A Brother's Murder

In A Brother’s  Murder by Brent Staples the story talks about the struggle of life in the ghetto, and how it affected his and his brother. His brother Blake died living under terrible circumstances. Staples explained the gruesome events that occurred and he witnessed as a young boy. But staples successfully fled from the bad situation he lived in, just right after graduating his college career, and becoming successful journalist.  His brother stayed ,and staples tried many times to save his brother by explaining that death surrounded him and he could be murdered at any time, telling him he needed to get out. Blake never took staple’s advice, eventually it was too late and Blake got shot to death.

I felt like Brent Staples could have tried way harder to get his brother Blake out of the dangerous streets he lived in. Blake was addicted to the life-style, but like any addiction, it can be stopped with support and help that his love ones needed to dedicate. It seems to me like Staples tried to tell his brother to get out, but never gave him any other kind of support besides words. He could have helped Blake with school, or even with just helping him have home where he did not have to worry about death or any other dangerous consequences.

At the end of the story Staples talks about these dreams that he has been having. How for weeks he awoke crying from a “Recurrent Dream” in which he chases Blake. Staples in the dream is trying to reach him so that he can read a document he has. A document he felt would protect Blake from any harm.  In the story it does not explain what the document says, but by the looks of it probably was something that Staples wanted to say to Blake. Something that Staples wanted let Blake know, but never got the chance to ever say. Perhaps even something that would have changed the outcome of Blake’s life.

Blake’s death could have been prevented, He just needed help. He could not possibly have gotten out from the hell he lived in by himself. He needed someone to be there for him, someone that cared enough to give it their all to save his life. Unfortunately that someone never really came around. Even now in 2011 many people are living the same horror Blake lived before. These unfortunate people just need a sign of hope, something that motivates them to change their lifestyle and take control of their lives.