Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol (Quotes)

I absolutely LOVED this reading. I feel a bit awful saying this because the piece is so heartbreaking to read, but the way it was written and the feelings and stories Kozol put into this made it so much easier to read and understand. I loved the story of Cliffe. At only seven years old, Cliffe had seen more than many see in an entire lifetime. He’s seen loss, tragedy and evil but is still an imaginative, interesting child at the end of the day. I can picture him as a beautiful little boy with a bright, wide smile all the time because he knows he is loved by his mother and God. There were definitely a few quotes that stuck out to me.

1)      “The pastor tells me that the place is known as the ‘Children’s Park’. Volunteers arrive here twice a week to give out condoms and clean needles to addicted mean and women, 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).

a.      Every child has a teddy bear when they’re younger. It is your first best friend and your protector in the night. The fact that there is a tree with teddy bears tied to the limbs to distract the children from what is really going on surprised me. The things these children see on the streets is worse than seeing their parents receiving clean needles and condoms. It makes me wonder if that is one of the reasons these children become victim of their environment. They are distracted from the prevention aspects of their lives and exposed to the negative ones.

 

2)      “’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).

a.      This quote specifically stuck out to me because of Johnson’s idea that the privileged don’t see they are privileged but the underprivileged do. In this statement, Kozol was speaking with Ms. Washington’s son about Ms. Washington becoming sicker and sicker to the point her son believed she was purposely starving herself to become sick enough to receive SSI benefits. As he was speaking of this he mentioned an evil in the world. The evil is that the rich have the power to make a change but don’t. This reminded me of Johnson and maybe there are people that are willing to help and have the opportunity but don’t realize their options and do not know how to get involved while there are others who don’t realize their privilege and power and do not put it to use. However, the ones who need help the most do understand the difference in power and ask for help but don’t receive it.

3)      “’The point is that they put a lot of things into our neighborhood that no one wants,’ she says. ‘The waste incinerator is just one more lovely way of showing their affection,’” (Kozol 10).

a.      Kozol references the waste incinerator after Cliffe takes him by it on their walk. With high numbers of AIDS infected individuals, this waste incinerator can be used to burn bandages, linens and even amputated limbs from those infected. The fumes and odors from this building can cause health issues which may include cancer. This was brought up in the fact that the incinerator was originally planned to be built near Manhattan until parents shut it down because of the issues it could cause their children. The new plan was to put it in Mott Haven. It makes you realize that these people don’t have a voice. They can’t shut down the plans to build in their neighborhood because of the health issues it can cause their children. It all relates back to Johnson and how those who are privileged don’t see it and those who are not do.

 

After reading about the large numbers of HIV/AIDS infected individuals in this reading, I wanted to look up the numbers. I found an article the connected HIV/AIDS numbers with poverty in New York and what I found was astonishing. Mott Haven, mentioned in this reading, is one of the highest places in New York for HIV/AIDS.