Reflection on "Amazing Grace"

** I apologize for the late posting.
This week's reading, "Amazing Grace" by Kozol, was an engaging piece about social structures that strayed from the typical analytical or critical style used by writers on this topic. Rather than relying on cold and distant statistics, Kozol took a qualitative and immersive approach to understanding the urban poor by visiting the South Bronx (noted to be one of the most impoverished areas in the country) and maintaining dialogues with several individuals. By objectively retelling the stories of individuals living in the South Bronx and using their words when referencing conversations, Kozol managed to "humanize" the poor and made a successful appeal for systemic change.
Perhaps one of the most effective techniques utilized by Kozol was his ability to step aside, reserve judgment and allow those who are traditionally marginalized to tell their stories. This was most clearly evidenced by Kozol's interactions with Cliffie, a seven-year-old boy with whom the author took a tour of the South Bronx. Kozol allowed the boy to share his understanding of the world around him (e.g. allowing Cliffie to share his understanding of the incinerator) and marveled at Cliffie's level of insight. This was also evidenced by Kozol's interactions with Alice Washington, an HIV-positive woman, and her family as they struggled to obtain Social Security benefits and provide adequate medical care for Alice. Rather than intervening or explicitly stating that societal changes need to be made, Kozol allows these individuals to make a personal appeal to the reader for systemic change.
By allowing individuals such as Cliffie and Mrs. Washington to tell their stories, Kozol makes a strong argument for the fact that larger systemic problems play a role in perpetuating systems of poverty and privilege. A young child such as Cliffie cannot be held responsible for the inefficiency of the government, lack of safe housing and medical care and the turmoil that surrounds him. Similarly, individuals such as Alice Washington, a victim of domestic violence, several-time cancer survivor, and HIV-positive woman, cannot be held responsible for a system that perpetuates violence, oppression and discrimination. Ultimately, Kozol successfully argues through the platform he has given to the urban poor of the South Bronx and many other anecdotes that poverty is not something that can be resolved by isolating the poor geographically and denying them access to resources.