Amazing Grace Essay
Omar Chaoura Bourouh
Soc&201
DATE \@ "d MMMM yyyy" 24 October 2014
Amazing Grace, Chapters 3 and 4
3117215379222SOUTH BRONX, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 2: Housing projects tower over the torn streets of Mott Haven October 2, 2009 in South Bronx, New York City.
SOUTH BRONX, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 2: Housing projects tower over the torn streets of Mott Haven October 2, 2009 in South Bronx, New York City.
I can honestly say that I believe that some classes and subjects change your life? Shouldn’t they all? Well I can speak from personal experience, they do not. I am only 3 weeks into this course and I’m completely enveloped in it, so-much-so that I may even be neglecting my other courses.
I’m a reader, I love to read. I have a saying that I like to quip to the ladies and gents that work at library: “Too many books . . . and not enough time.” This book definitely qualifies. I think it should be required reading in our high schools. Some of our kids, mine included, …show more content…
think they have it so hard.
It seems to me Amazing Grace is set up as a book of short stories.
They go from season to season day by day in the lives of the people that live in the Mott Haven and surrounding areas of the ghetto in New York, around 1996. I am amazed at the stories I have read in this book, they shock me. I feel the biggest social problem in this book is apathy. The situation in the ghetto of New York during this time could have been and still can be helped and resolved by the people in the state and also the United States. They had the means to bring these people out of poverty and into the light. Instead of cutting all sanitation and social services they should be doubling them, no quadrupling them. The buildings need to be repaired and safe, the medical facilities restored and maintained, and the schools rebuilt. Programs need to be put into place to provide the people with some sort of employment. Factories, distilleries, production of some type, something can be done. The real-estate is probably
affordable.
29578304798060Mott Haven New York
Condemned building, Photograph, 2006
Mott Haven New York
Condemned building, Photograph, 2006
-85725-332740Photographic View, SW of 283 Cypress Ave. from rooftop on 140th St.: 140th St., 91/04. NYDA.1993
00Photographic View, SW of 283 Cypress Ave. from rooftop on 140th St.: 140th St., 91/04. NYDA.1993
Why are the rich and middle class of New York allowing this to happen? It’s simply appalling the apathy and selfishness that is going on. It makes me wonder what I can do to help the ghetto areas in our town. What good are laws and the social systems in New York when they require self-serving people to uphold them; men with money can just buy votes and change the laws to meet there needs. What it requires is for all the people of NY to truly want to make a difference. If the rich, middle class and the poor worked together and taxed all fairly and evenly there would be plenty for all. The systems could work if the honest and worthy were in office and in charge of the resources. I really wish that Kozol would have included some discussion with the Mayor or some of the other decision makers that were making these budget cuts that were so affecting the poor populations. They probably would have smiled and gave him the run around or said “No comment” but it would have been interesting to hear their rationale and excuses.
Based upon a bit of internet research it seems to be getting a bit better there now but you can never tell when it comes to propaganda, it could be misleading as usual. That’s why I like to read BlogSpot’s instead. Real estate in NY is always sought after, I found this blog spot for people looking for affordable apartments for rent in the new “gentrification” neighborhoods in New York by Hustla718:
“Mott Haven is a horrible neighborhood deep in poverty. The majority of this area is made up of different public housing projects. Crime is a big problem as well, lots of robberies, jumpings, and shootings. Drugs are everywhere.There is a neighborhood south of it by the name of Port Morris which has experienced some gentrification. It 's mostly industrial and separated from Mott Haven by the Bruckner Expressway. This is the area the websites refer too. This neighborhood was once completely emptied out and about 2/3rds vacant until 2 or 3 years ago. Most of the yuppies are moving into the lofts in renovated warehouses. Still criminals from Mott Haven have discovered the yuppy population and target them for robberies to and from the train stations (Which are surrounded by public housing).”Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/16777-up-coming-bronx-neighborhoods-yonkers-white.html#ixzz3FbUy90poWorks Cited
Kazol, Jonathan. Amazing Grace. New York, NY: HarperCollins Books, 1996. Pages 57-91.
