Tattoos Essay #1

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.