father spent good time with me and made me feel I was worthy of a fathers love. And most of all, I had a mother who worked hard and mananged to keep things straight at home." Rameck in my opinion had Amiri Baraka as someone to look up to because he saw Baraka as a different father, one who differed from the fathers of his other friends. Amiri was always there for his family, he gave guidance, love, advice and ofcourse money to his sons. He showed Rameck how to be an intellectual man. But out of all the people the men had to inspire them, the one person that they all had in common was Carla Dickinson. Carla was a counselor at Seton Hall, she introduced the boys to the dentistry program and believed that they will all become doctors, even though at some points the men didnt believe it themselves. She offered them security and the feeling of self-confidence that they can do whatever they set their mind to.

Nikki said...

"Carla didn't try and change us, and that was important.(124)" Sam said this because evidently he and the other guys grew a bond with Carla Dickson the counselor. Although there are perhaps three other mentors that may have affected the lives of these three men, I feel as though Carla made the biggest impact. Because of her Sam had someone he could run to when the chips came falling down and he didn't believe he could do it. When the guys had thoughts of not imagining themselves completing the program, she helped them picture it.
Carla Dickson played a dominent role in the three characters lives and I feel out of all of these mentors she is perhaps the best one. Because she is from the same areas as the guys and can relate she wins over their trust. She doesnt try to change them in anyway and that gains not only the respect but trust from the guys.

keyon diggs said...

In life a mentor is a person that teaches you and who guides you. and in this story i will have to say that. the person who stands out and who is alway thier for the boys will have to be mr braka who help a lot. not just with money but with advice and guiance to. also in this novel they had others who help but i chose him because he help befor other and he was always thier for the boys.

Keyon Diggs

keyon diggs said...

Also i agree with darlene because carla dickinson was also a great fried to the boy. she allow them to speak to her on a personal level that they needed help with. They had problems at home and everything and she was always thier for them. she a mojor reason why the boy finnished school and became doctor.

Perk said...

The three young men entered a summer program that enriched them with a great learning experience. They all had their own mentors that helped through this extensive program. Throughout they advised and counseled them to make them equipped better for the real world.
I think the most helpful counselor was Mrs. Carla Dickinson because she something in all the boys that helped her decision to let them in the pre-med program. "Carla didn't try and change us, and that was important (124). I agree with Nikki by using this quote to describe how she counseled them but still talked to them in way that wasn't brainwashing. She especially connected with Sam because he opened up to her the most. She helped them to become the doctors the that they are today.

Mike Darmofalski said...

The three boys had mentors who really helped them out. These mentors helped keep them out of trouble on the streets and they were focused on the future. I felt that for Sam, Reggie was very influencial. Reggie basically tried to have fun with Sam and keep him out of trouble which he used to be accustomed to being involved in.
Obviously, Carla Dickson was the one who was able to influence all of the boys. She played the biggest role because she was able to get Rameck,Sam,and George into the dentistry school. Carla was like a mother to all of the boys and they were able to talk to her about anything if they had a problem. This is something that all the boys could still use at the time they were going through classes.

NiCk said...

Throughout the programs that the boys went through i feel that they were mentored. Mentor is most of the time some who you can look up to or count on to be there for you. This person is usually some one who is older then you due to their experience level.
The person who i feel is a solid mentor at this time is definitely Mr. Baraka. This is one person who i feel who really is trying to set and help the kids get to th right direction. He gave them advice on situations. Also money was also a issue to for the boys which he helped them out with as well. Mentors are very important to have in life. You need some one like this to be there to guide you through situations that you have been through that they have.

Yurley said...
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Yurley said...

Throughout their young lives or at some point in their lives these boys had mentors that made a difference in their lives. In George's case the mentor was his third grade professor, Miss Johnson. She played an important role in his life. In Sam's case the mentor was his martial arts teacher, Reggie. He kept him out of trouble for a few years. I don't think Mr. Baraka was a mentor to Rameck. I think Rameck saw Mr. Baraka as a father he wished he had.

Yet, they had people they looked up to while growing up, they never had anybody to talk to. They didn't have that person they went to, to talk about their problems. That is until Carla Dickson came along.

Carla Dickson was the most important person in their college years. I was personally touched by the relationship she had with them, especially Sam. She was there for him every time he felt like quitting. She was there for him when he felt guilty about being in school while his family was suffering. She was real to him. She comforted and supported him. He was able to talk to her about his life and his family. I think is very important to have a person like Carla in our lives. I wish I had a mentor like her.