Jesmyn Ward's autobiography, Men We Reaped, chronicles Ward's life in relation to five men she knew, all of whom died atrociously and unjustly. Throughout his memoirs, Ward uses several methods to differentiate himself from his community. While many of the characters in the autobiography are ravaged by the effects of drugs, Ward remains relatively unaffected, representing his general disengagement with the racism that the novel's other characters face. Furthermore, while most of the characters are portrayed as helpless victims of a broken system, Ward's self-portrayal is one of valor and invincibility, further differentiating her from her community. Finally, while most of the people in Ward's life are subjected to a harsh life filled with drug abuse, poverty, and seemingly inevitable death, Ward is able to escape this cycle of poverty and become educated, wealthy, and successful. In her memoir, Men We Reaped, although Ward often presages that the specter of systemic racism present in the novel affected her and others in her community equally, the overwhelming portrayal of Ward as invincible or immune to the many social constraints that burden other African countries The Americans resolutely invalidate this statement. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Ward uses drugs to symbolize the specter of white oppression and control in black lives, as the excessive use of these drugs is a byproduct of an urban poverty problem born of centuries of white neglect and disenfranchisement of African Americans. In the novel, this pervasive racism, symbolized through drugs, kills not only black male bodies, but all black hope and joy. The first death to occur is that of Roger, one of Ward's childhood friends. She recalls that in the period immediately before his death, Roger often “talked about change, about going back to California,” but at the same time he began “using more” and “medicating with drugs and alcohol” (32). Although Roger had hope for his future, the pervasion of drugs, once again a symbol of systemic white racism and the resulting proliferation of African-American urban poverty, kills Roger and makes his dream of a better life impossible. Furthermore, the idea that Roger needs to “medicate” his desire for a better life equates Roger's hope with an illness, illustrating how this racism has destroyed any possibility of black hope to the point of perverting it into something sick. Not only does drug trafficking cause the death of many black lives, but the oppressive specter of racism equally destroys the black man's hope or possibility of escaping the devastating cycle of poverty. Ronald, another of Ward's friends, battled addiction towards the end of his life and was also involved in drug trafficking. In a conversation with his girlfriend, he told her that “it's like my mama pushing me out on the street” (172), demonstrating the desperation that black men feel and the inevitability of the endless cycle of involvement with drugs and death . Ward's brother, Joshua, found himself in a similar situation of despair towards the end of his life. Ward recalls when she met him one night and he admitted that he was "selling crack" (210) because he "needs the money" and Ward "couldn't dispute that" (211), illustrating the unfortunate necessity of participating in business deals to the reality of urban poverty for many African Americans. Later, Ward notes that he "saw his father" in Joshua, once again indicating the inevitable cycle ofdisenfranchised black men (220). In Ward's memoir, the long-term effects of racism, symbolized by drug use and abuse in African American communities, permeate all aspects of black life and make hope an unfortunate impossibility. While Ward describes the enormous extent to which many men in his life have been ruined by using or selling drugs, his own life has barely been affected by his drug use, illustrating how Ward's life remains relatively unburdened by systemic racism. In reference to the excessive drugs, alcohol, and partying mentioned in this memoir, New York Times critic Dwight Garner observes, "this sometimes bleak book is also imbued with life, with a sense of rural community and how it feels like being a teenager and relaxed on warm Mississippi nights, all the beer cans, the weed, the loud music, the easy sex and the windows down” (Through Five Men's Lives, A Memoirist Illuminates Her Own). Garner's fictionalized depiction of these "hot Mississippi nights" does not accurately represent the experience of most of the book's characters, who are disenfranchised victims of a broken system whose involvement with drugs is often more out of necessity than out of desire However, Gardner's critique enlightens the reader as to the carefree manner in which Ward was able to engage in these activities, as his experience involved "beer cans, weed, loud music, easy sex, and rolled down windows." with very few consequences. In the summer of 2004, Ward describes an occasion when she and her friends drank excessively. He calls the drinking “crazy and ecstatic” and reminds us that “for this moment we are young and alive” (30). Ward's description of this night as a night of "ecstasy" in contrast to the devastation the same drugs had on her fellow African Americans illustrates how far removed she is from the experiences her loved ones are experiencing. Furthermore, while