Homelessness In Barbara Ascher's On The Streets

On the Streets The topic of homelessness is one that is regarded very differently in various people’s perspectives. It is often overlooked because people dislike seeing people in dreadful conditions but they are too egotistic to do anything about it. Sadly, instead of people taking an initiative to solve the issues that cause homelessness, they resort to police to force out the homeless or arrest them in order to make areas spotless for the wealthy. People can also fail to empathize with the homeless because they pity or fear them. In order to glean from the articles the best knowledge one would need to compare and contrast the author’s perspectives, tone and audience, and Biblical relation. The perspectives of the various authors significantly …show more content…
Barbara Ascher unequivocally showed the use of brilliant diction in her essay. Her opening sentence was the attention grabbing line, “The man’s grin is less the result of circumstance than dreams or madness.” Ascher used vivid descriptions like this throughout her story which helped lure readers to her intended conclusion about encouraging compassion. Rhetorical devices were also visible in Aaron Cantu’s article about the criminalization of homelessness. Specifically, Cantu wrote, “removing and jailing the homeless to make way for condos, organic juice bars and boutique pet stores.” This statement helped progress the article against the unneeded arrests of homeless because it seems to trivialize and mock the wealthy that push inconvenient people out of their way to establish profitable “organic juice bars.” Cantu also brought up specific cases of homeless who were jailed unreasonably often; such as one grandmother who was arrested fifty-nine times in six years for living in public. Cantu used a case such as this is to stir up pity that might motivate readers to make some effort to right the controversy of criminalizing homelessness. Ellen Eldridge used similar tactics in her article that exposed cities for passing ordinances that underhandedly were intended to get rid of the homeless. Throughout her article she used examples …show more content…
Barbara Ascher’s ideas of empathy and compassion towards the desolate are similar to what the Bible says about the poor. Acts 20:35 “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” The Bible tells people to be generous to the poor and love them. Though Ascher’s writing was not based in the Bible she still encouraged people to be compassionate to the poor and understand and help them. The article by Ellen Eldridge has very little that could be called moral or slightly Biblical. This article is more of an informative that pokes at people’s sympathy for the poor. The article does quote a few slightly concerned citizens and mention how ordinances are violating the constitutional rights, but that it the limit of its religious relations. The article by Aaron Cantu however did have some moral implications. It talked about how cities strive to clear away the homeless that they consider unpleasant for business. The article was against this prioritization of the rich people of the cities and said it would be better and more equal to give the homeless housing. The article criticized the wealthy taking advantage of the poor and encouraged people to treat the poor with love which is similar to the verse Mathew 12:31