No matter how hard people work to get out of poverty, those who are not affected by poverty are blind to these issues of poverty and therefore cannot help. This divide between the haves and have nots in our society is part of what perpetuates the problems that the poor in society face. In our society, we preach that if you work hard in life that you will be able to get anywhere. Unfortunately, the American Dream that we speak of is often much more difficult to achieve than well-off Americans make it out to be. Authors Jonathan Kozol and bell hooks both discuss issues surrounding the impoverished in our society. Jonathan Kozol makes his case regarding poverty by using experiences told to him by the poor in society and comparing them to the
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Kozol says that many Americans “seem to have the rather vague and general impression that the great extremes of racial isolation that were matters of grave national significance some twenty-five or thirty years ago have gradually but steadily diminished in more recent years” (Kozol 348). He claims that “schools that were already deeply segregated twenty-five or thirty years ago are no less segregated now” (Kozol 348). Kozol also believes that schools that had been segregated are resegregating rapidly. Kozol uses these pieces of information to show the stark difference between how poverty is seen in the outside world not affected by poverty and the people who are living in …show more content…
Discussing a young single mom Victoria Houser in western New York, she shows an example of a family that may look put together on the surface, but which could fall apart at any second. “At first glance, her life doesn’t look all that bad”, Fessler says. “She lives in a cozy two-bedroom apartment. She has food, furniture and toys for her almost 2-year-old son, Brayden. He even likes playing a game called Fruit Ninja on her electronic tablet.” Looking past the aspects of her life that make it seem as if she is financially stable, one can see that “her life is teetering on the edge”. Houser explains that there have been drug busts in the apartment complex. “Her next-door neighbor was recently arrested for allegedly murdering someone and stuffing the body in a cupboard”, Fessler says of Victoria
Kozol says that many Americans “seem to have the rather vague and general impression that the great extremes of racial isolation that were matters of grave national significance some twenty-five or thirty years ago have gradually but steadily diminished in more recent years” (Kozol 348). He claims that “schools that were already deeply segregated twenty-five or thirty years ago are no less segregated now” (Kozol 348). Kozol also believes that schools that had been segregated are resegregating rapidly. Kozol uses these pieces of information to show the stark difference between how poverty is seen in the outside world not affected by poverty and the people who are living in …show more content…
Discussing a young single mom Victoria Houser in western New York, she shows an example of a family that may look put together on the surface, but which could fall apart at any second. “At first glance, her life doesn’t look all that bad”, Fessler says. “She lives in a cozy two-bedroom apartment. She has food, furniture and toys for her almost 2-year-old son, Brayden. He even likes playing a game called Fruit Ninja on her electronic tablet.” Looking past the aspects of her life that make it seem as if she is financially stable, one can see that “her life is teetering on the edge”. Houser explains that there have been drug busts in the apartment complex. “Her next-door neighbor was recently arrested for allegedly murdering someone and stuffing the body in a cupboard”, Fessler says of Victoria