Talking Point #1

Amazing Grace
By: Jonathan Kozol

Premise:
-Poor
-People of color
-Drugs
-Heating issues
-Unclean homes
-Murders
-Religion helps
-Dirty neighborhoods
-Minorities
-Sick people
-AIDS
-Rape
-Drug Addiction
-Horrible living conditions
-Lack of medical care

Argument:
Kozol argues that a place like the South Bronx is not a good enviornment for a child to grow up and be educated in. He also argues that children of color do not deserve the horrible living conditions that they are subjected to.

Evidence
1. Kozol learns that children are forced to go play in the drug park at night while their parents do drugs or recieve free condoms and needles.
2. The only place that children have to go and play is St. Ann's Church. The streets that these children live on are so terrible that the church is the only safe place that the children have. It is also a place where a lot of children come to get food because their parents cannot provide food for them.
3. The young boy that Kozol talks to seems to be very grown up for his age. He has had to give up a childhood of joy and fun because of the place that he lives in. It is clear that when Kozol talks to the boy that he is not even effected by all the terrors of the Bronx because that is what he has gotten used to.

Questions/Comments
As far as the structure and organization of the aritcle I thought it was written very well and easy to understand. I think the stories were really sad to hear. I could not believe that some people have to actually live that way. I mean I have heard about people who have to live in places like the Bronx but reading some of the stories were shocking. I think that this article was a lot easier to read because it was personal stories of people who have really hard lives.
I think that it is very hard for children to grow up in a community like this. Between all the sickness, the danger and the horribe housing conditions I don't know how any child would be able to focus on their education. Even the educated people are poor because there are no jobs. I feel that it is really unfair for some children to be forced to live, learn and grow in a place like this. All in all the article was just depressing and it really made an impact on my view of the way that poor people live.