So: what did you think? What jumped out at you about George and his talk? How did he make clearer what we've been talking about so far in class? Is there anything he made more confusing? What does he make you now think about committing crime and about incarceration? Did his story—and stories about surviving 135 months of prison—change preconceived ideas you had about who commits crime and what prison is like or did he reinforce those ideas—or maybe bits of both?
Go ahead and write 250-300 words. Be honest—as honest and straightforward as George was. Don't be afraid to comment on what others write—respectfully, of course.
I thought his talk was incredible. His story was like nothing I’ve heard from someone and to see him talking about it in person was even more powerful. I would imagine his experience on his own personal journey is very different from others who went to a federal prison. When he said he imagines he would be dead if he never went to prison which is odd compared to the image of what prison is in the media. Like in Shawshank Redemption and Orange is the New Black, a lot of the prisoners immediately get sent back or struggle in general society because they don’t know how to function outside such a strict environment. His story is inspiring. His experience in prison was not different in the system from what I imagined but I was much more focused on his personal journey. I do think, considering it was his first offense, being sentenced for 11 years to a maximum security prison is very harsh. And how he is still gets the same nervousness around cops even though he’s clean is not unimaginable but it is very powerful.
ReplyDeleteGeorge Morton totally changed my perspective on the idea of prison. What I really got out of the discussion is that prison is what you make of it. I think that he had a pretty unique story, though. From what I’ve heard, and partially because of what George said, I know that prison can be a place where crime is fostered and not stopped. I was really impressed by George’s attitude toward prison, though. He truly took it as an opportunity to change, and to dive into one of his passions. I would imagine that his story is fairly uncommon, though. What jumped out at me most during his talk was one of his stories. He said that, in prison, when someone in your group is fighting, you go and fight, too. He said that, one day, he was about to get involved in a fight when someone stopped him and said something along the lines of “No, you have a gift. You’ll get out.” He said that after that incident, he didn’t involve himself in fighting anymore. He said that prison saved him, which is something you don’t hear often. A lot of my ideas about prison were changed, but some of them were reinforced. He talked a fair amount about the violence that can occur in prison, which often seems exaggerated in the media, but is true. He also talked about how sometimes there are relationships between the guards and the inmates. You would think that was untrue, but apparently not.
ReplyDeleteHis story was really unbelievable in every aspect. The way he was caught with 13 books. The way he was taught by his grandmother and mother. The way he was protected in prison because of his art. It all seemed like a movie or story. I loved his view on life. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to be thankful for the system that took away 11 years of your life but he is. He sees that in his case it actually helped him become a better version of himself. His awareness oh his own situation and other around him was great. I liked how he kept emphasizing to be great fun for our programming. He is right we, at paideia, are are so fortunate to be built up the way we are and how other propels are not. He was pushed into the dealing and drugs by his family he had no choice. The fact that he was, at least now, angry about being sentenced for so harshly over his crime was crazy. I would be angry. He didn’t even seem angry at the fact that he lost his 20’s, the best time in life. He was so great fun for everything that came even if it sucked in the time being which was pretty admirable. I obviously know there are people in prison who do not deserve to be there for as long a s they are or even at all but seeing what he did with his time is impressive. He grew within his own personality and his art. He managed to change his outlook on life. He was honestly pretty inspirational.
ReplyDeleteGeorge’s talk was AMAZING! I find it harsh that a judge would sentence a person to 135 months in prison rather than the 11 years that this entails, when it is obviously psychologically worse to face such a huge number. Also, it is so ironic that he is painting a judge’s portrait, and I admire how unbiased he is against the judge. George merely stated the irony as a fact, but he still seemed honored to be requested for the portrait. He has not let his experience with the prison system negatively impact his view of law enforcement, as he resents neither cops nor judges; he respects them. His story demonstrates how prison can be a positive thing when he said some of his friends did not get the “privilege” of going to prison. I now wonder if his story is more common than I had previously believed. We see amazing stories like George’s on the news, but I am often led to believe that it is a one-time thing for such a transformation to take place. However, there are probably hundreds of people who are unable to or do not think to put their talents to use while in prison. George’s story could be a possibility for more people, but he seems like the only one, which I find really sad. If we could make incarceration more of a chance for reflection rather than punishment and brutality (especially for cases like George’s), we could see more beautiful stories like his and bring about a whole new level of creativity from a world that few of us could even fathom. I wish there were more stories like George’s because not every incarcerated person is a “menace to society.”
