The Pact Case

The pact is a nonfiction story about three teenagers that hailed from the poverty stricken parts of the United States to become doctors. The three had many challenges while growing up as their neighbourhood was full of drug addicts and they lacked role models within their society. The fact that they were black meant that they had to work extra hard for them to make it in life. This is because there were many distractors that acted as setbacks for their success. However, despite all the challenges, the three teenagers made a pact one day while at school to become doctors and help the poor members of their community. The three teenagers motivated each other and lived their dream of becoming doctors. The three doctors hailed from Newark, New Jersey, they were products of broken families, criminal activities and drug addiction both in the family and in the neighbourhood. Sam and Rameck became doctors while George managed to become a dentist. All of them desired to assist black people to get medical facilities as they felt that this was their responsibility.

The three actually started a group called Ujima while still in college. The group used to go round the nursery schools within their neighbourhood and motivate the young learners to work hard in their studies in order to manage getting into college. They did this by telling the young pupils about their college life. Their spirit of helping the young people did not die when they finished college but after graduating, the three came up with a foundation aimed at providing health awareness, helping poor students get scholarships and mentoring the young inner-city students on how to steer from crime and drugs and pursue their education. Sam was not sure that he could succeed and become a medical doctor. This is because of his poor and criminal background that had seen him land in a juvenile jail early in his teenage life. He was not sure that he could become a doctor even when George suggested it. When making the pact, Sam only agreed to it since he knew that he wanted to become something in life.

This shows that Sam was doubtful of his ability to succeed. The second proof that Sam was doubtful of his capabilities was when he joined medical school and failed the exam that was to allow him proceed to the next level. Sam was discouraged and began second-guessing on whether medical school was the right place for him. Having been brought up in the slums and the hardships he had faced in life made Sam to feel that nothing good would become of him. However, his friends were always there for him. Rameck had grown up in a family of drug-addicted parents who were not capable of providing for their son. Moreover, Rameck had troublesome friends who used to derail his pursuance of education. He was involved in criminal activities early in life but received support from both family and friends especially during his trials. Carla specifically wrote a letter during Rameck’s trial to try to make the administration be lenient with him and allow him back after he had assaulted a white student in the college. Sam and George were his greatest comfort during the trial. The reason why he assaulted the white student was because he aspired to appear ‘cool’ and erroneously thought being rough was the way. Another incident when Rameck made wrong choices was the felony that was caused by possessing a dangerous weapon.

Rameck had not fully decided to quit his criminal life and his wrong judgment caused him and his family a lot of pain. The loyalty borne of friendship helped Sam to remain focused on his studies despite the challenges he was facing. His two friends Rameck and George were always there for him and acted as his pillars to enable him sail through. Having been in a juvenile center, Sam was greatly discouraged and he almost quit school. However, since George was totally convinced that he wanted to become a dentist, he talked to both Sam and Rameck about joining him in college. Although Rameck was convinced this was the best way, Sam was still not convinced that he could become a doctor. The idea of becoming a doctor was welcome to Sam though. This is because he aspired to become something in life, so the idea of becoming a doctor was not a bad one. The influence of his friends made Sam to join them in Seton Hall. Were it not for the loyalty of the two friends, Sam would not have become a physician, but the two encouraged him to pursue medicine and to work hard at it.

Moreover, after both Sam and Rameck became separated from George, as George was pursuing dentistry; Sam faced great challenges in his exams. Sam failed in his qualifying exams and became quiet discouraged as he could not proceed to the next level. At this time, George was in Newark where he was pursuing his dentistry while the other two were in medical school at Camden. On hearing that their friend Sam was in trouble, George took his time to travel all the way to Camden to reassure his friend together with Rameck. Both friends spent many weekends trying to change the perception that Sam had towards the exams in medical school. They also talked Sam into changing his attitude towards his own life. The concern by the two friends was borne out of loyalty to each other. Rameck and George both felt that they owed it to Sam to ensure that he fulfils his promise of becoming a doctor. Some of the lessons that can be learnt from the pact include the power of peer pressure. Peer pressure can act both positively and negatively.

The three friends were influenced by peer pressure to become doctors. George was the most influential personality in the story and he influenced his friends a great deal in appositive way. The friends were always there to ensure that a friend that was losing hope was reassured and returned to the right track. However, the power of negative peer pressure is also evident in the story. The three friends were always in trouble due to the influence of their criminal friends. This is the reason why both Rameck and Sam had already been convicted for having engaged in criminal activities. When Rameck shared his aspiration of becoming a doctor with his neighbourhood friends, they laughed off his dreams, as they believed that they were not attainable. Had Rameck remained in this kind of friendship, definitely it would have been impossible for him to become a doctor. However, the positive peer pressure from his friends influenced him to live his dream. The other lesson from the book is that with determination someone can rise above any obstacle and become somebody regardless of the background. Two of the three friends had come from fatherless families thus lacking any role model.

Moreover, being blacks and living in the slums exposed the three in negativity of life raging from crime, drug addiction and hopelessness. However, the three youngsters came together and made the pact from nowhere. It was their own dream and they worked towards its realization in spite of the many setbacks. They made use of the encouragement and good advice from teachers and parents while ignoring all the drawbacks within their everyday life. I would gladly recommend this book to young people living under challenging circumstances as a way to convince them of their ability to excel in life in spite the negative influences. This book has a way of proving to the young people who feel that life is hopeless due to poverty and other unavoidable situations. It encourages and challenges the young people who feel that they need mentors and stable families to make it in life. The three doctors were able to live their dreams by staying loyal to each other and respecting the pact, they had made in their teenage life. Young people can also decide the fate of their life by taking it in their hands and changing it to the better through hard work, diligence and discipline