Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol

Faith Ringgold’s God Bless America is an expression of the emotional and physical torment of black Americans prior to and during the Civil Rights Movement. This piece of art movement had a lot of cultural ties to the population during the 1960’s that also can be applied today in the year 2001. Through the description of medium, subject matter, form, and style I will relate this piece of history and the signfigance of what this composition means to me today.

Is it possible to predict when a catastrophe could happen? The natural catastrophes are easy to provide with the technology, but the man disasters are worst because it is impossible to know when they could happen. The protagonist of the short story “Grace Period” by Will Baker was able to understand the clues who foretell the worst for him. With the facts in the article “Nuclear Weapon Effects” written by John Pike, the nuclear weapon is probably the most logical thing that could happen in “Grace Period” and the main character would probably die by the effects of his exposition to the radiations.

There are plenty of ways that life choices affect the way a person grows up. In Bless Me, Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya conveys how growing up affects the mind of a young child by his introduction to different religions, when he questions his innocence, and lastly when he witnesses the death of people that cares for. Through coming of age, Anaya argues that one must lose innocence to fully understand life.

Jonathan Kozol's book, Amazing Grace, analyzes the lives of the people living in the dilapidated district of South Bronx, New York. Kozol spends time touring the streets with children, talking to parents, and discussing the appalling living conditions and safety concerns that plague the residents in the inner cities of New York. In great detail, he describes the harsh lifestyles that the poverty stricken families are forced into; day in and day out. Disease, hunger, crime, and drugs are of the few everyday problems that the people in Kozol's book face; however, many of these people continue to maintain a very religious and positive outlook on life. Jonathan Kozol's investigation on the lifestyle of these people, shows the side to

Ana Castillo’s novel, So Far From God, propels the reader on a vibrant and surreal journey through the tragic ordeals of Sofi and her four daughters. The first chapter, which offers certain similarities to the Bible’s story of Jesus Christ, in that Sofi’s three year old daughter, La Loca, seems to succumb to a violent and horrifying death, and at the wake, she returns to life with a tale of her journey beyond the veil. This scene creates a notable comparison between the patriarchal religiosity of the story of Jesus Christ and the Chicana-centered resurrection, complete with the hypocrisy of a male-centered system of beliefs, the acts of acquiring selfhood as a female centered savior, and the phenomena of the “death” of the saviors.

Hannah Zewdu Ms. Gallien English 1-2 Per.1 04/22/24 Self-Discovery & Identity For eighteen years Rapunzel was trapped inside a tower, locked away and secluded from the outside world but on her eighteenth birthday, she escaped and explored the world that was cut away from her and discovered so much of not only her family but herself. In the novel Patron Saints of Nothing written by Randy Ribay, Jay Reguero is also an eighteen-year-old, and high school senior who spends his time playing video games or hanging out with only close friend Seth trapped in his white suburban town. After the mysterious death of his cousin Jun, Jay travels to the Philippines to discover and unveil the truth about Jun’s death. While there, he not only discovers Jun’s death, but discovers himself

Several years ago, Amy Chua’s book: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother has triggered a lively debate about the strict parenting style. In the book, it is mentioned that Chua sets rules and restrictions, such as no sleepovers, practising music instruments every day, etc. As a result, her daughters achieve excellent grades in schools (Goodin ¶2-3). Chua’s parenting style is categorized as authoritarian. In Hong Kong, Chua’s style is popular. Parents put a lot of pressure on their children. Starting from primary level, children are asked to attend extra tutorials. From the parents’ eyes, “Practice makes perfect”. Hence, children will become more competitive. However, westerners oppose her methods. Some believe that giving no freedom to children is not conducive to one’s academic performance.

Activism, culture and value have always had a tremendous influence in society. When it comes to the Appalachian region of the United States, people tend to see our culture and values differently. The individuals of the Appalachian region have been stereotyped for far too long, people forget that West Virginia has played a huge role in building this country. Our coal miners have put their lives in danger time and time again, some losing them, for worker’s rights. The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest labor rebellion in the history of the United States. This was the foundation of the movement for eight hour work days and minimum wages. The novel Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina is a fictionalized tale of the conflict that took place in these coal fields of West Virginia. The novel brings to light the stereotypes, race and religion of the Appalachian people.

