WPU 101-45 1 st Year Experience/Freshman Seminar
Term Paper: The Pact
Due November 21, 2006
Test instructions on last page. Name:________________________________
We shared the experience of reading The Pact and are enriched by it. The fundamental theme is the ascent of the individual(s) over circumstance, be it poverty, biased presupposition
(encompassing a spectrum of attitudes from complacent assumption of mediocrity to outright bigotry), prevalence of crime, the tragic epidemic of drug abuse, seeing the despair / suffering in others, the system’s indifference, and other environmental factors. A pact is forged of an amalgam of adamant human aspirations and bonds of deep friendship. Against such, no circumstance can prevail. In the end, virtue triumphs over all, being not only its own reward, but in the molding of three fine doctors, pillars in their community and as examples to us all.
1.
Is higher education the way out of the maze of environmental factors that impede us from becoming greater individuals (in terms of understanding, intellect, capability, professional growth, job potential...) and a more enlightened, advanced, and benevolent society as a whole? Exercise latitude in expressing yourself on this question. How do you feel about it?
2.
Education is at the center of this success story. Sadly, teachers like Miss Johnson, who nurtured and inspired George, were less prevalent than those who "...just didn't know how to reach us and didn't seem to care. They expected and accepted mediocrity or less, and unfortunately, we usually gave no more."
Why do you think George felt this way?
To what degree are teachers—and students—to blame for this situation?
Does the book suggest any ways to improve the system?
What would you suggest? How would you make a difference?
If your destiny is in the field of education, this is a pivotal issue!
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3.
Sam in his heartfelt eloquence so aptly notes "How can a mother's pleas compete with the thrill of having wads of cash handed to you when your pockets are empty and the pantry is bare? Sure, you see cats your age dying all the time, but you figure that's the price you pay for being born poor. And you accept your fate, unless someone or something convinces you that you have the power to change the script." Discuss the narrators' success in the context of this statement. Who or what provided that "someone or something" for these three fellows?
Be specific and give details.
4.
The narrators cite role models as huge influences on their lives. Discuss how Mr. Jackson,
Miss Johnson, Reggie, and Carla affected George, Sam, and Rameck.
Do you think individuals are encouraged to take on leadership roles in troubled communities? Why or why not?
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5.
How did family relationships influence these boys' lives? What stands out about each of their childhood experiences at home? Give a separate paragraph for Sam, George, and
Rameck. Elaborate and fully justify your conclusions with illustrative passages in the text.
6.
Each of the narrators describes a turning point at which specific decisions or choices—to turn away from certain friends, to never return to jail, to study harder—changed the course of their lives. Give one for each of them (George, Sam, Rameck) in the space allotted below.
Are such moments recognizable only in hindsight? Do you think that shaping the events of your life into a story would influence the importance you placed on specific events? Discuss below. Is there a turning point in your past or perhaps one in your expected future?
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7.
Peer pressure plays an enormous role in the lives of young people in every circumstance.
How did it play into Sam, George, and Rameck's lives? What drew them together and what kept their "pact" alive?
Hint: Part of the answer is in George’s chapter on “Peer Pressure”. Please don’t limit your answers to that alone, as there are other treasure troves throughout the text, especially in their earlier and later experiences. Give details.
8.
Rameck's grandmother tries to teach him a tough lesson when she takes back the money she's lent him for portfolio pictures because she found out that his mother used it to pay the utility bill. "You can't help nobody till you help yourself," she tells him. Do you agree with her philosophy? What do you think Rameck took away from that experience?
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9.
If the EOP program that gave these three young men a chance at college—and the hundreds of other programs like it—didn't exist, do you think they would have succeeded anyway?
Why or why not?
Be expansive in your answer. The old adage of:
“You can’t keep a good man down” has a contraposition-dual in:
“How far you get in life depends on where you started”.
Your answer should recognize the complexities of this apparently-inconsistent pair and perhaps even reconcile them.
10.
George ends the book sitting at his desk watching teenagers outside, wondering: "Where are their parents? Where are the cops?"—though he adheres to the unwritten code of the streets, of course, and doesn't call them—and finally, "Where are our young leaders to show the kids something different from what they see around here?" Has this book changed the way in which you'd answer those questions? Moreover, where would you see the future?
