Personal Narrative- Homeless Man
My friends often describe me as a cynic and a pessimist. For the most part, they're right. Sentiment loses value when it permeates one's attitudes and behavior just as the value of a commodity decreases as it becomes ubiquitous, so as a rule I reserve expressing sentiment for rare occasions that I deem worthy. Fortunately, even the harshest cynics are surprised sometimes.
To begin, most people in my hometown know who Mike is. But I would bet that ninety-nine percent of those people don't know Mike's name. Mike is a homeless man who lives at the public library. He didn't really attract my attention until several months ago; since then, I have found him impossible to ignore.
At about eleven o'clock
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With guilt welling up inside my chest for driving past Mike so many previous times and overlooking him, I couldn't make myself look away.
As the light turned green, I sat for a moment, not moving, and asked myself what I was going to do. Then I accelerated slowly, waiting for the car on my left to pass as I changed over to the left lane. I made four left turns at four consecutive stoplights until I approached the library again. Pulling into the library's parking lot, I turned off my lights, radio, and heat. As I opened the car door, the cold air stung me like a quick slap to my face. Slowly and uncertainly, I walked toward Mike.
The street was eerily quiet as I crossed. So was Mike. Staring at me unwaveringly, he said nothing as I approached. The crow's feet framing his eyes, the ridges in his forehead, and the crinkles in his cheeks still stand out in my mind. How many nights had he lain on that bench, covering his face as the wind whipped against it? Now he hugged his body tightly. He was wearing an old pair of tan khakis, a shirt that I couldn't see clearly, and a light multi-colored jacket, its sleeves ending above his pale wrists, that was just slightly too small and clung to his body. As I gave him the money in my wallet, he took it--slowly--and stared at it for a second in disbelief. Although the street in front of the library is usually an amalgam of car horns, headlights, whining engines throughout the night, nothing--not
From the short story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” by Sherman Alexie, I want to talk about this protagonist because his qualities of kindness are noteworthy. He is an Indian boy who lived in Spokane for around 10 years and moved to Seattle due to college. After learning for about 6 months, he dropped out to work in an industry, got married and had children, and finally became crazy which lead to addiction to alcoholism and homelessness. “I’ve been homeless for six years now. If there’s such a thing as an effective homeless man, then I suppose I’m effective. Being homeless is probably the only thing I’ve ever been good at” (1). He has been homeless for so long, and thought that it is the only talent he got. Although this protagonist is homeless, he still could find the benefits of living as homeless. In addition, he has a mission to get his grandmother’s regalia back from a pawnshop, which is worthwhile for him, because it is so hard to find or to make one. Despite his
Homelessness exists as a prominent issue that plagues society in various ways. It brings about hardship and controversy as individuals struggle to survive on a daily basis. Additionally, this complication tears families apart and ostracizes individuals from a society where they once belonged. A specific problem regarding homelessness consists of lack of interest from bystanders; some of these spectators refuse to even acknowledge homeless individuals sitting at their feet. As homeless people live their lives on street-corners, the more fortunate members of society choose to engulf themselves in their personal problems alone. Displayed by their clothing and accessories, most of these individuals possess the ability to help in some way;
When asked how he would describe his connection to the community and its members, he responded with one, simple word- nonexistent. When asked why he felt a sense of nonexistence between himself and the community and its members, he mentioned the day to day interactions he experiences with those who are not homeless- those he described as being “unlike” him. Most of the people he encounters when walking down the street avoid eye contact and oftentimes start to walk faster when passing by him. When asked how that made him feel he stated he felt invisible and that he was an excluded person within the- someone who either did not exist or was viewed as not being on the same level as those around him. Today, one of the limitations in increasing our understanding of the homeless is our tendency to stereotype homeless individuals and generalize this stereotype so that they are considered a homogeneous category (Bruhn, 2011). We oftentimes make them seem as if they are a different species. In addition, not being a native of Gainesville and never having held a position in the
In this paper, I will focus on the topic of why veterans are coming back homeless. Veterans are seen as a savior of the country they are risking their lives for every day, so why is it that they are coming back from tours and service and ultimately ending up homeless? Since 2009 the United States stated that in five years they would end veteran homeless, but the United States is still facing veteran homelessness in the year 2017. Though the homeless rates of veterans have gone down since then, why are veterans still facing homelessness if so many resources are supposed to be available for them. Is there more than meets the eye when it comes to homelessness especially with veterans, yes. Many things can attribute to this continuing issue such as lack of assistances provided, mental illnesses, PTSD, lack or loss of support from being deployed, the use of drugs and alcohol as coping strategies, and the economics.
