Karla Zelaya

Sociology 1
July 17, 2016
In the article Savage Inequalities, by Jonathon Kozol talks about Irl Solomon and
history class. Irl Solomon is 54 years old and has taught in urban schools for almost 30 years.
Mr. Solomon graduated from Brandeis University and entered law school but was drawn away
because of a concern with civil rights. Mr. Solomon decided that law school was not for him and
that he wanted to find the toughest place there is to teach. Ever since then, Mr. Solomon has
remained there. In his class, there were four senior girls that were pregnant and their
motivational level was not high. Basically, the girls stated that there was no point on attending a
public high school because a diploma from a ghetto high school doesnt count for much in the
United States today. The student felt that some high school was going to be the last education a
person is going to get. Other students in the class state that they do not attend other classes such
as physics because they do not have proper equipment to do experiments. Mr. Solomon
mentioned, we lost our only Latin teacher which shows that the school does not offer different
types of classes for the student to take.
Jennifers view on schools in poor areas can be valid to a certain extent. Jennifer stated
that her parents moved from New York. Her family is originally from the Bronx. She stated that
schools were hell there and that was one of the reasons why they moved from there. Jennifer
disagreed on helping poor communities where schools are not good. Jennifer states, I dont
think its our responsibility to pay our taxes to provide for them. I mean my parents used to live

there and they wanted to get out. Theres no point in coming to a place like this where schools
are good and then your taxes go back to the place where you began. Jennifer also mentioned
that the only people who deserve to receive help are those who want an education. She said that
if your parents dont care, it wouldnt do any good to spend a lot of money. However, she does
agree that everyone should have the chance to take the same classes.
East St. Louis is very poor and disadvantage community where many families live in
poverty. The schools in East St. Louis are very old and poor. These schools do not have enough
money provide the proper equipment for classes, pay for faculty and maintenance. Schools
sewage is so old that certain schools had to close down because there are constantly floods from
the dirty sewage. Students are not motivated and lack in education. The majority of the students
that attend schools in East St. Louis are African Americans and Hispanics. Schools in Rye, New
York are very different from East St. Louis because these schools have better buildings, different
class options and equipment. However, the majority of the students that attend there are white
and Asian. Only 1 or 2 percent are Hispanic and African American. These schools are located in
better communities than in East St. Louis. The communities in East St. Louis are very dangerous
and poor which is harmful for families.
In my opinion I really liked this article because it was very heartbreaking and truthful. I
come from a disadvantage, low-income, minority community and some of these issues do
happen. It is sad to say that we live in the United States and our education system is so corrupt. I
believe that the student Jennifer is selfish and greedy. Even though her family got her out of the
ghetto, there are other families that are unfortunate and do not have the same opportunities as
she did. There are other families that do not afford to leave and move somewhere new. It sad to

know that there is people that forget about the past and not want to make a difference in ones
life that are struggling. In the past 20 years I feel that our system has not changed dramatically.
There are many things that have stayed the same, hidden or the changed. For instance, I believe
that racism has been hidden because somewhere in the United States we still see racism and
inequalities in education. I really enjoyed reading this article because it opened my mind about
be grateful for what I have and not to take things for granted because there are other people who
are less fortunate than I am.