Jezza Neumann wrote the article “America's Poor Kids” in order to acknowledge the fact that one should care for their children. First, Jezza Neumann highlights the shortcomings of families who have known a much better life have to leave their homes, sometimes with just a few days notice. Then, she introduces three children that suffer from a chronically stressed household and ask to give them their point of view. Next, the author points out how these kids should not go through being homeless and it is too stressful for them to develop normally. Finally, the author implies that one should help the weak children by telling them that they are loved and to comfort them when the going gets tough. Through the use of pathos and logos the author makes
It is not difficult to document that poor children suffer a disproportionate share of deprivation, hardship, and bad outcomes. More than 16 million children in the United States – 22% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $23,550 a year for a family of four. (Truman, 2005) Living in poverty rewires children 's brains and reports show that it produces prolonged effects. Also, growing up in a community with dangerous streets, gangs, confused social expectations, discouraging role models, and few connections to outsiders commanding resources becomes a burden for any child. The concern about the number of children living in poverty arises from our knowledge of the problems children face because of poverty.
The children in this book at times seem wise beyond their years. They are exposed to difficult issues that force them to grow up very quickly. Almost all of the struggles that the children face stem from the root problem of intense poverty. In Mott Haven, the typical family yearly income is about $10,000, "trying to sustain" is how the mothers generally express their situation. Kozol reports "All are very poor; statistics tell us that they are the poorest children in New York." (Kozol 4). The symptoms of the kind of poverty described are apparent in elevated crime rates, the absence of health care and the lack of funding for education.
This film chose to focus on very young people struggling to survive in poverty. All three of the boys are younger than 18 years old and thus are in an important developmental stage. The film gives us a view into the effects of a disadvantaged upbringing on a child’s development. These three boys grew up in situations defined by poverty and familial dysfunction and for two of them, the after effects are clear. Harley has severe anger issues and is unable to function at school. Appachey lashes out uncontrollably and has multiple diagnosed behavioral disorders. Both boys have had run-ins with the law and dealings with the juvenile court system. This solidifies the argument espoused in Marmot’s The Health Gap that children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds face significant developmental challenges. The evidence suggests that children who grow up in poverty have cognitive and developmental delays and suffer from greater risk of mental and behavioral disorders. As shown in the film, Harley and Appachey both suffer from extreme behavioral and cognitive deficits and exhibit the corresponding poor scholastic and societal performance which will serve to further negatively affect their
Poor Kids is a documentary that highlights a major issue the United States is suffering from. This issue is known as poverty, more specifically, childhood poverty. This documentary views the world through the eyes of children that are subjected to lives of poverty due to the poor financial state that their parents are in. Life is very rough for these children and they must live their everyday lives with little to none of the luxuries most people take for granted. Poor Kids sheds light on the painful fact that there are children that starve every day in the United States.
The impoverished and the homeless live in another world compared to those of us that are fortunate enough to have stable living conditions. Families are struggling to survive with the little government assistance they receive. The quality and space in a shelter or even government provided living is atrocious and, to be frank, borderline unlivable. Quindlen describes a family of six cramped into a single bedroom, an inexcusable and terrible way to live and yet better than nothing at all (332). Children of families that have to live in situations like this grow up not knowing stability or security.
" Effects of Poverty, Hunger and Homelessness on Children and Youth." American Psychological Association ,www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty.aspx. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.
“All Kids Should Take Poverty 101” could have been a wonderful piece if the age of those taking Poverty 101 had been older, and if the focus had been more on how those in poverty can end the cycle on their own. However Beegle’s desire to teach children empathy and awareness is a noble
Elliott’s ambition for writing this article is to expose the world to the horrific conditions of homeless people in America’s largest cities. Invisible Child is successful in bringing awareness to this issue due to its strategic implementations of thought provoking situations and its application of emotional content. The audience of this article would most likely include ordinary people who are conscious of the difficulties of those in their neighborhood and surrounding areas.