Ward feels “young and alive” while using drugs, these same drugs will literally kill several characters in the memoir, once again demonstrating the stark contrast between Ward's experience and that of her peers. Similarly, in the summer of 2003, after Ward had lost three friends, he was drinking heavily and notes that there was "an illusion that our youth could save us, that there was someone somewhere who would take pity on us" (64). Ward's use of the word "we" indicates that she includes herself in this group that needs saving when in reality Ward's drug and alcohol use has not deterred her in any way and does not he is in need of the "mercy" he writes about, while others in this group certainly are. Later that night, Ward equates this drug-induced euphoric effect with happiness, remarking, “this is what it means to be spared” (64). Ward's use of the word “spared” here indicates that he recognized his differences from others in the group. Ward was “spared” because while all the other members of this group have to face the consequences of their drug use and many will die from it, she does not. This false sense of unity is mirrored when Ward notes later in the novel that “the same pressures weighed on us all. My whole community suffered from a lack of trust: we did not believe that society provided the foundations of good education, safety, access to good jobs, fairness in the justice system” (169). Even though Ward still uses the word “we” and includes himself in this “community,” he has no reason to distrust a corporation since he has been rewarded with a “good job” and a “good education” while others in his community have not. they will ever have. these things.Ward's immunity to both drugs and the devastating effects they have on the African-American community are illustrated once again when Ward and his sister, Nerissa, visit Demon's home after his death. Ward recalls that this was the place where “we had parked and drank and got high” but “now there was a sign that said 'beware'” (80). Despite this, “Nerissa smoked” but Ward did not (80). The image of the “beware” sign beautifully illustrates the difference between Ward and his African American community; while Nerissa smokes, Ward is cautiously avoiding the drugs that have so devastated many of the book's other characters, once again setting Ward apart and demonstrating his exemption from the consequences of racism. Ward's immunity to the effects of the drugs that have so devastated the rest of his community is indicative of Ward's broader disengagement with the horrific effects of systemic racism. Ward's invincibility in the face of racism or other factors that might similarly dissuade her is shown not only in her apparent immunity to drugs, but also in the depiction of her as a fighter contrasted with everyone else's helpless portrayal African Americans in the novel. In describing her own birth, Ward emphasizes how strong she was, noting that although she was born prematurely and was thought to die, "I lived, silent and tenacious in my incubator, my body riddled with multiple tubes" (43). Additionally, Ward focuses on the “abundance of scars” (42) she has earned, the physical marks of a warrior. This image of Ward as resilient or invincible continues throughout his memoir. As a child, Ward was once attacked by a pit bull and recalls that after "punching him with my fists, left and right, over and over again," "he backed away from me, running away with his back hunched" (58 ). Ward's defeat of this animal once again portrays her as a fighter, while the additional detail of the dog's "bent back" depicts this beast that dared to test her as cowardly and vulnerable. Aside from her physical toughness, Ward is also given responsibilities that similarly make her feel important or invulnerable. As the older sister, Ward was often tasked with caring for her younger brother, Joshua. She recalls a night when her parents argued and she comforted Joshua, noting, “he was shaking and I was shaking, but I didn't want to cry,” (61), once again demonstrating her emotional strength. Ward's resilience is often contrasted with the unfortunate vulnerability of his fellow African Americans. He recalls an incident from his childhood while playing with his brother Joshua and friend Aldon of how "their heads seemed too big for their shoulders" and "they depended on me" (63). This is in stark contrast to how Ward describes herself as a child: scrappy, strong, and self-sufficient. These opposing comparisons continue as the characters advance into adulthood, as Ward uses terms such as “silly” and “hopeless” to define her male counterparts while still portraying herself as strong (208). Throughout her memoir, Ward describes herself as immune to the circumstances that affect the rest of the poor African American community with which she is associated. Ward continues to indicate both his emotional and physical distance from the effects of racism throughout his memoir. While the lobster boils, Ward demonstrates his ignorance of the problems facing the rest of his African-American community when he describes the book he is writing to some of his friends about black boys in a poor urban community similar to theirs. He admits that he "can't figure out how to love his characters less" and that he wants to "protect them from death and drug addiction".