pReSSuRed: aNotHeR hoOd sToRy, available to read NOW!! FREE of charge at http://www.booksie.com/kevin11 WARNING: MATURE READERS ONLY! 17+
Dear readers,
Welcome to West Oakland, California! No, seriously…Welcome to West Oakland…the home of pReSSuREd and its characters. This story has been a long time coming. It’s literally been a year and some change for this story’s progress and it is only now that it is actually coming into fruition and has completed its manifestation process. Below, you will read some annotations that derive from the work itself and with it, you will understand every single layer and in-depth meaning that symbolically represent the story that is “pReSSuREd”: aNotHeR hoOd sToRy by keVin EleVin, available at http://www.booksie.com/kevin11
pReSSuREd: anNotAtioNs:
deCoDiNg fRiDaY (II)
1. “They ain’t never gon’ give us nothin’, so if the government ain’t worried about me, what the fuck makes you think I’m gon’ worry about them?”
“I hear you Prince, but we’re all worth somethin,’ I just know it. Although I can’t explain it to you now, I just know I’ll be able to someday,” said Darwin with the upmost amount of optimism in his voice.
“Yeah, please do, I mean…once you figure it all out and shit. Let’s just hope that I’m alive to hear it,” said Prince as they inched closer to 18th street also known as “the block”.
1. Immediately, the story opens up with Darwin telling his friend Jarvis, also known as Prince that they are worth something. Prince, who also possesses a keen intellect as Darwin, dismisses the idea as he only sees the government for what it is, which is obscene, foul and corrupt. Prince believes that the education system across all levels in the United States is corrupt and although he possesses a sharp mind, he refuses to be a part of their plans in terms of shaping the next generation of American governed robots. Also, when Prince tells Darwin, “Let’s just hope that I’m alive to hear it,” one can make assessments that grave danger awaits for the teen later on within the story.
2.
“You still think we got time to do this?” asked Darwin as he checked his watch. “It’s five to nine.”
“Yeah, we’ll make it my nigga,” said Supreme.
“Don’t worry, we’ll have you in bed before your acceptance letters arrive,” said J-LAX as the other guys snickered.
Darwin remained mum as he thought about what would soon occur. Little did J-LAX or the crew know that one of his acceptance letters did actually arrive…
2. It is quickly established that Darwin’s friends are aware of his inane talents. They know that he has a future outside of the calamities that exist within West Oakland, which is why they pick on him more so because of it. Darwin has lived a life of turmoil that he is extremely tired of and as he is pressured into partaking in the mischief acts of the crew, he constantly thinks about leaving that life behind…
3. The five young men placed their ski-masks upon their faces and withdrew guns before crossing the street in complete silence. It was now completely dark and soundless except for the chirping of beetles in the distance.
Boog and Prince then posted up outside of the store as J-LAX, Supreme, and Darwin quietly entered the establishment. The store’s bell chime signaled their entrance while Garcia, who kept his back turned to the register, took care of business.
3. In this scene, we see Boog and Prince stay on watch patrol outside while the other three remaining members of the crew enter the grocery store to rob Garcia. This splitting of group hints on something that occurs later on within the story…
deCoDiNg SAtuRdaY (III)
4. “Yeah, but there’s a car sitting in the driveway,” said Supreme.
“Damn, that’s a clean ride too,” said Darwin.
As he said this, all of their eyes fell upon the mauve M5 BMW that complimented the driveway of the gorgeous white minted house for the first time.
4. In this scene, we see a beautiful mauve M5 BMW that sits in the driveway of a white minted house. The color white symbolizes power and socio-economic elite status associated to people with money.
5. “Alright, fellas, it’s time. When we get in there, make sure you snatch the illest shit that you can find and be as quick as you can. You can never tell who’s watching in these private communities. I hear these Brady bunch ass of bitches peep through their windows at any scent of a nigger approaching their property from a mile away,” said J-LAX in his best upper–class socio-economic accent.