ReplyDeleteThe way in which Mr. Morton spoke today was unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, especially at school. His language, obvious artistic ability, and way to connect to us, the youth, all contributed to the volumes that his presentation spoke to me. The thing that stands out to me most about Mr. Morton the most is this: he could have very well ended up as a statistic if it weren’t for the “privilege of prison” (a direct quote from the man himself). Too often, African-American men and women are subject to the type of childhood that Mr. Morton grew up in, but rather than being shown on the New York Times as a success story, they show up in the news for committing a crime, or being the victim. It’s strange to think about how he could have very well ended up a middle school dropout who lived a life of crime through drugs for the rest of his life. The other interesting part about Mr. Morton’s talk is that rather than serving some of his time and spending the rest on parole, he served the full 11 years. Quite honestly, this isn’t something that I’m used to seeing. Everyone who I’ve witnessed talk about prison from a firsthand experience has always been released on parole. Because of this, I feel as if Mr. Morton has a much more real experience with the prison system, as he was never shown any sort of mercy.
ReplyDeleteI thought George’s talk was great. It was very inspirational to hear his story from selling his grandmother weed to being a famous painter. One line that he said that stood out to me was that “prison saved me.” I was taken aback when he said that because I think the stigma is that prison is a terrible place. Morton instead saw it as an opportunity to change his life around and used his time in the system to prepare for his time outside. I was surprised to hear of how his “car” stood up for and protected him from the fights and drama in the prison. They recognized the talent he had and knew that he could do something great with his life. I previously thought that prison was every man for himself and any type of gain would be personal gain, but that story showed me that the inmates really do care about one another. I also thought it was interesting when he said that “if he didn’t go to prison, he would be dead”. His childhood was so bizarre it sounded like it came out of a movie! He really was “born” to be a criminal and instead of letting those circumstances define him, he flipped it upside down and proved his doubters wrong. In addition, even though he never made it to 8th grade, he found a way to become educated. George Morton is the epitome of defying the odds and I am super glad I could see him speak. I definitely want to see the movie when it comes out!
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ReplyDeleteGeorge Morton was a very good speaker and an incredibly interesting man. Despite the fact that he had never spoken about his experiences before, he did extremely well. Something that jumped out at me was George’s appreciation for his time in prison. I never would have imagined a person to look back upon their time in prison fondly; however, after learning more about George’s background it makes sense. George was always good man at his core, but before prison he never was in an environment that allowed him to thrive and develop. Prison offered George a place to refine himself as a person, which must have been relieving and incredible. The majority of our discussion in class is based around police officers, so it is interesting to hear from someone who was deeply involved in the justice system but had little to say about cops. George Morton has made me think about the moral character of people who are incarcerated. Before George’s talk I thought of inmates in a negative way; however, after listening to his experiences I am much more open to inmates and previously incarcerated people. I originally thought of inmates in a negative manner because it is difficult for me to imagine the awful circumstances some people grow up in. George stated that his early life was “a system perpetuated
ReplyDeleteby…role models.” This is when I realized how difficult it must have been for him to distinguish right from wrong. After all, his mother and grandmother taught him about crack cocaine and certainly did not admonish it. Despite all this he has worked non stop to achieve his goals and leave his mark upon the world.
