There are so many elements of my life that I must be lend my thankfulness to. Most notably, I want to be thankful for the opportunities that I have been given. There are so many different experiences that I have been completely blessed to take part in. I was able to go to Rutgers for genetic research, participate in a Christian missionary trip, go to Girl's State, participate in community service with various people and affiliations, and most importantly, that I have been able to live and reap the benefits of living in the best country in the world. Because I live in this country, I have been given the blessings that so many around the world are not given. People complain about the problems we have in our country and the issues we have to deal with; yet, problems such as homelessness are terrible and should be non-existent but are so much less major in our country than many other stable countries (Great Britain, France, etc).
There are many other gifts we are given as citizens of the U.S. that are much more precious and better than other countries. People complain about what we have to go through to get a driver's license or that we have to pa $50 to get a new one. Well, people in Germany have to pay $500, take a type of behind the wheel for a much longer time than we do, pay for learning material to study for the test (about $100), among other numerous requirements, and if they do not pass the first time, they have to pay the $500 again. All of those requirements are approximates, by the way. The actual numbers may be higher, but I am sure that they are not lower. The basic point that I am trying to get at is that the United States is a good place to live.
I do not know that much about other countries and will never claim to know everything; however, from what I have learned in German and other classes only reinforces my ideas that we live in a wonderful country. Sure, we have had our problems; the only difference is that my history teachers have taught me all the sides of history, where the U.S. is at fall too. Many other countries claim that we say we have never done these things in our country, but Americans are aware of our faults more than people would like to admit. We have accepted what we have done wrong and try to provide some type of compensation for it, in most cases. I do not see England giving religious freedom or benefits to the Catholics in Ireland that they persecuted. We know that we have wronged our black population and seek to make it right by providing rights listed in the Constitution.
I love this country more than I could ever express. That is why I, among with many other men and women, am willing to die to ensure that all of you can still live in it. I want to make sure that all of you are proud of where you came from and happy to live here. Believe me, you may think the grass is greener in other countries, but it is not. Read up on a little world history and current events in the world. You will be less single-minded of how you hate or love the United States. Many men and women have paid the ultimate sacrifice to make sure that you can still have all of your freedoms. DO NOT take that for granted at all. Love every moment that you are given the opportunities that you are. I know that I am thankful for such things. I love my country and love my opportunities. God Bless America and all of the Americans that make this country great.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Social Issues pertaining to The Glass Castle
Homelessness is a problem in The Glass Castle that does not technically pertain to Jeanette Walls but ends of dealing more with her mother and father. She may not have dealt with complete homelessness during her younger years; however, it is all a matter of opinion. There were times when she was living in below standard forms of housing, which is sometimes constituted as homelessness to certain people. She did not usually live in well-maintained environments and housing, and at a few points in time, Jeanette and her family had to go and live with both sets of her grandparents.
There are two things that people consider contributors to homelessness. The first is individual characteristics and the second is structural problems. Most of the Walls's problems were due to a lack of foundation and stability with the parents. The parents were not just getting bad breaks, but also had individual characteristics that helped lead to their downward spiral of failures, instability, lack of income, and lack of jobs. There were structural problems, as well, that helped contribute to the ongoing problems of the family. Rex Walls was unskilled, and ergo, he had to compete for the low-skill jobs, which were few. The mother had mental problems and was not receiving the proper money to help her get treatment, which furthered the chances and likelihood for the family to become homeless. Not only these reasons, but the Walls parents refused to accept money or any type of welfare from the government at any point in time. This is one of the reasons that people remain homeless, even with the increase in money allocated to social programs. Some people do not like the idea of taking money from the government of receiving any type of charity.
Most of the reasons that forced Jeanette's parents to be homeless in their later years were solely related to individual characteristics. The parents wanted to be homeless; they thought of it as another adventure. Personal opinions and feelings were the only contributors to their lifestyles because Rex Walls could go out and win money gambling and playing poker and could have made a dishonest living for himself, yet a living. Rose Mary Walls could have sold paintings or got some sort of a teaching job in New York City or tried to get some form of mental health help; however, she continued to paint for herself, while never trying to receive any profits. They never tried to get themselves away from being homeless. They never allowed Jeanette or anyone else to help them, after Lori threw them out of the apartment. They enjoyed the idea of being homeless too much to want to get out or away from it.
The passages on page 3, 255, and 266 were the ones I chose to discuss in The Glass Castle with regard to my social issue of homelessness. There were three very different passages because Jeanette's tone varied so much from passage to passage. Sometimes, there was a slant and other times, no slant was presented. Anyway, these three passages presented homelessness from three different perspectives.
