Summary Of This Land Is Their Land By Ehrenreich

The uneven distribution of wealth in the United States is becoming a growing issue for many family households. In a country where the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, there lies many underlying economical and societal issues that people fail to notice. In the short story, "This Land is Their Land", Ehrenreich describes the ongoing issue of uneven wealth distribution across the United States. Unlike the famous folk song, “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, Ehrenreich's short story is titled, "This Land is Their Land", to emphasize the idea of the wealthy taking away opportunities from the poor. She begins by providing scenarios from her past experiences, then follows by addressing the problem from a large-scale perspective.

For example, she mentions that many wealthy people “owe their wealth to the usual tricks: squeezing their employers, overcharging their customers, and polluting any land they’re not going to need for their third or fourth homes.” and “Gentrification is dispersing the urban poor into overcrowded suburban ranch houses, while billionaires’ horse farms displace rural Americans into trailer homes.(550)” Ehrenreich’s examples are demonstrate a realistic interpretation of how the rich treat the poor. Because some wealthy people become so obsessed with their social status, they become obliged to take away opportunities from the poor, thus resulting in uneven wealth distribution. Paying college tuition is another issue that reflects the issue of the rich establishing a kind of monopoly. In the United States, people from different backgrounds strive to afford education and earn a college degree. However, paying college tuition is not affordable for many people. Depending on a person’s annual household income, some people must work hard to save money, whereas others happen to afford college tuition with ease.