Amazing Grace
At first glance, it seems that the author is going to take us on yet another journalistic ride through the land of the poor. Similar to the ones you read about, or hear in the news. However, this is not the case; the real underlying theme is what is society doing about the plight of the poor? Kozol uses the views of children to emphasize that these reports on living conditions are not being obtained by "disgruntled" adults, but from innocent children whose only misfortune was being born to this particular area. The author takes us from the seventh richest congressional district in the nation (being E 59th Street in New York City) to the poorest in the nation. A mere eighteen-minute ride by subway to the South Bronx, to a little place called Mott Haven; where the median family income for the 48000 residents is only $7,600. An area known for crack-cocaine and heroin; prostitution; poor hospital care, where one-quarter of new mothers tested in obstetric wards are HIV positive; and the police say is the deadliest precinct in the city. Kozol writes about the trials and tribulations of everyday "normal" life for the children and people who live here. Normal for them however is quite d
With one-quarter of the pregnant women in this neighborhood testing positive for AIDS, pediatric AIDS takes a high toll. One of the only ways of determining where these problems stem from is by looking at the possible reasons as to why they exist. As for the physical attributes, these school buildings are in horrible condition with "barrels. The residents do not have much say in city or state political matters. Clean up and reconstruction of Times Square to Battery Park is a step in the right direction. Is there a solution to this? The solution is to change the whole community, no easy task, which involves more than just direct practice with individuals. The well known community members need to get involved in politics so that their voices can be heard and let the City know their communities needs/requirements. And some of the nurses and housekeepers talk to you! If a woman's black, Hispanic, and on welfare, maybe a drug user, or has HIV, she knows she isn't welcome in a first-class hospital. In his interviews with the children of this squalid neighborhood, we find that the children speak honestly and freely about their feelings. This is just one of many examples given to show the reader the effects that this environment has upon youths.
Common topics in this essay:
South Bronx,
Medical Center,
Mott Haven,
Normal Living,
Lincoln Bronx-Lebanon,
Jonathan Kozol,
Battery Park,
Bronx AIDS,
York City,
south bronx,
Robert Massad,
fifth floor,
fourth floor,
poor hospital care,
patients fifth,
york city,
change community,
poor hospital,
rest population,
people south,
people south bronx,
patients fifth floor,
neighborhood children speak,
children speak,
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Acceptance Essays
