“At this point, not a single Kelly Street friend of mine was going to college. I was seventeen. I felt cut off and lonely. The uniform gave me a sense of belonging, and something I had never experienced all the while I was growing up; I felt distinctive” (Page. 92)
This passage is essential because it’s the origin of why Powell wanted to attend the ROTC. Powell is an individual who believed he didn’t have a purpose in life, and being the only college student in his area makes him feel lonely. This reveals about Powell that he did not live in a wealthy community, but rather in a poor one, given his neighborhood friends did not attend college. Also, Powell sensed a hole in his life as he grew up, as if he wasn’t in charge of his own life and someone else was. And we can also tell Powell is a man who wants to serve as a patriot or in a community of others serving the same purpose.
Part 2.
You did a great job on your analysis of the passage. You picked out the important parts of the text and explained why Powell wanted to join the ROTC. You showed how Powell was feeling lonely and didn’t have a sense of purpose, and how joining the ROTC and wearing the uniform gave him a feeling of belonging and control over his life. Your analysis is clear and helps us understand the text better.
I think you choose a great passage. Because it shows that just because he grow up in a poor community and not having a single friend go to college didn’t stop him from doing what he wanted to do which was serve as a patriot.
Good.