In “Invisible Child,” a New York Times article written by Andrea Elliot, we follow a day in the life of a young African American girl, Dasani, growing up in New York City. However, instead of living in an “Empire State of Mind,” Dasani lives in the slums, growing up homeless with her two drug addicted parents and seven siblings. Dasani often finds herself taking care of her siblings, making sure they have enough to eat, tying shoelaces, changing diapers, getting them to the bus stop in time, and the list goes on. An 11 year old girl, essentially taking care of a whole family, as well as taking care of herself by going to school, receiving an education, and partaking in extra-curricular activities. Elliot captures the life and struggles of a family well under the poverty line, giving us an unprecedented look into what Dasani must do each day not just to grow up in New York City, but to survive.

Chapters 2 and 3 continue with more depressing facts that chapter1 reveals. However, these are more detailed and more personal, and thereby more disturbing.Reading about these lives makes me think of people I see on the street everyday, of whom many are homeless. Being homeless used to seem like the worst existence imaginable, but after reading the first few chapters of Amazing Grace, living in Mott Haven sounds even worse to me. It is sad to think that a person without a home has more freedom than an entire community of people. Who decides that these people are expendable? Some may say that the politicians make that decision and that thereby our hands are clean. It is foolish to say that however, when we are the people who gave them that power. We do not want to admit that we often look away when we see someone in distress. Pretending nothing wrong is an easy way to go through life, regardless of how politically incorrect it may be. Ignoring the problems is simple if you are fortunate enough to be middle or upper class, but when you are poor there is nothing you can do to avoid them. People in need do not get to choose where they live. They live wherever they can afford to, or in some cases wherever they have been placed by government services. Many people in Mott Haven, the Washingtons for example, were indeed sent

“When people speak of great men, they think of men like Napoleon – men of violence. Rarely do they think of peaceful men. But contrast the reception they will receive when they return home from their battles. Napoleon will arrive in pomp and in power, a man who’s achieved the very summit of earthly ambition. And yet his dreams will be haunted by the oppressions of war. William Wilberforce, however, will return to his family, lay his head on his pillow and remember: the slave trade is no more.”

I discovered that within the prison’s white walls and alarmed doors were children-a stark contrast to the stern prison guards and orange jumpsuit-clad prisoners of my imagination. These bright-eyed youth reunited every Sunday with their incarcerated parents; only one measly hour was allotted for the sharing of a week's worth of experiences. While sketching, I observed heartfelt embraces full of compassion alongside forced and terse greetings. I could not even imagine how emotionally taxing and complicated this whole ordeal could be on anyone, especially an impressionable

Indian Americans have been described as a distinguished minority in terms of their successful careers, middle class aspiration and work ethic. Chaubey highlights the notion of diasporic Indians shedding their linguistic, regional and religious identities with statements like “It is arguable that one is more easily an Indian abroad than in India.”[138]Ref 22. In Unaccustomed Earth, most of the characters pursue ambitious studies, often leading to prestigious degree and professional careers. In her personal educational career Jhumpa Lahiri has owned three master degrees and a Ph.D.

The piece is classified as Aboriginal Australian literature. It was published in the 1960’s. The purpose of the text is to give hope in a new beginning after the events involving the racial tension between the Aboriginals and the white settlers. The poem is directed to the Aboriginal people of Australia who suffered from these events

Through the Parable of the Return of the Prodigal Son we see that the father in the story is God and we are the son longing for forgiveness. You can compare Amazing Grace to the parable of The Prodigal Son by comparing the verses to the son being found and seeing the grace of God. The story of the Prodigal Son and the song Amazing Grace are both about recieving the grace of God and asking for forgiveness. Grace is the free and unmerited gift of God’s love, forgiveness, mercy, and healing to any and all who turn to Him in faith in the name of Jesus. This concept of grace is demonstrated in Jesus’ parable of The Lost Son and Newton’s hymn, “Amazing Grace”.