The discussion today with George was honestly eye opening, unbelievable, and crazy. I think it really inspirational and positive that he managed to turn his life around from such a huge set back. Also the fact he used his art for good. I think it is good george is talking to many people about his experiences and how he turned his life around. Many people in todays world go through the same cycle he did and it is sad. For many there is no way out and he is lucky he was given with a gift. I found it interesting that the judge said 135 months instead of 11 years. That seems a little extra because even though it is the same amount of time, the 135 years seems very extra to call it like that to make it sound worse. I think george should try and promote his story to many other people. The reason i think he should do this and this is important, is because so many teens go thru the same thing as him and need to know theres a chance of them getting out of the cycle. I had always heard of stories like this but never first hand met someone who had gone through any experience like his. George changed my viewpoint of prison today. What I realized he was portraying is that prison is what you make it. While there are people getting beat up in there, getting raped in jail, managing to get drugs in etc, its not everyone and if you stay away from the huge crowds of negative energy you should be fine with avoiding those situations
ReplyDeleteGeorge is a phenomenal man. His life before prison is sadly pretty common but what he made of his life after prison is uncommon and exceptional. George’s story shows the power of perserverance. George has the rare gift of being able to learn from his troubling times and continue progressing while in a struggle. George’s talents cannot be denied but it is how he decides to use them and spread them that separate him from the pack. He surrounded himself with the right people in prison and was able to earn respect, learn from others and gain their protection. This shows true character, since George did not enter prison as a tough guy. While his prison experience is very interesting it is what he did after prison that I find fascinating. George planned and researched in prison for his first moves on the outside. He was able to place himself in a city with opportunity when the system would have sent him to the same place that got him in trouble. He researched the different areas in the city and found the ones that would serve him. His social and networking skills are amazing. He got what may have seemed like a dead end job and used this job to show his talent to those that can appreciate it and help him progress it. Not to mention he got this job when they were not even hiring and the overall economy was poor, by showing his strong work ethic and offering to work for free. While most of us do not come from environments as harsh and cruel as George, anyone can learn from his story, actions and attitude.
ReplyDeleteI mean wow, it was amazing to hear George’s story. Just the fact that he managed to stay focused and pursue his dream through a terrible childhood and eleven long years in prison. Thinking about how hard it can be to focus on class or to make sure you get all your chores done, I can’t imagine what it would be like to do the same thing every day for eleven years, and still have the same urgency and same feeling of hope. Along with this, one thing that really stood out to me was when he talked about personas. I asked him about did he think he had a different persona when he was drug dealer or in prison vs now, and his answer really stood out to me. He said the whole time, drug dealer or not, prison or free, he has been the same person with the same dreams and passion. When he was a drug dealer he wanted to be a painter just like when he was in prison and just like how he is now. I found it really interesting that he said this because I have never really thought about it like that before. I always thought that people start off rough and go through a development and change significantly. But he made it very clear that he was not a bad kid who went to jail and “saw the light.” No, he had always had the same drive, he had always felt like he was meant for something more. Overall, this was definitely my favorite conversation we have had so far, and I can’t wait to keep up with George in the future and watch his film, he is an incredibly amazing human being.
ReplyDeleteI have to rethink my whole attitude about prison becaus of the way George talked about it. His whole story is very inspiring. I guess I had a certain preconceived notion about what people in prison are, or what crack dealers are. I thought it was interesting how he said that prison saved him, and that it helped him get away from that situation. He said that he went back to Kansas City and he saw his friends from back in the day and he felt bad that “they didn’t have the privilege of going to prison.” I thought it was super interesting how he used prison as a way to practice his work and better himself. As soon as he got to prison, he decided that art was his way out of the crime world and he would have to put everything into art. I also thought it was interesting how when he was in prison he wasn’t friends with the guys his age, he went to the wiser guys who he could learn from, and then eventually when he got moved to minimum security he could become friends with people like Bernie Madoff and other fraud and Ponzi scheme guys. I think that the idea to make a movie about your life is cool, especially if you have lived such an inter string life, and better yet, a life that if every unrelateblke to the audience watching your life story unfold. It’ll be cool to see the full interviews with g-money and other people like that. Georges story about what he did when he got out of prison was so inspiring because of his work ethic, especially to work for free so you can get an opportunity to paint a portrait of your boss.
ReplyDeleteI really thought his talk was very interesting. His story is one of the craziest things I have ever heard. His mother was on crack and his grandmother was on crack. He was forced to sell crack because his grandmother would sell her body on the streets. If i was in the position I would probably do the same thing. It was a blessing that he was able to create art with his hands. It helped him in jail and it helped throughout life. It was like him going to jail needed to happen. He would probably be dead if he did not face the consequences. When we were watching the preview of his movie, it was a motivation. The place where he came from looked like no one could make it out of there. When he was talking he said he had to walk by drug dealers everyday. It is like there was no escaping. It's like if he can do it I can do it too.