The first of the passages on page 3 talks about homeless within a family. Jeanette displays her feelings of guilt about having parents that are homeless, while she lives a comfortable lifestyle in a nice apartment. It shows how Jeanette talks of her outfit one second, and the next, she sees her mother rummaging through a dumpster for any type of "treasure". The passage goes on to say that Jeanette does not want people to know about her family or her past. She wants that part of her life to be kept secret and away from her current life, which makes her feel guilty. It shows the effects of homelessness on a family and how Jeanette feels a personal tie to these homeless people because they are her parents. Basically, it brings a reality check that the homeless on the street are part of someone's family. This homeless woman happens to be a part of Jeanette's.
The second passage is on page 255 and presents homelessness from the parents' perspective, making the whole situation seem like a great adventure. They talk about where they can sleep from night to night, the shows they can go see for free, where they can clean-up and keep hygiene at a maximum, and the food kitchens that are open. Everything seems great from the parents' eyes. They give Jeanette and their kids the impression that their lives are a breeze and everything is just fine. They almost make it seem like it is more fun and better to be homeless, which is why they refuse the help and money that Jeanette and her other siblings try to offer them. It almost seems like the parents just do not want the kids to have to take care of them. Rex and Rosemary to not want to take any more away from their children than they already have. In an attempt to keep the kids from worrying too much, they decide to make their lives seem fun and adventurous like when the kids were little. This type of psychology used to make crappy times seem better to the children.
The third passage is from an outsider's perspective, and it is on page 266. This is from a very objective standpoint. It talks about the terrible conditions and environments of the homeless squats or broken down shacks that these people resided. No descriptions are sugar-coated. The conditions of how truly terrible the conditions are is accurately described throughout this passage. Jeanette gives a distance to the homeless people. She does not describe emotional ties to her parents, just shows how bad their living conditions are. This helps to show that outsiders who have comfortable homes and environments do not truly understand the severity of the environment that homeless call comfortable.
There are two things that people consider contributors to homelessness. The first is individual characteristics and the second is structural problems. Most of the Walls's problems were due to a lack of foundation and stability with the parents. The parents were not just getting bad breaks, but also had individual characteristics that helped lead to their downward spiral of failures, instability, lack of income, and lack of jobs. There were structural problems, as well, that helped contribute to the ongoing problems of the family. Rex Walls was unskilled, and ergo, he had to compete for the low-skill jobs, which were few. The mother had mental problems and was not receiving the proper money to help her get treatment, which furthered the chances and likelihood for the family to become homeless. Not only these reasons, but the Walls parents refused to accept money or any type of welfare from the government at any point in time. This is one of the reasons that people remain homeless, even with the increase in money allocated to social programs. Some people do not like the idea of taking money from the government of receiving any type of charity.
Most of the reasons that forced Jeanette's parents to be homeless in their later years were solely related to individual characteristics. The parents wanted to be homeless; they thought of it as another adventure. Personal opinions and feelings were the only contributors to their lifestyles because Rex Walls could go out and win money gambling and playing poker and could have made a dishonest living for himself, yet a living. Rose Mary Walls could have sold paintings or got some sort of a teaching job in New York City or tried to get some form of mental health help; however, she continued to paint for herself, while never trying to receive any profits. They never tried to get themselves away from being homeless. They never allowed Jeanette or anyone else to help them, after Lori threw them out of the apartment. They enjoyed the idea of being homeless too much to want to get out or away from it.
The passages on page 3, 255, and 266 were the ones I chose to discuss in The Glass Castle with regard to my social issue of homelessness. There were three very different passages because Jeanette's tone varied so much from passage to passage. Sometimes, there was a slant and other times, no slant was presented. Anyway, these three passages presented homelessness from three different perspectives.
The first of the passages on page 3 talks about homeless within a family. Jeanette displays her feelings of guilt about having parents that are homeless, while she lives a comfortable lifestyle in a nice apartment. It shows how Jeanette talks of her outfit one second, and the next, she sees her mother rummaging through a dumpster for any type of "treasure". The passage goes on to say that Jeanette does not want people to know about her family or her past. She wants that part of her life to be kept secret and away from her current life, which makes her feel guilty. It shows the effects of homelessness on a family and how Jeanette feels a personal tie to these homeless people because they are her parents. Basically, it brings a reality check that the homeless on the street are part of someone's family. This homeless woman happens to be a part of Jeanette's.
The second passage is on page 255 and presents homelessness from the parents' perspective, making the whole situation seem like a great adventure. They talk about where they can sleep from night to night, the shows they can go see for free, where they can clean-up and keep hygiene at a maximum, and the food kitchens that are open. Everything seems great from the parents' eyes. They give Jeanette and their kids the impression that their lives are a breeze and everything is just fine. They almost make it seem like it is more fun and better to be homeless, which is why they refuse the help and money that Jeanette and her other siblings try to offer them. It almost seems like the parents just do not want the kids to have to take care of them. Rex and Rosemary to not want to take any more away from their children than they already have. In an attempt to keep the kids from worrying too much, they decide to make their lives seem fun and adventurous like when the kids were little. This type of psychology used to make crappy times seem better to the children.
