Looking for short articles or stories about poverty...?

Question

I want to give my class a quick compare-and-contrast lesson, and I want to use a handful of short articles or stories about poverty and coping with it, or about attitudes toward the poor--1,000 words or less, and highly readable. They can be new articles or old ones. What do you recommend?

For your information, here's one that I'm using:
http://ehrenreich.blogs.com/barbara_commentators/2006/08/what_it_feels_l.html

Clarification: I'm a teacher, and I'm looking for articles to share with my class for a compare-and-contrast exercise. Poverty just happens to be my topic of choice. We're in a public community college. I'm not rich and I doubt any of my students are.

That said, if I were doing a study about poverty rather than a compare-and-contrast exercise, the first answer might be a valid one.

Answer 1

Why not take a walk downtown where you live, where all the businesses are and check out the homeless people? How about going to the Welfare office or the Unemployment office and talking to people there? Get a first hand experience of what people are going through. Then go to one of your rich friends in school and talk to the parents and the friend. I am sure you will get a better grade and you will learn something new.

Answer 2

Three years ago, I had to step in and help seven needy grandchildren and their parents. They lived with us for nine months and then I gave them enough money to have their own badly needed house. It was not a nice house and I tried to tell them , to select a nicer house, but the Mommie wanted to live there . It was on a very busy Avenue and the neighborhood was considered to be a crack neighborhood. I worried about the sweet little children. The Mother was trying to work at a gas station and the Father was suffering from a broken neck caused by a Police Officer holding a billy club behind his head and he stepped on the billy club, breaking the poor Father's neck in two places. The Police had came to the wrong house on a drug bust. I was there and witnessed it all. So to get back on track, this is where the poor parents chose to live. The Gas company wanted their Money from a previous bill and before I could come to their rescue, the gas company turned off their gas. So I tried to pay the delinquent bill , but it was way over $1000.00 , so I was not able to get it turned back on again. I had an electric grill, with two burners, so I took it down there with hopes they wouldn't have to use it for long. Then much to my horror the Light company shut the lights off . Little Cody called me and said: Grandma our lights were shut off. Not being able to have the lights turned on right away , I had to bring kerosine lamps . The next day I paid the bill. I babysat all the while the Mom worked about nine months. I took an old round wash tub down to use, so I could heat the water and bathe the children. I had to heat many pails of water. Then the water Company came and shut the water off. We hauled water for a week and then I paid to get it turned on again. I bought lots of treats and food for the family. All the diapers I had to buy, as there were three in diapers. I made sure the children were well fed and clean. After the sweet children were clean and in a clean bed , I would clean until Mom came home. Then I found out that two men had hung themselves in that house. It was a nasty big old house. The Father finally recieved Disability backpay and then they could move to a nice house. But try living on $1,200.00, a month and their rent is $675.00 per month. They are still living in poverty, but with my continual help, they are doing ok. I just wish they could find a cheaper home, but when we call and tell the home owner there are seven children, they slam the phone down. It is sad to be poor. I purchase Family Swimming passes and pay for their cable bill, so the childlren can have some enjoyment. I Love them Dearly. Then I think of the families who do not have Grandparents who help. The little children suffer from want. They say Grandma, could you buy this and that. Last year I bought twelve nice coats washed them up, and made them smell good by rinsing with Snuggle. Even if a person is poor , you have to do the best you can. Otherwise Department of Human Services come knocking on the door. I pray everyday, that their lives will become better. But I don't know how. Hopefully, the Mom can work and bring in some money. There is no money for luxery of any kind. Even toilet paper is a struggle to buy. This Month, by the time all the bills were paid out of the Disability money, there is only $15.00 left. I bought diapers today . If only someone could offer the Father a job, on a computer. It would be great.

Answer 3

Go to your university library and find a book called "A Framework for Understanding Poverty" by Ruby Payne. There are numerous useful stories and examples provided, as well as a survey of skills that identify whether one could survive in a situation of poverty. She also explains the hidden rules of the different classes--what is valued by people in poverty vs. what is valued by people in middle class vs. what is valued by people in upper class.

This is an excellent resource. It really helped me understand why some of my students behave the way they do.

Answer 4

it is in basic terms an occasion of a fashion of proposing the comparable alleged data in this kind of trend as to assist ones time table - in the two the object and the speeches. case in point, Alaska is the main important state contained in the Union as reported contained in the speech - however the rebuttal develop into this is in basic terms the 40-seventh best in inhabitants. certain diagnosis of the tax plans - yet no point out contained in the object of the implications and actual tax will enhance through elevating company and employer taxes would have on the guy, midsection classification worker. the final analysis? as quickly as I hear to a speech from the two the DNC or the RNC - i comprehend they are going to be biased. while i seem to the key circulate media for records, i do no longer desire to work out an op-column.