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How Does Walter Cunningham Use Poverty In To Kill A Mockingbird

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Walter Cunningham shows how poverty can lead to fewer opportunities in life, causing struggle. First, Walter Cunningham gives an example of how poverty affects children's access to food and nutrition. Scout and Jem had invited Walter Cunningham over to their house for dinner, and everybody was at the table talking about crops and working on the farm. "While enjoying his meal, Walter interrupts to ask if there is any molasses in the house." (Lee 32) Harper Lee explains how molasses is a luxury for Walter since his family doesn’t have much money and they don’t normally get to have delicacies like molasses. So Walter poured the syrup all over his food because he knew he would not be getting it for a while. Overall …show more content…

When one lives through a cycle of poverty, they are more likely to be given fewer opportunities to succeed in life. Which can cause hardships like losing out on education. "That Walter's as smart as he can be, he just gets held back sometimes because he has to stay out and help his daddy. There's nothing wrong with him. No, Jem, I believe there is only one type of person.Folks." (Lee 23) This quote illustrates how Walter Cunningham doesn’t go to school because his family needs him to help bring in income for the family. Additionally, this is an example of how his family's poverty affects his opportunity for a better life. Because he is uneducated, he is more likely to struggle to get out of the poverty cycle in the future.Walter Cunningham struggles to live his life like children who have more wealth than him because he lives in poverty.Making his life more difficult simply because of his social …show more content…

School-age children who experience severe hunger are at increased risk for poor mental health, social discrimination, exclusion, and lower academic performance, and often lag behind their peers in social emotional skills. Furthermore, this source demonstrates how many school-aged children are at increased risk for various things.For example, they may not receive enough food, medical care, education, or other basic services because their families do not have enough money.It also emphasizes that they may be sick more often, bullied at school, or not taken care of like other children their age. Furthermore, they do not receive the nutrition or medical care that they require to stay healthy because there is simply not enough money for medicine or education.Just living day to day is the top priority for these families. The Journal of Applied Psychology article "The Role of Social Class in the Job Search Process" discusses how much more difficult it is to find work if you are from a lower social class."The types of jobs that can be pursued as realistic job opportunities may be influenced by social class."Specifically, job seekers of lower social class may consider a smaller range of jobs as attainable

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