A Hope for one dream-Peace
Argument
The South Bronx, in New York City, is the poorest congressional district with in the United States. Drugs and violence are an enormous problem making living conditions next to impossible. In Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol we are taken inside this forgotten place through eyewitness accounts and personal stories, we learn just how troubling poverty really is, and the problems that have created such poverty to begin with. The issue of poverty is much more complex than can be understood at surface level. Amazing Grace breaks through that barrier and shows that it is government injustices, separation of classes, and lack of opportunity that are the contributing factors to extreme poverty not only in the South Bronx, but worldwide. I agree and argue with the fact that poverty is due to government neglect, and the lack of opportunity that is given.
For starters, Mott Haven, which is located in the South Bronx, is the most racially segregated area of poor people in the United States. As Kozol points out, is comprised of a two-thirds Hispanic and one-third black population (Kozol 3). The average annual income in the South Bronx is $7,600 for the typical household. In addition to the low income and poor education, drugs such as crack-cocaine and heroin plague the neighborhood. Nearly everyone in Mott Haven is infected with the HIV virus. The South Bronx, according to Times Magazine, was nominated "the deadliest precinct" in the United States. For example, in 1991, eighty-four people were murdered, half of whom were the age of twenty-one. Many people here suffer from depression, anxiety, and asthma due to their living conditions and neglect from the conscience of the society.
Life in the South Bronx is no place anyone wants to live; constant shootings, AIDS, and prostitution are only a portion of what make living conditions in the South Bronx so difficult.
Some conservative critics might argue that poverty and the 'breakdown of the family' results from laziness, personal irresponsibility, or a lack or morality. The critics argue this point because they believe "if poor people behaved rationally, they would seldom be poor for long in the first place."(Kozol 21) While this may be true in some cases, Kozol clearly shows that many people who are poor suffer more from a lack of opportunity, oppression, and injustice than from behavioral problems. I agree with Kozol's main claim that systemic injustices and middle and upper class complacency perpetuate an unnatural condition: poverty.
In the neighborhood I live is in the Koreatown / Wilshire Center and haven’t experience a lot of crime which is also part of the low crime rate in the neighborhood. Also the police presence here in my neighborhood is very light and the relations with the police is normal. The only time the police will be serious if the crime is too dangerous and concern for the neighborhood is first. It is also different from his description from the gang violence and presence in the area I live in is very light not like other neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The difference is also the race in the area is different and comprised of mostly Asian and White which we are at a friendly relation with little to no disturbance of crime and gang violence. This also included poverty in the neighborhood I live in is very light and there is not a lot of poor people in the area. It also different the community which is very friendly and everyone is not that all cautious or worry. If there were a crime we will be notified ahead to be prepared of the concern of safety. From the description how Victor Rios described the neighborhood is almost similar to a few neighborhood of Los Angeles such as the East Los Angeles and the Compton area of Los Angeles. I had visited these area when I was riding the public transportation through these area to reach to the destination. I noticed that the area
The children in this book at times seem wise beyond their years. They are exposed to difficult issues that force them to grow up very quickly. Almost all of the struggles that the children face stem from the root problem of intense poverty. In Mott Haven, the typical family yearly income is about $10,000, "trying to sustain" is how the mothers generally express their situation. Kozol reports "All are very poor; statistics tell us that they are the poorest children in New York." (Kozol 4). The symptoms of the kind of poverty described are apparent in elevated crime rates, the absence of health care and the lack of funding for education.
While reading Amazing Grace, one is unable to escape the seemingly endless tales of hardship and pain. The setting behind this gripping story is the South Bronx of New York City, with the main focus on the Mott Haven housing project and its surrounding neighborhood. Here black and Hispanic families try to cope with the disparity that surrounds them. Mott Haven is a place where children must place in the hallways of the building, because playing outside is to much of a risk. The building is filled with rats and cockroaches in the summer, and lacks heat and decent water in the winter. This picture of the "ghetto" is not one of hope, but one of fear. Even the hospitals servicing the neighborhoods are dirty and lack the staff that is needed for quality basic care. If clean bed sheets are needed the patients must put them on themselves. This book is filled with stories of real people and their struggles. Each story, though different in content, has the same basic point, survival.
The filthy conditions in the Bronx are a cause for many dangers and health hazards across the borough. Johnathan Kozol describes these hazards in the book stating, “hundreds of broken elevators trash heaps in which rats may thrive, and serious fire hazards like illegal barred windows or illegally obstructed doors will be added to those other hazards that have already gone undetected” (108). The rats are something of a hideous legend in the Bronx, infesting public housing and businesses to the point that it is no longer safe or acceptable to occupy them. Kozol paints a picture of just how disgusting and menacing the rat problem is, by including the testament of a local who says “They live in dirty water. They look like they’re all blown up, like if you pricked them they’d explode. Sharp little claws. I’ve seen them walk right up a tree like they were walking on the ground.” According to the book, the Board of Health had attempted to exterminate the rats by poisoning them, but failed, as the rats had developed an immunity to the chemicals that were being
There has been a tremendous change in East Harlem between class warfare and gentrification. East Harlem is one more economic factor to the city’s wealth per capita since the attack of September 11, 2000. It is Manhattan’s last remaining development and it is on the agenda of the tax revenue of our government. East Harlem has become a profit driven capitalism. Gentrification enforces capitalism, it does not separate people, it does not go against race, poor and the working class, it wages war on the poor and the working-class.
