Kozol is able to clearly transfer his vision to the reader in his
treatise, Amazing Grace, by using several tools that hit the reader hard.
But it is probably the way he blends them together that makes his work
stand out. One is his use of the children and their purity. No one can
stand to see an innocent child killed or oppressed, so this is a great
choice for characters. The setting is important because it is in one of the
poorest
neighborhoods in the country. Also, the South Bronx is racially
segregated, consisting of mostly blacks and Hispanics. Kozol is able to
use the two together to illustrate the point of view of the residents to the
reader. He offers a new look from a non- white or wealthy point of view.
Kozol gives depth and personality to those victims of society who are
portrayed as a faceless mass by the press and politicians. Many readers
might believe that the poor are lazy and there is nothing that can be done.
They might think it is best to turn their backs to it and let it go away on its
own. Kozol fights this notion and gives each victim a name and a story.
He writes how others viewed the innocent children and how they are
missed. There is one quote from the book in which Kozol cites a priest
from nearby St. Ann s Episcopal Church. He explains how and why the
children remain faithful. He says:
You have to remember, says the priest whom I share my
thoughts about these meetings, that for this little boy whom
you have met, his life is just as important, to him, as your life
is to you. No matter how insufficient or how shabby it may
seem to some, it is the only one he has -an obvious
statement that upsets me deeply nonetheless(Kozol 178).
That one quote sums up Kozol s work in a nutshell. It gives the
reader a deep thought of how each persons life has equal value. Of
course, monetarily all lives are different but simply because one does not
have money or power, it does not mean that their loss is any less
meaningful. The wealthy, white dominated media would have one believe
otherwise and Kozol knows that society is so brainwashed that when most
people hear of a tragedy in a slum they shrug it off and say It was only a
bum. In comparison the tragedy of a wealthy white person would be well
documented, such as the recent John Kennedy Jr. ordeal. It is not to say
that the victims did not deserve a ceremony, but to illustrate how some
lives are perceived to be more valuable than others. In fact, Kozol said in
an interview with Christopher Zimmerman,
Is money really the issue? It s extraordinary-as though it
were strange to suggest that poverty is primarily a matter of
economics. Would we doubt this if we were talking about
people starving in Haiti? or Calcutta? Of course not. We
would say they re poor not because they do not have the right
values, or something of that sort, but because of their
economic condition. Only in the United States, it seems, do
we question whether poverty is caused by lack of money.
There s almost a sense here that we can t conceive the
presence of economic injustice in our own society-only in
other societies. Why should our society be different from any
other society? Of course, spending money is not the only way
to solve the problem of unequal schools, for example but it
would be a beginning(Zimmerman1).
One of Kozol s apparatus to express his vision of the world, is that
through all the tragedies and all of the oppression, he still presents the
reader with characters whom are pure and able to survive. One example
of this is Mrs. Washington, an older woman who has lived in the South
Bronx her whole life and has seen all of the villainy that occurs. She
witnesses the deaths of the children and falls ill herself. She is forced
into an inept hospital, yet remains decent and humane. Mrs. Washington
is a character whose fate underlies the entire story. She is alive from
beginning to end, and sees all of the children who are destroyed by the
inactivity of others. She is a powerful tool in the story because by the
later years of her life, the area is still in the same, if not worse condition
as it was during her childhood. It makes the reader think What have we
really done to help these people and when will we make a significant
difference. Others who survive to go on to college or remain spiritual,
give hope to the reader that one day the city and society will change and
help these people live.
In contrast to all of the evil characters such as the drug dealers,
murderess or city hall, Kozol presents dozens of martyrs who fight the
evils of society. He gives them names and stories to eliminate the
faceless mass that is referred to as the poor. One, Alicia Aponte, a
nineteen year old girl, was killed in a crossfire at a playground. Another,
Lourdes Cintron, was a philanthropist who was killed shortly after taking
over the family business of philanthropy. One more martyr was
Moondog a man who was killed in the doorway of his house while
protecting a pregnant woman. All of these characters are inspirational
despite their tragic deaths. It gives hope that there are still some who are
not corrupted by the evil that is known as society. Toni Morrison also
praises Kozol on his tools. She writes, Amazing Grace is good in the
old-fashioned sense: beautiful and morally worthy….I thank you for the
language of this book, and its refusal to patronize, to exoticize these
children and its insistence upon taking what they say, feel and think
seriously. (Morrison)
Throughout the book Amazing Grace, by Jonathan Kozol, the author
uses many tools that help him convey his vision of the world to the reader.
His choice of children as the main characters is unique because it gives
the reader a character they can relate to as well as sympathize for
because of the innocence a child has. The use of setting could not be a
better tool because of how poor and dirty the city is. It is racially
segregated so the wealthy whites relate little to what happens to the
inhabitants of one of the poorest cities in the nation. The spiritual
overtone that Kozol uses in the book does not necessarily relate to the
religious but more to the morality of humanity. He accuses the world of a
crime that is not written or spoken of, it is the crime of indifference. His
ability to reveal these evils to the world is what makes his book a work of
art. In his epilogue, Kozol chooses a very thought provoking scene. It
deals with politicians and officials giving speeches to the poor in the city
park, preaching an upcoming change. He quotes the officials in saying
You can t control what you were born as, but if you control yourself, our
life will be more peaceful. (Kozol 234) A nice sounding quote but when
one breaks it down it is a different story. Yes they could not control what
they were born as, but that is why segregation is evil. The second part of
the phrase is almost absurd. If you can control yourself, our life will be
more peaceful. It sounds as if the official was blaming the children and
the poor for their violent behavior and asking them to stop so that the
wealthy do not have to deal with these problems. It seems as if the man
has no idea of what actually goes on in these neighborhoods. After
hearing enough of this gathering Kozol is walking away. In a symbolistic
way he exits behind the officials to another block where he sees addicts
and homeless abundant in the street, as if to say it is what is at the back
of the city that is the problem not the front.
Kozol s most touching tool is the reminder that the people who live
there actually do live with grace. He writes about how the oppressed
people still try to live like any other citizen. One character, Mrs. Flowers,
is an older woman who lives in a small rundown apartment. Mrs. Flowers
does not act like she is living in poverty, she cleans her apartment
everyday and keeps it in good condition, given the situation. Kozol had
gone to visit her one time and was surprised at how she acted like an
upper-class hostess, offering tea and food to him. This was surprising
because of her lifetime of poverty and the fact that she had lost her
daughter to AIDS recently. Another character is Mrs. Washington, who
had remained hopeful despite her constant oppression and struggles. She
lived her whole life in poverty and had seen most of the youth in the area
that were killed before they could experience life. These people
amazingly stayed hopeful and did so with grace.
Kozol s tools are what make this book a work of art. His keen sense
of humanity adds to the flavor of this urgent cry for help. The children are
symbols of beauty and innocence that remain pure despite their harsh
surroundings. The city and public that do little to help these people are
committing the worst crime one can commit according to Kozol,
indifference. This story is clearly told to the reader by Kozol, who is a
master at conveying his vision to the reader. One final question arises to
the reader by the end of story, and that is When will things change?