He Told Me Narrative

1256 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: the great depression involved with world wars

December xx, 19xx How is it that I can still cling onto what used to be? I can still see the busy streets full of automobiles and the well dressed people trying to buy the latest inventions, like that radio. What a splendid thing that was! I remember James coming home with one, it was the beginning of our new life. "Oh Bearcat, never again shall we fret." That's what he told me as he walked in and I about had a heart attack. I, of course thought that there was a screw loose. How could he just come home with such a costly contraption? "James dear, how could you afford this?" After I spoke he set down the radio and ran up to me, lifting me in the air. "How does it feel to be the wife of a millionaire?" My eyes about fell out of their sockets. …show more content…

Everyone just wasn’t hiring because they couldn’t afford more people. I did what I could to support my loving husband, cutting down on what could be lost and helping search for a place to support us. We were on the verge of becoming homeless and that thought frightened us. James managed to find an odd job every once in awhile. It was nothing much, just something to get us through until he found another odd job. He was beyond tired and stressed trying to provide for us. I offered to get a job too but he shut me down saying that he will deal with it and to just give him time. So I did what I could at home to help him relieve his worries. I made sure we had some sort of meal and a clean home. I’d comb through the newspaper when we could get one and walked around the city looking for places hiring. Months passed before something came up. Somehow managing to stay in our lousy apartment and feed ourselves, we rejoiced when he got a job. It wasn’t anything grand but thanks to President Roosevelt and his programs like Works Progress Administration and Public Works Administration, we managed to survive. We were some of the lucky ones, others weren't as lucky. Homeless people covered the city and I couldn’t help but think that this is what could happen to

Show More
Related

  • Because That's Just Easier, By Dana Johnson

    538 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social issues are difficult to write about because they are simplistic and problematic. Johnson doesn’t say the homeless issue in Los Angeles is good or bad. The story describes the characters leaning more towards bad, but never directly states this. Johnson explores the characters reactions to the issue. From this story, we learn it is easier for this particular family and society to ignore an issue rather than address it.

    Read More

  • Working Poor By Barbara Ehrenreich Summary

    2835 Words  | 6 Pages

    According to a 1997 report of the National Coalition for the Homeless, “nearly one-fifth of all homeless people are employed in full or part-time jobs”. In the book Nickel and Dimed, On Not Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich, the author goes undercover in order to investigate and experience first-hand how life is for America’s “working poor”. The “working poor” are defined as individuals who have a full-time job, sometimes more than one, but still cannot afford the basics of shelter, food and adequate healthcare. As one can imagine, this led to many public health concerns. In each of the three locations visited, Ehrenreich realizes that for many, “getting by” in America can sometimes be a daunting task.

    Read More

  • Reflection On Nickel And Dimed

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout this book, I was awed at the fact that this is America. This is what America is like and people encounter these difficulties each and every day. We truly do not realize what we have until we see it first hand for ourselves or have other people tell of their experiences. One of the most amazing things that I learned from reading this book is that fact that so many people do not have places to live besides their vehicles. You would never know this because they are often hidden from people. It’s crazy to

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Mckinney-Vento

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    Homelessness has been a long standing problem in the United States dating back to the American Civil War and significantly increased during the Great Depression. After the Great Depression, even when the economy regained strength, homelessness continued to be a widespread problem (NLCHP, 2007). Due to the deindustrialization movement in 1950’s, many people lost their jobs. Factory jobs offered well-paid wages and needed little to no skill base. Therefore, during the deindustrialization movement, people were left with no source of income and no skills to find another job. As a result for the United States Government not establishing anything to a...

    Read More

  • The Great Depression: Hooverville, Shantytowns, Homeless

    1299 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1929 the Great Depression occurred that sent a panic through the country and a sharp decline in the United States economy. This decline accompanied an increase in homeless people. Although the United States had seen its’ share of homeless, the 1930s-1940s marked the peak. Many people believed the government would provide assistance but were let down. These homeless created Shantytowns to live in and called them Hoovervilles. These Hoovervilles contained awful hygienic conditions that would put many people at risk. The Great Depression brought along hundreds and thousands of homeless people and shantytowns, which was blamed on the government but has shaped

    Read More

  • Chris Mccandless Vs Adam Shepard Analysis

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    After he fresh out of college, he decided to start a project to prove that American dream is still alive. He set a few rules to himself like he can’t use his previous contacts, college education , and credit history. For the sake of the project, he said that he only have a high school diploma and he just recently moved to his new town. One of his motivation to do this project is because Barbara Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch, the books that speak on the death of American dream, Adam resent that theory because he believed that hard work and discipline provide any payoff that can lead him to be on top. He then start with Charleston the city that he picked randomly out of a hat. Adam takes a train to Charleston , South Carolina. No one greets him when he got there and then he start to walk to the homeless shelter about 8 miles long and almost got beat up on the way. His first impression of Crisis Ministries wasn’t too good especially the bathroom area. It smells awful and looks like the bathroom has never been cleaned before. But he tried endure it for the next couple weeks until he has enough money to move