The third passage is from an outsider's perspective, and it is on page 266. This is from a very objective standpoint. It talks about the terrible conditions and environments of the homeless squats or broken down shacks that these people resided. No descriptions are sugar-coated. The conditions of how truly terrible the conditions are is accurately described throughout this passage. Jeanette gives a distance to the homeless people. She does not describe emotional ties to her parents, just shows how bad their living conditions are. This helps to show that outsiders who have comfortable homes and environments do not truly understand the severity of the environment that homeless call comfortable.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Social Issues-Homelessness
The idea of homelessness is very relevant throughout The Glass Castle and our ongoing nation. Jeanette Walls's family is living in substandard conditions, even when they have a home. It is not until nearly the end of the novel that actual homelessness is experienced by her father and mother. Walls portrays these situations in a number of ways. At first, she talks about feeling guilty of her comfortable life, especially because her mother is living on the streets (pg.3). In the next passage, she talks about homelessness as an adventure and describes the passage from her parents' perspective (pg.255). Finally, Walls objectively talks about the realities of being homeless and describes the terrible conditions that her mother and father are succumbing to by living in the squats.
All of these ideas and problems tie in with the current issue of homelessness in the United States. There are five periods of time when homelessness has been considered a large problem. The first time was when England sent its poor population to live in the United States, the second was after the Civil War with all of the displaced soldiers and civilians, the third was with the westward industrial expansion during the late 1800s and early 1920s, the fourth was the Great Depression leading up to World War II, and the fifth is the 1980s to present day.
There are two different ways that homelessness is view: the conservative and liberal ways. Conservatives blame homelessness all on individual characteristics, while liberals blame it on structural problems. Most people accept a median between these two views. The largest problem is how the issue is dealt with. Even though economic issues and cutting of funding to homeless programs is generally considered one of the largest reasons for homelessness, the recent influx in funds to these programs and economic prosperity of the 1990s has not improved the homeless situation. Two counts of homeless were taken in 1987 and 1996, both revealing that the amount of homeless persons has not lessened. The issue has continued to be terrible and not break apart.
Most people are also in a dilemma of how to solve these problems. Some groups think that direct aid to important things are needed, such as shelter, clothing, and food. Other people see goals such as voting or helping get jobs as being more important. It all depends upon a person's view. The problem with just giving direct aid is that it may cause people to become very dependent upon the government because they are getting what they need fast and not having to work for it. The problem with helping the homeless vote is because they are uneducated and do not always understand and getting jobs usually keeps them in their current state because they get low paying, unskilled jobs.
There are so many sides to the problem that need to be addressed. The fact that some of the richest countries in the world are having these terrible problems demonstrates that it is not only the third world countries. While many classes and races and genders are typically more represented among the homeless population than others, statistics show that homelessness does affect everyone and is growing proportionally different than it used to. For instance, adults with children are beginning to show themselves more on the streets. There are well over 800,000 homeless living in the United States. An astounding number that needs to be adjusted as soon as possible.
All of these ideas and problems tie in with the current issue of homelessness in the United States. There are five periods of time when homelessness has been considered a large problem. The first time was when England sent its poor population to live in the United States, the second was after the Civil War with all of the displaced soldiers and civilians, the third was with the westward industrial expansion during the late 1800s and early 1920s, the fourth was the Great Depression leading up to World War II, and the fifth is the 1980s to present day.
There are two different ways that homelessness is view: the conservative and liberal ways. Conservatives blame homelessness all on individual characteristics, while liberals blame it on structural problems. Most people accept a median between these two views. The largest problem is how the issue is dealt with. Even though economic issues and cutting of funding to homeless programs is generally considered one of the largest reasons for homelessness, the recent influx in funds to these programs and economic prosperity of the 1990s has not improved the homeless situation. Two counts of homeless were taken in 1987 and 1996, both revealing that the amount of homeless persons has not lessened. The issue has continued to be terrible and not break apart.
Most people are also in a dilemma of how to solve these problems. Some groups think that direct aid to important things are needed, such as shelter, clothing, and food. Other people see goals such as voting or helping get jobs as being more important. It all depends upon a person's view. The problem with just giving direct aid is that it may cause people to become very dependent upon the government because they are getting what they need fast and not having to work for it. The problem with helping the homeless vote is because they are uneducated and do not always understand and getting jobs usually keeps them in their current state because they get low paying, unskilled jobs.
There are so many sides to the problem that need to be addressed. The fact that some of the richest countries in the world are having these terrible problems demonstrates that it is not only the third world countries. While many classes and races and genders are typically more represented among the homeless population than others, statistics show that homelessness does affect everyone and is growing proportionally different than it used to. For instance, adults with children are beginning to show themselves more on the streets. There are well over 800,000 homeless living in the United States. An astounding number that needs to be adjusted as soon as possible.
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