poor”( Papalia et al. 295). Thousands of children around the United States sit on street corners
As a child, one is unaware of reality and the world around him. As a parent, it is one’s responsibility to protect his or her child, and to raise them into being adults, equipped with everything he or she may need to survive in this world. With some help from officials in the school systems, the government-funded and community-funded organizations that have already been implemented, and some at-home teachings, the spoiled child, resulting in an irresponsible adult epidemic is one that can be avoided with ease. It is the sole responsibility of the parent to train up his or her child in a way that will allow him or her to become a good, strong, well-mannered adult. It has been said that charity starts at home, so does parenting, responsibility, and
Throughout Society, many families have seen struggle and lived through poverty. The economy is not always thriving which takes a toll on people who suffer through unemployment or low wage jobs. The Frontline documentary, “Two American Families”, is the perfect example of struggle in the United States. It shows the lives of two struggling families and their efforts to survive. Two essays, “The Sociological Imagination” by C. Wright Mills, and “The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All” by Herbert J. Hans, support the analysis of the video strongly. They express many ideas that relate to the world and struggle throughout society. Also, there are many sociological terms that depict the events that occurred in the documentary.
When analyzing children growing up in poverty a lot of factors come into play such as their physical, psychological and emotional development. To grow up in poverty can have long term effect on a child. What should be emphasized in analyzing the effects of poverty on children is how it has caused many children around the world to suffer from physical disorders, malnutrition, and even diminishes their capacities to function in society. Poverty has played a major role in the functioning of families and the level of social and emotional competency that children are able to reach. Children in poverty stricken families are exposed to greater and emotional risks and stress level factors. They are even capable of understanding and dealing with their own emotions as well as the emotions of others. Some of the implications of poverty include educational setbacks, issues with social behaviors and hindrances in psychological and physical development. Poverty deprives children of the capabilities needed to survive, develop and prosper in society. Studies have shown that the income status of a household and even the neighborhoods in which they reside can affect the amount of readily available resources needed to sustain a healthy child. This essay will examine the psychological and physical effects of poverty on children. The psychological aspect will include a look at behavioral problems in children, depression, chronic stress, and conduct disorders such as ADHD. Poverty is known to decrease the amount of psychological and physical capabilities in children which can have long term adverse effects on their wellbeing.
Everyone’s life begin differently. Some children are born into healthy middle or upper class families, while others are born into poverty or a lower class family. People who are born into families with money may have it easier than kids who have to skip meals or forge together money just to buy a gallon of milk. They don’t have to face the hard struggles of society or life in general. According to the American Institute of Research, today over 1.6 million children are homeless. It may not seem like much, but that is almost 1 in 45 kids, (“Family Homelessness”). Along with being homeless, these kids may go through a very rough time with their families. These children are subject to domestic violence, drugs, alcohol, diseases, and other problems that most other children are not exposed to. Through the tough problems and hardships, these children can also prosper and grow. It is all a matter of nature versus nurture. Some children may learn not to follow in the steps of their parents or guardians, yet others land in the same kind of situation they are in now, when they are adults. Many children may also be greatly influenced by their peers; they try to fit in or choose to stick out.
A woman who had lived an unsteady life throughout her childhood was negatively affected as an adult by the things that she had went through in her earlier years. In an article entitled “One Family 's Story Shows How The Cycle Of Poverty Is Hard To Break,” Pam Fessler stated that “Like many before her, she carried her poverty into adulthood, doing odd jobs with periods of homelessness and hunger.” The woman had realized that her children were being negatively affected by the unsteady lifestyle that they were living. The mother had said that her six year old daughter had emotional issues, which led to her making herself throw up after eating, running away, and talking about killing herself (Fessler). The little girl had been emotionally affected by poverty, which caused her to do things that most six year olds would not think about doing. The people who live in poverty as a child are more likely to struggle in adulthood. Poverty has many negative effects on children and tends to affect the way they grow and live the rest of their life as an
The marginalized in society as sometimes viewed as hopeless and needing the help of the outside world. This book and its final passage, helps in the understanding that those who society deems are fragile and helpless are actually strong and resilient. It paints a picture that depicts that because poor people have always had nothing material, during the cases of physical hardships, they will be much more able to remain strong, because their strength is not embedded in a large collection of simulacra. Rather, their strength is based on their happiness and their hope for a better future. Also, in the final quote, it shows that with new generations born into poverty, rather than an impoverished lifestyle being their only inheritance, they also gain a power that is not comprehensive for anyone born into a mildly privileged situation. The same understanding can also be applied to the marginalized, for example the physically disabled, like our narrator Animal. From an outside perspective, it could seem like these people are in need of the help of those ‘better off’. However, there is great falsehood in this, as disabled persons can grow to have a greater optimism than expected and therefore they will have a hidden form of strength that again, is not understandable for anyone not in that