“What Is Poverty?” was an extremely touching essay. It pulled on the reader’s heart strings to help make them aware of what poverty is. The essay had a way of stirring the reader and hopefully receiving some results to the problem presented. Parker did an excellent job of reaching into the deepest part of the reader and drawing emotions from them. She was able to do this by her tone and imagery.
The imagery she used in this essay was vivid and descriptive. In the first paragraph she explains how she is dirty and smelly. If she would have left it like this, the reader wouldn’t receive the full image of poverty. Instead she went on to explain how she doesn’t have any proper underwear and how her teeth are rotting. This gives the reader a clear image of what poverty really is. Parks also uses imagery to explain the smell of her home. She explains the smell of urine, soured milk, and spoiling food. If Parker would have said the house smelled bad the reader never would have known just how bad it smelled.
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Parker uses a strong, serious tone. Her tone isn’t a whiney tone and she doesn’t complain. She is simply stating the facts of her situation and explaining to the reader what poverty is. Her tone isn’t created by the word’s she chooses to use but by the words she chooses to leave out. Parker could have complained about her situations by saying something to the effect of when my last child was born I had worms and chronic anemia; I need surgery but I can’t get one because there isn’t enough money and no one cares enough to help me. Instead she states the facts and doesn’t even try to explain she doesn’t have the money for it. Parker simply sits quietly and listens. When someone wants sympathy they may choose use words like hopeless, helpless, or depressed to describe their situation. Parker avoided words like these to stay away from the whiney tone. In fact, Parker starts off her essay by staying she doesn’t want