The morning rush hour, a homeless man stands on the curb of a busy street, hands stretched out, holding a cardboard sign with washed out words saying “no home and hungry, please help.” His clothes are torn, his hair oily and uncombed. This is his spot. For over a month, that same man on that same curb can be seen. People walk by; some look away, some who ignored or even acknowledged the woman who too had been holding a similar sign from the preceding block. Many turn away thinking that this man is a failure, a bum who wants money for a pack of cigarettes to fill one of the many addictions that most likely got him there in the first place. The more sympathetic throw down a couple quarters; they’ve done their good deed for the week. Above all, many cannot help but wonder: isn’t there something profoundly wrong with a society that has so much poverty amidst so much wealth?
A 1990 New York Times poll reported that 68 percent of urban Americans see the homeless in the course of their daily routines; nationally, the figure was 54 percent, an 18 percent increase in just four years (Blau, 1992, p. 3). Living so close to New York City and growing up in Jersey City, NJ, seeing a homeless person on the street turned out to be an every day occurrence, one I always hoped to avoid. Shopping carts filled with garbage bags and raggedy clothed people were of no surprise and became of no importance in my life. My father however, always had an extreme compassion for the homeless, mainly because he was once homeless. He constantly inspired me to reach out to them, not by words but by his actions. Blinded by ignorance, my mother and I never understood why my dad chose to keep his business in the heart of Jersey City; it’s hard being a hairdresser, let alone being one in the middle of poverty and economic depression, yet, he persisted and still to this day his business exists there. My father always talks about how one day he is going to open a large apartment building, bring all the homeless of Jersey City together and allow them to reside there. He knows most of the homeless around his work by name, their stories and has seen so many come and go, live and die. My father is well known in the Jersey City community for all his efforts over the 20+ years and is acknowledged by many as a man with a large heart. Being older and more enlightened to our society’s problem, I see now wh...
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...set of codes that “define the nature of commitment to a particular course of action.” These codes are “the whole set of principles that govern, or should govern, an individual’s relations with the other people within a community.” Those that acknowledge this morality and this problem see the need to help. Many organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, provide housing for the poverished and homeless. Kenneth Cole, a large clothing and shoe corporation, is involved in the homeless awareness and participates in outreaches to these communities. To my fortunate ability, I take part in both Habitat for Humanity and work for Kenneth Cole. Organizations like these cannot exist if it isn’t for volunteers. On a smaller basis, soup kitchens couldn’t be held without willing volunteers. The list goes on and on for a need of people who are willing to sacrifice their time to help those who can’t help themselves. Yes, there are many organizations and outreaches but the demand is far greater than the supply. The government can only go so far, these organizations need us, if not all of us than a large majority, to go beyond and search within our hearts to find compassion and lend a helping hand.
“I had one last chance to make a decision. One final opportunity to decide who I was going to be. I could step into that alley, stand up for Hassan – the way he'd stood up for me all those times in the past – and accept whatever would happen to me. Or I could run. In the end, I ran.” In Khaled Hosseini’s, The Kite Runner, Amir, the young protagonist, lives a lavish lifestyle with his father, Baba. Until the Soviets invade and the Taliban become the dominant influence in Afghanistan. Amir’s sumptuous lifestyle comes to an end, and the values of not only his father but also his society begin to impact him and he realizes how much he does not belong in his own culture. Amir is taught the virtues of being a good man, however when the opportunity presents itself to demonstrate his teachings; Amir realizes how different he is from the ways of his father.
...on the homeless community. I previously held preconceived notions that the homeless consisted of people who were either unable to connect and form relationships with others or didn’t desire to do so. Yet, I observed most everyone greeting one another and reminiscing with those who have been absent from the community for a while, as well as, expressing concern for those missing. I recognized that the homeless may live in a non-traditional way, but they have established their own communities and are successful in forming and maintaining cohesive relationships.
Amir does not loves sports as much as Baba, but he does love participating in the kite-fighting tournament. In the winter of 1975, Amir and Hassan compete in the tournament. Amir feels that this is a way to gain some of Baba’s loves back, therefore winning is crucial. Hassan is a master at kite running. No matter the weather conditions or the amount of people running a kite, Hassan always knew where the kite was going to land. During the tournament, Amir fought the kites and Hassan ran them. Amir cut the string of the last kite and Hassan began to ran. That day, Amir witnessed Hassan being raped by a childhood bully and his friends. Amir ran away instead of helping Hassan escape. This is where Amir’s morals are first questioned in the
In the novel “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini, Hassan is a loyal, selfless and compassionate young boy. Hassan is a small, dark haired, green eyed Hazara who has a cleft lip. Hassan and his father are servants to Amir and his father, Baba. Hassan’s mother abandoned him when he was newborn and since he has lived in a mud shack at the back of Amir and Baba’s mansion with his father, Ali. Hassan is illiterate, but smart and is also the best kite runner in Kabul. Hassan’s world is Amir! He loves and worships him; his first word was Amir. Although Hassan has many notable qualities, he lives a hard and sad life.
In “Brother, Don’t Spare a Dime,” L. Christopher Awalt says that homeless people are homeless on their own accord. He believes “many of them seem to have chosen the lifestyles they lead” (Awalt))).. This article states that most homeless people would prefer to escape responsibility rather than fix their social and economic problems. Awalt uses an example of a man who had been on the streets for about 10 years. He provided this man with resources to improve his life and within four months he was making progress. By the sixth month the man had checked himself out of the hospital and was back on the streets drunk again. Awalt does show a few people are the victims of tragic circumstances and will bounce back in a short period of time. Awalt believes homeless people have become dangerous to the public, and they do not deserve our money to help them out of their predicament. We do not agree with Awalt’s assumption that the majority of the homeless people in the United States are there because of their lack of responsibility. There are many causes of homelessness that cannot be avoided, and the majority of the people that become homeless will not be on the streets for long.
