Being There By Jerzy Kosinski: An Analysis

George is addressing the important issue of the perception of poverty in the United States at this time. She brings up many valid points about the perceptions of poverty in the United States and how nonprofit organizations perpetuate this narrow view of what poverty is in order to elicit contributions (676). Moreover, George is able to show how Habitat for Humanity while helping many people in need. Also gives the false idea that people living in poverty merely need some volunteers to build them a home and then they will be able to work their way right out of poverty (678). Given these points, Prof. George explains, the idea that people in the United States living poverty all live in squalor or are homeless does nothing but limit people’s knowledge of what true people in need actually look like (682). By the same token, when it comes to the actual individuals in need, many of them might not even realize or want to admit that they are in need themselves (682-683). One limiting factor of Prof. George’s article is that she narrowly focuses on one nonprofit organization to show how the majority of nonprofit organizations portray people in

Throughout this paper I will be discussing the issue of homelessness and how it is steadily becoming a more serious problem as time progresses. I will discuss issues that surround homelessness such as the NIMBY, not in my backyard, issue and how it is causing the homeless to not receive the help that they need. This is an issue that needs to change, but due to NIMBYism, it is very difficult create such change.

Homelessness is a social problem that is prevalent around the world. Homelessness has existed for much of "civilized" human history. In the last two centuries, homelessness and changed and expanded. Sociologists who study and research homelessness have argued over its formal definition for decades, though for some, the definition of homelessness seems self explanatory and obvious. The paper will examine homelessness, particularly as a sociological issue, or a social issue seen from a sociological perspective. The paper will additionally reference sociological theory as a means of explanation for homelessness, such its causes, the demographics/populations, and other prominent known characteristics of homeless people. There are individuals and groups who choose to be, from a normative societal perspective, homeless, but for a great deal of the homeless population, it can be a treacherous and tragic lifestyle that is a result of a distinct set of social, societal, and individual factors.

To date, a variety of scholars has already conducted researches of all kinds devoted to the investigation of the human’s problem of social interaction. As an example, the article Salvaging the Self can be named. This scientific work was written by David Snow and Leon Anderson in 1992, and it was aimed to explore the nature of interaction between homeless and settled people.

stink. We give abuse rather than compassion, beatings rather than sympathy and avoiding eye contacts rather than addressing an issue with more vigorous action. It is clear that change must come from within ourselves but the real question is, Are we willing to

Today's world is filled with both great tragedy and abundant joy. In a densely populated metropolis like New York City, on a quick walk down a street you encounter homeless people walking among the most prosperous. Unfortunately, nine times out of ten the prosperous person will trudge straight past the one in need without a second thought. A serious problem arises when this happens continually. The problem worsens when you enter a different neighborhood and the well-to-do are far from sight. Many neighborhoods are inhabited only by the most hopeless of poverty - ridden people while others downtown or across the park do not care, or are glad to be separated from them. Such is the problem in New York City today and in Mott Haven in Jonathan

Homelessness is a critical issue that requires everyone’s attention. Hundreds of thousands of homeless people live on the streets as their shelter. Historically, homelessness has always been a problem in society. Homeless people were known as “the wondering poor”, “sturdy beggars”, and as “vagrants,” but it was not until the late 18th century that homelessness because noticeable to society. Homeless person is anyone who lacks adequate shelter, resources, and community ties. People who are homeless can be categorized as chronic deinstitutionalized or temporary

Ewen then presents the reader with Ira Steward, a weaver and leader in the Massachusetts movement for and eight hour workday. Steward goes into further detail of the reason that the middle class felt the need to focus so much on their appearance. “To advertise one’s self destitute, is to be without credit, that tides so many in safety- to their standing in society- over the shallow places where ready resources fail” (qtd. in Ewen 192). Ewen uses Steward to explain that “the poor man is an unsuccessful man” (qtd. in Ewen 192). In America, we are judged by what we own. Being poor not only means that the person is unsuccessful but it is almost as if that person isn’t even a citizen. Keeping up an image that looks good is almost like buying your way into citizenship and acceptance. “The more expensive and superior style of living adopted by the middle classes must therefore be considered in the light of an investment, made from the soundest considerations of expediency- considering their risks and their chances-and from motives even of self preservation, rather than the mere desire for self indulgence.” (qtd. in Ewen 192). Ewen presents the idea that a person’s image

