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.
I agree, every one does has equal rights today
ReplyDeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteI like how you put in that Kozol buys Christmas presents. It really shows Kozols compassion for the children.
ReplyDelete