Shivam Kothari Mrs. Branda American Literature 12 April 2024 The Broken Life Imagine a poor family living in a broken house with no heat or plumbing. On top of that, imagine that the family doesn’t have any food for the night. Yet, the father has a severe drinking addiction and both the parents frequently quit their jobs. Also, the family isn't using any of their resources wisely. Imagine what life would look like for this family. Well, in the memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the family lives in many different places throughout the world. The family is constantly moving from places like Phoenix to Welch, West Virginia to New York City. The family is in poverty and persistently trying to move to different places in the search for
…show more content…
If Rosemary had sold this land, she and Rex would have been lifted out of poverty and lived a better life. Another example of Rex and Rosemary not using their resources wisely is them not accepting welfare: “...Mom and Dad never applied for welfare or food stamps, and they always refused charity. When teachers gave us bags of clothes from church drives, Mom made us take them back” (Walls 159). There is nothing morally wrong with accepting welfare. If Rex and Rosemary use the available resources and accept welfare, the family would be able to save a lot of money. This money can then be used for other things like food. Therefore, if the family accepts welfare, the Walls family wouldn’t be in poverty. Overall, both Rex and Rosemary fail to use their resources wisely, leading them to remain in poverty and not come out of poverty. Through Walls’ commentary on poverty, readers relate to the theme of poverty and how people can easily come out of it. People can come out of poverty by not having a severe alcohol addiction, maintaining diligence in work, and using the resources provided …show more content…
Rex and Rosemary don’t show any diligence in their work, and often quit their jobs in order to achieve their unrealistic goals. For example, Rosemary wants to pursue her dream of being an artist, despite having a teaching degree. When the three kids, Lori, Jeannette, and Brain moved to New York City, all of them became successful due to them using their resources wisely. However, failure of the parents to use their resources wisely leads the parents to remain in poverty. If the parents had sold the $1 million land or accepted food stamps, the Walls family would have been lifted out of poverty. Overall, Walls’ message about coming out of poverty is supported by real world examples and statistics. Statistics show 56% of people leave poverty after entering poverty (Stevens). Famous people like Oprah Winfrey also grew up poor, but all of them successfully came out of poverty. Poverty doesn’t discriminate and Walls says this family was no exception, too. Moreover, people can prevent themselves from entering poverty and anyone can be lifted out of poverty with a little dedication and
If Rosemary had sold this land, she and Rex would have been lifted out of poverty and lived a better life. Another example of Rex and Rosemary not using their resources wisely is them not accepting welfare: “...Mom and Dad never applied for welfare or food stamps, and they always refused charity. When teachers gave us bags of clothes from church drives, Mom made us take them back” (Walls 159). There is nothing morally wrong with accepting welfare. If Rex and Rosemary use the available resources and accept welfare, the family would be able to save a lot of money. This money can then be used for other things like food. Therefore, if the family accepts welfare, the Walls family wouldn’t be in poverty. Overall, both Rex and Rosemary fail to use their resources wisely, leading them to remain in poverty and not come out of poverty. Through Walls’ commentary on poverty, readers relate to the theme of poverty and how people can easily come out of it. People can come out of poverty by not having a severe alcohol addiction, maintaining diligence in work, and using the resources provided …show more content…
Rex and Rosemary don’t show any diligence in their work, and often quit their jobs in order to achieve their unrealistic goals. For example, Rosemary wants to pursue her dream of being an artist, despite having a teaching degree. When the three kids, Lori, Jeannette, and Brain moved to New York City, all of them became successful due to them using their resources wisely. However, failure of the parents to use their resources wisely leads the parents to remain in poverty. If the parents had sold the $1 million land or accepted food stamps, the Walls family would have been lifted out of poverty. Overall, Walls’ message about coming out of poverty is supported by real world examples and statistics. Statistics show 56% of people leave poverty after entering poverty (Stevens). Famous people like Oprah Winfrey also grew up poor, but all of them successfully came out of poverty. Poverty doesn’t discriminate and Walls says this family was no exception, too. Moreover, people can prevent themselves from entering poverty and anyone can be lifted out of poverty with a little dedication and