The, Land Of Opportunities By James Truslow Adams

Poverty, the state of being extremely poor, exists all over America! There are several different types of poverty, and the causes of poverty. Most people think of poverty as just somebody who is homeless and has no job, somebody who has no money to support the basic needs of life, and wears ragged clothing and lives under a bridge. What people don’t know is there are people living in poverty that have jobs and make money but live so poorly that they are categorized with people that live in absolute poverty.

Well-known essayist and writer, James W. Loewen, in his essay, The Land of Opportunity, argues that the common American people aren’t given equal opportunity in this day and age. Loewen effectively convinces his readers, high school teachers and history buffs that, social class and inequality is an important thing for students to learn and understand. Through convincing logical arguments he proves that American history books are giving students across the nation false information. According to Loewen, “social class is probably the single most important variable in society.” (Loewen para. 5) He goes on saying, “From womb to tomb, it correlates with almost all social characteristics of people that we can measure.” (Loewen para. 6) In addition, he establishes credibility with his audience by not accusing students or even instructors for this lack of knowledge, but clearly blames the textbooks used in high schools today. Lowen’s logical approach in exposing the lies that we are taught and taught to think leave the reader with the abitlity to empathize with him, ultimately getting the message across far more effectively.

In his excerpt entitled The Land of Opportunity author James Loewen highlights the invisible struggles of the middle class. Loewen’s chief complaint is that the segregation and exploitation of the working class has been marginalized by the American social elite and all but erased from high school history books. Mr. Loewen posits that the authors of our children’s textbooks “construe labor history as something that happened long ago, like slavery, and that like slavery, was corrected long ago” (Loewen). While it may be seen as insensitive to compare the labor movement to slavery, Mr. Loewen is joined by other authors and activists who argue against rewriting or marginalizing our history in order to preserve our “national identity”. In order for our nation to continue to excel, we must learn from our mistakes not hide them. American history has been tumultuous and rife with conflict; which has led to a shift in ideals, and thus aided in the elevation of the people as a whole – this struggle is necessary and must continue.

Millennials form the majority of the United States population, outnumbering Baby Boomers by eleven million. Higher education is now more crucial for securing a middle-class lifestyle than ever before, yet for the majority, the cost for a bachelor’s degree has become prohibitively expensive. In “The Land of Opportunity”, Loewen contends that high school education methodically avoids a critical dialogue of socioeconomic inequality in America. The social class to which a student belongs greatly influences their capacity for upward mobility. If higher education is a requirement for improved economic status, then students in the lower class are already disadvantaged. Loewen quotes Theodore Sizer, “If you are the child of low-income parents, the chances are good that you will receive limited and often careless attention from adults in your high school” (qtd. in Loewen, 203). High school students cannot look to the classroom to prepare them for real world power dynamics. If left to their own devices, adolescents may be influenced by skewed allegories in fictional entertainment media. Parents must use educational resources to prompt critical thinking about socioeconomic inequality in order to prepare America’s youth for securing their futures.

Many American children grow up in horrible social and cultural living environments. These living conditions not only affect the child's upbringing, but also affects the choices they make once they reach adulthood. Yet so many people disbelieve that your social environment affects your life decisions and choices you make. This stems from the thought that you can be or do anything as long as you work hard enough. This concept is known as “the American Dream”. Though many Americans have started off at the lower rungs of society and have worked their way to the top, there are still many who make every effort for a better life, but are marginalized because of their position in society. They are not granted access to the resources

Being poor can mean something to one individual compared to another. Whether it is not having clean water to drink or not being able to afford a new laptop. Poverty is very broad, without a single definition.

Poverty is a hard concept for people to put into words. Ruby Payne states a working definition of poverty in her book A Framework for Understanding Poverty in which she says, “The extent to which an individual does without resources” (7). For a better look, the dictionary defines poverty as “the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions”

Poverty is a situation in which income is inadequate to provide for basic needs such as food, shelter, medical care, and clothing. Poverty has been a problem for societies since the beginning of time.

Although many people are born into it, not many people actually move up and out of poverty. 14.5% of America’s population suffers in poverty so that’s about 45.3 million people. Poverty is all around us and sadly the numbers are only increasing.

Poverty is not having enough money to have the basic necessities in life. It is an issue within the United States and the world. There are many children that grow up in poverty and the effects can last throughout the life. When growing up in poverty there can be high- risk of teen pregnancy, poor heath, crime, Drug use and a lack of education. (Boyden)

What is poverty? According to the Dictionary, “Poverty is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs.” Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not

Poverty: To me, my understanding of the term 'Poverty' is when people in our society and communities are extremely poor. Poverty is when people do not have

There are many myths behind the word and status called “Poverty”, this is a highly controversial issue that has affected millions of people worldwide. In society, there is a hierarchy in society and people’s perception of poverty ranges in thought processes such as in our social imagination. There are various reasons people are living in poverty and how it should be addressed. There is a large divide in between socioeconomic classes and this class system has changed people in many different aspects of their life. Some American people living in poverty lack of opportunities and resources to excel in society. People living in poverty can cause no sense of aspiration and not feeling included in society so usually do not become greater than their present circumstances. In this western society we live in, there is a consistent divide in a western society, the upper class will always regulate

What is poverty? A question most Americans will not have to think twice before answering. Poverty is, of course, simply a lack of money. The views of a specific person will defer when politics or morals are introduced, however, the idea stays the same. Those in poverty are there because they have less money than what has been decided to be livable. Poverty has changed significantly over the last two hundred years in the United States, and yet, the definition has hardly changed. As the United States of America has because a better-established country and therefore a more prosperous country, the type of people that are considered poor has changed quite a bit. Before industrialization and immigration became a bigger

What is poverty? A question most Americans will not have to think twice before answering. Poverty is, of course, simply a lack of money. The views of a specific person will defer when politics or morals are introduced, however, the idea stays the same. Those in poverty are there because they have less money than what has been decided to be livable. Poverty has changed significantly over the last two hundred years in the United States, and yet, the measurement has hardly changed since it was created fifty years ago. As the United States of America has because a better-established country and therefore a more prosperous country, the type of people that are considered poor has changed quite a bit. Before industrialization and immigration