Sean Jenkins
English 102
Tattoos Essay #1
It
is easier to forgive than to forget, but forgiveness can be one of the toughest
things for a person to comprehend.
In
the book Tattoos on the Heart, a man referred to as Father G worked to
try and create a group with the intent of helping gang members in Los Angeles,
California. Father G has to work with gang members that often times have had
very tough lives, and he has to look the other way when he learns about some of
their actions. Father G had to work with a young man named Ramiro. However,
Father G realizes that in order to help Ramiro find work that he’d need to get
rid of the crude tattoo that he had on his forehead. “We began tattoo removal
because of a guy named Ramiro. A gang member fresh out of prison, with a long
record, had Fuck the World tattooed on his forehead, completely filling the
space there.” (page 7) Father G eventually decided to give Ramiro a job at
Homeboy Bakery and started the to remove the tattoos from not only Ramiro but
from many other gang members that he worked with. Father G had to be able to
forgive the gang members for what their tattoos might have meant in order to
help them find work. This showed that Father G had a lot of courage. As a
result of this, Ramiro was able to almost forget a strong memory that he had
and forgive himself for doing it.
Lula
was another one of the young gang members that Father G had worked with and had
to forgive them for their previous actions. Lula had ADD or attention deficit
disorder and seemed to be very happy when he received a report card, which had
failing grades in all classes. Father G was able to forgive Lula for his
failing report card and in return praised him for having zero absences. Father
G treated Lula almost as if he were a straight A and was always trying to
support Lula and lift his spirit. “Lula, nice goin’ Mijo, you didn’t miss a
day, I’m thinking a lot a good it did ya-you didn’t miss a day.” (page 50) Lula
was always so grateful to hear the words Father G had to say to him. This shows
how well Father G was able to forgive Lula for his previous actions and turn it
around and work with him and praise him for the work they were doing together.
Lula’s struggle since he was a small child never allowed him to view happiness
of gratitude so it was sometimes hard for him to recognize what Father G was
trying to do. Because habits are so hard to break, Father G had to show Lula
that he needed to be grateful for the little things that he had in his life and
enjoy every moment. Father G believed that the more you were able to focus on
positive events and enjoy them, that you would be able to forgive yourself for
your prior actions.
Because
Father G was able to forgive the young gang members that he worked with actions,
it made it much easier for him to try and encourage them that they had a better
life on the outside rather than in prison. By working with these troubled young
men, he was able to show them that they needed to forgive the people that they
might be angry at, but most importantly themselves. They needed to do this in
order to enjoy their new lives that Father G was helping them shape.
Forgiveness is not always an easy task for people, but it can be the most
rewarding in the end.