Along with menial minimum wage labor jobs, most homeless individuals do not have a checking/savings account, and are left vulnerable to check cashing businesses, advanced payday loans, and pawnshops, that entail an immense interest rate. Along with the financial factor, homeless individuals face several deficiencies, such as healthy nutrition, safe affordable housing, accurate mental health evaluations, and reliable transportation – to name a few. As hard as it may be to digest, according to the functionalist perspective, homelessness is deeply rooted into societies fundamental principles since the beginning of man-kind. In order for this function to optimistically shift, the leaders with higher power and monetary prosperity would have to distribute some of their resources for others to start gaining equal momentum. By the same token, functional importance by way of accomplishments and jobs is another way of being rewarded and elevated in societies acceptable governing laws. In the end, the functionalist perspective sees every sector of society playing a vital role by contributing to the system in some way to the system’s overall

We encounter too many people everyday and it’s impossible to get to know them all. We observe and gauge them based on appearances, just like we do with “ Books based on their cover ” says Edwin Rolfe in “Murder in the Glass room”. In “Strangers” by Morrison, she meets a fisherwoman at her neighbor’s seawall. Morrison notices that the woman was “wearing men’s shoes, a man’s hat, a well-worn colorless sweater over a long black dress”(Morrison 199). It seems upon seeing disgracefully dressed fisherwoman Morrison feels sympathy for her since roughly dressed people are considered to be unsuccessful and defeated in today’s world. Whenever we see homeless people weather on streets or on television they are always shabbily dressed, but have we ever seen a successful person dressed like a homeless guy? We think and opinionate based on our past experiences and adapt to what we see and hear in the environment around us. ||||| In “Stranger in the village” Baldwin visits a little village in Switzerland to work. No black man had ever been to this village before and the Baldwin was told that he would be a

having a wife, but after reading the essays’, Homeless (Quindlen, A. n.d.) and I Want a Wife

Vollmann's self-definitions include his pondering over how much education a beggar needs. If this beggar does not want to become literate but is happy, who is he [Vollmann] to judge on whether the beggar is poor or not, This leads him to the realization that we should respect others self-awareness and self-judgments; Vollmann consecutively makes this point. Who is he [Vollmann] to judge someone's sense of poverty. Being a Sacramento native, Vollmann constantly sees homelessness and poverty, he discusses the phenomenon of everyday American citizens ignoring the unperceivable poverty-stricken individual sleeping on the sidewalk.

Cities are full of people with whom, from your viewpoint, or mine, or any other individual’s, a certain degree of contact is useful or enjoyable; but you do not want them in your hair. And they do not want you in theirs either. (56)

In his novel Being There, Jerzy Kosinski shows how present day culture has strayed away from the ideal society that Plato describes in his allegory of the cave. In his metaphor, Plato describes the different stages of life and education through the use of a cave. In the first level of the cave, Plato describes prisoners who are shackled and facing a blank wall. Behind them is a wall of fire with a partition that various objects are placed and manipulated by another group of people. These shadows are the only action that they ever see. They can only talk to the surrounding prisoners, and watch the puppet show on the wall in front of them. Naturally, the prisoners come to believe that the shadows on the wall in front of them are

The lack of dignity that these individuals feel is a direct effect of society’s disrespect for the lower class. The stereotypes of the homeless conceived by upper social classes, cause the lower class to lose any respectable role they may have in society. A homeless man in Oberlin, Ohio says, “Many of us historically invisible people, in our quest for visibility, have chosen to take the routes of organization and alliance building. Often we tend to find that our muted voices have more resonance, bass, and credibility within these snugly, institutionally sanctioned cubby holes” (Laymon). After failing to get sufficient help through