Faces, personal narratives, and accounts of crushed dreams do not accompany the statistics, so those who have not personally experienced poverty easily dismiss the problems. We barely consider the injustices in impoverished communities and view their members one way – as lifeless statistics. Our ignorance leads us to believe that if poor Americans were simply more motivated and tried harder they could achieve the same opportunities as the wealthy American wealthier Americans do not take time to talk to poor Americans and therefore are not emotionally impacted by their stories. Like most, I have been guilty of ignoring the problems of the poor and placing my own selfish needs over their plight. Wealthy, middle-class Americans generally view poverty and its hardships as a self-inflicted adversity many may not offer support or help to impoverished communities because they do not see the desperation and need that overwhelms each citizen living in poverty. “The narrative begins when, without warning, Smokey says, ‘My sister has got killed.’ (P.14, Savage Inequalities) Kozol's passion for children and improving the American public school system becomes clear by reading his novel. Many children add to the story, they are sad of course, but none are outraged – it seems as though they are accustomed to tragedy. One of the most shocking, a young boy recalling his sister’s rape and murder, only a week prior to the interview. Throughout Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools, Kozol inserts shocking stories and statistics.
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