Falling into Poverty: A Family's Story

I agree with the notion that the media makes people desensitized to poverty because the poor are faceless. I believe a lot of people around America do not understand what it means to be poor. Mantsios' article it brought out a interesting point that society likes to blame the poor and criminalize them as lazy or bad people. The media barely talks factors that cause people to be poor and the reason why there are a lot of people that are homeless. From what you said about Rich's article women are still underpaid compare to men even if they hold same position. I believe reason why women are still underpaid is because it relates to male dominance. Men in our society are taught they should receive more and that they are better then women

For more than a decade the state of Nevada has struggled with the issue of poverty in general, furthermore it has majorly struggled with the issue of child poverty. Ever since the recession of 2008 we have seen increments in the number of poverty in general, in which more children continue to seem affected. Furthermore the poverty levels seem to continue to increase “The number of children living in poverty in Nevada is at 23 percent, up from 15 percent in 2008” (Rise in Poverty). The high levels of unemployment in parents seem to be the most influential issue that sets families under the poverty line. “Similarly the number of children whose parents lack stable jobs has risen 6 points to 32 percent” (Rise in Poverty).

Harley who is fifteen lives with his grandmother since his mother is currently in prison, he also smokes cigarettes and has a bad anger management problems also making it difficult for him to stay in school. All three of these adolescents struggles with isolation, broken families, and a lack of opportunity, creating the ideal picture of growing up poor in America.

Everyday in the United States there are families who struggle to make ends meet and struggle to fully provide for their families. Since the 1960s, poverty in the United States has only increased dramatically. It is said that one in six Americans today is living in poverty (What is poverty?). In this book, we learn about different families and their struggles. The information in this book describe instances about welfare, different areas of the population where there are more occurrences of poverty, and a few different families experiences of how they make it day by day to survive. Some of these common organizations that help families that live in poverty may include, food stamps, certain food programs (if

Society likes to think that the world revolves around them, people complain about small events such as, not having situations result as wanted. There are things in this world that will never stop existing; poverty is something that has always been around, for some people it is worse than others.“Flavio’s Home” by Gordon Parks, published 1990 was inspired by his autobiography, voices in the mirror. The essay gives a perfect example of what extreme poverty is like. Even though there are difficult times in life, no matter what, just keep going. “Flavio’s Home” did use ethos as a rhetorical appeal but was mainly focused in using pathos. Those who would most likely relate to this essay are people who have experienced tough situations. What Gordon showed as his main concern or issue throughout the whole story was how poorly cared for flavio and his family were.

Children in poverty are becoming the poorest age group in the United Sates. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), a U.S. family of three living in deep poverty survives on an annual income below $9,276, or less than $9.00 a day per family member. Unfortunately, children face many difficulties in the United States living in deep poverty because they are not able to

“The fact that our poverty rate is increasing is something that I think is very alarming to those of us who care very much about the health and welfare of children and see the investment in children as really the future of Texas,” said Beth Quill, executive director of Children’s Defense Fund Texas. This goes to show basically a full quarter of Texas children are poor based on these statistics. Poverty is very important because these children are the future of this world. Children who are born into poverty are more likely to live in poverty and less likely to have consistent employments as adults. To prevent this from happening there are 3 solutions that I have done extensive research on to make this happen. Therefore these solutions consist of raising the minimum wage, expanding Medicaid and reforming the way the criminal justice system works.

During times of extreme poverty and inequality more attention is provided to those in hardship. A prime example of this is New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit. Before the hurricane hit the only time I had hear of New Orleans was if someone was speaking about doing down to Mardi Gras. The people affected by the hurricane lost a lot. Many lost their homes, tangible possessions stored in their homes, animals, and some lost their lives. Hurricane Katrina was a huge devastation to the country, but many survivors say they did not get adequate supplies, shelter, food, or support (Lee, S, 2006).

hits every race, every country, anytime, it is a sad truth that negatively effects the

“Poverty is about not having enough money to meet basic needs including food, clothing and shelter” (“What is Poverty,” 2016). In the United States, there are 45 million Americans are living in poverty (“45 Million Americans,” 2014). In order to determine if one is living in poverty, the United States Census Bureau has established a poverty line that they then measure, according to the individual’s income and their family size (“Poverty Thresholds,” 2016; “Poorest Cities in America,” 2016). Since the recession in 2008, many states have seen a rise of families living in poverty. Poverty is a vicious cycle and has devastating effects on young children.

First, the United States is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, but also has one of the highest poverty rates. The national median income is about $31,000 a year for a family of four and 22 percent of children live in families whose income is below the national poverty level (Ingraham). One in three children are living in poverty today (Ingraham). Next, poverty rates are increasing rapidly. Since 2008, the United States poverty rate has increased, but during the same time, 18 countries reduced their poverty rates (Ingraham). Between 2006 and 2011, the child poverty rate increased in 34 states, mainly in Nevada, Idaho, Hawaii, and New Mexico (Ingraham).

This class project produced some disturbing results that could be very eye opening to those who believe the poverty line is accurate in determining who needs government assistance of any kind. Unfortunately the findings of the Dallas budget showed a family of four with one income that would eat a very nutritionally bland diet (not by choice) and have a very limited amount of positive social interaction. The issues begin with just finding a place to call home and continue in every aspect of this hypothetical families lives.

A social problem, is “a general factor that effects and damages society”. It can be used to describe an issue or a problem within a certain group of people or an area in the world. Examples of contemporary social problems today include anti-social behaviour, drug abuse, and sexual abuse. Poverty is an example of a social problem that exists all over the world, and to different extents. In the UK, poverty has effected at least a third of the population, as shown by the Office of National Statistics, providing evidence that it is a massive social problem in the country. Tameside has a big poverty problem. 1 in 4 children in Tameside are born into poverty, and workers in Tameside earn significantly less than other workers in the rest of the North-West area. In addition, Tameside has the largest proportion of people claiming unemployment benefits compared to the rest of the North West of England.

Children in poverty is a typical social issue occurring in society today. “More than 16 million children in the United States – 22% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level” (“National Center For Children In Poverty,” n.d.). The federal poverty level measures the amount of income a family takes in per year. It varies depending on the number of people in a family. For a nuclear family (two parents and two children) the federal poverty level is around twenty-four thousand dollars in a year (“Health Care.gov,” n.d.). The average American makes around forty-six thousand dollars a year. The parents of the children in poverty make at least twenty-two thousand dollars below the average. Their families are extremely poor. Also, not just one child is facing this hardship, sixteen million children are part of families below the federal poverty line, just in America. “About 22% of children in the U.S. lived below the poverty line in 2013, compared with 18% in 2008” (Calfas, 2015). Unfortunately, the rate of poverty affecting children has gone up through the years. More and more children will face poverty during day to day life. Children can be affected by poverty in many ways. “Poverty can impede children’s ability to learn and contribute to social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Poverty also can contribute to poor

Poverty is a considerable social problem; with a significant impact on those who suffer within. Growing up in poverty “reduces a child’s chance of growing up to be a healthy, well-adjusted, and contributing adult in our society” (Crosson-Tower, 2014, p. 59). Poverty is families having to struggle to afford necessities. Poverty does not know where your next meal is coming from or having to choose between paying rent and seeing a health care provider. The impact of poverty affects one’s ability through physical, social, emotional, and educational health. Even though individual overcome poverty it still extends across cultural, racial, ethnic, and geographical borders. Children represent the largest group of poverty in the United States. “Growing up in poverty places a child at a profound disadvantage and substantially lowers the chances that the child will mature into a well-adjusted, productive, and contributing