Bronx Masquerade Compare and Contrast

     The character that I think changed throughout the book "Bronx Masquerade" was Tyrone.  I think this because towards the beginning he wasn't interested in school, all he cared about was wanting to stay alive. He didn't accept others because they were different. Tyrone states, "School ain't nothin' but a joke." This shows that he doesn't take his education seriously. Nikki Grimes had a page for Tyrone after every other character. I think that was very helpful because it showed the reader how Tyrone felt and what his thoughts were on each person. Tyrone doesn't accept others, he treats them differently if they aren't African-American like him and his friends. He is stereotypical. After Raul shared his "Zorro" poem Tyrone says, "...I didn't know he knew that much English!" This shows that Tyrone believes stereotypes because since Raul is a latino, he assumes that he won't know as much english. He would judge Raul because he didn't care how much money he got for working, he was just happy to do it. I felt that towards the beginning, Tyrone wanted everyone else to be like him.

     Towards the end of the book Tyrone changed his perspective on things. He learned to accept others for who they are, and that everyone has feelings and problems. The Open Mike Friday's was what helped him realize those things. After Diondra's first poem, Tyrone was talking about how fast she read and not explicitly making fun of her, but it was implied. Later on after Diondra's "Self Portrait" poem, Tyrone understood what she meant. He says, "I didn't get her first few poems, but I dig this one. The future is ours. Let us have it. That's what she's saying." On her first poem, Tyrone didn't understand the deeper meaning to it, but now that she's read more and expressed her feelings, he understands what she's going through.

     The plot, setting, conflict, and characters of a story influence each other because they all make a difference to the story. The setting of the story impacts the characters because it shows why they act a certain way. If a character is from a bad neighborhood, the characters attitude or reputation will reflect on it. The character can have a bad reputation because of what he/she does. The plot impacts the conflict because the plot is the events that lead up to the problem. Everything that happens before the conflict/problem is what leads up to it. Without one of the elements of a story, you will not be able to tell the mood of the story.