Summary

This is a personal essay titled "What is Poverty? It has been written by an unidentified author from West Virginia in the Southern United States who goes by the name Jo Goodwin Parker. With Jo Goodwin Parker's signature, this essay was sent by mail to University of Oklahoma professor, George Henderson. This essay was eventually published without any additional information about its author or source. The facts of a woman's struggles with poverty are presented in the essay, which was later published.

The writer's painful experiences in her life as result of her poverty are discussed in this essay. She has talked about the awful times she went through from childhood to adulthood, when she had to deal with many difficulties. She has discussed various facets of poverty in her essay. She has presented a realistic and graphic account of what it actually entails to be poor every day. She asserts that poverty is uglier, crueler, and more devastating than depicted in the media.

She has characterized neediness as a come up short on is living without trust, better groceries, restorative consideration, legitimate disinfection and legitimate training. It destroys pride, honor, health, and the future like acid. Parker's main goal is to demonstrate how shameful, humiliating, and disgusting poverty is. She wants the readers to notice how awful the poor people's situation is. She doesn't want her readers to feel sorry for her because of her poverty.

Poor people must constantly worry about their children's gloomy future. Relationships are shattered by poverty. Parker had three kids of his own. Because she was poor, her husband left her. He didn't work every day. Due to the burden of the family, he left them all. He didn't say goodbye as he left his house. During that time, their condition was significantly worse. Even purchasing contraceptives to prevent unwanted births was out of the question. She was employed. At that time, she only made 22 dollars per week. She was anemic because of her poor diet. She was advised to have an operation by the doctor, but she lacked the funds. She had a hard time taking care of her children on her own. She had to deal with a lot of difficulties to take care of her children during the cold and hot summer days and nights.

She once left her children in the care of her mother. However, when she got back to her house, she found that her children were in a terrible state. The diaper of her youngest son had not been changed since the morning, and he was covered in flyspecks. Her next child was playing alone at the lake's edge while her oldest son was playing with broken glasses. She lacked the financial resources to enroll them in a nursery school. In order to admit three children, she was required to pay up to $20 per week. However, she only earned 22 dollars. She made the decision to quit her job in order to take care of the children.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT

Provide responses to the following inquiries:

a. According to Parker, what exactly is poverty?

Parker defines poverty as a lack—living without better food, medical care, proper sanitation, proper education, or hope. It destroys pride, honor, health, and the future like acid.

b. In what ways are Parker's children hampered by poverty? Give specific instances.

Parker's three kids endure a ton because of neediness. They are miserable because they don't have access to enough food, education, clothing, or medical care. She claims that they used to eat cornbread made without oil for breakfast. In the past, their attire was filthy. They weren't sent to school. Parker has told us about a day when she left her children with her mother because she was working. That day, after her job, she found her youngest child's diaper, which had not been changed since the morning, was covered in flyspecks. The broken glasses were being played with by her next son. Her eldest son was playing at the lake's edge.

c. What difficulties does Parker encounter while attempting to seek assistance?

Parker attempts to get help by spreading her hands before various individuals and security for her kids. She tries her best to find helping hands most of the time because she lacks money. She frequently encounters difficulties locating the appropriate organization and individual when seeking assistance. She has to wait and keep telling her awful story.

d. Why are people's prejudices and opinions her greatest challenges?

Her greatest challenges stem from prejudices and opinions held by others, which prevent her from receiving help for her family. The majority of people are unaware of the harrowing effects of poverty. They don't care about poor people's suffering. They continue to express their opinions and prejudices regarding the poor. In the case of Parker, these preconceptions and prejudices prevent her from obtaining family management assistance.

e. In what way does Parker justify not being able to get help? How does she disregard the standard approaches that society takes to alleviate poverty, such as welfare, education, and health clinics?

Parker uses her opinions about her poverty experiences to justify her inability to get help. By recounting her experiences with welfare, education, and health clinics, she discredits the standard approaches that society takes to alleviate poverty. She claims that she is required to relocate and work for a variety of agencies in numerous locations in the name of welfare. In these offices, she has confronted disgrace constantly. She must repeatedly demonstrate her poverty. She must recount her story numerous times. Welfare programs sometimes say they will help, but it takes a long time to get to them. School lunch programs exist in the name of education, but they are of no use. After sending her two children to school, she has experienced health issues. When it comes to the essential components of health clinics, Parker’s life is quite far from their facilities. She has to walk miles to get medical help. If she asks for help, the person helping her expects bad things from her. As a result, Parker is quite far from all three of these crucial aspects.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

a. Provide an explanation for the following:

“Poverty is looking into a black future.”

