Sunday, September 22, 2013

Talking Points

Amazing Grace
Jonathan Kozol

Quotes

"God told us, 'share'!"

This quote throws us into a very particular perspective. It allows us to look at this child with a special sense of innocence. It provides to us a perfect contrast with the environment we're reading about. It allows us to believe that this particular environment is not a product of its people. This child has a charming and ideal personality, despite being subject to such constant depravity.

"I wonder if she's starving herself so that she'll qualify, so that they'll say, 'This woman's sick enough, she qualifies'"

This further amplifies our sense of sympathy. It nearly severs any connection we have to these people. To be put into a position where you aren't sure you're going to be on earth for much longer, and yet you're still too healthy for said special service. In a world where we're constantly told to speak up, that there is help around the corner and that people will make accommodations, the idea of living in an area where the polar opposite is the case is mind boggling.

"The dealers are sometimes jittery. They look at you with a strange smile. It's not just hatred. It's as if they're laughing at their lives - and yours"

The above quote gives us a sense of the chilling cynicism that those that live in the area are forced to constantly be around. Because of passages like this quote, we get sense of the determination necessary to thrive in such a harsh environment.

Throughout this text is the consistent recurring theme of struggle - the idea that your environment is absolutely toxic. Thriving is hardly encouraged, and keeping a clean and positive attitude is something nearly impossible. This reminds me of a certain piece of poetry, The Rose that Grew from Concrete. It's about learning to breath in the fresh air despite the waste around you, and despite circumstances, proving that the science of becoming a product of your environment can be shattered. Surrounded by apathy, one line is of particular relevance. "Long live the rose that grew from concrete, when no one else ever cared"

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aiXjnFJXNMg/TElL2XpKL_I/AAAAAAAAAEA/-SJfdkqTxb8/s1600/Betweeen_the_Concrete_by_Kuhkay.jpg

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