Author: Abby Tyrell
Essay topic: Poverty

What does it mean to be poor?

 Poor. This word has evolved with civilizations. With every different civilization there is a new perception of the word. But does anyone really know what it means? Being poor is not just having no money; poverty means more that just what people understand.

Poor is not being able to buy luxury items or things to use just for entertainment. In the Oxford English Dictionary (2013) poor is defined as “lacking sufficient money to live at a standard considered comfortable or normal in society”. But is being poor really uncomfortable? Is it really abnormal in society?People just assume negatives things about being poor because it is seen as a negative topic.  There could be people in your classroom that are poor and you don’t even notice.

Poor is learning how to look past the negatives and look at the positives. In Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem (Scout's older brother) invites Walter Cunningham over for lunch one afternoon. When Jem, Walter, and Scout arrive at their house, Scout says, “By the time we reached our front steps Walter had forgotten he was a Cunningham”(31). Again, in chapter 3  Atticus is trying to convince Scott to stay in school, he tells her, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from their point of view...”(39). This makes one think about putting their self in one's shoes before judging them.

Poor is like being a book metaphorically. Ones cover does not explain the whole story. In the congolese proverb it states, “Being dressed well doesn't prevent one from being poor”. This quote shows that looks aren't everything, and you need to look through the cover to see the real thing.

In 2015, poverty does not depend on what you dress like or where you live, it depends on the income you make dependent on the number of people in your household according to the 2015 poverty guidelines. The average number of people in a family in the U.S. is 4 people, so for example if you have 4 people in your house the income you should have is $24,250.

   In conclusion, being poor is not uncomfortable or it doesn't make one unhappy, it just makes one appreciate the things they have sooner than later.

Work cited

http://aspe.hhs.gov/2015-poverty-guidelines

Harper Lee To Kill a Mockingbird

http://www.oed.com/