Everyone, including Darwin, laughed hysterically as they exited the car.
The thought of committing a rapid burglary in a neighborhood just on the outskirts of Oakland didn’t sound too ruthless to Darwin.
“This wouldn’t be so bad”, he thought.
5. J-LAX’s use of the term “Brady Bunch” (an old ABC television family sitcom that ran from 1969 to 1974) shows how he and his friends are deeply beneath that kind of socioeconomic class. Furthermore, his attempt at saying it with a mocking suburban accent depicts who truly has the upper hand in modern day American society. Lastly, the town of Piedmont sits on the outskirts of Oakland as it separates itself from the poverty stricken inner city of Oakland’s harsh ghettos. This can be seen as a reason for J-LAX and the crew deciding upon the decision to rob the a house within the town, which happens to be that of the Piedmont Mayor.
6. Although dusk had fallen, they were still able to absorb with their eyes the crisp white coat of paint that engulfed the entire house.
6. Once again, the color of white symbolizes power. The entire house is white and is engulfed within it. The crew on the other hand are all black, therefore, their presence upon the property represents a tainting of something within the Piedmont community that is considered beautiful. Those things are money, setting, house, riches, and skin tone.
7. “Joe, Joe, whatever you do, please baby don’t go in there! They could all be armed, who knows what they have!” said a woman in a petrified voice.
“How dare they?! Seriously, how dare they?! A bunch of dirty black niggers!!! And in MY HOUSE!!” he bellowed.
7. In his case, Joe Weiler, the Mayor of Piedmont is making things pretty obvious here. He calls the crew a bunch of dirty black niggers which exhibits his overtly racist view of them. He speaks derogatively of them since they are black and he links them to being dirty due to their color. In addition, he also contrasts their color with his as he says, “And in MY HOUSE!!” which is already established that the exterior of his beautiful home is white.
8. As they made it out of the house, they all ran for the car when they heard Mrs. Weiler shout, “Honey, there they are!! My God, they’re big! Teenagers probably, and they really are black!!”
8. Mrs. Weiler, calling the crew black, reaffirms the notion that black is an inferior color not only in the priveleged communities throughout the upper-class environments of America, but to a woman who doesn’t know any better and fails to see the crew for who and what they are which is human. Additionally, she expresses another sense of naivete when she says, “they really are black” as if she has never seen a person of color before or if the matter of them existing is strange.
deCoDiNg MoNdAy (V)
9. “Listen, if we actually go through with all of this, there’s a chance that you might need it. Look…let’s make a deal. Once Thursday has come and gone I’ll take it back from you, understand? We‘ve noticed that your future is brighter than all of this D.C. and I don’t think it would be fair at all if we hinder you from it. Shit, I think we all know that by now…”
9. Once again, J-LAX shows that he and the crew are very aware of Darwin’s potential and tremendous talent. The pairing of the two alone in this scene, foreshadows the outcome of the story and how they are in fact similar in many ways. However, the difference between the two young men is that Darwin is well aware of his gifts and what he can do with them, while on the other hand, J-LAX due to his organizing of the licks, proves that he possesses talent and leadership as well. However, the major difference between these two is that Darwin uses his accordingly in order to propel himself into the world, while J-LAX, on the other hand does not.
deCoDiNg tHuRsDaY (VI)
10. Goddamn I feel amazing, damn I feel amazing/
My mind is living on cloud nine/
and this 9 is never on vacation/
start up the Maserati and vroom-vroom, I’m racing/
Popping pills in the lobby and
I pray they don’t find her naked/
And I pray you niggas is hating,
shooters go after Judas/
Jesus Christ if I live life on my knees
ain’t no need to do this.”