ReplyDeleteI think George's talk was great. He is definitely my favorite speaker so far. His story caught my attention right away and the way he presented it to us was even better by starting off with a trailer to his film and then basically telling us his whole journey. The first thing that jumped out to me was the amount of time he had to serve. When he first told us 11 years, I honestly thought he was going to end up saying he only had to serve a few months of that, but that wasn't the case. I immediately began to think how in the world he survived all that time in jail. I was really touched when he told us about his childhood and everything he experienced at such a young age. He was born into a dope house and his mother and grandmother were drug dealers. He was just an innocent child trying to provide for his family and he felt like selling dope was his only way out at the time because that's what his 'role models' did. Although he didn't make it to high school, he got his GED at 16 in Juvenile, and this was interesting because it just shows how determined he was to succeed in life no matter the circumstances. At age 19, he was sentenced to 135 months for being caught with a gun and crack. This made me think a little because there are killers out here on the loose and even killers getting set free but he got all of the time for just having drugs. I'm not saying having drugs is right but I still believe that was too much time. He kept mentioning "I don't think I'm a bad guy," and I agree with this because him going to federal prison for 11 years makes him look like a bad guy but in reality he hasn't hurt anyone or did anything that bad; he was just trying to make sure his family was taken care of. One of the things that stood out was when he was telling us about his time in prison. He said he hung around older guys or people with the same mindset as him, all he did was draw, paint, and read which was also really interesting. One of my favorite things that he said was he "used prison as an opportunity that was brilliantly disguised as a setback." For some reason this quote really stuck with me because it shows that instead of just giving up altogether, he used prison as an opportunity to learn and grow. The other thing that stuck with me was how significantly his life changed. He went from being a kid selling drugs and getting locked up for it to becoming a well known artist. He said if he didn't go to prison, he would be dead, so to see him succeeding now is just amazing. He ended up graduating from the Florence Academy art school, ended up in NY Times, does interviews, films and books, and probably one of his biggest accomplishments is that he's opening a school in Atlanta. The talk with George overall was really eye opening and if i could listen to it all over again I would.
ReplyDeleteI think that George was very inspirational. It made me realize that I have no excuses to not achieve what I want, because he did it while starting at such a disadvantage. It really made me break the stereotype that I had in my head of what a felon is. I guess most of us, I don't wanna speak for anybody else, I have this image of a felon that just isn't who George is. In my mind, I automatically picture someone who has murdered someone already done something along those lines. But George made me realize that there's so much more to people who are classified as felons. It makes me realize that people who are in jail, and who have committed crimes, aren't always horrible people. Just because somebody breaks the law doesn't mean that they're a bad person, sometimes somebody is just in the wrong place at the wrong time and they have to suffer the consequences of it. One thing that was hard for me to hear was him talk about how his friends were killers but he wasn't. I could never imagine being in that situation, or a situation where Juvie feels like Disneyland. When he compared Julie to Disneyland I wasn't really sure how to feel, honestly my mind kind of blanks because I was such a for an idea to me. He also talked about how prison saved him. That was really confusing for me to hear. Because when I think of jail and prison I think of horrible situations and think of it as a place I would never want to be. To hear him say that a place like that saved him was really eye-opening to the situation that he was in before. I initially felt awkward taking notes on what he was saying. He wasn't just teaching us about something or telling us a fictional story, it was his life. It was like we were writing down his life getting ready to critique it and I felt so guilty for doing that. I'm really really glad I had the opportunity to be in a class where he was able to come and talk to us. I really learned a lot from him and have a lot of respect for him as a person.
ReplyDeleteI thought that George story was very inspirational and it is an example that even if life is so messed up, there is still a chance to make it better. What stood to me out the most is when George was talking about prison, he was talking about it as if it was a place he need to be and it’s a positive place. Which is surprising because most people think of prisons as if it’s hell or a place you go get out and go back again. It was really interesting to have heard George’s perspectives and experience or prison.George made it clear that there are some good and some bad officers out there in the world and he made it clear when he was describing the relationship he had with some of the officers. He had said that some officers are so nice they will look up some things on their phone for you and others are bad and mean. George didn’t make anything confusing but I did wonder why he never spoke of his father. Committing crime is a bad thing but George makes me think that what ever I’ve been through and I think it’s bad, there are others who has it worse than me so I should be grateful for the privilege I have.
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