The theme examined East St. Louis and its non-favorable living conditions, a black community profoundly in lack observably beneath the poverty line breakable due to dangers of non- stability with few jobs and meager pay as a result of a fiscal deficit. City hall, the administration building of a municipal government, a representation of power appearing to be powerless without wealth. Constitutes an area of emergency as it becomes clearer the reality of this adversity is regarded within the social problem perspective on a macro level. According to Kozal (1999) “The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development describes it as “the most distressed small city in America” (Pp. 343-35). By far, this illustrates social problems are not necessarily self-inflicted”. Certainly this tragedy is a c...
When one thinks of poverty often the mental picture that comes to mind is of single parent welfare, dependent, women and unemployed, drug-addicted, alcoholic lackadaisical men. The children are often forgotten. The impact of poverty, the destruction of crime and stigmatization of the violence on the children is more devastating and irreversible than the miseducation and illiteracy that most often companies poverty. The implication is not the poverty can not be overcome but that the cycles of teenage pregnancy, welfare dependency, and dropping out of high school continues and are hard to break. The badges of poverty are just as addictive and capitiving as any disease such as alcohol or drugs.
Jonathan Kozol's Amazing Grace is a book that describes the everyday horrors and struggles for survival, for a group of elementary girls and boys who are growing up in the South Bronx, the poorest congressional district in the United States. "When you enter the train, you are in the seventh richest congressional district in the nation. When you leave, you are in the poorest." This unimaginable way of life seems normal to these children because they really don't know any better. Normal to them is sickness, drug abuse, pollution, death, welfare and violence.
New York City is claimed to be one of the greatest cities in the world. Many are blinded by the breathtaking skyline, the endless opportunities, and the hustle and bustle of the streets. As one of the economic capitals of the world, it is surprising to hear that about 30 percent of children currently residing in New York City are living in poverty (Cheney). New York City has evolved into a city for the wealthy by eliminating inexpensive housing and jobs, forcing many families to the streets (Elliot). Many are unaware of how prevalent child poverty is. To raise awareness, the New York Times did a series of articles that followed the life of a young girl named Dasani. The article highlights the brilliance that Dasani had at such a young age and emphasizes the everyday struggles that she had to face growing up as a child in poverty. Some ways that can lower the amount of child poverty is through after school programming and through work-for-rent housing.
New Orleans like most metropolitan cities has a significant problem with crime. This problem did not just begin with Katrina, since then, the problem seems to have increased tremendously. New Orleans may not lead the nation with the highest murder rates, but the city is definitely in the top 10. Many crimes appear to be drug related although other crimes that contributes to these high rates include rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault. Being brought up in a poor environment is also a factor that can contribute to an individual living a life of crime. Realizing that not all poor people are criminals, this environment can lead someone to take drastic measures in order to survive. No one wants to live in a place where crime is taking over.
...ll. The inner city has many complications the fact that most are African American is a mere coincidence. If we as a nation are capable of fixing all institutions and structural issues we could bring the slums out of poverty. The cycle of unemployment and poverty is a terrible cycle that cannot only be judged by race and cultural values. When reading this book keep in mind the difficulties, any family or person could go through these tribulations. There are many arguments and sides to each problem; this is another one of those. The battle for inner city poverty, and the factors that go along with it, has not been finished. Wilson brings out a different aspect which could help people expand horizons and come up with better solutions.
The small river that divides the Washington Heights and Harlem from the South Bronx area, makes up "one of the largest racially segregated concentrations of poor people in our nation" (Kozol 3). This segregation increases the inequality problems by overpopulating the inner-cities that do not offer as many employment opportunities. As a result of the inequalities in this district, the children are not allowed as many opportunities as other fortunate individuals may receive growing up in a separate society. Kozol seems to think that the odds of these South Bronx children obtaining wealth and moving out of the area are ...
The most obvious effect of poverty remains the material aspect. The family has no money, therefore they cannot afford a good of decent quality. They can only purchase subpar goods. The family gets cheated numerous times in money related incidents. The housing agent cheats them the most, as they must pay much more money then he told them they would. Not only do they get cheated on the insurance, but they pay much more for the house than the value of it. The bosses cheat them as well: “big businesses had become even bigger. Large corporations were making a great deal of money, and some owners and managers became very rich. However, most of the people working in business and industry were not getting rich” (Duyne). When problems arise with the house, the family can only buy cheap goods to fix them with. When the...
Drugs, violence, prostitution, pollution, infestation, and sickness of all kinds are present in South Bronx, New York. Unfortunately, children are surrounded and involved in all these problems and more. In Jonathan Kozol’s novel Amazing Grace, an evil reality full of racial segregation and alienation affect the people living in the ghetto. The personalities of these children are changed forever due to the existence of discrimination.
Throughout our society, there are many families who struggle financially and this circumstance affects their lives as a whole. Some may argue that there are positive effects of poverty that are important to the society but there are also factors that require us to look beyond the mass media and our social structure and focus on the societies bigger problems. This is represented through the documentary “Two American Families” and can also be supported with the Social Policy and The Sociological Imagination, two essays written by C. Wright Mills and Herbert J. Hans. Poverty does play a role in our society and the effects it has are tremendous.