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Poverty Is A Worst Nightmare

Decent Essays

Poverty is a worst nightmare to most, and to others, it is their reality. Approximately 46.2 million people are living off less than $22,314 per year. Of these, 16.4 million are children under the age of 18. (APA) Living off a low income can lead to homelessness and hunger, but affects children in even worse ways. Poverty causes neglect, limits opportunities, and stunts development. It is important to keep in mind that this life is often inevitable, so there is not always someone to blame for these upsets. Neglect happens in every case of child poverty, and there are many aspects in which it can occur. The first is substandard housing and sometimes homelessness. In an insufficient home, viruses and diseases are more likely to spread. …show more content…

When parents are faced with poverty, they spend almost all their days either working or looking for work. This results in cases just like Emily’s where children seldom see their parents. Neglect is seen in every case of poverty, and is often hard to avoid. Poverty is a very powerless situation that can limit the opportunities of those involved. When relating this to children, it is easy to see how much it impacts their lives. In Olsen’s story, the mother talks of Emily’s natural talent for comedy. She says, “You ought to do something about her with a gift like that-but without money or knowing how, what does one do?” This is an example of poverty limiting Emily’s opportunities. Due to the lack of money and a support system, she is unable to pursue this dream/goal. Along with limited opportunities is limited life experiences. While growing up, kids dream of having big birthday parties with all their family and friends. They long for vacations to the ocean or amusement parks. The look forward to celebrated milestones. But when you barely have enough money to live, you certainly do not have enough to fulfill these experiences. Another reason why many of these dreams pass by is because these children are forced to grow up much faster than normal. The oldest child in a family might only be 10 years old, but must act like they are 16 by taking care of younger siblings, helping

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