ipl-logo

An Essay On Poverty In The United States

727 Words3 Pages

Essay on Poverty Poverty does not exist due to a lack of charity; poverty exists because people of wealth do not view poor people as equally deserving of money. The American founding fathers penned the words, “All men are created equal, and endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” But did they truly believe what they wrote? Are all men created equally, and do all men deserve equal access to rights deemed unalienable? In ideology people believe that all men are created equal, but in application they deny it. It is easy for me to say that I believe all people are equally valuable, and in many contexts I live that out; however, poverty is an issue where I question what I believe and what I am doing about my beliefs. I do not view poor people as my equal. I would love to think that I do, but in reality I consider myself more deserving of what I have than the poor. I think that I am more deserving of a college education. I am more deserving of a big house, new car, well-paying job, …show more content…

I serve at the local homeless shelter a few of times each year. I make packages full of Christmas presents for children in Africa. I pay for water wells and mosquito nets for the people of Malawi. I am quite adept at charity, but that isn’t fixing the problem. Bono stated that, “Poverty isn’t a charity issue; it is a justice issue.” Poverty exists not because we are bad at charity, but because we don’t view the poor as equally deserving of quality life as us. Wealthy people give abundantly to the poor, but rarely do we view them as our equal. This is the root problem of the war on poverty. Rather than just combatting poverty, we are attempting to tear down poverty while building up our image. Our charity is more focused on ourselves than the people we are helping. Why? Because we view ourselves as more important than

Show More
Related

  • Poverty In Gordon Parks Flavio's Home

    1184 Words  | 5 Pages

    Paint a picture of poverty. What do you see and where does it take place? Is it in a city like New York? Maybe it takes place at the dried, barren lands in the continent of Africa. Now, imagine it a hundred times worse, with no proper housing, limited water and sewage system, and lacking food and other general necessities.

    Read More

  • Essay On Poverty In America After Ww2

    440 Words  | 2 Pages

    World War II led to a significant decrease in poverty in America after the Great Depression. After World War II, the unemployment rate dropped from 14.6 percent to 1.2 percent (Higgs, 1992). This was because, during the war, 17 million new jobs were created for civilians. During the war, corporate profits doubled and industrial productivity increased to 96 percent. The increase in productivity caused more goods to be produced for consumers.

    Read More

  • Summary: Habitat For Humanity

    910 Words  | 4 Pages

    Myself, for example, I am a full-time office manager and serve tables on weekends to pay for the extra necessities like food, gas, and clothing. I drive a nice car, live in a nice house, and dress professionally. Those that see me may assume I have plenty of money or come from money, when in reality, I work two jobs for survival and necessity; hence, the working poor. In my case, I am working towards my degree to rise above my financial struggles and gratefully, the only mouth I have to feed is my own. I would not be able to afford to have a child.

    Read More

  • Poverty In America Is Mainstream By Mark R. Rank Summary

    925 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many Americans throughout their life might experience at least a one year in poverty. To be considered living in poverty your annual income must be below the official poverty line. In the article “Poverty in America is Mainstream” by Mark R. Rank, he states that there are myths and stereotypes that surround poverty in America, including that poverty only affects a small number of Americans. Rank uses justifying statistics, as well as appeals to the audience’s emotions, and his credibility to get us to truly understand that poverty can/does affect the everyday American.

    Read More

  • Feeding America Research Paper

    1348 Words  | 6 Pages

    Millions of people all over the world suffer from poverty. Americans usually think of third world countries when thinking of poverty, often one will not realize that it is a problem right here at home. Everyone will agree that poverty is a problem, but how exactly does poverty affect people? Most people will think of an old beggar on the side of the road with a sign and a tin can in their hand when they think of poor people. But the age group that is most affected by poverty in our nation is our children.

    Read More

  • Rethinking American Poverty Summary

    316 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article is thought provoking. It alerts the reader to new less commonly known facts on poverty such as the fact that it takes more money to only combat causes of poverty instead of actually strategically preventing it from happening in the first place. a. The author does not make any reference to prior research. b.

    Read More

  • Child Poverty In The United States Essay

    792 Words  | 4 Pages

    Child Poverty in the U.S About nine months after conception, newborns come out of the wombs and come to the world. The newborns must be the most beautiful gift the mothers have ever received. It is always moved that the mothers finally see their babies after have waited for long time. The newborns start their new journey in the world. Meanwhile, the babies will embody tomorrow’s world.

