Talking Points #1

Amazing Grace

Jonathan Kozol

In the article Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol, he argues that the people and children who live in South Bronx, Washington Heights, Harlem and Mott Haven derserve better lives than what they are living in now. While i was reading this article i felt like i was going to bawl my eyes out. It is extremely sad to know that at an elementary school in one of these poor neighborhoods

1."only seven of 800 children do not qualify for free school lunches. Five of those seven get reduced-price lunches, because they are classified as only poor not destitute."
Children should not have to live a life a life of poverty, witness the crack cocaine and heroin addictions, they should be out having fun and not have to worry about these types of things.

2."You just cover up...and hope you wake up the next morning."
Imaging living in a house where the heat does not work and you have to rely on either electric blankets being passed out, or worse having your family sleep in sleeping bags with hats and coats on because if not you'll freeze to death! This just breaks my heart that these people have to live this way.

3. "If poor people behaved rationally...they would seldom be poor for long in the first place." This quote said by Lawrence Mead, a professor of political science NYU, makes me very angry. Why is it that people believe that people who are in poverty are there because they just want to be. I dont think anyone in there right mind would want to live like these people are currently living.


I thought this article was alot easier to read than the other texts we have previously read. It shows the reader straight forward what people who live in Mott Haven, Harlem, the South Bronx etc. are going through and how tough their lives really are. I cant even being to imagine living a life where one day may be your last, having to worry if your child is going to get shot by a drive by or some crazy person on Cocaine or Heroin. After reading this text i am grateful for the things that i have in my life and it makes me rethink about taking things such as the clothes on my back and food for granted.


110 People Who Are Screwing Up America

Bernard Goldberg

In the article 110 People Who Are Screwing Up America by Bernard Goldberg, he argues that Jonathan Kozol is messing up the teaching of children by enforcing a liberal approach in their education.

1. "Far too many of today's schools are violent, and far too many are filled with kids who don't care much about learning."

2. "Yet, what may be even worse, and in he end even more dangerous, is that so many of today's schools are turning out "smart" kids with little understanding of how precious their heritage is."
These two quotes somewhat go together. Goldberg is saying that Kozol is responsible for kids being turned out of their education because Kozol's way of an educational system.

Overall this was not my favorite article that we have read. For one, it was very short so I didnt feel like i had enough information to complete this assignment. The wording of the article was also at times a little hard to understand. But as you can see with those two quotes Goldberg does not like the fact that Kozol is admired so much in the educational system.