A Hope in the Unseen: A Relationship to Study Skills

The titles of the chapters of Ron Suskind A Hope in the Unseen provide a brief description of what we are about to read, but provide "food for thought", regarding the meaning of the reading. For example, the first chapter, "Something to Push Against", provides a visual representation of the struggles a young man overcomes to succeed in life. In this chapter, we are introduced to Cedric Jennings, one of the very few "straight-A" students at Washington DC's Ballou High School. Faced with the hardships of growing up in the inner-city, Cedric has a dream to move on to a life that many students in his position could only dream of. After years of living in the unsafe, high crime projects, Cedric feels it is time to move on to better things.

The "Something to Push Against" in the first chapter represents two things. The more obvious of the two is Cedric's push against his chances of succeeding. Attending college, and starting a career is not expected of many students at Ballou, and those who are capable of doing so are looked down on by their peers. Cedric's ability to push against these odds have created a difficult social life for him, however he realizes this is the only way to live a better life than his parents, and his peers around him. Although he tries to conceal his abilities from other students, he is proud of his academic accomplishments, and will use them to push forward to a better life.

The second of the two things for Cedric to push against is his own confidence. Having so many talents, the only thing that can stop him from succeeding is he. We have learned in this chapter that Cedric will be applying to a special summer program for minority students at MIT. While the competition is difficult, he is pushed to apply by his teacher, Mr. Taylor. Cedric spends so much time worrying about this program, that it seems to consume many of his thoughts, and his confidence in his abilities seem to diminish. In a way, he is in a battle with his own self esteem, and must push past it to reach his goals.

In chapter two, "Don't Let Them Hurt Your Children", we become closer with the life of Cedric's mother, Barbara Jennings. During her pregnancy with Cedric, she is left single with no place to go. There was only one place she felt safe - the house of god. Finding her sanctuary in the church, Barbara finally felt a sense of purpose in her life. While there, she realized that she must do all he can to provide opportunities that she never had for her baby. In a way I believe the children referred to in the title represent two things - the children of god (all of us), and Barbara's children.

"Don't Let Them Hurt Your Children" means that Barbara must protect her child from the negative, and downgrading aspects

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