Jonathan Kozol's Amazing Grace
3rd Blog Post
Argument: In this piece of literature, Jonathan Kozol describes his trip to the South Bronx in New York City and the terrible state it is in. He argues that the environment and development of these areas in New York City is causing issues for the young children that grow up there. He pushes his themes through his own personal experience with a young boy who gave him a tour around the area of St. Ann's Church. The boy named Cliffe states out areas such as the incinerator that was placed there by the city, the trash dump off zones, and the shootings that the boy himself witnessed. Kozol also uses statistics to set the scene, with mentions of how in 1991 when monthly income in that area was $7,600, and the high population of people on drugs and have contracted HIV that in one shape or form affect the children in this area.
When looking at what I read, it seemed that the area surrounding St. Ann's Church was being used to dump everything that was unwanted in New York City. The incinerator was being used to burn waste and body parts from hospitals but was originally going to be placed in another location in NYC. The people there spoke up about the high risk of cancer due to the toxins, so it was placed South Bronx for the people who are not fortunate enough to be able to speak up. The area the author visited was housed of people that were so poor, drug infested, and/or diseased via STDs. There are areas that are used to leave unwanted things that pile up, and sometimes the people grab to use on a daily basis. It seems that the only thing they have to cling onto is family (if they have one) and religion. These unfortunate situations dramatically affect the children being raised in these areas by seeing violence (shootings and death), drugs, and health effects from the environment and what their parents are carrying (STDs, issues causing their children to get asthma or other defects). Cliffe even told Kozol that he had no idea who George Washington was, which goes to show the issues of education in these areas. He knew who Oprah and Michael Jackson were, showing that the poor being forced to move to the outer parts of the city are racially diverse. Overall, pushing the poor and unfortunate souls farther out from the wealthier areas of New York City is not helping the children or people growing up in these areas, but just making it worse. The children more importantly, are struggling in these conditions due to the drug abuse, disease, environmental hazards, money issues, and familial issues.
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