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11.
After reading this book, what do you conclude is required to enable other young people in rough environments to achieve? Who is ultimately responsible for providing those opportunities? The individual? The family? Society? The state?
12.
“We hope our story will also demonstrate that anyone with enough compassion has the power to transform and redirect someone else's troubled life," the doctors write in their introduction. Have they succeeded? Can you identify ways to take up that challenge in your own community? Would you be willing to extend the pact, to become the fourth person, whether as a doctor or at the top of your profession of choice? What path, profession, and degree would that be? Where would you pursue it, in post-graduate school and beyond?
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13.
Sometimes, the irresistible allure of romance has a way of breaking oaths. Give the describe of how this nearly happened? Who was the woman? Who among the three nearly faltered?
What happened and how would it have broken the pact? Did he make a decision in favor of the pact (i.e. breaking the romance) or did an external event cause it? If so, what was that event?
14.
Who/what decided where Sam would spend his residency, once Sam provided his list of preferences?
Give the name of the annual event that determines for medical students throughout the country where they will spend their residency.
Also, where do those 16,000 medical students send their applications for residency (give the full name – yes, it is a long name)?
Which hospitals did Sam choose, to which one did he commit (with a letter of intent), and to which did he finally go? Give the exact names of the institutions and circumstances at each stage that led to the next stage.
Hint for one of these questions: “I was going back home.”
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15.
Often, readers stop reading at the story’s end. That would be missing so much.
What are the six principles cited in the Epilog, well worth repeating? Use one line for each.
Even more tragic is if we stop reading before the acknowledgments. As “the key to happiness is being thankful” (my quote, not in book), the Acknowledgements demonstrates
1 all three doctors are truly happy, as they display the interwoven fabric of society which encouraged and supported them. Who were the primary ones among the acknowledged for each case? Make three lists, one list for each of them, in the spaces allotted in the table below. Such thankfulness is genuine and heartfelt.
George Sam Rameck
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2 2
3 3
4
5
6
4
5
6
4
5
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Finally, who would you acknowledge for helping you reach this point? Do you see parallels between theirs and yours? Insights?
Thank you for completing The Pact and this report. Have a good life and hereafter.
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We operate on the honor system. As students, this class has done an outstanding job in academic integrity.
Hence, the next statement is unnecessary / redundant but expected as a matter of proper formality: Please do not copy any other student’s document or text, as I grade every question
“across the board” before proceeding to the next question. This guarantees uniformity in standards and fairness without fluctuation from faculty mood or mindset, not that that could occur, but as an added assurance of quality grading procedure.
However, feel free to discuss and think together in the formulation of independent answers in small groups. Many students prefer group thinking as part of their best learning style.
Another justification is that two of the “Seven Principles of Good Higher Education” are developing different learning styles to match the individual student and to promote collective reasoning and the communicational skills associated with it.
If you form a small group, remember not to make it too large, since that could give away the effort/time/concern you applied. Each answer given away, means another student will study less and consequently learn less. Also, it puts the giver behind on the relative curve. Help each other but do not just give away to a large group.
Answer every question as comprehensively and exactly as possible, including all components
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 and sub-questions. Grading will be based on:
 content (whether, in the case of essays, opinion formation or, in the case of direct questions, accuracy of information in textual reference), adherence to the text (reading comprehension and appreciation), grammatical correctness, lexical/usage correctness, logical validity of conclusions and inferences given the premises provided, coherence of paragraph structure and exposition style,
(to a reasonably limited extent) application of principles learned
While the grading of some items (like grammar) is an absolute model, other items (e.g. expression of opinion) will be on a relative scale. The relative scale uses the performance of your classmates as a gauge. It is the combination of correctness and grading relative to peers that produces the objective yet fair evaluation criteria. The process is quite time consuming but the end results are irrefutably precise, meticulously thought-out, and yet compassionately understanding. Best of prospects as you progress.
Many of these questions are based upon the Penguin Group Reading Guides , though most of those have been enhanced to be more analytic, introspective (invoking deeper career contemplation), and contextually applicable (in terms of this course and your success).
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