Monster By Walter Dean Myers Analysis

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Hannah Howarth English assessment task Monster by Walter Dean Myers In his recent masterpiece “Monster” Walter Dean Myers brilliantly presents the story of young 16 year old Steve Harmon to uphold and raise his concerns about the mind puzzling Justice System in America and its confusing handling of minors. Walter skilfully questions the barbaric enforcement of the harsh felony murder laws and the courts sentencing of minors as adults in adult incarceration. He uses a variety of techniques to make his audience stop and think whether the American Justice system is doing right or wrong. Steve Harmon is on trial with James King for felony murder from a group robbery in Mr Nesbitts drugstore, Although Steve is not fully responsible…show more content…
Walter tries to push forward the question “Should youth be trialled as adults?” to make the audience consider whether it is correct to hold minors in an adult prison and fact is that the USA Justice System incarcerates more youth than any other country in the world. This was found on (eji.org.eji.com). Steve Harmon is a 16 year old boy on trial for felony murder and he gets sent to an adult prison which is what Walter is trying to get us to think about, Whether it’s fair if Steve or any other minor should be in an adult prison at 16 years of age. The quote “The best time to cry is at night” that Walter had used at the start of the novel writing in Steve’s own words from inside the adult prison is to show the audience that it is not a nice nor safe place in there. This is because Steve was pointing out that if you made a noise in there or if anyone heard you crying they would immediately put all attention onto you as they would take you as a ‘whimp’. Walter writes in Steve’s own words throughout the novel as a screenplay because Steve is writing in order to get through the stress that this trial has put onto him and share his side of everything during and before prison. As well as writing as a film script in Steve’s words Walter also writes in journal entries so the audience sees Steve’s side of the story and what Steve thinks about getting trialled as an adult, how unfair the American Justice System is and seeing how Steve feels. This is…show more content…
Can young minors handle it is an adult prison mentally, physically, emotionally or psychologically? That is what Walter is trying to do in this novel, to suck the audience into ‘Monster’ by leading them on to become questioning about Steve and if he representing other minors in adult prison can cope in there being as young as they are. In the novel Walter shows that Steve is in fact not handling being imprisoned by a few quotes throughout the story. “I’ve never seen my dad cry before, He wasn’t crying like I thought a man would cry” and “If I didn’t think of this experience like a movie I would go insane”. These quotes show mental and emotional feelings to help us see how Steve is coping with not only himself but his family

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