Homeless to Harvard

556 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Destiny in life essay

People are all told from a young age that they can do anything if they set their minds to it. It all depends on one’s life situation and upbringing. Some people are born into a wealthy family with many benefits and end up in jail or addicted to drugs. Other people could easily be born into a rough life living on the streets and grow up to be extremely wealthy and successful. Hardships that are thrown at a person can either make or break them. Regardless of the hardships, everyone is given the same chance to get out of the abusive, destructive, or unsafe situations that they are put into. Whether or not one’s choices and life reflect their past is completely up to that person. The chances of someone replicating Lily, Jeannette, or Liz’s story is unlikely but possible. Their stories were all unique to them. The way their life turned from “rags to riches”, both physically and emotionally, was purely by persistence, passion, bravery, and being in the right place at the right time. They all realized what they wanted and what they had to do to make those changes, and they went ...

Show More
Related

  • Nature vs Nurture in Truman Capote’s Novel, In Cold Blood

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is quite evident that a combination of life experiences and heredity determine who one eventually becomes. Some people are blessed by having a good childhood and coming from a loving and nurturing home, which allows them to flourish in society; yet there are others who come from similar backgrounds are unable of functioning in society. Then there are the people who are born into a dysfunctional family or go through a traumatic experience and are simply incapable of adapting to social norms because of what they have experienced. Despite knowing that a combination of the two shape who one becomes, it is unclear whether one of them has more influence than the other.

    Read More

  • Similar Difficulties in "Angela’s Ashes" by Frank McCourt and "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

    2023 Words  | 5 Pages

    This goes to show that with guts and determination, those who are desperate enough to bring about a change, are the ones who are able to utilize what they have to get what they desire. Poverty, addiction and abuse are major obstacles that individuals from rough background face on their way to success. Moreover, it is their education and their ability to utilize their talents, as well as having the audacity to chase their ambitions incessantly, that helps them utilize and exploit the opportunities that open up for them.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of The Podcast's 'Three Miles'

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Growing up in a more privileged environment things may come easier to one. But one should not be surprised of those that are in a less fortunate situation that are not able to reach certain heights, compared to someone from a more privileged back ground. Even if one is not in the best environment, they are able to make a choice to keep fighting for a better life. In the podcast “Three Miles” that is exactly the attitude described from a girl name Raquel, on the other hand Melanie froze her life doing what she thought she deserved. Though Raquel and Melanie had similar backgrounds in that they were raised in the same poor neighborhood and attended the same indigent high school, in the end Raquel was able to succeed in her life after getting denied a Posse scholarship, whereas Melanie worked in a supermarket for ten years, feeling that was as good as it was going to get.

    Read More

  • Shadowy Lines that Still Divide by Janny Scott

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    If kids or people grow up in a bad environment not suitable for learning or being self-productive, it will be significantly harder for them to leave that environment and make a living for themselves. They will be caught up in the gang lifestyle.... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Homelessness In College Students By Eleanor J. Bader

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    When we think of homelessness, we often think of people middle aged and older. For many years now, the problem has become more real to the younger generation. Some are there by choice but still, many are there because of circumstances beyond their control. In the report written by Eleanor J. Bader, she uncovers some of the faces of homeless people that just happen to be college students. According to Mary Jean LeTendre, who was interviewed in the report, “no college has ever asked for help in reaching homeless students” (638).

    Read More

  • Essay On Homelessness In Boston

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    When people see the homeless, they are quick to assume whether the homeless are where they’re at because of drugs, or not being in a stable environment. However, homeless people rarely receive an opportunity to tell their life stories or even have the chance to explain how they ended up in the situations they are in. Homelessness in Boston has persisted and increased for decades. Though there have been efforts to combating the issues of homelessness and housing, it appears that there is no solution in sight. Winter have become nightmares for most of the homeless population in Boston. Weather ranges from thirty degrees down to ten, sometimes single numbers. Weather that is below freezing are moments where people like myself, need to be in warm places. Kourtney McLean is a woman financially and emotionally not stable enough to take care of herself. Ms. McLean has been living on the streets for almost all her life --homeless and struggling to get on her

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography Homelessness And The Homeless Essay

    705 Words  | 2 Pages

    Annotated Bibliography: “Homelessness and the selfish society”. “Homelessness, Citizenship, and Identity : The Uncanniness of Late Modernity” Arnold, Kathleen R. 2004 Kathleen’s book brings up many detailed facts about how homelessness is a never-ending situation due to mental illness, poverty, social structure and political parties. She discusses how many of society groups illegal immigrants, mentally ill, jobless and many other categories under the homeless category.

