The life story of:

The life story of: James McBride In the end people have the power to influence and change other people’s lives, in The Color of Water by James McBride; James learns many important life lessons from the people around him and in his life and how to be a leader not a follower. Perhaps the greatest influence on James is the Chicken man who teaches James to get an education, to help James to find determination in life, and not to get in to a man and woman argument if you’re not in it with them. The chicken man teaches James the importance of having an education, going to school and being educated in life, while pay off in his lifetime. The Chicken man tells James that if he drops out of school no one will beg him to come back to school and get his education that he need in life. “ You think if you drop out of school somebody is going to beg you to come back? Hell no! They won’t beg your black ass to go back” (McBride 150). James is thinking that people will care for him to go back to school but the Chicken man told him that he’s just another black kid not doing anything with his life. James first job was working at the mile, pumping gas, change tires, fix flats and it was down the block from the his corner. Before James got fired for horse playing around in the shop, he had a little problem with one of his boss’s friends Mr. Herman. James had a fistfight with him because Mr. Herman’s friend was picking on him and making fun of him. “ If you want to drop of school and shoot people and hang on this corner all your life, go ahead. It’s your life! ” (McBride 150). But the Chicken man told him that if he wanted to end up in jail and stay on this corner for the rest of his life and not doing nothing with his life and with no education then go for it it’s his life to live not nobody else’s. In the end, the Chicken man was a great influence on James’s life and leading him in the right direction, not the wrong direction to destruction. The Chicken Man teaches James how to help James to find determination in life and not do nothing with is life. James wants to shoot and kill this guy that he got into a fistfight with, just cause he was making fun of him and calling him names. “ Is that how you want to end up, going to jail for him, because that’s where you’ll end up, doing time and hanging on this corner when you get out” (McBride 150). But the Chicken man saves James life by telling him how he is going to end up for the rest of his life. When Chicken man talks about how smart everyone including himself, but nobody cares about how smart you, you are on your own in this world on learning your education and is successful in life. “ And nobody’ll give a damn neither” (McBride 150). The Chicken man explains that anybody can be the smartest man in the world but without the common knowledge and education you cannot get anywhere in life. Overall, did not want to go to jail so he listened to the Chicken man’s advice and did not shoot the man who made fun of him and called him names. The Chicken man teaches James how to not get in to a man and woman arguments if you are not in it with them. When James saw mike and mustang fighting he wanted to jump in and stop it but the Chicken man prevented him from jumping in. “ Leave that alone, New York! “… That’s between him and his woman” (McBride 152). After seeing mustang getting slapped hard in the face, James wanted to safe her from getting beaten and tell mike to stop hitting her, but the Chicken man said no. If you’re not in the fight while it began then it best you stay out of it. When two men and woman are fighting and get physical never ever get involved between them, just sit back, watch and see what happens. “ Don’t never get between man and his woman” (McBride 152). This is a life lesson for James to not try and be a hero and get hurt or killed for trying to help a man and his woman argument. After seeing mike and mustang makeup the Chicken man says that’s why he does not like to start arguments with his woman because after a period of time you are going to feel bad emotional and want to apologize for things you said and did. “ That’s why I don’t have no arguments with no woman, ” it don’t do nothing but fool you around” (McBride 152). But not long after, the Chicken man and his woman get into an argument and went off to work. But later on his woman got a gun and shot the Chicken man from the back. He laired there, coughed a few times then on the floor he died from a gun shot to the back. In the end, James learns that helping a man and woman fighting isn’t worth losing his life over it and it doesn’t solve anything, just leads to more fighting then making up in the end. In conclusion, James’s most influenced friend is the Chicken man because he teaches James he to respect woman and to be something in life not to be a typical black boy running in the streets of Kentucky not doing nothing with his life. The Chicken man was excellent role model for leading James on the right path to the key to success and experience of life.