Pay close attention to the poems: “I run into Dad’s room,” “Behind Closed Doors,” “Text Messages from Mom, Part One,” and “At Noon, in the Gym, with Dad.”
How does each of these poems convey important information about the boys’ dad’s health problems?
What connections do you see between modern social injustices and the events in The Crossover by kwame alexander?
NOTE: A full paragraph response is required. A full paragraph is a minimum of 5 to 7 sentences with correct conventions (capitalization, spelling, punctuation) and grammar. You should answer both questions in the same paragraph. You do not need to write a paragraph response for each one.
In the poems “I run into Dad’s room” and “Behind Closed Doors,” we see the boys’ dad experiencing health problems such as chest pains and exhaustion, which are likely signs of cardiovascular issues. In “Text Messages from Mom, Part One,” the boys receive worried messages from their mom about their dad’s health, indicating that his condition is serious enough to cause concern. Lastly, in “At Noon, in the Gym, with Dad,” the boys witness their dad collapsing during a basketball game, further emphasizing the severity of his health problems.
In The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, we can draw connections between the boys’ father’s health issues and modern social injustices related to inadequate healthcare access and support. The boys’ dad’s health problems mirror the struggles faced by many individuals in marginalized communities, who may not have access to quality healthcare or resources to address their illnesses. This highlights a broader issue of disparities in healthcare and how social injustices can impact individuals’ well-being and quality of life. Kwame Alexander uses the boys’ father’s health challenges as a way to shed light on these larger systemic issues and how they can affect families and communities.