South Bronx
An impression that many American's have is that people, who live in impoverished neighborhoods, are lazy and refuse to work. They feel that this is the reason they do not succeed in life. A book that discusses this and related topics is Amazing Grace written by Jonathan Kozol. The quote "If people in Amazing Grace, would only apply themselves more, they would greatly improve their lives" brings up undecided feelings within me. The setting of Amazing Grace is in the South Bronx, in a community where 44% of the population lives below the poverty line, the opportunities are scarce and oppression is high. It is one of the most polluted boroughs of New York, and has one of the highest rates of some illnesses, such as asthma and AIDS. The Bronx is not cut off from the world though opportunities do exist. Programs such as the YMCA and Kips Bay Big Brother Big Sister programs are in place to support children to help them succeed. Welfare programs, drug abuse counseling and other programs are in place to help adults who may need assistance. The above statements are evidence toward both views of the before mentioned quote.The South Bronx, which is not on any map, might be called more of a state mind. "The people that come from t
The clinic is not the only place to receive these bags, "The Children's Park" on St. Ann's Avenue is another popular place for prostitutes and drug addicts go to collect their clean needles and condoms. The needle exchange is a program set up to reduce the spread of AIDS, encouraging the use of clean needles and protected sex. It seems though that with the teddy bears hanging from the trees and the sign that reads "This park was built for and by the people so that children would be treated with respect" (Amazing grace 58) having the needle exchange inside "The Children's Park" is a contradiction of itself. How are these children to have their carefree time to play, when their park is filled with lines of sometimes 150-200 drug addicted people. For a child to work past these obstacles, with little or no help is an extreme challenge. Being witness to the drug world at an early age puts these children in a whole other category than children unexposed to narcotics. With out proper anti-drug education, or even for that matter with it, peer pressure and other influences to a young child or early teenager can be very powerful. Mrs. Washington's son, David, points out that on a trip to the health clinic he walked passed a line of prostitutes waiting to receive a bag of condoms and clean needles. The nonchalance of this situation makes the whole act of drug use and promiscuous sex seem less dangerous and more acceptable. At the same time however, the ritual of handing out the bags is a very useful however miserable plan to lower the already high rate of AIDS in this community. The maturing process for a child is an extremely difficult and stressful time. Most adolescents will be faced with drugs and many of those, no matter of their class or location, will be tempted to experiment or use during their teen ye
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sara Charlayne's, Amazing Grace, South Bronx, City Programs, Ann's Avenue, Children's Park, Big Sister, York City, Deborah Harris, , south bronx, amazing grace, clean needles, bronx ecumenical aids, shared responsibility, ecumenical aids, aids ministry, hiv infection, needle exchange, looking help, people south bronx, bronx york city, ecumenical aids ministry, bronx ecumenical,
Approximate Word count = 1230
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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