When reading a story, it is
extremely important to put yourself in the place of every character. By doing
this, it will be easier to comprehend his or her actions towards certain
situations. When I read “Hair Chronicles” by Tabatha Rowley, since it is a
story based on true life events, I grew closer to the writer and protagonist.
Tabatha was a young black woman, who went to prison for seven years, after shooting
her boyfriend at the time. Later on, she decided to write her autobiography
through a short story.
Tabatha grew in a home where drugs,
alcohol, violence and abuse where a constant variable in her life.
In my opinion, Tabatha shot her boyfriend because
she was tired of being the victim, the one who was always abused by others.
That day, she decided to stand up and defend herself. Was it right what she
did? Off course not. But,
considering everything that she told the reader about her life, I’m glad she shot him. Maybe that
was the push she needed to become the better version of herself. Tabatha was in jail, yes, but look
how incredible she writes, being in jail doesn’t define you, and being raped or
abused doesn’t either. Tabatha is now a different woman, more mature and
through her story she wants to help others from committing the same mistakes
she did.
As I am writing this blog, all I can think about is the song, "Til it happens to you". In the song, the singer (Lady Gaga) criticizes everyone who says "You'll get
better" to rape victims because nobody really understands what they went
through, until it happens to them. So, I feel that Gaga would probably judge me if she read this article because I'm making it seem as if I understand Tabatha's situation, when I really don't (according to Gaga). But, in my opinion, it is important to at least try to understand certain situations in a person's life, whether it's a character in a story or a person in real life that you can actually help.
To conclude, I understand why
Tabatha would want to publish all the horrible things that she went through. I
do not think it was to look for the pity of everyone, but to make people stand
in her shoes, understand her and spread awareness.
