The Worst Kind of Poverty When one hears the word poverty, what comes to mind? The inability to provide necessities, such as food, water, and shelter for oneself or their family. While, yes, poverty can mean the lack of these necessities’, but it can also be seen in the soul. Theodore Dalrymple spent many years of his career speaking with patients, and observing their behaviors. Through his years, he has been able to grasp the reality of poverty. I think Theodore Dalrymple wanted compare the two types of poverty in his piece, “What is Poverty”, to convey that “the worst poverty is in England – and it is not material poverty, but poverty of the soul” (181). At the beginning of his career, Theodore Dalrymple spent some time is Africa, working
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For example, there are many Indian immigrants in England with low incomes, but they strive to continue their ways of life. There are Indian supermarkets that provide a vast amount of fresh produce, and products for relatively cheap. They find that meal time is a great social opportunity, and it forces them to set their personal desires aside in order to preserve their cultures. This in turn keeps their values and beliefs alive, and makes their lives more meaningful. Whereas the low-income whites, or natives, shop in markets that provide more expensive pre-made meals, that only require the addition of water or can be made in minutes in the microwave. Although this may seem more convenient, it is actually hurting them in the long run. Many of the low-income white have lost the importance of family, and focus primarily on their own personal desires. Theodore Dalrymple makes a good point, that “when people satisfy every appetite with the same minimal effort and commitment, no wonder they trap themselves in squalor” (180). In other words, when people do not have to work for things, they often lose motivation to do so in all aspects of life, cause them to be ungrateful and selfish. With this being said, there is an underclass forming of these Indian immigrants that long to fit in with the natives of England and have started acquired the same selfish and ungrateful …show more content…
She tells him that she is tired of the world and no longer wants to live, so naturally he asked her to explain why she felt this way. She tells him that about her abusive ex, how he trashed her living space, stole from her, and she was five weeks pregnant with his baby, that she didn’t want. She goes on to say that she is unhappy and wants to get away from him. Yet later that day, out of feelings if loneliness she calls him, and asks for him to visit her. She is unable to cut ties with him, because she will not have to pay the physical consequences for her actions. The government will once again supply her with what he destroyed. As a doctor from Madras pointed out “her problem was that she accepted no limits to her own behavior, that she did not fear the possibility of hunger, the condemnation of her own parents or neighbors, or God” (179). Therefore, she does not have to worry about anything other than her personal desires. I think that when one only fulfills their personal desires they slowly start to become more and more dissatisfied with their lives. Like the young lady from Dalrymple’s story, once someone starts to become dissatisfied with their lives, they turn to drastic measures, such as becoming addicted to drugs to feel good, or attempting to kill
For example, there are many Indian immigrants in England with low incomes, but they strive to continue their ways of life. There are Indian supermarkets that provide a vast amount of fresh produce, and products for relatively cheap. They find that meal time is a great social opportunity, and it forces them to set their personal desires aside in order to preserve their cultures. This in turn keeps their values and beliefs alive, and makes their lives more meaningful. Whereas the low-income whites, or natives, shop in markets that provide more expensive pre-made meals, that only require the addition of water or can be made in minutes in the microwave. Although this may seem more convenient, it is actually hurting them in the long run. Many of the low-income white have lost the importance of family, and focus primarily on their own personal desires. Theodore Dalrymple makes a good point, that “when people satisfy every appetite with the same minimal effort and commitment, no wonder they trap themselves in squalor” (180). In other words, when people do not have to work for things, they often lose motivation to do so in all aspects of life, cause them to be ungrateful and selfish. With this being said, there is an underclass forming of these Indian immigrants that long to fit in with the natives of England and have started acquired the same selfish and ungrateful …show more content…
She tells him that she is tired of the world and no longer wants to live, so naturally he asked her to explain why she felt this way. She tells him that about her abusive ex, how he trashed her living space, stole from her, and she was five weeks pregnant with his baby, that she didn’t want. She goes on to say that she is unhappy and wants to get away from him. Yet later that day, out of feelings if loneliness she calls him, and asks for him to visit her. She is unable to cut ties with him, because she will not have to pay the physical consequences for her actions. The government will once again supply her with what he destroyed. As a doctor from Madras pointed out “her problem was that she accepted no limits to her own behavior, that she did not fear the possibility of hunger, the condemnation of her own parents or neighbors, or God” (179). Therefore, she does not have to worry about anything other than her personal desires. I think that when one only fulfills their personal desires they slowly start to become more and more dissatisfied with their lives. Like the young lady from Dalrymple’s story, once someone starts to become dissatisfied with their lives, they turn to drastic measures, such as becoming addicted to drugs to feel good, or attempting to kill