Amazing Grace Today's world is filled with both great tragedy and abundant joy. In a densely populated metropolis like New York City, on a quick walk down a street you encounter homeless people walking among the most prosperous. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten the prosperous person will trudge straight past the one in need without a second thought. A serious problem arises when this happens continually. The problem worsens when you enter a different neighborhood and the well-to-do are far from sight. Many neighborhoods are inhabited only by the most hopeless of poverty - ridden people while others downtown or across the park do not care, or are glad to be separated from them. Such is the problem in New York City today and in Mott Haven in Jonathan Kozol's Amazing Grace.I have lived in New York City all my life and I had no idea that these problems were going on so close to home. If I live about three miles away from Mott Haven and I am not aware of the situation there, then who is? Chapter 1 of Amazing Grace opens with a startling fact. It tells the reader that when one boards the Number 6 train from Manhattan to the South Bronx on East 59th Street "you are in the seventh richest congressional district in the nation." When you get off the train on Brook Avenue just eighteen minutes later "you are in the poorest." Brook Avenue is in Mott Haven, which has a population of 48,000. They make up the neediest people in the South Bronx. The average household income is $7,600; thirty-five percent of the people who live there are children. The neighborhood's focal point seems to be St. Ann's Church. Considering that these people are the poorest of the poor they have an amazing abundance of faith. Crack-cocaine and heroin addiction run rampant, as does the incidence of AIDS and Pediatric AIDS. Childhood depression, accompanied by fear and anxiety, is prevalent. Their buildings and apartments are in despicable condition and even worse yet, nobody aside from those that live there seem to care. Chapters 2 and 3 continue with more depressing facts that chapter1 reveals. However, these are more detailed and more personal, and thereby more disturbing.Reading about these lives makes me think of people I see on the street everyday, of whom many are homeless. Being homeless used to seem like the worst existence imaginable, but after reading the first few chapters of Amazing Grace, living in Mott Haven sounds even worse to me. It is sad to think that a person without a home has more freedom than an entire community of people. Who decides that these people are expendable? Some may say that the politicians make that decision and that thereby our hands are clean. It is foolish to say that however, when we are the people who gave them that power. We do not want to admit that we often look away when we see someone in distress. Pretending nothing wrong is an easy way to go through life, regardless of how politically incorrect it may be. Ignoring the problems is simple if you are fortunate enough to be middle or upper class, but when you are poor there is nothing you can do to avoid them. People in need do not get to choose where they live. They live wherever they can afford to, or in some cases wherever they have been placed by government services. Many people in Mott Haven, the Washingtons for example, were indeed sent there by government services. The welfare hotel they had lived in previously was shut down. Instead of spreading these unfortunate people around the city or in surrounding borroughs that would give them a better chance of survival, they placed them all in Mott Haven. They had the nerve and the sense of cruelty to stick women and chidren in an area of the city already overrun by drugs and poverty. This is quite simply, or some would argue quite intricately, environmental racism. They had no choice.The big question is: whose responsibility is this? In a way I think it is everybody's and in another way I think there are some of us who can not do anything about it. As of now I do not feel like there is anything I can do about the situation with the possible exception of raising awareness. Ignorance is the problem. Until the public speaks out and reacts to the despicable conditions in Mott Haven, nothing will be done. In order to speak out the public must be informed. Perhaps this can be accomplished by an outspoken member of the Mott Haven Community. Maybe even Mrs. Washington's son or Cliffie's mother.If they would contact one of the popular newsmagazines I am convinced that at least one of them would take interest. Until I started reading the book I was totally unaware of Mott Haven. I think the nation would be astonished to learn of the conditions there. If there is any compassion in the world at all I think the nation would force the government to act by speaking out. If Guiliani will not do anything maybe and hopefully some of the powerful players in Washington will. Not just city wide, but nationwide interest, must be raised. Then and only then do I think there is a possibility for improvement.
Amazing Grace is a story that addresses the poverty and poor conditions in the South Bronx, which has been left out in the cold and subjected to poverty and a lack of proper accommodations for its residents. The city became a refuge for the homeless that have been relocated from Manhattan in an effort to give the downtown area a more desirable appearance. With the residents of the Bronx struggling to survive in the environment they were born into, Johnathan Kozol gives us a glimpse into what life in the Bronx is like.
This makes their constant struggle to survive even harder and prevents them from climbing to the next rung in the social ladder. The poor are discriminated against and held down by the church, school, and their fellow impoverished neighbors, as well as the rest of the world around them to the point where they often give up trying to get out of poverty all together. Shockingly, the place where the McCourts are most discriminated against is the one place where they should feel wanted, loved, and equal to those around them, the Catholic Church. Frank McCourt, the main character who was a young teenager at the time, had the door slammed in his face by the Catholic Church on at least two occasions because of his poverty. The first time he is turned down by the church, Frank’s quest is to become an altar boy. The priest declares that the church is not looking for any more altar boys. However, the real reason Frank is turned down is because of his poverty. Angela, Frank’s mother, is infuriated and exclaims, “I’ll tell you what it is, ‘Tis class distinction. They don’t want boys from lanes on the altar. They don’t want the ones with scabby knees and hair sticking up. O...
