In There Are No Children Here
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In There Are No Children Here: The Story of Two Boys Growing Up in the Other America, Alex Kotlowitz has written a powerful, sometimes discouraging, sometimes hopeful book, the story of two brothers, Lafayette and Pharoah Rivers, who live in a world of crime, poverty, and little hope for an adequate education which would allow them to escape their dehumanizing circumstances. This study will discuss and evaluate ways suggested by Kotlowitz's book for improving education for disadvantaged children. The outlook is not as hopeful in general for such children as it is for the two brothers, because the author by his personal and financial involvement in their lives and education made them special rather than typical cases. Kotlowitz has given the reader that some hope exists for at least two children, has shed light on some of the problems in the education of the disadvantaged, but he has actually contributed little to the national problem of inadequate schooling for those children who need such schooling the most. At least these two children do have the opportunity to rise above their circumstances, although even that is not assured, but their opportunity is one which few other such children will enjoy. Kotlowitz' book is more a personal journey into the lives of the people in the inner city, including many wonderful and horrible discoveries, but it is in no way a serious examination of the possible solutions for solving the educational needs of the children of the inner city.
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articularly discouraging because it suggests that even if all he proper solutions were implemented effectively and immediately, the bulk of a generation would still be lost because they are already partly crushed by the poverty, crime, fear, rage, drugs, and general darkness into which they were born. If Lafayette and Pharoah are hopeful cases in Kotlowitz's eyes, children who still believe in the value of an education, and if their fate is still doubtful, despite their educational advantages, what does this say about other youth who have long ago turned a scornful eye on education altogether?
The solution to the educational problems of the inner city must start by focusing on the children themselves. They must be provided with an environment where they can not only be educated but also be made to feel safe. Clearly, the problem of education is only part of a huge puzzle including every other problem faced by these children and their families and neighborhoods. Such a "big picture" is beyond the scope of this analysis--except for one factor. That factor is precisely the providing of an environment safe, if only temporarily, from the pressures at work beyond the school in their homes and streets. School must be made into a place
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1598
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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