    Read More

  • Living Conditions In How The Other Half Lives

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    I learned a lot about how terrible living conditions were for those seeking a better life in America in the late 1800’s. I had never really even heard about tenements until I read this book, and it really enlightened me to how terrible of times it was for everyone who just wanted the opportunity for a better life for their families. It makes me glad that I live in a time where many people don’t have to live in these conditions, but it also makes me more aware of the poverty that still exists today. I think that there is a lot that we, who are fortunate, could do to help those who are living in poverty. Hopefully, by reading this book, other may be inspired to try and make a difference for the less fortunate in their

    Read More

  • Homelessness in Kansas City, MO

    2805 Words  | 6 Pages

    Cobb, Jodi, and Philip Brookman. The Way Home: Ending Homelessness in America. Washington, D.C: Abrams in Association with the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1999. Print.

    Read More

  • The Social Stigma of Homelessness

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to a recent New York Times article, there are people in New York with multiple jobs that still cannot afford to pay the rent on a apartment in the city. Therefore, many remain homeless and must find relief in one of the city’s shelters. (nytimes.com) The New York Times states that, “Advocates of affordable housing say that the employed homeless are proof of the widening gap between wages and rents — which rose in the city even during the latest recession — and, given the shortage of subsidized housing, of just how difficult it is to escape the shelter system, even for people with jobs….the jobs aren’t enough to get people out of homelessness” (nytimes.com). What we see modeled in New York City is a disturbing ...

    Read More

  • The Mole People

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    As I reflect back on this book I see a difference between what I thought about the homeless before and after. My perspective of homeless people and society has changed after hearing the stories of the people who live in the tunnels. They aren’t just some people who don’t have money for food or lack the basic necessities to live. They are the people who lived through the pain and see the system’s flaws. Not everyone can live in our society; its one way views of how people should strive

    Read More

  • Somewhere For Everyone Essay

    797 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author had an interesting first hand encounter with a homeless person. He stated that the incident did nothing to spark any concern for the homeless, however it did make him notice and avoid the street beggars. The author assumed that since nearly everyone else avoided them, the answer was simply to just keep walking and ignore them. One of the facts that was stated in the story was that the 1980’s saw a brief period of homelessness. The author demonstrated that he saw what the rest of society chose to ignore even if it was right in front of their face the whole

    Read More

  • Homelessness In College Students By Eleanor J. Bader

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    One student, Aesha, was homeless due to being physically abused by her child’s father, she spent 30 days in a temporary shelter and then was moved to an emergency assistance unit. She told The Progressive, “It was horrible’... ‘We slept on benches, and it was very crowded. I was so scared I sat on my bag and held onto the stroller day and night, from Friday to Monday.’” (635) Aesha and her son were eventually moved to a family shelter in Queens which presented problems of its own. The ordeal of being homeless had taken a toll on her and her studies. The Progressor has a quote by her saying, "I spend almost eight hours a day on the trains," she says. "I have to leave the shelter at 5:00 a.m. for the Bronx where my girlfriend watches my son for me. I get to her house around 7:00. Then I have to travel to school in Brook...

    Read More

  • The Center For Vision And Values By Tracy Miller

    185 Words  | 1 Pages

    Tracy Miller’s article comes from The Center for Vision and Values, which is affiliated with the Grove City College. The center focuses on a learning community that teaches people about faith and freedom as American citizens. They write about the raw truth of difficult circumstances, including homelessness. Miller has different opinions then others when it comes to the government helping the homeless. This article talks about how the government is actually making the homeless population worse. He talks about the past and gives statistics about housing that the government has funded and how it has not helped. They are making it worse by allowing people to live in government-funded housing. Miller says this allows the homeless to continue their

    Read More

  • The Problem Of Homelessness In San Antonio, Texas

    1193 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mike Dick, a homeless man from San Francisco, has been living on the street for years. He was photographed and followed around by Kevin Fagan, a writer and photographer, who wrote an article on Dick for the San Francisco Chronicle. Fagan followed Dick around and learned his story. In his article, Homeless, Mike Dick was 51, Looked 66, He worsens the situation by mentioning after Dick was “scooped off the streets by city homelessness counselors and given a roof” (Fagan 335), he passed away from being sick after only being there for 15 months. Admittedly, impoverished people are not getting the help they need right away and by the time they do receive help it is too late because they die of a disease they contacted while they were out on the street for years. In Our tired, Our poor, Our kids, by Anna Quindlen, a novelist from New York City, talked about three mothers who are trying their best to help get out of the shelter and improve their children 's lives. Sharanda is a mother of five who is currently undergoing drug treatments and is living in a shelter. She decided it was best to get clean so her children and herself can have a better life and someday move out of the shelter. Rosie and

    Read More

  • The Homeless in Canada

    2623 Words  | 6 Pages

    “Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)

    Read More

More about He Told Me Narrative

Open Document