Larry Heinemann had a very tough life because he had to fight in the Vietnam War. His younger brother was also drafted into war the same time he was and they had some tough times, "He came back from Germany with a discharge in his hand on the same day I left for San Francisco. We had two hours in the kitchen to sit and talk...And I haven't seen my oldest brother since 1970" (416,420). I can't even imagine that because that must be horrible only being able to talk to your brothers that you haven't seen in years because of war, and only having 2 hours to talk to one of those brothers. I love my brother so much. He is the best brother in the entire world, and I couldn't imagine only being able to talk to him for 2 hours after not seeing him for years if we were in the same situation. That would be the worst possible situation to imagine. After Larry got back from war, he was very scared and ashamed, "When I got back here, I was scared and grateful and ashamed that I had lived, 'cause I started getting letters: So-and-so got hit, So-and-so burned to death" (417). I also couldn't even fathom that because getting letters from people you were close with in war and then finding out awful ways they died is just awful. Larry also got angry and stressed after Vietnam, "The one thing they teach about bus driving is that you're a public servant...Any asshole with a fare can give you shit and you have to sit there and take it. Anyone gave me an argument, I threw 'em off the bus...I was never that way before Vietnam" (417-18). Larry became very uptight, stressed, and fearful after the war, which resulted in him becoming an angry person.
Jacob Lawrence was a painter, "I sit here, I'm looking at my works, I'm reading, I'll go back to my drawing table, do some drawing. That's more or less of it" (521). Jacob worked constantly and was always trying to improve his artwork. He was a very tough worker. He is ashamed that nowadays, schools cut back on the arts (music, art, etc.) because the government needs to save money, "It's too bad we don't have more of that today--government support of the arts. In schools, the first programs cut back are music, dance, the arts. If we don't realize how much these things contribute to the quality of life, we'll lose it. I see these youngsters on the street, never exposed to this experience--they've lost it, their chance at life" (522,23). He shows how thankful he is and his classmates in art are that they had the resources to take part in the arts and find their true passion and occupation in life. He got to realize how much he loved art. If he never was able to experience the arts, then he might have never gotten to see his true talents in the arts and painting. He even said, "If it weren't for these federal programs, I probably would have been lost and drifting like so many young people were, without any sense of belonging. I dread to think what would have happened to me" (523). It illustrates how thankful he is for his resources and being able to take part in the amazing arts. He just feels sorry for those who ended up on the streets and couldn't have the same experience he had in the arts. He even said that he could have easily become one of those unfortunate kids who was on the streets without a sense of belonging. He is very religious and just thanks god for his amazing resources. He is just so thankful that he found what he is very skilled at and what he truly loves.
The American dream is to find what you truly have a passion for and go after what you want and love. Jacob just happened to be one of the fortunate ones that got to find his true love, but there were many other people who ended up on the streets without the same experience that Jacob had because they didn't have the same resources. Jacob did that and became a wonderful painter. However, Larry did not do what he truly loved because he never truly wanted to go to war, but he got drafted so he had to. He had some bad experience, but he served his country and was patriotic, so he was proud of himself and his brothers that also went to war.
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