What is poverty by Jo Goodwin Parker - 1694 Words

What is Poverty? – Jo Goodwin Parker First impressions: One thing that the reader notices is that Goodwin dives into the subject immediately and questions the reader â€Å"you ask me what is poverty?† in a rhetorical manner as if to describe the absurdity of the question itself. Whether or not the writer is the character portrayed in the essay or that she has adopted a persona is unknown since the author writer has not disclosed much about this work or herself. In any case, we know that the person writing this essay with a narrative style has seen and perhaps experienced poverty even from a disturbingly close proximity. In the first paragraph, Goodwin advises the readers to â€Å"listen without pity† and see everything as if from a distance but the†¦show more content†¦Although this essay has no political undertones, this may be a remark on growing capitalism during the 70’s, when the rich became richer and the poor poorer. Another sad reality the writer shows in the essay is that for the poor there is no season of rest and relaxation. They always have to be up and about, facing life with all its struggles and hardships. In winters and summers both, they have one or the other kind of worry. â€Å"Poverty is hoping it never rains†, â€Å"poverty is cooking without food and cleaning without soap†, â€Å"poverty means insects in your food..† all in all Goodwin shows the readers so many faces of poverty that the reader is left empathizing with her, and comparing their own life to hers, which is the true essence of this work. Not many works have this kind of ability to make a person think, wonder, and evoke the kind of emotions that this essay has been able to do. Poverty does not end at being poor, ill or starving. It goes all the way to shame and humiliation. The worst kind of humiliation comes when asking somebody for help. Like in the case of granny, others also find their way out of helping you because of utter indifference. â€Å"And after spilling the whole shame of your poverty all over the desk between you, you find that this isn’t the right office after all-â€Å". What Goodwin is suggesting here is that for the poor their true companions are the troubles andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of What Is Poverty By Jo Goodwin Parker736 Words   |  3 Pagesdreads of poverty, so naturally we are not educated on what the terrors are. Jo Goodwin Parker informs readers in her short story â€Å"What is Poverty† about what life is like for those who live a harder life than most. She gives people an inside look on what it’s like to have almost nothing. The story is not told so the reader can pity the poor, it is told so we real ize that as big as our problems might seem many people face harder and the message the story is trying to send. Jo Goodwin Parker sends manyRead MoreWhat Is Poverty? By Jo Goodwin Parker And The Poverty Of Equality1001 Words   |  5 PagesPoverty has been a controversial issue in the United States. It has taken lives and has built obstacles for many Americans today. Poverty is a physical and mental handicap to many Americans who are not able to get past this barrier. However, some may argue poverty is just an excuse for those who decide not to put effort. Not to mention, two articles will share their story about the issue of poverty. â€Å"What is poverty?† By Jo Goodwin Parker and â€Å"The Poverty of Equality† by Stephen Moore and Peter FerraraRead MoreEssay on Jo Goodwin Parker. What Is Poverty?1018 Words   |  5 Pages090 December 6, 2010 What is Poverty? Jo Goodwin Parker’s essay, â€Å"What is Poverty?† is about Parker who has personally experienced rural poverty. She explains her story from childhood to adulthood. Parker’s struggles are overwhelming; look at any sentence, the evidence of her daily struggle is there. From her underwear to living arrangements, and everything in between, Parker resides in poverty. In her essay, she says to listen to the story of what poverty is. Then she talks about the differentRead MorePoverty Essay948 Words   |  4 PagesAccounts, Experiences and Scenarios in Poverty Stories and factual experiences provide insight to readers that explicate the reality of any situation. The solutions to poverty become more attainable when accounts from others’ experiences are brought into consideration. In Jo Goodwin Parkers’ â€Å"What is Poverty?,† Lars Eighners’ â€Å"On Dumpster Diving,† Peter Singers’ â€Å"The Singer Solution to World Poverty† and Barbara Ehrenreichs’ â€Å"A Step Back to the Workhouse, † each author expands on personal experiencesRead More Americas Downward Spiral Essay632 Words   |  3 PagesAmericas Downward Spiral In recent years, the economy in the United States has been in what most would see as a recession. American people differ in the way they react to a recession. Some, such as Michael Moore, feel it becomes a downward spiral as big business and it’s stockholders gain more money and power, and it’s workers gain less money and stability. With a loss of stability for the American worker there is a fear of losing their health benefits, social security, pension plan, andRead MoreEssay on Let’s Put an End to Corporate Power and Greed666 Words   |  3 Pagescarrying away with them the primary sources of living of many people. As we saw in Roger and Me, General Motors replaced it’s Flint plant to open new ones in Mexico, laying off 30,000 workers in the process. Flint quickly turned into a ghost town with poverty taking its toll on the common people. The rich got richer, while the poor became poorer. By this time the conditions had become so bad that the Money Magazine described Flint as the worst American city to live in. John Grisham (My Turn: SomewhereRead MorePoverty Is Not For A Decent Job938 Words   |  4 PagesAt this moment in my life I would not consider myself poor but, according to Jo Goodwin Parker’s definition of poverty I am. Parker defines poverty as not having enough money for necessities, none for luxuries or pleasure, is a single parent, has very little education, and has little or no access to healthcare. I am still in school so obviously I do not have the proper education to get a decent job. With the part time job that I do have I don’t make enough money to have that many luxuries. If itRead MoreDo You Want Lies With That?1039 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"Do You Want Lies With That? Summary In his article â€Å"Do You Want Lies With That? by Morgan Spurlock, the author is telling his audience about consumerism and over consumption with Americans as a hole. He begins by informing the reader about what we should and should not be put in mouths and is why we get warning labels now. He continues the article talking about how many people smoke and why so many do not smoke now. Huge lawsuits from the nineties forced changes in the way people viewed tobaccoRead MoreEssay on What is Poverty?1079 Words   |  5 Pages What do you consider poverty to be? Do you have a definitive explanation of it or do you consider it an abstract circumstance? In the article What is Poverty?, Jo Goodwin Parker gives her ideas on what poverty is. First given as a speech, this article is written as an attack on human emotion. Her use of connotative language creates many harsh images of her experiences in a life of poverty. By using these images, Parker is capable of causing the reader to feel many emotions and forcesRead MoreExamples Of Poverty Essay943 Words   |  4 PagesThe Shame in Poverty Accounts The solutions to poverty are plentiful when accounts from others’ experiences are brought into consideration. Stories and experiences provide insight to readers that explicate the reality of any situation. In â€Å"What is Poverty† â€Å"On Dumpster Diving† â€Å"Lifeboat Ethics† and â€Å"The Singer Solution,† each article expands on personal experiences and situations to open the reader to various viewpoints on how poverty is perceived by society, as well as how it is perceived by those