Journal 6 - Hailey Moore

 Hailey Moore

English 1109 @1:30 M.-W.

October 21, 2020

                                                    Three Takeaways From Clarett

                In One and Done, by Maurice Clarett, it was filled with many life lessons and personal growth coming from Clarett. I think that was my favorite thing was reading about him finding himself and finding what he loves to do other than football. Once he found something that he loves to do, football was not his only option. He took advantage of his opportunities to improve himself and get the education that he needed and wanted. 

            My first takeaway was when Clarett mentioned the difference in prisons around the state and countries. He talked about this in Chapter 21 on page 244. He mentioned how some prisons were just built to house criminals and never thought about making prisons into a place for convicts to rehabilitate and improve themselves. Some prisons just consist of cells, hallways, showers and the cafeteria. How are people supposed to better themselves in an environment like this? They would end up getting bored and falling into the same behaviors that got them there in the first place. Clarett said he was lucky when he was in prison because Toledo had a library and classrooms that he could use to learn and grow. I liked how he took this opportunity while others didn't, he could've continued his behavior and joined in with the drugs and drama that went on around him.

            Another takeaway that I had from One and Done, was no matter what your past is or whatever mistakes you made does not matter if you improve yourself, behavior and life. Clarett went to prison and realized that he had to take accountability and better himself for his child when he gets out. He made mistakes in his life like robbing, drug dealing, and attempted murder, but took his chance in prison and changed his mindset. He grew up and now he is a successful person even without football. He has a family and a home. He has a great career that he loves. He got out of the gangster life that he fell into when he was very young. In Chapter 21, he quoted George Jackson from the Black Panthers that I really liked, it was "Prison can either break a person or make them stronger and lots of people enter it as an opportunity thinking I'm ready to grow the hell up."(Clarett 244). This just really shows how people take their mistakes and learns from them. 

            I think my biggest takeaway was from the interview with Maurice Clarett and Bob Eckhart was understanding the mindset of someone who grew up hustling and around crime. I did not understand it until this interview. Clarett really explained it well. This was all that he saw, he grew up in the hood and did not have a good role model to look up too. He didn't have a father, and one of his brothers ended up in prison too. I understand not having parents around not being able to correct his behavior. I am happy for Clarett bettering himself though. It is never too late for someone to better themselves. I think it is an inspiration for other people who are close to giving up. I do wonder sometimes where he would've ended up if he didn't go to prison.

                                            Toledo Correctional Institute Library