The paradox of ‘the baby.'
The narrator and his siblings and cousins are fighting for the title ‘baby,' making them feel special before their Nanny and uncles. The main satire is that Garrett is still called a baby even after several other children are born after him. The narrator writes, “Since I was born right after Rasul, I was the grandchild who took the attention away from him. Then you had my little brother, Garrett, who came three years after and took the attention from me. Meanwhile, Garrett was and still is ‘the baby, 'even though grandchildren were born after him.”
Drug dealing as a profession
Uncle is a paradoxical character, and some of his famous professions are drug dealing, rapping, and being a barber. The irony is that being a drug dealer is considered a reputable profession. The author writes, “And according to his stories, he was damn good at whatever profession he was in. Having grown up in Plainfield, he loved the streets, and the streets loved him. He lived a short life with his then-girlfriend Cynthia."
The satire of parenting
Parenting is a calling, and the role of parents is to provide good direction for their children by beings good models. Unfortunately, Rall and Rasul’s parents are drug addicts and sellers. Therefore, these parents are doing the contrary to perfect parenting. The author writes, "Nanny always hated that the projects were raising her grandkids in. Not only were Li’ Rall and Rasul growing up around selling drugs, but their parents were using, too. She feared whom they might become if they continued living in an environment with two parents who simply weren’t equipped at the time to care for them properly.”