In her essay, the author Jo Goodwin Parker states the phrase "Poverty is looking into a black future." She has used this line to share her experience of horrible and cruel aspect of poverty. She says that poverty snatches the opportunity to a better future. They continue to live in disparity and contemplate a black future. Expectations and hopes for the future are dashed by poverty.

b. By "The poor are always silent," what does Parker mean?

Parker is referring to the helplessness of the poor when she says, "The poor are always silent." Money plays a crucial role in life and liberty. Therefore, poverty makes poor people feel weaker. They never speak up in front of others. Due to their pathetic state, they must listen to others' silence.

c. At the beginning of the majority of the paragraphs, the author employs what writing strategy? Do you see a pattern that keeps happening? What's going on here?

The author employs her repetition strategy at the beginning of most of the paragraphs in this essay. Yes, I see a pattern that keeps happening. The essay is well-organized, and at the beginning of each paragraph, the phrase "Poverty is" is repeated.

She attempts to establish a connection between the woman and the readers in this instance by employing her repetition strategy. The writing appears to be part of a casual conversation between the narrator and the readers due to the author's informal style. The writing of Goodwin Parker accomplishes its objective with incredible power.

d. In what manner does Parker build each paragraph? What specifics set each paragraph apart?

Parker begins the development of each paragraph with her repetition strategy. She repeats the phrase "Poverty is" at the beginning of most of her paragraphs. She then shares some of her own personal experiences with regard to her topic sentences.

In the beginning, the author makes it abundantly clear to her readers that her goal is to assist people in comprehending what poverty is. Her second goal is to persuade all of her readers to assist those in need. Each paragraph is memorable for the specifics related to her personal painful experiences and the bitter reality of poverty.

e. In the last paragraph, how does the author use questions to get readers involved in the topic of poverty?

In the concluding paragraph, the author engages the readers in the issue of poverty by asking questions in her informal, direct conversational style.

Through her persuasive style, Parker has successfully engaged her readers. She asks them to look at the poor with resentment but not compassion. Readers' emotions and attention have been drawn to this type of question. She has succeeded in bringing her readers' attention to her predicament and the difficulties faced by others in her position in the concluding paragraph.

REFERENCES BEYOND THE TEXT

a. Using Parker's style, define a social issue like homelessness, unemployment, or racism.

Do you know what Homelessness is? It is the cold night without warmth. It is the cold footpath which is also the house of stray dogs, cats including rats, snakes, frogs. It is sleeping in the noise of traffic and with a fear of being run over. What do you think homelessness is? It is covering yourself with dirty and sticky plastic sacks. It is being bitten by mosquitoes and bugs. It is using the sleeping dog as the pillow and discarded carton boxes as mattress.

b. Write a brief definition essay on ‘Growing Up in Poverty’ using adjectives to emphasize the futility of the situation.

Growing up in poverty may be a challenging experience, with limited access to basic necessities such as nutritious food, adequate shelter, education, medical treatment, and clothes. Inability to afford basic essentials may be demoralizing, leaving a person feeling powerless and embarrassed. People who endure poverty as children frequently confront the effects of disadvantage and inequality, which can have long-term ramifications that persist into adulthood.

Poverty victims face a variety of social and economic obstacles on a regular basis. Many children living in poverty may suffer from physical health problems owing to a lack of access to treatment and frequent check-ups by a healthcare professional due to restricted access to healthcare, sufficient nutrition, and critical hygiene goods. Individuals may also lack the necessary attire and finances to attend school, robbing them of much-needed knowledge. Additionally, children growing up in poverty may battle with mental issues such as depression and low self-esteem as a result of their apparent inability to care for themselves, acquire vital resources, and keep up with their classmates in school.

Individuals who were poor as youngsters are also denied access to many of the activities and opportunities available to those from higher-income families. Children growing up in poverty may not be able to engage in after-school sports teams or travel and try new activities because they have little or no money to spend. Because of the lack of activities, they may feel lonely and disgruntled, putting them at danger of participating in illegal activity with their peers.

Ultimately, poverty may affect an individual's ideals and attitude on life when they become maturity. While adults who experienced poverty as children may struggle to obtain stable jobs and financial security, some may find stability in poverty itself, as it provides a feeling of control in a circumstance where they feel unable to access the resources and chances they seek.

To summarize, growing up in poverty may be an emotionally and financially demanding experience, with long-term consequences. Those who endure great financial difficulty may struggle to access resources, overcome mental pain, and develop stability in adulthood, due to a lack of access to healthcare and sufficient nourishment, as well as feelings of isolation, resentment, and poor self-esteem. But, with sufficient means, knowledge, and opportunity, it is possible to break out from the cycle of poverty.