Friday, November 1, 2013

journal 7

Jonathan Kozol’s books have become touchstones of the American conscience. Ordinary Resurrections is daily life of urban area, human face to poverty and racial isolation. The book is based on mostly the students, teachers, schools, and the Mott Heaven neighborhoods in the South Bronx. Kozol is a reporter who visits the neighborhoods in the South Bronx and talks with children who have become his friends at a badly underfunded but enlightened public school. Students are sometimes playful, sometimes jubilantly funny, and sometimes extremely sad in the neighborhoods of South Bronx. In personal life he was not so close with his parents in years when he politically engaged. He does not believe in any religious but he realized the fact of religious in south Bronx church where every day children come to church and pray for everyone even though they do for unknown person too. The neighborhood has many different religion groups or families but everyone comes to church and prays. Mother Martha and other women from church who help to people and take care of children, Kozol remembers his father’s thoughts. His father was always helping to peoples and teaches the same thing to Kozol to do in his life. Every time he gets new thoughts from children and community leaders. He sees how children love to their parents and their parents do hard works to get their kids to good education and good life. From look this Kozol felt lot of anger at him for all the opportunities he missed to spend his parents with unhurried times. At the end of this book Kozol buys some Christmas gifts for children. He wanted to make them happy and a very special Christmas. In this book each chapter has a different main character and when kids tell the stories to Kozol, he expresses his thoughts in all parts of stories. Mott Heaven children are good influences to Kozol’s life. What did his dad have taught him he did for children. I think write a prompt in first person is strength because sometimes it’s tempting to write all our stories in the same kind of voice. The whole thing should be told in the “I” voice as Kozol has done in the book. When writing in the first person we can never allow our narrative to stray inside another character’s head. The “I” character can speculate about what other people are thinking, but everything must come from their perspective.

In chapter twenty two Kozol intrudes his parents mostly about his father’s life.  His father struggled a lot in his life from childhood to older age. Kozol introduces about his dad’s education, his dad belongs to a poor family. This chapter is flashbacks and in present situation while Kozol says the stories. He is worried for Mott Haven children’s life, what job will they do in future what should be their career in future. “These children are not going to be lawyers and psychiatrists,” I’m told. “They’ll be very lucky to get jobs as medical assistants or as sanitation workers with a union and some good health benefits”. He wants their good future not like as his dad’s and his life.  He also introduces the narrow gate, Mother Martha explains about narrow gate and wide gate to children. In chapter 23, Kozol says Goodbye. Here he says goodbye to all from Mott Haven people and children. He also talks about the finance or money spends for children in Mott haven and compare to them with New York City school children. At the end he buys some Christmas gifts for children and feel them a special great Christmas.

The ordinary resurrection is a great book. While I read this book I learned the lives of children and people from South Bronx. The world is different for them compare to us. In inner city children have limited rights and could not get well education. Always struggles in life but never run away from any difficult situation, they face all struggles and fights. Today’s world everyone is equal and everyone has equal rights to do things in their life. Where government provides lot of opportunities for students to build their career while inner city children could not get this opportunities.  




3 comments:

  1. I agree, every one does has equal rights today

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would have to agree, through all their struggles they never run away from them and always face them day to day and make the best of it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like how you put in that Kozol buys Christmas presents. It really shows Kozols compassion for the children.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.