Jo Goodwin Parker Poverty

I remember being a little kid and whenever my family and I would see a homeless person with a sign my parents would say, “Don’t make eye contact,” or “They probably don’t even have a problem, they’re just begging.” I remember when I made my dad buy a woman and her children McDonalds because she had a sign about having no money for food and she had no home and I felt bad for her kids. I remember my dad giving her the McDonalds and her saying to my dad, “I’d rather just have the money.” That’s when I stopped feeling sympathetic towards the poor and homeless. That’s when I decided if they wanted to be out of poverty then they could work for it and I wouldn’t help them myself. I always thought if you wanted to change something then you could. As I read “What Is Poverty?” by Jo Goodwin Parker, I began to feel differently, however I then believed maybe there are some impoverished people that do need help. I believed that some people

For example, her use of repetition of, “Poverty is…” throughout the essay keeps the reader interested and wondering what Parker will say next about poverty. She also uses metaphors to make the audience truly understand what poverty is. In the essay, Parker states “Poverty is an acid that drips on pride until pride is worn away. Poverty is a chisel that chips on honor until honor is worn away.” (3) these metaphors are very thought provoking and powerful, making you think about the impoverished in a new light. Also, her use of imagery makes you visualize all the struggle her and her family go through everyday. Parker explains about the last time she had to a job and what happened to her children: “When I left them with “Granny” the last time I had a job, I came home to find the baby covered with fly specks, and a diaper that had not been changed since I left. When the dried diaper came off, bits of my baby’s flesh came with