Journal 7

I believe Kozol's personal story was needed in the book, not only to compare and contrast his life to that of the children's, but so he can include conversations he's had with other children. Throughout the book, Kozol wrote in first person, to include his thoughts as well as meaningful conversations he had with the staff at both Mott Haven and St. Ann's. These first person accounts, allow us to indulge more about Kozol's personality, his troubles, his theology, and his relationship with others. It also makes the book more life-experiencing, due to its reality-based plot and dialogue. I would consider the first person writing a strength on Kozol's part, because if the book and been written in third person, the read would hardly know anything about the characters.

I think the most important aspect of the last two chapters (Chapter 23 and the Epilogue) would have to be there differences. In chapter 23, Kozol writes of bitter-sweet moments, at the end of the school year, when the kids at Mott Haven either graduate, or otherwise say goodbye to the teachers. One teacher, Miss. Reistetter, was done teaching at Mott Haven, and due to her departure, many of the kids were sad but also joyess about it. Also, Miss. Duke's relationship with the kids is even stronger. Since she is staying to teach at Mott Haven, it will be harder for her to leave the children she spent teaching for so long. When saying goodbye's Kozol writes, "Saying goodbye to children in the final days of school is hard for teachers everywhere. In September when you meet them they are simply 25-30 little mysteries...By June..They're all your children now and you don't usually like to let them go" (pg. 307). Here Kozol is expressing the hardness for the teachers to let the children move on to another grade. Furthermore, in chapter 23, Kozol emphasizes the bitter-sweet relationship between the children's and the teacher's departures.
In the Epilogue, Kozol returns to Mott Haven and St. Ann's, while many of the children are still there. Although in the chapter, Kozol focuses more on the aspect of death and despair. While Kozol briefly mentions his asking the children for their Christmas gift ideas, and his relationship with his parent, more towards the end of the chapter, he focuses on the occurrence of bad things happening to the children; such as murders, the raping’s of 12 year old girls, and suffering.
Once more, I found the chapters to be somewhat similar but different none the less

Values throughout Ordinary Resurrections would have to be the influence children have on adults and the theme of hope. The children in the book give Kozol and other adults and helpers, the idea of innocence and hope. The children hardly know anything outside Mott Haven, so they ask Kozol and others questions, regarding life, religion, and what the world is like. Kozol takes the relationship that he has with the children and makes in know, that they influence him and teach him; instead of him teaching the children. And I think that was the main point of the book: the children are the ones who teach us (adults), instead of the other way around. This allows us to see the innocence and power the children have when they are young. Overall, I believe Kozol was trying to show us the influence and power of children.