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Kozol: Amazing Grace

February 18, 2019

Kozol: Important Quotes




"Walking into St. Ann's Church on a hot summer afternoon, one is immediately in the presence of small children. they seem to be everywhere: in the garden, in the hallways, in the kitchen, in the chapel, in the stairs."
I think this quote is important because it tells the reader that there are a lot of children around this area, whether or not it was for a good reason or not. This quote explains the importance children have on the culture in Mott Haven. Although this area is dangerous, children are part of it, but the danger is just a way of life for these kids, they are used to it. This quote is important to the reading because it explains what the reading is centered around, the children of Mott Haven.

"Crack-cocaine addiction and the intravenous use of heroin, which children I have meet here call 'the needle drug,' are woven into the texture of existence in Mott Haven."
This quote explains the conditions children of Mott Haven are exposed to. The fact that children of this area know what heroin and crack-cocaine are is disturbing to me. I do not think children should be exposed to this, although I know some families don't have a choice and cannot move out of these conditions. But, this is what the children have been exposed to their whole lives, so it's all that they know. I chose this quote because it gives the reader an idea of what the children of Mott Haven are exposed to, even if they are as disturbing as drugs like these.

"In speaking of rates of homicide in New York City neighborhoods, the Times refers to the streets around St. Ann's as 'the deadliest blocks' in 'the deadliest precinct' of the city."
This also shows what the children of Mott Haven are exposed to, even things as shocking as homicides. This piece Kozol wrote is centered around children, which I think he did a great job explaining by describing the conditions so well. I think these conditions are very detrimental to these children's development, but they are so used to these situations. A quote about homicides is important to this reading because it gives the reader an idea of how dangerous Mott Haven is.


Comments

  1. Reilly Clancey's FNED 346 blog, 2019 editionMarch 2, 2019 at 11:42 AM

    Hi Amanda! I like how you started your blog, the quote is short but impactful as it speaks the reality of the situation in Mott Haven.

    ReplyDelete

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