Hustla718. “City-Data.com” Up-And-Coming Bronx Neighborhoods, (2006): 10-9-2014 http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/16777-up-coming-bronx-neighborhoods.html
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/16777-up-coming-bronx-neighborhoods-yonkers-white.html#ixzz3FbUy90po
Soc&201
DATE \@ "d MMMM yyyy" 24 October 2014
Amazing Grace, Chapters 3 and 4
3117215379222SOUTH BRONX, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 2: Housing projects tower over the torn streets of Mott Haven October 2, 2009 in South Bronx, New York City.
SOUTH BRONX, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 2: Housing projects tower over the torn streets of Mott Haven October 2, 2009 in South Bronx, New York City.
I can honestly say that I believe that some classes and subjects change your life? Shouldn’t they all? Well I can speak from personal experience, they do not. I am only 3 weeks into this course and I’m completely enveloped in it, so-much-so that I may even be neglecting my other courses.
I’m a reader, I love to read. I have a saying that I like to quip to the ladies and gents that work at library: “Too many books . . . and not enough time.” This book definitely qualifies. I think it should be required reading in our high schools. Some of our kids, mine included, …show more content…
think they have it so hard.
It seems to me Amazing Grace is set up as a book of short stories.
They go from season to season day by day in the lives of the people that live in the Mott Haven and surrounding areas of the ghetto in New York, around 1996. I am amazed at the stories I have read in this book, they shock me. I feel the biggest social problem in this book is apathy. The situation in the ghetto of New York during this time could have been and still can be helped and resolved by the people in the state and also the United States. They had the means to bring these people out of poverty and into the light. Instead of cutting all sanitation and social services they should be doubling them, no quadrupling them. The buildings need to be repaired and safe, the medical facilities restored and maintained, and the schools rebuilt. Programs need to be put into place to provide the people with some sort of employment. Factories, distilleries, production of some type, something can be done. The real-estate is probably
affordable.
29578304798060Mott Haven New York
Condemned building, Photograph, 2006
Mott Haven New York
Condemned building, Photograph, 2006
-85725-332740Photographic View, SW of 283 Cypress Ave. from rooftop on 140th St.: 140th St., 91/04. NYDA.1993
00Photographic View, SW of 283 Cypress Ave. from rooftop on 140th St.: 140th St., 91/04. NYDA.1993
Why are the rich and middle class of New York allowing this to happen? It’s simply appalling the apathy and selfishness that is going on. It makes me wonder what I can do to help the ghetto areas in our town. What good are laws and the social systems in New York when they require self-serving people to uphold them; men with money can just buy votes and change the laws to meet there needs. What it requires is for all the people of NY to truly want to make a difference. If the rich, middle class and the poor worked together and taxed all fairly and evenly there would be plenty for all. The systems could work if the honest and worthy were in office and in charge of the resources. I really wish that Kozol would have included some discussion with the Mayor or some of the other decision makers that were making these budget cuts that were so affecting the poor populations. They probably would have smiled and gave him the run around or said “No comment” but it would have been interesting to hear their rationale and excuses.
Based upon a bit of internet research it seems to be getting a bit better there now but you can never tell when it comes to propaganda, it could be misleading as usual. That’s why I like to read BlogSpot’s instead. Real estate in NY is always sought after, I found this blog spot for people looking for affordable apartments for rent in the new “gentrification” neighborhoods in New York by Hustla718:
“Mott Haven is a horrible neighborhood deep in poverty. The majority of this area is made up of different public housing projects. Crime is a big problem as well, lots of robberies, jumpings, and shootings. Drugs are everywhere.There is a neighborhood south of it by the name of Port Morris which has experienced some gentrification. It 's mostly industrial and separated from Mott Haven by the Bruckner Expressway. This is the area the websites refer too. This neighborhood was once completely emptied out and about 2/3rds vacant until 2 or 3 years ago. Most of the yuppies are moving into the lofts in renovated warehouses. Still criminals from Mott Haven have discovered the yuppy population and target them for robberies to and from the train stations (Which are surrounded by public housing).”Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/16777-up-coming-bronx-neighborhoods-yonkers-white.html#ixzz3FbUy90poWorks Cited
Kazol, Jonathan. Amazing Grace. New York, NY: HarperCollins Books, 1996. Pages 57-91.
Hustla718. “City-Data.com” Up-And-Coming Bronx Neighborhoods, (2006): 10-9-2014 http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/16777-up-coming-bronx-neighborhoods.html
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-york-city/16777-up-coming-bronx-neighborhoods-yonkers-white.html#ixzz3FbUy90po