I’m trying to learn for my English class and I’m stuck. Can you help?
In his essay "Our Time," John Edgar Wideman attempts to capture the complexity of the circumstances surrounding his brother Robby's life before and during the years he's in prison. Consider carefully all the forces at work in Robby's life, both from your own and John Wideman's perspective, the latter of which includes Garth's (unnecessary?) death, life in Homewood and Garfield, family birth order, bad luck, personal responsibility, economic exploitation, and addiction, and then offer an insight of your own into the causes of Robby's imprisonment. If you think personal responsibility is the only consideration, then discuss why these other matters that John Wideman introduces are irrelevant. If you think these other matters had a significant impact on Robby (as Robby's mother certainly does), to what extent has his life been shaped by them, and to what extent should they be considered when assessing a punishment for Robby for the crime he committed?