A Hope in the Unseen written by Ron Suskind

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                        Cedric’s Unsaid Essay                  

        A Hope in the Unseen written by Ron Suskind tells a compelling story of Cedric and his journey from the projects of Washington D.C. to Brown University, one of the most prestigious universities in the country.  This is a story of a poor, black teen who overcomes all odds to make it to Brown, but is it also the story of a poor, black, gay teen?  While none of the events or accomplishments would be different, this would greatly change readers’ opinions and feelings about Cedric.  It could change the whole topic of book.  If true, Cedric’s homosexuality is clearly the greatest unspoken factor in the book. As Cedric takes a walk through a working-class neighborhood near Brown and considers his identity (325-328), homosexuality and his sexual preference is never brought up, but if he is gay, why does this never come up?

        Cedric questions his identity and struggles to understand who he is as a person, a student, and a son.  Some things are certain.  He knows he is “a very ambitious and religious person”, but is this religious person also gay (325)?  That would strongly go against his faith, and would probably not be welcomed by his community at home.  If he was gay, Cedric would not want others to know he is gay, because he may feel ashamed or scared of who he really is.  Would people still like him?  Would they still be as proud of his achievements?  What would homophobic readers think of him?  Cedric and/or Ron Suskind does not want this to be mentioned and be a focus of the book, but it is definitely an important issue for Cedric to consider.  He looks “down at the hands resting on his thighs” and then “raises his palms to cover his eyes” in confusion.  He is trying to figure out he is, maybe he really doesn’t know.  Then, he repeatedly questions “Who is Cedric?” (325)  Although he doesn’t tell us the answer, it is obvious he is struggling with his identity.

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        Throughout the book, and particularly in this passage, Cedric is isolated and has no one he can openly talk to about anything.  When he thinks about some important people in his life, he only sees the connections with them that he might want, but doesn’t have.  Cedric begins to view his father more positively and sees his resemblance.  However, it is not long before Cedric remembers how his father “abandoned me at the start and then did it again and again,” weakening Cedric’s trust at a young age (326).  He then remembers another person, “Jamal McCall, his elementary school friend, ...

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