It is common knowledge that many people on this planet view the way in which our various societies work are much too detached from the issues disrupt our world. Topics like poverty, hunger, and war are all very sensitive subjects that carry a lot of weight and deal with varying levels of emotional baggage and effects on humanity. Because of this, many people prefer to simply pretend that these issues don’t exist, choosing instead to go about their lives as if there is nothing wrong. However, with this way of living, a common complaint that many people have is that humanity is far too ignorant of the plights and trials of the problems that are often kept hidden from the naked eye. In “Central Park,” author Billy Collins mirrors
On the day of the full eclipse, Dolores Claiborne’s life changes forever. True, it had been changed by events beyond her control long before this fateful day, but she chooses this day to end her husband’s life so she and her family can go on living. Steven King masterfully weaves this tale of love, abuse, and denial in his novel, Dolores Claiborne, which was later turned into a movie directed by Taylor Hackford. Although the movie adaptation of the novel follows the story line very closely, there are a few changes made, such as the role of Dolores’ daughter, Selena, the intended audience to Dolores, and the importance of Salena being raped by her father.
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.
...on the homeless community. I previously held preconceived notions that the homeless consisted of people who were either unable to connect and form relationships with others or didn’t desire to do so. Yet, I observed most everyone greeting one another and reminiscing with those who have been absent from the community for a while, as well as, expressing concern for those missing. I recognized that the homeless may live in a non-traditional way, but they have established their own communities and are successful in forming and maintaining cohesive relationships.
They are the second smartest animal in the world. They nurture their young for most of their lives. They also socialise with any creature, unless they show signs of harm. Dolphins make very popular playmates and will come up to humans for almost anything. They rely on each other to live. They learn quickly and communicate well with one another. God designed dolphins with unique physical features and behaviors in order to glorify Him.
Thousands of homeless people live in the subway, railroad, and sewage tunnels that form the bowels of New York City. Jennifer Toth visits these communities to learn their stories and lifestyle beneath the city. Many of these homeless people are drug addicts, mentally ill, runaways, or gang members. The tunnels that these people live in are filthy, rat infested, diseased, and dangerous for anyone to live in; however, the homeless find these tunnels to be a safe haven from the world above. Most of these communities are tight knit and even function as societies with established leaders. The homeless act as a kin; there is a mutual understanding between each person and the struggle to live. Drugs, rape, mental illness, or so...
The Dolphins have a blowhole that helps it take air at the surface. The blowhole has a flap that provides an airtight seal when the dolphin deeps itself in water. The Dolphins have wide fins that help them maintain balance in the water, this also helps them be first swimmers, his is essential in hunting and escape in case of a predator. The wide fins are also adapted to any water terrain. The same fins are also used for hunting and defense purposes. They also have clear and sharp eyesight both under and above the water. The sharp eyesight helps much during hunting and hiding. The Dolphins also have two stomachs; they are adapted in such a way that the first stomach holds the food temporarily as the second digests it. This eases and increases the efficiency of digestion. Dolphins also have a bigger brain. The big brain is specially designed for sound processing. Dolphins use the technique of echo hunting to spot their prey from a far distance. They can process a low sound coming from
...hey show their affection by playing patty cakes and “holding hands” and touching each other with their tails. Spinner Dolphins are known to touch each other more than other species of dolphin. In Hawaii spinner dolphins are called “nai’ a” and have been helping the local fishermen for over 800 years. Spinner dolphins are going endangered. The biggest threat is pollution in their waters. Eating plastic will choke them, chemicals will burn their skin. Noise pollution is also bad for the dolphins, boats. off-shore drilling, and mining can damage their hearing. You should never swim with wild dolphins, usually they are trying to rest and in their sleep patterns. Swimming with them will disrupt them and possibly make them move to a different location that may not be as safe. They are wild animals and should be treated with caution, they have very unpredictable behaviors.
Imagine gliding along the salty scented ocean on a ferry. Suddenly a creature prances along the water beside you. Curiosity fills you brain on what this creature is and what their life is like. Many bottlenose dolphins find ways to survive, use echolocation, and behave in certain ways. These dolphins are going to take you on a miraculous adventure through their life.
This new technique of therapy mainly focused on the dolphin’s ability to interact with children and adults with disabilities as well as encourage cognitive and behavioral changes in the various subjects. With this increasingly popular fad what is often forgotten about when the subject of dolphin assisted therapy is the dolphin itself. Dolphins are wild animals that live in the open ocean that are able to live freely but, unfortunately for dolphin assisted therapy those parameters are
Grace especially did not know about these conditions. Being a kid wasn’t easy for Grace. Rough was an understatement, Grace and her family would go days without proper clean water. When Grace was 17 she decided that she was going to try to immigrate to America. Immigrating to
Homeless people are becoming ill and dying because of the extreme conditions they live in while privileged people take their recourses for granted. People are selfishly forcing their homeless population elsewhere to clean their cities; however, they fail to acknowledge the severity of the consequences. Furthermore, shelters are unable to assist those in need, causing more people to live in unbearable conditions. These circumstances leave innocent people unsheltered and vulnerable to illnesses. The large, homeless population in Atlanta has created a high demand for shelters; however, the lack of available space and resources has made the implication of community involvement more vital as the temperature decreases.
Dolphins are well known for their agility and playful behavior in the wildlife of all the oceans in the world. They have many characteristics, and also there are a variety of different types and kinds of dolphins, which make them very intelligent creatures. Dolphins are smart marine mammals and great swimmers. They are known to be very friendly to humans and other wildlife creatures, dolphins often display a playful attitude which makes them popular to human nature and the culture. They can be seen jumping out of the water,riding waves, play fighting and occasionally interacting with people swimming in the water. Dolphins love hanging along the sea shores of all beaches around the coast, where it is warm and tropical(Fun dolphin facts).Dolphins are believed to be the most intelligent animals on earth