Unveiling America's Silent Tragedies: Death Penalty and Homelessness

The Death Penalty and Homelessness: An Analysis

The death penalty and homelessness in America are topics few are willing to discuss in this country and other countries around the world. The truth is that both of those topics are unpleasant to think about, let alone, discuss with others. The reality of it is that someone, somewhere, must address these issues. It may not be amusing or enjoyable, however, human beings, in all actuality are suffering because of each of these dilemmas. Many chose to ignore problems that others experience in life and seem to think trouble will never show up on their own doorstep. Usually, this causes shock and awe when they come face to face with a problem they chose to ignore for so long. Tragic scenarios play out

However, by no means is it any less of an important issue that should be addressed. In John Grisham’s essay “Somewhere for Everyone” he describes the homeless as soldiers fighting a battle, this could not be truer. The homeless face so many struggles in their day to day life. This includes fighting to stay alive, hence the reference to “street-soldiers, preparing for the coming battles” (Grisham). Grisham makes a case for the homeless and how not all of them wish to be associated with drugs and alcohol. Unfortunately, that’s how most of the public views them. It’s easy to write off the homeless when not faced with their unfortunate realities. It’s the mindset that if they’re ignored or unnoticed then the problem will vanish. That is not reality and that mentality facilitates a sense of taking blessings for granite. Instead, realize that there is a problem and even something as simple as giving your nugatory pocket change to someone sleeping under a bridge at night can make an enormous impact. John Grisham realizes this, so should the rest of

If reading an essay is not compelling enough for some, possibly reading unbiased facts can be of more persuasion. Begin by understanding that roughly 564,708 American were homeless as of 2016. Over 80,000 of those homeless Americans are chronically homeless, meaning they’ve been homeless for over a year. About half of the homeless population are over fifty years of age, this creates another issue (“2016's Shocking”). The struggles worsen as those homeless individuals grow older, health begins to be of major concern for such poor living standards. Homelessness can also drastically impact the outcome of life, regardless of age. The chances of illness, injury, and death all increase “For every age group, homeless persons are three times more likely to die than the general population. Middle-aged homeless men and young homeless women are at particularly increased risk” (“The Hard, Cold Facts”). Perhaps, one of the most disturbing aspects of homelessness in America are the troubles that homeless women and their families face. The most common sheltered, homeless families are made up of a mother in her twenties and two children. This is because Eighty-four percent of families who are homeless are led by a single mother. This is caused by the abundant vulnerability of single parent households to become homeless. Those families are statistically among the poorest in this country leading to many