Hero Journeys

Chris Gilbert
Period 1
December 11, 2011
Persuing Goals
Step One: The ordinary world
Young or old everyone has a dream. My dream happened to be the most difficult to accomplish, and was even harder in my living conditions. I didn’t grow up as an average person; I lived in a government-subsidized house in a neighborhood known as the “projects.” Neither of my parents were great role models, so I had to do the modeling for myself. My mom didn’t work and my dad, lacking substantial education, had made just enough money for us to live and to supply him self with cigarettes. Outsiders of my neighborhood just judged; didn’t think anything more of us than dust. I was the one person determined to get out of that stereotype and live in better conditions. I lived in Cabrini-Green, Chicago, with three other siblings. I was the oldest, but my brother, Johny, was only one year younger. I was born on December 21, 1981. Ten years later my second brother was welcomed to the family and shortly after that Angel, my sister, was born. My parents were not very smart to have more kids when they could barely support the first one.
I don’t see my dad very often and when I do it’s late at night. My mom was mostly in our house with my baby brother and when she wasn’t home it was a mystery where she would be. My brother Johny was the naughty one in our family. When we were kids we played with each other everyday, but as we grew older, we grew apart. His interests were the opposite of mine.   I worked as the local paperboy when I was nine for about three dollars a day. Then, when I was thirteen I stopped and didn’t work again until I was fifteen. I worked at the local bike shop, after school for about four hours and only made about six dollars. I never allowed myself to keep the money, because it could go to a better use than keeping my siblings provided with food, and clothing. Although, I once earned a bike for being employee of the year. My bike was my prized possession, it...