It Really Is That Simple By Melinda Branson

Homeless people are a vulnerable population in many respects that they always face discrimination and exclusion because of their housing condition. It is a social problem that typically low wages and shortage of affordable housing are the main factors contributing to homelessness. In fact, many poor people face significant barriers to maintain stable housing because they don’t have accessibilities to increase their economic stability. Overall, there are significant factors that contribute to homelessness that many homeless people usually struggle with limited access to resources, lack of information about services, and lack of support systems.

“Good Country People” is a short story written by the Modernist writer Flannery O’Connor. According to The Critics, “Good Country People” is a bildungsroman where the main character, Joy, experiences a brief journey that matures her view of the world. Joy or “Hulga” is a well educated, philosophical woman of thirty-two,but as the story begins, she is portrayed as an immature adult whose maturity level has been stunted due to a childhood accident that left her emotionally scarred and physically disabled. Due to her physical disability ( the loss of her leg), Joy does not have true experience concerning society outside of her home. Her lack of social interaction will become her Achilles’ heel that ultimately teaches her a lesson concerning society and stereotypes. By the end of the story, Joy’s abundance of knowledge is irrelevant when she is conned by Manley Pointer and left immobile in the loft of a barn deep within a forest. Besides being a bildungsroman, O’Connor also incorporates themes of the Modernist movement into this short work such as isolation, alienation, loss of control, and incoherence of the modern world.

In Danielle Allen’s essay, Our Declaration, she argues that all people should understand and recognize that the Declaration gives all people in the United States the undeniable freedom to self-govern. One person has the power to change the government; although this is not specifically stated, the freedom to self-govern implies every voice matters. She guides the reader to this idea by using simple and easy to follow examples to show the reader that they have the power to invoke a change the government. Allen also uses credible sources in order to give her reasoning credibility as well as using arguments that elicit an emotional connection.

“Being Country” just those two words together come with many discussions, but the book brings another discussion. This book “Being Country” by Bobbie Ann Mason honestly had me thinking and wondering if everybody’s perspective about changes in life is the same. The main outlooks I took from this book was; When your surroundings have changed your identity will also, Sometimes a reflection of the past can help your future, and whoever you are going to be will not change.

The piece is classified as Aboriginal Australian literature. It was published in the 1960’s. The purpose of the text is to give hope in a new beginning after the events involving the racial tension between the Aboriginals and the white settlers. The poem is directed to the Aboriginal people of Australia who suffered from these events

In 1999, American author Bobbie Ann Mason wrote the short story “Being Country” to satirize the notion that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. Mason, who was the main character and narrator of her own story, was very unhappy with her life on the farm, as demonstrated through the discontented, critical tone of her narration. She insisted a countrywoman could only have an impact on the world if she took initiative and questioned her womanly duties.

Jamie Fader’s book Falling Back which was published in 2013, is based on ethnographic research over three years, from 2004 to 2007, of black and latino males on the edge of adulthood and that were incarcerated at the Mountain Ridge Academy reform school located in a rural area: “within a dense forest in western Pennsylvania, is Mountian Ridge Academy … ninety-acre campus contains eight dormitories, each of which houses thirty-two young men between ages 14 to 18” (p.1). The criminal thinking approach was intended to help young people identify the patterns that had led them to delinquency and replace it with corrective and prosocial thoughts. These young boys had been involved in drug offenses and violence within their suburban communities and were now in the process of behavioral change in order to help them reflect and be able to make better decisions which would lead them to a better life.

In Alison Bechdel 's Fun Home, there is a focus on a sculpted perception of gender roles produced by society and a great emphasis on how Bruce and Alison challenge these strict gender specific characteristics. Through Bruce’s femininity and Alison’s masculinity along with their homosexuality, they are able to go against the norms and the collection of rules set by society. It is also through their struggle with gender roles that one is able to understand their sexual orientation. Although Bruce and Alison seem fairly different from one another, there are elements that pull them closer together revealing their similarities.

