Summary Of On Dumpster Diving

Homelessness is a problem our society has, we try very hard at managing it, but what we need to do is try to solve it. Some of the ways we try to solve it is by housing the

Homelessness is a serious problem all over the world. This problem used to be of an emergent issue but is now seen as a chronic problem (Howard 38). Almost everywhere people go there will be homeless on the street or overcrowded shelters nearby. Chronic, transitional and episodic are the three main types of homelessness (Byrne 3). Although most people think that having no money makes you homeless, in fact, to be considered homeless you just have to not have a permanent home. Some statistics would be 55% unemployed, 33% alcohol abuse, 15% drug abuse, 3% physically disabled (O’Reilly-Fleming 38).

The author of American Wasteland, Jonathan Bloom, uses many techniques to steer readers in his direction. Bloom talks about a big issue concerning American in 2010 and is still an issue today in 2016, six years after he wrote this book. As a result of broad research, the main issue today is expiration dates and how state regulations and laws promote food waste (Linnekin). As other books, articles, and documentaries explain this issue they use evidence, positive and negative connotations, and bias to connect with a general audience or supporters.

Eighner’s attention to language in the first five paragraphs causes the reader to view dumpster diving differently than they normally would. By providing the reader with his own personal views of how he sees a dumpster diver, and the terms he prefers to use when referring to them, Eighner inserts a more positive perspective over dumpster diving. For example, Eighner “I live from the refuse of others, I am a scavenger” (Eighner 108). Eighner indirectly dismisses the typical negative ideas about dumpster diving and instead puts it in a more positive light. Eighner’s use of language in these paragraphs appeals more to pathos since he utilizes diction, such as when he mentions that he sees dumpster diving as “a sound and honorable niche” (Eighner 108), to

Imagine that you are in a classroom at De Anza and you are walking outside after class ends. You are not walking to your car or another classroom but you’re living there. You have no shelter or money. When it’s cold you are shivering and writhing in pain. When the weather becomes uncontrollably hot you sweat in pain and anger while gasping for air. When it starts to rain you get soaked in water and tears. This is what life is like for many Americans each day in land we call America the “Beautiful”. Homelessness in America is a societal issue that is rarely mention in our society today because many citizens think that it is not as important as other social issues that exists in America. These homeless people are engineers, lawyers, doctors, and etc. Their careers and jobs are important to our society. The reason they became homeless are from missteps they took throughout their lives. Homelessness is not just about money and housing. It is about human rights failure. We as a community should be more involved with this issue as well as put more of our focuses on helping the homeless community. The homeless community is like burnt out flames hoping to find sparks to reignite them again.

In the essay “My Daily Dives in the Dumpster,” Lars Eighner—an educated yet homeless individual—recounts his experience as a scavenger who seeks for his basic necessities in dumpsters. On his journey of survival in a penniless condition, Eighner has acquired important life skills and most importantly, gained valuable insights about life and materialism. Throughout his essay, Eigher employs deliberate word choice, a didactic tone, and a logical organization to convey that there is no shame in living “from the refuse of others” (Eighner) and to emphasize that materialistic possessions do not guarantee a fulfilled, happy life.

The article, “Food Waste Is Becoming Serious Economic and Environmental Issue, Report Says,” by Ron Nixon, talks about food waste and of plans on how to stop it. Specifically, Nixon argues that there are millions of people all over the country that don’t have enough to eat. Also that there are people that go to bed hungry most days, while others are throwing away extra scraps they didn’t eat. Nixon writes about the tons of food thrown in the trash every week, resulting in economic and environmental issues. Also about how the Earth’s landfills then get filled up with even more garbage. Where it decomposes and emits methane, which is a greenhouse gas. Around the world it creates 3.3 billion greenhouse gases annually. Nixon later starts discussing that there are about 60 million metric tons of food wasted in the United States. Also about how

people think of the homeless as someone who is inferior or dirty. But , in spite of the all those

In 1993 Lars Eighner wrote a book called Travels With Lizbeth: Three Years on the Road and on the Streets. In this book is an essay named On Dumpster Diving, in which Eighner explains to the reader how he has survived while dumpster diving and what he has learned with this experience. However, there is a problem with his essay. The methods Eighner uses and the lessons he attempts to teach the reader are not valid and therefore makes his essay faulty.

In the United States, homelessness affects more than 3.5 million people each year (PBS, sec. 3). These people, including; children, families, babies, veterans, and the elderly live continually without the proper necessities for living. When seeing a person roadside begging for money for food, is the automatic assumption that he or she is attempting to collect money to continually contribute to a bad habit? Was he or she too lazy to obtain a job and work for this money? Being torn between supporting the homeless and encouraging the lifestyle is something most American’s struggle with mentally, when contemplating whether to help or not. This leads to the perception of homeless people being negative. The

These are people who are unemployed, have little occupational skills or education, and depend on public assistance (Marger 160). In contrast with the working poor, those who are homeless exhibit chronic poverty, in addition to social and economic isolation. As Group 5 mentioned in their presentation, the homeless are often seen through the lens of the culture of poverty and therefore are homeless because of their personal norms and values. These include having a present orientation, instant gratification, lack of value for education and family, substance abuse, and frequently resorting to violence. Additionally, the homeless experience significant negative-image framing, as the homeless are often depicted as lazy and deviant, and welfare is shown to create dependency and undermine families. (Kendall 100). However, Group 5 stated that homelessness (and poverty in general) is caused and perpetuated by external structural factors such as mass incarceration, segregation, and the cycle of

We have all witnessed the homeless on our way to work or when we take a walk in the park. Homeless people mainly inhabit city streets because there are more people from which to ask for help. There are men, women, teens, small children, and sometimes, whole families that are homeless. Many people prejudge the circumstances under which people may become homeless. Most think that he or she is just lazy and doesn’t want to work. Or they must use drugs, abuse alcohol or are criminals. Truth is there are many factors that can play roles in causing one to become homeless. Let us examine a few.

To some people dumpster diving is like being a kid in a candy store, never knowing what they might find can be exciting for some. For others hearing that someone dumpster dives, they might wish for a giant bottle of disinfectant. The Two articles, Down in the Dumpster by Christina Nelleman and Lars Eighner show different sides to dumpster diving.

Anna Quindlen focuses on the homeless quite a bit to further explain how a lot of them understand the value of a home. People without a home, they have no where to live, not a roof over their head or a place to shield them from everyone. If anyone knew what a home really meant, it would be someone that was blessed to have one and then no longer has one at all. The homeless have the opportunity to go to a shelter, to get away from the streets, even if it is not permanent. These shelters offer a bed, warmth from the cold, hunger for the growling stomach, and a moment to feel that they have something that resembles a home. For some though, that is not enough to visit a shelter. Although shelters provides things that can try to make it feel like a home, it is not a home. It is not something they can call their own. There is no wall they can paint the color of their liking. It does not provide stability nor protection. These places can sometimes be a little dangerous to stay at because all walks of people frequent them. The homeless understand how the little things that a home provide are the best in life. The fortunate that have a house “may find it curious that those without homes would rather sleep sitting up on benches or huddled in doorways than go to shelters” (Paragraph 7). The homeless have always been a big issue, not because they cause problems but the fact that there are even homeless people out there. Quindlen states in her essay that people have somehow desensitized themselves from the problem and they do this by turning an adjective into a noun. This somehow makes society feel better that something so ugly is happening in this world. When the word “homeless” is used, people don’t think of a person that is

A homeless culture exists, hidden in plain sight. We either ignore it or just fail to see this element around us, or think that we can’t make a difference, because the problem is just too overwhelming.