Lazy, drug user, alcoholic, and worthless are many of the stereotypes that can be ascribed to homeless people. As heartbreaking as it is, many want to work and not all homeless people are subjected to drug use. Moreover, are they worthless. The stigma attached to homeless persons has continued from the earliest days of American history. This issue of homelessness prompted me to make this my broad topic, while figuring out what is it that we need to improve on, in order to help the homeless. My goal is to open many people's eyes on what homeless men endure, but what factors could we, service providers, implement to better help them. We love to hear about women who have been victims of domestic violence, single motherhood, abused children, veterans, and abused puppies. Which are all important but what about the homeless men? I want to be able to give one viewpoints from a homeless man’s standpoint, which could alter the way we not only help them, but view them.
As Greg blew into his saxophone, the sad song wafted out into the auditorium. He began to remember his past, his parents dying, him becoming homeless and finding a saxophone on the street and learning how to play it without no help, people throwing money in the bucket when Greg’s playing the saxophone. Thanking the man who heard him playing the instrument on the street and made him an artist, and making him the man he is today, the life he never expected. Going through all the incidents he went through his life, the bad times of him sleeping on the streets, no food, begging on the streets playing the saxophone. Greg is 45 today, it is Greg’s last concert and his birthday, he is dressed up in a black suit with a red tie, his bald head shining
An unsettling evening wind started to blow its way through the Central Park. The sun began to set, sending a cascade of colors streaming through the evening sky. The day had started with the normal chaos that a normal Friday had encompassed. John was having difficulty finishing the last piece of business for that day, his mind kept day dreaming towards his lovely wife and wonderful children. As he set in his chair completely exhausted in his tattered office listening to the clock that was ticking in the background, and it approached the wishful hour of five o’clock.
Today, if we see a multitude of skin on the road settled, that there is nothing strange. In fact, according to The State of Homelessness in America 2013, 610,042 people were experiencing homelessness; as the result, we can see a significant number through that report. Due to that reason, many charities have been established to be able to help the homelessness. According to me, one of the charities that I appreciate is Thomas House which is an Orange County non-profit organization for homeless because it provide a safe, supportive environment and the resources necessary for homeless families with children while empowering them to become independent and self-sufficient.
There’s no need for a rubbish introduction to start with. I hate my bus, full stop. No strings attached. To be totally honest, there are no positives at all in this presentation. So if you are one of those people who think that there is a good in everything, I suggest that you stop reading this and continue with your life. Goodbye!
Homelessness is a serious problem in our society. Every night in our nation thousands of people are on the streets. This type of behavior is considered deviant because it does not reflect the norms and values of our society. In many cases the homeless people in our country are treated as total outcasts. Many of these people have severe mental disorders. Some are victims of an economy that has failed them. One may ask how such harsh situations exist in such an advanced society. With all the money and programs created to help people it seems ridiculous that this behavior exists. In a society where people have so much how is it possible that there are still people that have so little. The homeless are humans, no different than anyone else.
She called his name once again and he then raised his hand slowly. She looked around the classroom until she found him. “Please say here next time” He just nodded his head slowly, still with his hood on. He seemed pretty quiet. The quiet kids usually sit in the way back but he sits upfront. “And no hoods indoors” Jonathan slowly slid his hood off his head, keeping his head down. When he took the hood off, he sunk lower in his seat in a slouching position. The day went by pretty fast as our first day and soon I was on my way to lunch. The doors were wide open as I walked through, on my way to the lunch line. I looked around the lunchroom to examine the area. I soon made eye contact with my friends and smiled. I got my lunch and paid for it. Walking over to my table, I saw something to the right of me. I sighed and continued my walk to the lunch table quickly. Once I got there I took a seat. “ Hey ya’ll” I said putting my tray down. “What’s wrong with you man” My friend Brooklyn said eating her sandwich. I sighed and looked in the direction of what I saw
I was concentrating so hard on the door that I almost didn’t see the two officers and their K-9 walking toward me. I tried to distance myself without seeming uncomfortable but this made me look more uncomfortable. I couldn’t look
I hear them get closer and closer as the porch creaks every step to the door. My heart feels like its pounding through my chest, and sweat is pouring off my face as I sprint in a panic. I hear the key turning and the door opening just as I jump out the window.
Throughout the entire history of human civilization, the prevalence of homelessness has been a challenge to every nation. It might be depressing to learn that no countries today have eradicated homelessness, but the human race is never stopped from trying harder than before to tackle this prolonged issue. As the two leading economic powers, America and China have to face the challenge of reducing homelessness. According to a report written by Nation Coalition for the Homeless, “a study done by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty which states that approximately 3.5 million people, 1.35 million of them children, are likely to experience homelessness in a given year” in America alone (National Coalition for the Homeless, July
Homelessness is an epidemic that affects millions of people all over the world. These people have no place to live, are rarely able to bathe, and they have little to no food to eat. There are many reasons why people become homeless, but they can be broken down into three categories; Structural factors, systematic failures, and individual and relational factors.