Amazing Grace In the documentary-style book Amazing Grace‚ Jonathan Kozol writes about the realities of living in Mott Haven‚ one of the South Bronx poorest neighborhoods. His goal is to inform readers of the realities of children living in a slum and the unfairness of it all. The population of 600‚000 live in the South Bronx of New York City and 43‚000 make up Washington Heights and Harlem which is separated by a narrow river‚ make up one of the most racially segregated concentrations
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children in Jonathan Kozol’s Amazing Grace. Who defines them as ’other’? How? What makes them feel like ’nobodies’? What makes them feel like ’somebodies’? What is the role of religion in this daily struggle for human dignity? Drugs‚ violence‚ prostitution‚ pollution‚ infestation‚ and sickness of all kinds are present in South Bronx‚ New York. Unfortunately‚ children are surrounded and involved in all these problems and more. In Jonathan Kozol’s novel Amazing Grace‚ an evil reality full of racial
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The story of Captain John Newton (slave trader)- Captain John Newton started his life on the sea at 11 years old‚ while sailing with his father who was a merchant vessel captain. After his father retired from sailing John Newton became part of the service and served on the H.M.S. Harwich in 1744. He found the living conditions unbearable and left service as a deserter. He was later captured‚ demoted‚ and publically embarrassed. John was then turned over to serve as an indentured servant
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The excerpt “Amazing Grace” from the whole book Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation by Jonathan Kozol‚ introduces a little boy‚ Cliffie‚ who lives in South Bronx‚ New York. Cliffie takes Kozol on a tour through the poor and dangerous city from St. Ann’s Church. The government clumped all the people in poverty in the small area. Many drugs and diseases flowed through their environment‚ yet the kids managed to stay very happy and live the best of their lives. Kozel explains
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Amazing Grace‚ by Jonathan Kozol‚ is about the author’s interviews with‚ and thoughts about‚ some of the poorest people who live in the poorest sections of New York. The facts stated in Amazing Grace startled me with the prevalence and desperation of the poverty situation in areas like the South Bronx and Mott Haven. These are areas where there are hundreds of thousands of people living in broken‚ crowded‚ and rundown apartment buildings‚ “That‚” says Kozol‚ “most people would not even kennel their
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In today’s society‚ one takes their childhood journey towards where they stand today. Amazing Grace demonstrates this to examine a child’s perspective living in the neighborhoods of New York City by the world that exists around them. Although‚ these families try to support their child‚ some families are in distress‚ since they have a low income status. However‚ they still can attain the important life skills‚ which will enhance and benefit them as they later develop. As a result‚ these apparent life
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Amazing grace is a good book to read. After reading this book‚ I think the author wants to tell us a big problem is the segregation of poor social class in South Bronx. He tries to explain the living condition of these poor people‚ and the inequality between them. On top of this‚ he also described that the public administration tried to abandoned this neighborhood. Kozol divided the book into six chapters. The whole book organized through interview and interaction with children‚ teacher and others
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To America‚ poverty is an issue that is important and one that is emotionally charged. America is a country of prosperity‚ wealth and abundance‚ yet‚ many people find it difficult to pay for their basic assistance without financial support. Living in the wealthiest country‚ the United States still has a significant portion living in poverty. 36.5 million people live in poverty in the United States (Who is poor?). So what is causing poverty is the question many people asked themselves. Who is the
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Amazing Grace – YouTube Comparison The words to Amazing Grace were written by John Newton (Ferris and Worster). The piece is played in triple meter (Ferris and Worster). It is usually performed slow (adagio)‚ with the volume falling somewhere between moderately soft (mezzopiano) and moderately loud (mezzoforte). The combination tends to give the piece a somber‚ and yet comforting‚ quality. According to our text book‚ Music: The art of listening‚ the melody uses a pentatonic scale‚ which
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As part of the summer reading assignment this year‚ I read the book Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol. In this documentary-style book‚ he told about the horrible yet completely realistic conditions of the most poor‚ rundown neighborhoods and districts in New York City. Kozol wrote the book for the purpose of telling the stories of the children who lived in these parts of the city. He dedicated his work to those children and it was his goal to inform readers that slums were in fact in existence and
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