Bronx - Character Development

     In the book, "Bronx Masquerade," character changes throughout the story. For an example, Tyrone does not want to go to school. He thinks it is a joke. Along the courses of Open Mike Fridays, he learns to love school and poetry that really made a big impact on the rest of the school. Tyrone wanted to be a rapper. His poems are long and rhyme because of that. Yet again, things change. Tyrone thinks that almost everything is a joke, like school. As the book went on and students presented poems, he realized something. That something is the fact that everyone has some sort of story that is different from others and they DO matter. He started to have feelings for others and appreciated life. He was worried about his future in the beginning. Now, he "ain't" afraid of the outcome. He knows he has a bright future head of him.

     Lets take Janelle for another example. She was worried about her weight and how people think of her. She knows she is fat and worries about it. One day, she just put it behind her. She is not worried anymore. Her eight year-old student she tutors told her she was beautiful. That moment, she didn't worry about her weight! Standing in front of the class reading a poem makes her forget about it. This was later on in the book. She hated the fact that she if fat in the beginning, but she changed overtime. She was also scared to go up since people know about her. They might judge her about the poem before reading it, which is tough to go through. She overcame it one she started to read. As you can see, it is possible for characters to change overtime in the book.

     Its not just the characters that change themselves, they can be influenced by the setting! In the classroom, almost everyone feels safe to speak their minds and share their thoughts. Plus, where they came from, such as home, may impact their writing style in poems. They are in Bronx, mostly made up of African Americans. Characters judge each other by skin based on the town they live in. So, they might be enemies, or friends. When Open Mike Friday comes along, they put it behind them and act like it never happened. Setting is a big part of character that can really change their personality, so characters ARE influenced by the setting.