10. The following lines above are an excerpt of a song called “Backseat Freestyle” that appeared on Kendrick Lamar’s debut studio album named “good kid, m.A.A.d city” back in 2012. In explanation, after planning to rob Summit Bank with the help of Fuego, the crew actually go through with it and feel on top of the world once they have done it. They begin to smoke and drive at top speed which is kind of the same scenario Kendrick finds himself within in a thematic sense during the actual playing of this song on his album. The mentioning of Judas, one of the twelve disciples who betrayed Jesus with a kiss and later caused him to be sentenced to death, foreshadows the betrayal and peril that the crew will find themselves in near the end of the story. In addition, the ignorance of the song in general, symbolizes a direct correlation of the crew and how they are consistently worrying about the wrong things in life such as money, power and respect.
11. a.) Boog had gotten up to make his way to the basement door when a large red vase suddenly crashed onto the floor with a loud thud.
b.) “My shit is in a blood red mailbox, you can’t miss it. That’s my boy’s crib, be quick,” added J-LAX as he squeezed off two more shots towards the men attempting to kill them.
“Prince, Boog, run!” screamed Darwin as he, Supreme, and J-LAX attempted to catch up to them.
As quickly as they could, the boys dropped their sacks and ran as fast as they could towards the others.
c.) Then instantly, and without warning, two of the gunmen poked their torsos out from the backseat of an old red Cadillac and pulled out assault rifles…
d.) As fast as it all occurred, a red liquid wasted no time in spilling and seeping onto the pavement. Not a single one of them had doubts as to who had set up the tragedy, while the Cadillac, in its dark red frame, sped into the opposite direction and out of sight into the starless night…
11. In four different situations, the color red is mentioned during the shoot-out scene between “the crew” and the Los Santos gang. The color itself represents the danger and inevitable that has been foreshadowed throughout the entire scene since its opening, which eventually leads to the murders of Boog and Prince by the Los Santos gang. Ironically, the red color of the Cadillac is apparently a cursed one, as the shooters themselves end up on the same side of the barrel when J-LAX and Supreme, later seek revenge and end up murdering every last member of the gang in San Francisco a few hours later. Sadly, the curse stumbles upon both young men of “the crew” as Supreme is later murdered and J-LAX is left in critical condition after being shot by one of the opposing shooters that was originally abandoned within the neighborhood.
12. “Jarvis, JARVIS DANIEL McKAY!!! Don’t do this shit to me baby! Please, I need you. The world needs you, your intelligence, your talent, this isn’t the end, it just can’t be!!” cried Supreme in hysteric fashion as he repetitively shook his lifeless nephew.
12. It is highly interesting that upon reaching Prince’s death, his uncle, Ken McKay, better known as Supreme, calls upon Prince, as he is leaving the world, by his full government name. It is the first time that we hear the full name of one of the characters mentioned within the story, and it is also the first time that Supreme points out Jarvis’ talents and his shrewd keen intellect. At this point which is the climax of the story, Supreme consciously comes to the realization of Prince’s fading potential and what could have been if he had stayed off of the streets and had little to no involvement with the crew. However, it is too late as Prince as well as his once promising potential, perishes into the abyss, forever.
deCoDiNg FriDaY (VI)
13. Fuego somehow managed to crawl out of the rear window and began to slither upon the ground like a snake, leaving a bloody heap behind him as he did.
13. In the end, we learn that Fuego, a once, profound loyal leader and member of the crew is the one behind the murders of both Prince and Boog. By story’s end, his malevolent nature catches up to him as he, and his friends from the Los Santos gang are showered in bullets and are left for dead. However, Fuego is the only one that doesn’t die immediately as he somehow manages to escape the cursed Cadillac and craws across the ground like a snake during the process. In this scene, the words slither, snake and bloody are mentioned in describing Fuego’s current state to depict his evil nature. As a snake, he resembles the snake in Genesis from the Garden of Eden that managed to persuade Eve in telling her husband Adam to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. Also, his blood symbolizes him as a danger unto himself as well as the people around. Moreover, Supreme, himself succumbs to this danger as he shoots Fuego five times in the head which eventually leads to someone repaying him the favor two weeks later.
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