Representation Vs. Reality In There Are No Children Here

In the book There Are No Children Here, Alex Kotlowitz use many different examples to develop the theme of his book, representation vs. reality. Representation is how places, people and ideas have been presented to us in words or images, it often show us only part of the picture or even the wrong picture. It may create stereotype. Reality, different from representation, it might be some truth that we do not want to believe. Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined.
In the beginning of the book, Phoroah, Lafeyette and their friends have a visit to the railroad track, they had a good time until the train comes in, they were freaked and hide themselves immediately, as they heard that the suburb-bound commuters from behind the train windows would shot at them for trespassing on the tracks. The commuters, too, had heard similar rumors about the children, so they sat away from the windows as the train passed through Chicago’s blighted core. Kotlowitz writes, “For both the boys and the commuters, the unknown was the enemy” (7). The boys and the commuters both heard similar rumors about each other, rumor would be the representation, which bring unnecessary fear to them. In reality, they mean each other no harm.
Another example which used by Kotlowitz to explore the theme “representation vs. reality” is Craig Davis. Craig Davis, an eighteen-year-old who did not belong to a rival gang. People might judge Craig Davis as someone who always make bad choices, who have no future, and
It cause prejudice and stereotypes. He tells us the reality, the full picture through the book, not just the truth of the inner-city, but also tells us that we need to be careful and mindful about mistaking representation for actual