Edwidge Danticat is a fourteen year old girl that lives in The Westbury Courts apartment complex in Brooklyn, New

York. Throughout the story, Danticat takes the reader on an emotional rollercoaster when she recollects the various tragedies that occurred throughout her adolescence. However she insists that her neighborhood is not a bad place. Westbury Court shows how unfortunate circumstances can happen in someones life, but the harshness of reality does not set in until that person has reached adulthood looks back at the past. First off, Danticat describes her environment as graffiti on most of the walls, and hills of trash piled up outside. Although Danticat and her family endured numerous shortcomings and lived in undesirable living conditions, it was where they called home. This would be the perfect reason why Danticat could call Westbury Court her home. A home brings happiness, sadness, growing pains, and memories. Westbury Court brought all of those intangibles in to her life. I for one have been fourtunate to have lived at my current spot of residence for all of my life. Here, Ive seen many cosmetic changes, seen many neighbors, good and not so good, come and go as well. Alas, I would be first to admit that it is not the best

neighborhood to live in, in fact I wouldnt recommend living here, but it is all I know. Over the years the memories that I have built living here is what makes my environment my home. And I like Danticat could never ponder leaving the place where I live unless something drastic takes place. Randolph2 Danticat talks about the day when a Nigerian was gunned down across the street from her building. In response, her mother told her that there had to be a reason for his death. Her mother only said that to make the situation seem a little bit better. Looking back, Danticat must have realized this. However as a child that piece of information probably flew over her head because she was unable to fully comprehend it at that time. Her mother tried to sooth the cold facts of life for her and her brother. She probably also tried to comfort herself because grief can be hard and damaging for anyone to have to deal with. I can compare this with a movie. When youre a kid and you watch a movie you usually do not pick up on certain lines and or phrases. However when you go back and watch the movie when you are older then you can catch things that u might not have when you were a child. It is almost like a eureka moment. As the popular hip-hop artist J. Cole once said Back when I was sleeping in my momma crib, even back then when I was up there in Mohammad crib, paying

seventeen-hundred for the rent money well spent, no heater but a **** made heat may I vent?. Basically what he was saying in this rhyme was that where he lived may have been overpriced, and did not have heat but he considered it his home. He took all of the shortcomings and used it as fuel to ensure that he had a stable, comfortable life. Now, this serves as a direct correlation to the topic at hand. Your home should be what you make of it. Outsiders may not be able to see what you see in your home but that is what makes it special. You hold special bonds, memories, and etc and thats what makes it different from a house.

References Danticat, E. (n.d.). Westbury court. Retrieved October 19, 2013, from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0 CCkQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fenglish.basd.k12.wi.us%2Fmocarski%2Fcollegeengl ish%2FWESTBURYCOURT.rtf&ei=xYhiUrqgK8HCywHNnoDYAQ&usg=AFQjCNFy 7xbfGmwRggMd1JrUqF6a7tQUaw