Amazing Grace Reflection 
J. Walcott IDIS 205
Evan Kroon 3/20/14
The theme that stuck out most to me in Kozol’s Amazing Grace was the theme of oppression. Merriam-Webster defines oppression as, “unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power” or “a sense of being weighed down in body or mind.”
There seemed to be so many things oppressing the people that Kozol writes about. Things like: the healthcare system, the education system, lawmakers, their surroundings, and even their race is causing oppression for these people. Every direction the people that Kozol writes about turn there seems to be something holding them down. Surroundings may be the biggest oppressor found in the book. One way that people are oppressed by their surroundings is by where they live. Public housing causes lots of oppression. Throughout the book stories are told of the poor and dangerous conditions families are living in. One example of this really stuck out to me was the story of a 8 year-old boy named Bernardo who fell down an elevator shaft and died. This story struck me pretty hard. I thought it was really sad that the building he lived in killed him. I couldn’t imagine anything in my house or dorm killing me, yet this is what these people have to deal with everyday. This fact got me thinking about oppression and housing. When I think of my own house I think of a place that is fun and safe and a place that encouraged me to learn and grow. I could go outside and pretend I was a soldier or an astronaut. I could dream about leaving my home and someday getting my own. My home is just a stopping point on my life journey. But for kids in the ghetto the home is more like a prison. Even in the story of Bernardo the reason he was playing in the hallway with the broken elevator shaft was because it was too dangerous to go outside his building. His building was his prison. Another example of surroundings oppressing the people of the ghetto is asthma. Throughout the book we meet
Evan Kroon 3/20/14
The theme that stuck out most to me in Kozol’s Amazing Grace was the theme of oppression. Merriam-Webster defines oppression as, “unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power” or “a sense of being weighed down in body or mind.”
There seemed to be so many things oppressing the people that Kozol writes about. Things like: the healthcare system, the education system, lawmakers, their surroundings, and even their race is causing oppression for these people. Every direction the people that Kozol writes about turn there seems to be something holding them down. Surroundings may be the biggest oppressor found in the book. One way that people are oppressed by their surroundings is by where they live. Public housing causes lots of oppression. Throughout the book stories are told of the poor and dangerous conditions families are living in. One example of this really stuck out to me was the story of a 8 year-old boy named Bernardo who fell down an elevator shaft and died. This story struck me pretty hard. I thought it was really sad that the building he lived in killed him. I couldn’t imagine anything in my house or dorm killing me, yet this is what these people have to deal with everyday. This fact got me thinking about oppression and housing. When I think of my own house I think of a place that is fun and safe and a place that encouraged me to learn and grow. I could go outside and pretend I was a soldier or an astronaut. I could dream about leaving my home and someday getting my own. My home is just a stopping point on my life journey. But for kids in the ghetto the home is more like a prison. Even in the story of Bernardo the reason he was playing in the hallway with the broken elevator shaft was because it was too dangerous to go outside his building. His building was his prison. Another example of surroundings oppressing the people of the ghetto is asthma. Throughout the book we meet