Jonathan Kozol Amazing Grace

Quotes:
Jonathan Kozol tells a story in Amzing Grace about his time in Mott Haven. He helps makes the hardships of poverty in Mott Haven aware to people who don't know what these people go through. While reading Amazing Grace that were many parts that really stood out to me, and they were the lines that really made me think about the lives of these people in Mott Haven.

On the first page Kozol puts this area in New York into perspective. "Brook Avenue, which is the tenth stop on the local, lies in the center of Mott Haven, whose 48,000 people are the poorest in the South Bronx. Two thirds Hispanic, one third black. Thirty-five percent are children. In 1991, the median household income of the area, according to the New York Times, was $7,600" (Kozol 3). The people of Mott Haven have to face many hardships especially because they are living in poverty. The people who live here see murder, the effects of drug overdoses, and the poor living qualities that should not be able to house people. The children who live here see the use of drugs and the effects of it, and they shouldn't understand it at that age. When Kozol goes on a walk with a little boy, Cliffie, Cliffie says he has seen someone shot in the head, and that is why there are bears in the trees. They come across a hypodermic needle and Cliffie is able to point it out and he "starts puffing up his cheeks and blowing out the air" (10). This seven year old boy understands more than he should. The houses these people live in are infested with rats and cockroaches and are unsuitable for living. Hospitals are also inadequate for people to stay in, yet these people have to stay there. Many of the people who live here turn to drugs and many test HIV positive and have AIDS.

In an effort to help the residents of Mott Haven, "volunteers arrive here twice a week to give out condoms and clean needles to addicted men and woman, some of whom bring their children with them. The children play near the bears or on a jungle gym while their mothers wait for needles" (Kozol 12). In order to help the people, volunteers hand out condoms and CLEAN NEEDLES! This should be an indication of how bad it is in Mott Haven. This is an attempt to try to stop the spread of AIDS in their community. The children of these parents are being brought to these parks where they see their parents waiting for drugs, and it may influence children into doing the same. The health of the residents are going downhill. Many people who live here die before the age of 75 and 15% of these deaths are HIV related. In an effort to stop the spread of AIDS, the amount of people who use drugs is not stopping and the effects are widely seen in Mott Haven.

The story of Alice Washington was one that really made me feel bad for the people of Mott Haven. Not only she get AIDS from her husband, she was beat and also found she had cancer. She stopped eating and became extremely ill. Her son became worried when she started getting sick and she was too afraid to go to the hospital. He tells Kozol, "'Last night I couldn't sleep, so I sat up for a long time. I got the thought that maybe she's not eating so that she'll be sick enough for SSI. I wondered if she's starving herself so that she'll qualify, so that they'll say, 'This woman's sick enough. She qualifies'" (Kozol 22). No one should have to feel like they need to starve themselves in order to receive help. This is just another one of the hardships these people have to deal with. Her son David also says that evil exists and it is about the people who cannot help his sick mother. He remarks "'Somebody has power. Pretending that they don't so they don't need to use it to help people - that is my idea of evil'" (Kozol 23). This connects to Delpit's ideas of power, "The rules of the culture of power are a reflection of the rules of the culture of those who have power." These people who have power are not letting Alice have any power which keeps them in control. The residents of Mott Haven have gone through a lot and they face hardships many of us never know.

One point I want to share in class is the amount of time that the patients had to wait in the hospitals. This summer my grandmother fell and broke both her wrists. If she went to the hospital in Mott Haven it would have taken forever to have her admitted because her injuries would be considered life threatening. My grandmother was able to have surgery and be discharged all within 48 hours, while in Mott Haven it could take over 48 hours for her to be admitted. I think the living situations these people deal with are unsuitable and it adds to their terrible living arrangements.