Marx’s analysis of social class is that there will always be a divide between the haves and the have not’s. He separates them into two classes the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The bourgeoisie signifies the capitalist class, while proletariat signifies the working class. Max Weber’s defines class as “a group of people who have a similar level of economic resources”(p.244). He identifies two main elements of class, material resources, and skill knowledge in the marketplace. In contrast to Marx’s view on class Weber believed that class was not just based solely on ownership of means of production, but could also be based off ownership of other resources and the amount knowledge one has. Pierre Bourdieu’s view on class is that it is based on the concept of cultural capital meaning, “our tastes, knowledge, attitudes, language, and ways of thinking that we exchange in interaction with others”
This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.
Homeless individuals are known for taking hand outs and they prefer to plead for money rather than to go work for it. People assume most of the the money that is given to homeless people they spend it on drugs and alcohol because of the fact that many homeless people have drug and alcohol addictions. It is not uncommon to come across homeless youth and older homeless population that are known to abuse substances like drugs and alcohol. Because of the fact that homeless people have substance abuse problems, they tend face illnesses and infections. Many hard working Americans ask themselves “why don’t homeless people just get jobs?” The assumption is they are just lazy and unmotivated. Homeless people choose to live the life they live. Everyone goes through problems but not all people take the path homeless people do. The problems homeless people face is not an excuse for them to be helped and maintained by other hard working people. Although homelessness might be a choice to some, no one knows the hardships these people have gone through. Some assume these people are just lazy but in reality a lot of these homeless people have jobs of their own, they just can’t afford housing and a decent life. Everyone has their own opinion on homeless people, but that does not change the fact that one should still serve the homeless. Not because homeless people need help but because we are
Weber did not believe that social conflict would arise in the form of a revolution solely because of uniformity in class interest. He believes that for there to be social conflict and for action to take place the property-less class must first acknowledge that there is inequality in wealth and that there is a difference in the opportunities to obtain that wealth. They must also acknowledge that these differences arise from the property owners’ ability to distribute property and power.
Around Newark, Ohio, there are many organizations that are willing to help those who are homeless, or are on the verge of becoming homeless. There are multiple places where those who are homeless can go and stay and have nice warm shelter during the night, or until they can get back up and on their feet. Those places including the local Salvation Army who puts on soup kitchens for those who don’t have the money to provide dinner for their own being or for their family, and kids, as well as they have shelter if needed for those who don’t have anywhere to stay. Habitat for Humanity, is another wonderful organization that can provide housing for those who aren’t able to afford any at a expensive rate, but can afford something at a lower rate, but they can also help the
When people are given a chance to redeem themselves they will try to use their best abilities to accomplish their objective. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a historical fiction that follows Amir from childhood to adulthood. Amir, a socially awkward kid, lives in Kabul, Afghanistan with his father, Baba, a successful businessman, with his best friend, Hassan. Baba is discouraging towards Amir for not being confident in himself, but Amir finds a passion in writing. When Amir and Hassan win a kite fighting tournament, it causes Baba to accept Amir, but ultimately Hassan leaves Baba’s household because Amir betrays Hassan by not defending him when he is raped by local bullies. Due to turmoil rising in Afghanistan, Amir and Baba travel to America, where Amir becomes a successful writer and has a wife. Then Amir receives a call that can help Amir redeem his friendship with Hassan. As the book progresses, Hosseini proves that anything can be fixed through redemption. Amir’s pursuit of writing in America demonstrates the freedom found there, exemplifying the endless freedom found in America compared to Kabul. In a quest to save Hassan’s son, Sohrab, Amir fights Assef, an adversary of Amir since childhood; as Amir is losing the brawl, he goes through a similar pain that he made Hassan go through. When settling in America, Amir and Baba’s relationship improves as compared to their poor affliction in Kabul.
Cain, Susan. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. New York: Crown Publishers, 2012. 10. Print.
On a normal of our everyday life, we find ourselves going to work or heading somewhere to meet up with a friend. While on the way there we pass someone that we don’t know sitting down on the ground alongside with him is a cart from a store filled with old clothes that either found or got from someone, some trash, maybe something small to eat to help with his hungry stomach growling throughout the day. You wonder how he got themselves into a position like that? Yet sometimes we know how he got there, although, we don’t always know someone else’s story. You leave some money by his foot to help get himself somewhere for a short time. Homelessness has increased over the years, from 1990s up until now. I believe that we can help these get back into a better environment for their life with the help of local shelters, food banks, donations from churches and schools, and many more things we can do in Licking County.
Knowing what the Homeland Security does someone can know that the information that is obtained about terrorist groups is based off of intelligence both domestic and intelligence. The goal of the department is to warn the American public about any threats to the Homeland. The process involves rapid transit of intelligence collection, it needs to be analyzed and then distributed to other departments, know where the threat is most likely to occur and develop strategies that may eliminate the threat. A person hearing about threats to the homeland every day should take these seriously regardless if anything come out of it, people can be more cautious of their surroundings, look out for anything out of the ordinary and report the information to the
“Spotting the introvert can be harder than finding Waldo,” (Dembling, Sophia. ¨The Introvert’s Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World.¨ TarcherPerigee. Eng. Edition, Dec. 2012) when asked, most people would define introversion as a person who symbolizes as a wallflower. While it may essentially a precise description, I have to say that the definition of introversion is more complicated than that. Before long, I came to realize that I had a dependency on, or a “problem with,” socializing, withdrawing through this experience I have learned that an introvert is a person who gains energy from living an independent life and loses energy in a stimulating environment, such as social events. Additionally, citizens throughout the decades result in