The Lives of Children and the Conscious of a Nation
Jonathan Kozol
Author's Argument-
Jonathan Kozol argues that no matter the quality of life of a person or the way they live or act, they deserve a decent place to live. Just because they are the lowest of the low doesn't mean that they have to be stuck with the lowest of the low environments or 'jobs'. women shouldn't have to be prostitutes, men shouldn't have to sell drugs to get by. a person shouldn't cry day in and day out just because of who they are and where they are. the quality of life they have is non - existent. what quality? there is none. Welfare is being taken away and infants are DYING because of lack of care in places that people should feel the most cared for in (hospitals). Just because they live in the slums, doesn't mean that they should be treated like the place they live in; especially because no one will give them a chance to leave the slums. Rich people think of them as garbage, and garbage should be put away in a place where no one sees it.
"The incinerator, i am later reassured ... cancer risks to children" (pg 7)
1. Because they live in the slums and have poor quality of life and they literally live in a sese pool, the incinerator that burns hazardous waste was build in their neighborhood. limbs, dirty soiled linens are burned and the harmful toxins and smells are pumped into their community for the already athematic children to breathe in.
" I got the doctors letter and the ... you've been cut off" (pg 19)
1. This poor woman was cut off from welfare after she did all that she needed to do to get it back. the hospital who neglected to send the paper to the welfare office was the cause of the termination of it. i feel like that hospital is one of the most shitty things (pardon my language) in that community. The people who really need welfare cant get it and when they try to get it again the system sends them in loops and when you are elderly, its almost worth not even trying because of all the hassle you have to go through just to get it.
"Lincoln Hospital ... died because of staff mistakes" (pg 15)
1. HOW!!! please please please tell me HOW a nurse or a doctor can kill an infant (more than one for that matter) from a MISTAKE!!! what do they say to the parents? ' oh oops i killed your baby, sorry'. HOW!!! I just cant understand how a person who's job it is can kill 12 people from a mistake and not monitoring patients. i understand they are short staffed but, to loose 12 people including babies and children is terrible. Hospitals are supposed to be saviors, instead this hospital just seems to be the death angel; swooping the poor people out of the ghetto.
I just wanted to say that when i read about the poor little children being subjected to filth and some who were even being KILLED i got teary eyed. how can this happen? how can something SO innocent be SOO corrupted and injured like they are. it really really breaks my heart and i just felt so heavy reading this. I also kind of blended both things for the quotes. oops, my bad
1 comment:
I can see that this piece really impacted you. Did our discussion in class help clarify more of Kozol's argument about who he holds accountable for these condidtions? How does this relate to DElpit's culture of power? ANd why do you think that goldberg finds Kozol's crtique of the systems of power so threatening?
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