Now we see that Laymon has started a new eating disorder, before it was overeating, now is not eating and doing more exercise just because of being bullied by white people in his college. He still couldn’t accept himself as he is. He was expelled from his college and was transferred to a new one due to racism. Later on, he becomes academically successful like his mother and becomes an English Teacher at Vassar. His mother started to get more money and more money from him, and he discovered her addiction too gambling. Due to exercise he broke his leg and after a while he regains all the weight he lost. Laymon was really down during this time, he begun to gamble like mother. Laymon reunites with his mother in a hotel room in a casino where he tells his mother to tell each other the truth of what they been through. At the end of the book Laymon makes clearly the following ““The most abusive parts of our nation obsessively neglect yesterday while peddling in possibility.” “I’m not sure if any of us are okay.” This is so deep and real, it shows that we all have our own insecurities, our own problems, our own worries, and our own experiences that has been the main instrument of our own destruction.
Author Archives: Nayely Dilone
Reaction
I was in awe, shocked, and impressed with the way Laymon ask questions, he’s thought process and they he corrects his grandmother when she doesn’t use the correct language. His grandmother reassures him he’s perfect just the way he is, and that I better to forget and move on than to live with those memories.
Writing response
Kiese’s grandmother was the person that taught him how too speak and what to do and what not to do. This shows that his mother wasn’t really the best example or the one teaching him to be the best version of himself. Laymon didn’t really have a good relationship with his father, he barely had no memories of his father. His psychologist told him that he had a problem with violence both in school and at home. The book heavy states “What I mean is this: if you’re having problems with violence at school, I wonder how you’re experiencing violence at home.” This demonstrate that there’s more to his pain and his suffering, there’s so many deep circumstances and issues that has made him like that. Is not only his parents, not only the people around him but everything that has happened to him has mentally impacted him in a negative way. In other words he’s still not over it, he still leaves with those memories and experiences. Laymon has used alcohol as a way to demolish all of those feelings and emotions that he feels deep inside of his heart. Alcohol is a way to suppressed your most deepest feelings and concerns, is a way too stop thinking, for just one moment to stop that sadness and emptiness and that what Laymon is doing.
Heavy Summary
Heavy is such an intense book to read. Kiese laymon is the author of this book, he talks about his experiences as a a person that has been mistreated and abused by his own parents, babysitters and white neighbors in the community. His mother used to beat him a lot when he got a lower score in school. He sought comfort on food, he was stress eating it was like food was the only thing giving him warm. Laymon talks about the struggles that comes from being black and living in a society that still holds on to racism and discrimination. Heavy states ” Ain’t nothing in the world worse than looking at your children drowning, knowing ain’t nothing you can do because you’re scared that if you get to trying to save them, they might see that you can’t swim either.” This demonstrates that not even the parents can help their child and protect them because at the end of the day they can’t do anything to stop the pain and suffering from occurring, all they could do is watch and beg that to be stopped. Laymon shows that your struggles, your pain is the one that influences you to do better, to become someone that can bring change.
Expectations Free Write
Dear Classmates,
For this class, I expect to stay motivated, dedicated, and not procrastinate. I hope to go over what I learned each day after class, to stay on track. Moreover, I want to ask more questions when I don’t understand something in class and gain more communication skills. Since I am a shy person at first, I implore you to be more patient with me and give me time to to open up. I desire for my instructor to recommend more books to read because I love reading. All off my life I have been quiet and kept to myself, but now as I am growing up I see the importance of making conversations and getting to know new people. This has helped me to be more comfortable with myself and give people a chance. Furthermore, I wish to ask my instructor to tell me how I can be a better writer and better student, also to make sure to tell me where my mistakes are and what I can do to improve. My classmates, I expect we respect each other, give useful and proper feedback, and be kind to one another.
Sincerely,
Nayely Dilone