    Read More

  • Henrietta Lacks Essay On Poverty

    1029 Words  | 5 Pages

    Poverty is affecting billions of people around our world and the number is growing with each day. Many people think they can avoid the effects of poverty, but it is something that affects all of our daily lives. Many people see poverty as a person who lacks money, although this is true poverty is caused by many more things than being without money. Just the fact that one in two children live in poverty can help people see clearly the impact it has on our world. Poverty truly does influence the type of care and treatment a person will receive when they need it.

    Read More

  • Michael J. Sandel's Justice Analysis

    635 Words  | 3 Pages

    Harvard political philosopher Michael J. Sandel, in his book Justice, refers to the “pain of sympathy” felt by many “tenderhearted souls” when they are faced with poverty, on the streets and elsewhere, and how they wish that there was something being done to stop it (35-36). He also speaks about the reaction of “hardhearted folk” who feel “the pain of disgust” upon seeing homelessness in their own communities and have no sense of pity for them (Sandel 36). In pondering human welfare, it is easiest to solve widespread problems by thinking of overall, hypothetical solutions. The issue of poverty in America (in many cases) comes from the socioeconomic class system that traps people in the class from which their parents came. A just society does everything it can to level the metaphorical scales that create this trap so that its people’s accomplishments and welfare reflect their talent and effort in the field.

    Read More

  • What Is Poverty In America Essay

    466 Words  | 2 Pages

    Poverty in America is a difficult topic to speak on; everyone has their own views and experiences on poverty. Certain social trends have impacted the society such as Family Dynamics; The way families are now are a lot different than families of the 1950’s-1960’s, In many cases both adult members of the family are working instead of the traditional husband working to support the family. Even with both members working full time it is still hard to support an average family due to working class wages not adjusting to inflation. Poverty has been increasing at a dramatic rate and the government is supporting more and more people with perverse incentives.

    Read More

  • 12 Angry Men: Movie Analysis

    827 Words  | 4 Pages

    Poverty and deprivation of many kinds is a very serious problem, not only in the United States, but also around the world. In a study in 2014, forty-seven million people living in the U.S. were considered to be in poverty; that is fifteen percent of its population . Poverty and deprivation is a serious topic that everyone should be aware of; if you are not aware of a problem,how are you going to fix it? You can find examples of this topic in almost every where; From books and movies to your everyday life. The most common known definition of poverty is economic poverty, but there is also social, emotional, and spiritual poverty and deprivation.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Poverty

    1020 Words  | 5 Pages

    Poverty is one of the most horrific epidemics in our society today. Poverty is the state of being extremely poor. It is a very serious problem that many people suffer from today. Many issues such as illness, hunger, and bad sanitation are all causes of poverty. Statistics show that there are over 35 million Americans that live in poverty.

    Read More

  • Structural Functionalist Approach To Poverty Essay

    837 Words  | 4 Pages

    Defined, poverty means someone who lacks the socially acceptable amount of money to survive. Poverty often leads to a cycle of not being able to afford what is needed across generations. The US has about 12.7% of its population below the poverty line and the rate has been decreasing. The two perspectives that look at this topic in both a positive and negative light are the structural functionalist and the conflict theory. The structural functionalist theory believes everything is a working part of society and is needed to create a sort of well oiled machine and that every part has its own use and needed function.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Poverty

    795 Words  | 4 Pages

    Poverty is not only just in the U.S. its all over world. Poverty is lacking as such needs as cash, meals, water, clothing, or a home/saf place to stay. Accoding to The American economist Mollie Orshansky (1915–2006) poverty was known as the deprivation of "those goods and services and pleasures which others around us take for granted. " Poverty is a global problem, but there is much debate regarding how to define poverty and how to remedy

    Read More

  • Poverty Is A State Of Mind Essay

    1221 Words  | 5 Pages

    Some might say that whether or not you consider yourself poor are simply up to your mindset. Because sometimes just being grateful for what you have and not trying to search for the unattainable are more than enough. Having all the riches in the world is not necessarily the key to happiness and

    Read More

More about An Essay On Poverty In The United States

Open Document