Jean-Luc Salib Ms. Borelli English IV 3/13/16 We all experience adversity in our lives. However, for some the deck seems overwhelmingly stacked against them. They face multiple obstacles like poverty, lack of educational opportunities, and hardships within their families.…
This hardship is mainly outlined in the book “Outcasts United” in which Warren St. John writes about Luma Muffleh. Luma…
In David Shiplers The Working Poor: Invisible in America he starts off by stating how often the American lower class citizens are ripped off and treated poorly in modern American business, due in part to their ignorance of labor laws or their spending habits. Chapter two talks mostly in part about the hardest working jobs end up giving the least back to the worker. The most dangerous jobs have the lowest pay and the least benefits, especially when talking about the workers family there is virtually no healthcare benefits in some low wage jobs. These jobs are also time consuming and the workers family doesn’t get half the attention that they need from a parent or loved one. Chapter three talks about how the binding jell of the American economy is the immigrant, legal and illegal.…
“The Privilege of Poverty” is Joan Mueller’s attempt to reincorporate the women of the Franciscan Order and the role they played during their medieval time back into the early Franciscan history that is often written without any mention of them. Joan Mueller seeks to correct that problematic gap, lacking women’s voices and experiences, in the historiography of the early Franciscan movement. To accomplish this goal, she focuses on the history of the Franciscan Rule of St. Clare which was finally approved in 1253, only two days before she died. The encompassing theme of the book is the insistence on the “Privilege of Poverty” by Clare of Assisi and the women of St. Francis that was finally granted to them one day before with Clare's death…
“Being poor mean’s being unprotected. You might as well try playing quarterback with no helmet, no padding, no training, and no experience, behind a line of hundred-pound weaklings. With no cushion of money, no training in the ways of the wider world, and too little defense against the threats and temptations of decaying communities, a poor man or woman gets sacked again and again-buffeted and bruised and defeated” (Shipler, 2004, pg. 5). David Shipler wrote this in his captivating book The Working Poor: Invisible in America, using a metaphor to describe individuals living in poverty and how they are unprotected and stuck in a vicious cycle. I found Shipler’s metaphor to be really accurate and surprising; it brought both truth and seriousness…
The concept of poverty has plagued society as the popularity of capitalism and social stratification inhibit the underlying issues that are deemed insignificant to powerful members of higher classes. Although this problem can be solved, many are apathetic and prefer to continue their selfish ways of life. Markus Zusak’s 2002 post-modernist novel, The Messenger, follows the life of Ed Kennedy, a young and directionless plebeian who, under the demands of a literary manifestation of the author, ventures forth to commit acts of altruism for other members of his low socioeconomic community, as others have failed to do them same. The Messenger utilises narrative conventions to explore the idea of poverty in the world by representing those in lower…
There are certain ideas or certain idols that govern our way of life. These idols or ideas could range from what entertainment people enjoy, or the careers individuals have, or even more common, the money society desires. For some it could also be acceptance into one’s society, but all of these things come at a cost. As Fyodor Dostoyevsky puts it, all of these concepts are distractions to what should be most important in life. Dostoyevsky, assumed to be Russian Orthodox Christian, believed society had flaws and those flaws are exactly what has just been stated; that much of the human population is driven by worldly ideals (Morson).…
Children grow up protected from harm by their parents. The closest one was ever close to danger, was when one scraped their knees or had the flu; but imagine a life where the least dangerous activity to do was play on a tarmac with planes flying towards one and the most dangerous being in the middle of a war. This is the life of a child who grows up in the slums of Mumbai, India. Slumdog Millionaire is a British Drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Simon Beaufoy in 2008. Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of Jamal Malik a child who grew up in the slums of Mumbai is on the Indian version of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’.…
Slumming it By chloe Myers The documentary slumming it directed by Helen Simpson and presented by Kevin McCloud is based in Dharavi ,Mumbai ,India. This documentary follows McClouds stay in the slum. viewers watch McCloud learn how to live like the slum dwellers during there day to day lives.…
Home to many of us is a physical place. It is where we grow up, wake up every single day, and seek comfort and warmth in. Having a physical house that keeps us rooted everywhere we go and gives us eternal hope and strength. Millions of people called this home Afghanistan. Now imagine that home gone in the matter of seconds.…
Introduction The author of Evicted, Matthew Desmond, exposes the restrictions those in extreme poverty may face daily. Based in Milwaukee Wisconsin, Desmond takes his readers into the lives of those living in poorly maintained housing where tenants experience health problems, eviction, and at times even death. The property owners are wealthy and thrive off profits made by those less fortunate, yet do minimal maintenance to preserve their rental units. The families residing in the rentals cope with roach infestations, poor plumbing, and broken windows.…
Perhaps people who have excellent capability of bearing hardship would be more adaptive in the surrounding environment and survive in adversity. Whenever they are in trouble, they coan find a way to overcome it and even save their own lives. As Jeannette and her siblings were able to bear hardship, we see that when they suffered hunger and cold, they didn’t give up themselves but tried their best to find food by themselves. Jeannette found food in other kids’ lunch bag and sneaked into the kitchen for food when she was in school(Walls 68). Likewise, Brian was scavenging as well; he actually got food and away from starvation even though he got punishment from neighborhood(Walls 68).…
What does “struggle” mean to the average person? It may mean writing a trying essay, preparing for a job interview, or even something as simple as riding a bike. However, in “The Embassy of Cambodia,” Zadie Smith shows readers the real meaning of struggle through the main character, an unpaid housemaid by the name of Fatou. There are many protruding themes in the story, but the most prevalent moral of the story is no matter how many times the big guy may knock one down, they must always get up, and never let him win. In “The Embassy of Cambodia,” the game badminton and the Embassy itself are metaphors for Fatou and the life she lives.…
Classism; unfair treatment due to one’s social or economic class. One is treated differently based on their social class; lower, upper, or higher class. The treatment of each class can be unfair, as society gives each class different amounts of respect. The discrimination one feels due to their class can stop their progress in various ways, which all in all prevents them from realizIng their full ability. The lower class is often discriminated as they are looked down at and others feel superior to them.…
Banerjee and Duflo’s article The Economic Lives of the Poor, studies five main areas of the living conditions of the extremely poor: food and its alternatives in spending, savings, work and specializations, infrastructure and health services, and education. In their study they found the percentage of income families spend on food, stays relatively the same even if their income goes up (Banerjee and Duflo, 2009). Families save very little money for lack of somewhere safe to store it, and when they take a loan, it is from their friends and family and not from banks (Banerjee and Duflo, 2009). Workers in developing countries lack specializations since it can be too risky to put all their time and resources into one industry (Banerjee and Duflo,…