Alison Bechdel’s memoir, Fun Home, is a compelling narrative in which Bechdel takes the reader through her life and gives insight into her relationship and the complex lifestyle her closeted homosexual father, Bruce Bechdel. However, her serious topic is told through the narrative of comics, images that literally put the readers into the moments of her life with her. Even though, the graphic images provide visual insight, Bechdel makes a conscious decision to include a multitude of literary allusions because, as Bechdel describes, “I employ these allusions to James and Fitzgerald not only as descriptive devices, but because my parent’s are most real to me in fictional terms.” (Bechdel, Page 67) Her continued use of literary allusions can be seen as an insight to her life. The particular works of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Oscar Wilde’s plays An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Ernest because of their content concerning facades and the lengths one person goes through to keep a part of their identity or life a secret. TRANSITION Bruce Bechdel was the master of secrecy, hiding a part of his sexuality behind his heterosexual marriage in order to keep his idea of an acceptable livelihood. It is clear that Bruce Bechdel had a few infidelities with males throughout Bechdel’s childhood, infidelities that she did not know until later in life. This creates a whole new perceptive for Bechdel. The father who she thought as a controlling, stern, literary fein

Mrs. Fox, by Sarah Hall was published in 2014. Mrs. Fox is a short story by Sarah Hall about a woman who turns into a fox during her pregnancy, much to the dismay of her husband. Mrs. Fox describes a woman who is not satisfied with her life with her husband, Mr. Fox. They both remain detached thorough the story. When Mrs. Fox turns into a fox, Mr. Fox does not understand why his wife was not happy or satisfied in her human life. Sarah Hall does a wonderful job of displaying out an unusually intriguing setting, a breath taking characterization of the two main characters Mr. and Mrs. Fox, and she displays a dark and modern theme, rightfully earning the BBC National short story

It was a bit awkward trying to slip the dress back on with her skin so wet, and as soon as it was on fully, she began to soak through the under-most layer. But she kept a sweet smile on her face and ignored how the breeze made goosebumps rise across her skin. She would be happy to get to her new home, enjoy the warmth of the hearth and the taste of a hearty meal. She lost herself in her day dreams for a few moments, "Oh." She seemed alarmed as Walt's words brought her back from her own mind. "Oh, oh, I see." Goldie bobbed her head, acknowledging his words. "I'll apologize still. I did say I would help him make dinner!"

Independent, yup that’s me. According to the internet independent is being free from outside control; not depending on another 's authority. To me, being independent means being able to take care of yourself and taking responsibility for any decisions you make in life. Not only does it mean that, it also means that in certain obstacles you have to be strong for those who need you and kind to those who needs your guidance. Whether you know people or not you should always show kindness, never know who that person could be. Me and Mrs. Hopewell from the short story, “Good Country People” by, Flannery O’Connor, are two very independent, strong, and kind women. Most famous for her platitudes, or clichés, Mrs. Hopewell is Hulga 's mother. It took me a few times to read this book and really get the understanding about each one of the characters. My goal in this paper is to show you how me and Mrs. Hopewell are similar in most situations.

Peter Edelman wrote his most recent novel, So Rich, So Poor in 2012 and it was published in the same year by The New Press. Edelman is a lawyer and policy maker whom specializes in the fields of welfare, poverty, juvenile justice and constitutional law. He received both his bachelors and law degree from Harvard College. After graduation, Edelman served as a law clerk to Judge Henry Friendly on the U.S. Court of Appeals and then as a law clerk for Justice Arthur J. Goldberg on the United States Supreme Court. He then worked for Robert Kennedy, and then the Clinton Administration, where he resigned to protest Clinton’s signing of the welfare reform legislation.

“Its not just a book it’s a life experience” These are the words of Oprah Winfrey as she heavily promoted Wally Lamb’s latest novel following his best seller; She’s Come Undone. Oprah, clearly an undeniable fan of Wally Lamb’s works trumpeted her review of She’s Come Undone to her audience in 1997. Now she has returned to promote ‘I Know This Much is True’ which no doubt will captivate her followers. Being a loyal Oprah fan myself, I have seen it my place to read and analyze ‘I know this much is true’ and see whether or not it lives up to its already outstanding reviews. Nothing could compare to what I would come across while following the depressing yet captivating life of Dominic and Thomas.

Deborah Tannen is a linguistics professor with a focus the communication between men and women. In her essay, “It Begins in the Beginning”, she has little credibility in on her stand concerning her stand social interactions between boys and girls. Although she is an educated women and her work regards males and females, she is not an expert in the development of the gender. Tannen gives claims to prove her main point, but does not have any sources to substantiate her claims. Tannen demonstrates stereotypes through her essay as evidence of claims such as, “Girls don’t give orders…”