Youth Poverty: “Fire in the Ashes” by Kozol

Introduction

Hope represents a person’s striving forward, expectation, and faith in the best, a premonition of something very important and good. In most cases, this is a positive emotional experience that is formed during the tense expectation of something desired and anticipating the likelihood of its accomplishment. Jonathan Kozol writes about hope in his book Fire in the ashes: Twenty-five years among the poorest children in America. According to the author, hope can have various motivating effects but is not a decisive success factor.

Main body

The author says that children who had hope in their youth were survivors. The description of children who face difficulties continues with the thought that some of them could struggle with this way of life without letting it break them. Additionally, Kozol argues that victory is different for everyone, and what seems insignificant to some is a decisive aspect in the lives of others (Kozol, 2012). Therefore, all people live in different conditions; everyone has different motivational factors and an understanding of full-fledged success.

Moreover, Kozol discusses the desire of many children to continue their studies. He hopes that many of them will work and become successful in various areas of life. At the same time, the author does not share hopes for the successful continuation of the life of each of them. He talks about how some children probably won’t reach their goals (Kozol, 2012). Hope, personal desires, and aspirations at a particular moment in time do not always give a positive result.

Conclusion

In conclusion, hope can act as a motivation even in the most difficult and sad life situations. At the same time, it is important that each person complement hope with other efforts and actions that will increase the potential for a positive effect. Kozol supports the concept of the optimality of hope participation in people’s lives at a young age but does not exaggerate its influence.

Reference

Kozol, J. (2012). Fire in the ashes: Twenty-five years among the poorest children in America. Crown Publishers New York.