    Read More

  • Oprah Winfrey: Sexually Abusive Childhood

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some people think it is impossible for someone to become productive if they had an abusive or neglected childhood. There are many people that recovered from an abusive childhood. One person that you will read about later on in my essay is, Oprah Winfrey. She used to be sexually abused when in her childhood. Look at her now, she is one of the highest paid women. Not only that, she is an African American woman. People believed women were not capable of being better than a man and/or working harder than a man. Especially African American women, we were the lowest of the lows. Oprah proved many people wrong.

    Read More

  • Homeless in The United States

    1319 Words  | 3 Pages

    Homelessness is a problem that happens in many different countries around the world. Definitions of homelessness are defined in different meanings by different people. However, the Stewart B. McKinney Act defines a homeless person as “ one who lacks a fixed permanent nighttime residence or whose nighttime residence is a temporary shelter, welfare hotel, or any public or private place not designed as sleeping accommodations for human beings” (McNamara 1025). It is impossible to find out exactly the number of homeless; however, the researchers can do a study to estimate that number. Based on different statistics from different researchers, the homeless population in America has been increasing as “an alarming rate” (Markos and Lima). Therefore, even though America is one of the most powerful countries in the world, homelessness, which has many common causes, has always been a big problem in society.

    Read More

  • The Homeless in America

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Homeless in America I never imagined that I would be homeless. " Although I have read this statement over and over again, the facts behind it remain astonishing. The facts are that there are millions of homeless people in America today. Many of these people had no choice but to become homeless. Economic problems such as being laid off work, or the rise in the cost of housing, have led people to live on the streets.

    Read More

  • Homeless In America Essay

    1583 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many people debate on weather homeless people should receive guidance or just be abandoned. Do homeless people deserve our service and to be supported, or are they just lazy individuals trying to take advantage of people? Homelessness is a growing dispute in cities. It has became an extensive problem for the community. Homelessness can not and should not be ignored. The number of homeless people in the United States is quickly growing. It seems like no one cares to help them. Even our heroes like police officers show no sympathy towards the homeless. “Homeless people appeared on the streets of Bucharest in 1990. Since then, their number and the problems created by this phenomenon have steadily increased in all major

    Read More

  • Narrative Essay On Being A Homeless

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    I would like to start by saying how I see it and define it in my own words. It is the state where an individual doesn’t have a normal house and are not financially stable in life. It is the situation where you have to look after yourself or another person that is also homeless. You won’t be able to find the proper housing like a normal and secured place to live. All day and all night, you will be trying to sustain yourself from everyday challenges, like looking for food to eat, a place to live, and proper clothing.

    Read More

  • African American Struggles

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    Our life experience molds the beings that we become. Whether we are born into the power of an entire dynasty or delivered under a shanty roof, we are changed. Many people experience financial and political hardships during their lifetime and consequently become harsh, untrusting people who look out only for themselves and pay little attention to anyone else. In comparison, many people experience simple, middle-class lives and take for granted what they have, avoiding a variety of these hardships and struggles. Further, some people live wealthy, upper-class and receive anything that their heart desires, but they grow ignorant to the hardships of life and the everyday struggles of work and responsibility that everyone else suffers from,

    Read More

  • The American Dream: A Dream Or A Nightmare?

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...people turn to the people in the past that have overcome incredible odds to achieve great things. People like Linden Strandberg who became successful in unconventional ways are often looked at for inspiration for achieving thing that generally do not seem possible. When looking at examples like Mark Zuckerberg it can sometimes be misleading because he had accomplished so much in his life already. People love a good underdog story to help them cope with their own letdowns and failures but stories like Zuckerberg’s are outliers they are not the norm. Strandberg’s story was one that was more plausible and more feasible for its time. Nowadays someone going from nothing to something is just as close to impossible as you can get.

    Read More

  • Transcendental Homelessness

    418 Words  | 1 Pages

    Franz Kafka’s novel ‘Das Schloss’ can be seen as a very deep and personal autobiographical piece of writing. One very protruding theme Kafka seems to revolve around is the question of transcendence. The novel begins with the character K. arriving late at night to a village wanting a place to stay the night. We do not know much about K., other than the fact that he said that he was a land surveyor. We are not given any history of this character.

    Read More

More about Homeless to Harvard

Open Document