Imagine walking down the streets of New York City and you notice all the people lining the sidewalk holding boards saying they are homeless. Your parents give you a little money to put in some of their palms. When you stand straight again, you watch, as many people around you look at the homeless people in disgust and try to walk as far away from them as possible. Your dad tells you about the myths about homeless people such as, they are pretending to be homeless, they drink and are lazy, and are sick. In “What Do Fish Have To Do With Anything”, by Avi, a boy named Willie is intrigued by a homeless man in front of his house. Everyone, including his mom, stay away from the man and ignore him. He is told to also avoid eye contact with the man,
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In “What Do Fish Have to Do With Anything” by Avi a homeless man starts to loiter around in front of a boy named Willie’s house. The first time he passes the man, his mom, Mrs. Markham, tells him not to look at the man. He’s becomes curious as his mom tells him that the man is sick and unhappy. He observes that everyone who goes by the man, act as if he is invisible. On page 352, Mrs. Markham stated, “Don’t look that way”... “At that man over there” … “He’s sick.” This quote explains how people think poorly of homeless people and as a result think that they should be ignored. A stereotype of homeless people is that they are “sick”, however that is not a valuable reason for others to go past them without acknowledging the fact that they are there. People who are homeless should not be negatively stereotyped just because they might not be as privileged as others. Similarly, on page 352, it declares ,“It was as if he were some spat-out piece of chewing gum on the pavement.” This analogy articulates how people pretend that homeless people are nothing and should be thrown aside like a piece of gum. A piece of gum on the sidewalk is something that should be walked over or stepped away from, since it is worthless and an inconvenience to the person, just like a homeless person on the street. When passing a homeless person, they do not have to show a lot …show more content…
In “What Do Fish Have to Do With Anything” Willie notices how anyone who walks passed the man, act like he is not even there. Likewise, his mom demands that Willie stays away from the man since she thinks that he is sick and dirty. Nevertheless, Willie does not pay attention to the negative stereotype and decides to meet the man to talk to him. Contrary to what his mom and everybody else thinks, he realizes that the man has wisdom and useful information. The passage reveals the hidden traits and values that homeless people have that is not projected to others. “Homeless” emphasizes that people should treat the homeless as individuals and take the time to actually know them, before judging them by their appearances. Quindlen learns that homeless people might be missing some belongings, but that does not mean that they should be overlooked. In the two texts, the readers get an inside look on specific homeless people, in which the idea of their qualities are uncovered. These people do not bother the society, but they can provide information that may benefit the community. The stories are similar by how both Willie and Anna are caring and interested in meeting the homeless people to get to know them as
In “What Do Fish Have to Do With Anything” by Avi a homeless man starts to loiter around in front of a boy named Willie’s house. The first time he passes the man, his mom, Mrs. Markham, tells him not to look at the man. He’s becomes curious as his mom tells him that the man is sick and unhappy. He observes that everyone who goes by the man, act as if he is invisible. On page 352, Mrs. Markham stated, “Don’t look that way”... “At that man over there” … “He’s sick.” This quote explains how people think poorly of homeless people and as a result think that they should be ignored. A stereotype of homeless people is that they are “sick”, however that is not a valuable reason for others to go past them without acknowledging the fact that they are there. People who are homeless should not be negatively stereotyped just because they might not be as privileged as others. Similarly, on page 352, it declares ,“It was as if he were some spat-out piece of chewing gum on the pavement.” This analogy articulates how people pretend that homeless people are nothing and should be thrown aside like a piece of gum. A piece of gum on the sidewalk is something that should be walked over or stepped away from, since it is worthless and an inconvenience to the person, just like a homeless person on the street. When passing a homeless person, they do not have to show a lot …show more content…
In “What Do Fish Have to Do With Anything” Willie notices how anyone who walks passed the man, act like he is not even there. Likewise, his mom demands that Willie stays away from the man since she thinks that he is sick and dirty. Nevertheless, Willie does not pay attention to the negative stereotype and decides to meet the man to talk to him. Contrary to what his mom and everybody else thinks, he realizes that the man has wisdom and useful information. The passage reveals the hidden traits and values that homeless people have that is not projected to others. “Homeless” emphasizes that people should treat the homeless as individuals and take the time to actually know them, before judging them by their appearances. Quindlen learns that homeless people might be missing some belongings, but that does not mean that they should be overlooked. In the two texts, the readers get an inside look on specific homeless people, in which the idea of their qualities are uncovered. These people do not bother the society, but they can provide information that may benefit the community. The stories are similar by how both Willie and Anna are caring and interested in meeting the homeless people to get to know them as