Stephen And Death At An Early Age Analysis

In the passages by Jonathan Kozol from “Stephen and Death at an Early Age” he talks about his time as a fourth grade teacher and a later chapter in his book. Kozol talks about as humans we want attention from those around us. Throughout the passage Kozol mentions when there is negligence in a person 's life they attempt to fill that void with attention. When you go to aid a neglected person by acknowledging but you are prevented by another person from doing so, if you don 't make a stand you are not helping the neglected person. Kozol introduced the reader to a Boston public school where they do not care about the education of its students. He shows the reader this by telling us about a student of his that he took a liking to. He informs …show more content…
He says “Stephen is tiny, desperate, unwell.” along with “Stephen often comes into school badly beaten.”(51-52) With the negligence from home and the abuse it would cause any child to want to act out. The acting out is only done for the feeling of acceptance by others due to the emotional harm unto said person. They end up feeling that they do not belong or are not tangible. Kozol states in his writing “why he might like to see himself in a mirror even if it was only to see a scratched reflection” in which he had just said to himself after the art teacher scowled Stephen in front of the class for making faces at himself outside of the classroom in front of a mirror (56) This signifies Stephen feels he does not sometimes exist or that he just nothingness. He was just admiring who he is and trying to figure out if he was a real person out of all the things that have made him feel nonexistent in his life till that …show more content…
He may acknowledge him from time to time but he doesn 't stand up for him. He 's has questioned some things that happen around his home life but Stephen fails to tell him what happens(52). Kozol fails to stand up for Stephen even when the art teacher yells at both of them for the passing of the doodles(54). With Kozol insufficient making a stand it brings us to another portion of his writing where he mentions he was at a dinner party while there was a protest for civil rights happening at a federal building. At this party he was talking to some friends about the conditions the school that he faced(57). He then ended up talking to a law student about this as well and the law student question if he stood for what how he felt on the mistreating of the child in the school system why doesn 't attend the movement(58). Kozol then questioned himself as well and made up his mind and rose to stand up for the injustice of this go to the protest