What Is Poverty Jo Parker Analysis

Poverty is not an accident. It is fabricated from one’s own decisions. The essay “What is Poverty” is a story about an extremely poor woman name Jo Parker. With a month income of $78, Jo Parker must provide food and shelter for herself and her three children. In the story, Parker makes many sacrifices from her own life and health and constantly worries about the poor condition of her three children. She also gets laughed at and judged by outsiders and is left with nothing but a big, black cloud of despair hanging over her head. A person who is in poverty lacks the money to buy basic necessities like food, medicine, cloths, and cleaning supplies. People who are in poverty are surrounded in dirt and a foul smelling odor that never leaves. After …show more content…
However, that was not the case for this article. As I started to read the article I became more and more intrigued to read further. The reason for this was because the essay was actually about a real person’s experience with poverty and what she was going through. As Jo Parker continuously listed off her ways she was in poverty, I could not help but to feel sympathy for her. The part of the essay that broke my heart the most was when she saved up her money for two months just to buy a jar of Vaseline and then the price went up two cents so she could not buy the Vaseline. I think that is just awful. Reading this essay has made me realize how lucky I am to have a life where there is support and how lucky I am to be financially …show more content…
However, I can say that I have been stuck in financial binds where I have had to make sacrifices like not going out with friends or not being able to go out to eat for lunch. My opinion on the status of poverty in the United States is based solely off of what I see on the news or social media. I see images of towns that are extremely run down, where people’s houses are built of card board boxes, and pictures of kids who are digging through dumpster for food. These images prove to me that poverty does exist in different amounts though out America. I think Mississippi and my community do not experience poverty in great amounts. When I’m driving down the highway is when this poverty comes into view. I see poverty in many forms like homeless people who are walking down the freeway, carrying all their belongings with them or homeless people who are holding signs asking for help. Poverty can be seen anywhere at any time and in any form. “What is Poverty” is a great essay that made me aware of the many different forms and aspects that poverty comes in. Poverty is not just the lack of money and the lack of material possessions, but poverty is also the feeling of being unwanted and the feeling of brokenness. When I see a person who is struggling, I will look at them with a whole new perspective. Instead of judging them, I will try to pick them up with positive words of encouragement. It is up to the individual to step