Talking points #1 on Kozol, "Amazing Grace"

Premise:

• Racism
• Segregated
• Poor
• Children
• Drugs
• Disease
• Awful living conditions
• Murders
• God
• Religion
• Prostitutes
• Lack of authority
• Danger
• Overcrowded hospitals
• Homeless
• Power

Author's Arguments:
Kozol argues that there are many children in the South Bronx that need our help and if we do not help these kids they will either be murdered or die of disease. Even if they do not die, what kind of future will they have growing up in a city like this?


Evidence:

1. Kozol says that 1/4 of the women in Mott Haven are tested positive for HIV which means their kids will be born with HIV.
2. In 1991 84 people were murdered and more than half were 21 years of age or younger.
3. When Kozol asks Cliffie who his role model is and asks if he read about George Washington Cliffie does not know who George Washington is. This shows me that they are not learning much in the classroom and will not have much of an opportunity to get out of the Bronx.
4. The majority of the population are prostitutes and drug addicts and dealers which means that the children do not know anything else. They think that being a prostitute or drug dealer is alright because they are not taught otherwise.
   

Questions/Comments/Point to Share:

This article was very easy to read, but it was very depressing. These poor kids in the Bronx live in awful conditions and they can not act like regular kids do. These kids have to worry about not being killed walking home from school or hoping they have something to eat for supper. What kind of life is this for a child? Children should be playing games and having fun with friends not fearing for their lives everyday. Children are young and naive and do not know why they are living like this. These children need help and if they are neglected now their entire lives will be meaningless.
This article reminds me of the article written by Lisa Delpit. Lisa Delpit said that "if you are not already a participant in the culture of power, being told explicitly the rules of that culture makes acquiring power easier." The same principal applies in "Amazing Grace", by Jonathan Kozol. These kids are not told explicitly the rules to make acquiring power easier which may be the reason why these people are stuck in this awful city. The kids do not know any better all they know is what they are taught. I am not saying that everyone that grew up in the Bronx lives there their whole lives, but more people need to be aware of what they must do to have a better life for themselves. Someone must tell these kids, that the only way that they are getting out of here is to get a good education. I know it is hard to focus on school with all of these awful things going on around, but getting a good education is there one way ticket out of the Bronx.