As the Census Bureau reports the highest number of poor people since it has been publishing figures, it’s worth turning to George Bernard Shaw’s “Major Barbara,” which reveals the true cost of poverty.
Tag Archives: poverty
It Sucks to Be Poor
Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” offers a response to those who want to blame the recession on the poor.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Charles Dickens, Hard Times, politics, Sherman Alexie Comments closed
Reaching Out to the Needy in Tough Times
Yet having nothing, the Joads still share. In the final scene of The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck taps into the legend of “Roman Charity” where a daughter breastfeeds her starving father. In this case, however, Rose of Sharon feeds a starving stranger. A new human family is rising out of the ashes of the old.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck, Medicare, politics Comments closed
Forget Bootstrapism – We Need Each Other
Always be suspicious of people who talk about pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps. The image is an excellent one since you can only rise if you have help from others. Yet many people think they are somehow diminished if they can’t claim to have risen on their own. Thanks to Dickens, there […]
