Most Americans have strolled by a homeless person in the city without halting. The majority of us have sat nervously in our cars at a stoplight while a homeless person with a sign pace between the rows of cars, requesting cash, work, or both. In America, worthy causes are a never-ending list, however in 1998 popular writer and previous legal advisor John Grisham upheld homeless as a cause that needs immediate attention. In his article, "Somewhere for Everyone," Grisham contends that while the destitute must adapt to a lack of food, dwellings, and appropriate medical services, their greatest hindrance is really city laws and unconcerned Americans. Meghan O’Rourke lets the reader know what they already had some knowledge of, yet in a new way. O'Rourke, an accomplished poet and essayist, can light up one part of …show more content…
the American healthcare system brilliantly enough so that even the dimmest layman can comprehend the chaos at the heart of our medical practice.
Throughout her piece she discusses her personal struggles and successes while weaving in informative bits of data. Both Grisham and O’Rourke effectively balance emotional appeals, character, and rationale trying to move their readers from a condition of lack of care to compassion, and maybe even to action.
"Somewhere for Everyone" by John Grisham was composed in a period when certain things were not talked about. His words, "For a brief period back in the '80s, homelessness was the chic issue of the pretty people" (Perkins 258) metaphorically imply that it's only an isolated incidence and soon there would be a different issue to talk about. The perception that individuals used to characterize this group were as though
they were simply greedy. He was not exposed to the truth of what was truly going on in the world coming from a small town where homelessness was nonexistent. Grisham noticed that "homeless" as a portrayal for exceptionally needy individuals was never utilized (Perkins 258). Generally, homeless were looked at to be the individuals who had alcohol issues, poor money management, as well as criminals. O’Rourke’s “ Doctors Tell All- and it’s Bad” sets out to challenge the efficacy of doctors, those mentally elite, lucratively paid, Grey's Anatomy saints who were at one time their folks' dream children. O'Rourke's contention, bolstered by a few as of late released collections of memoirs by disillusioned doctors, is that practitioners are too overworked, rushed, and dredged in bureaucracy to have the capacity to give individualized, patient-centered care. O'Rourke refers to passages from the doctor's own testimony to the average quality of their care because of their bustling calendars. She states that one of the doctors has said “Any patient in a hospital, when we take their clothes away and lay them in a bed, starts to lose identity”(O’Rourke) It is through her quotes from numerous sources that the reader truly gets an insight into the other side of medical care. Throughout “Somewhere for Everyone” Grisham transports his readers to that exact moment he is dealing with. He speaks of being “accosted by an angry panhandler”(Perkins 258). His choice of words is what brings the image to life. Rather than say he was confronted, he uses accosted. He then goes on to describe the conditions homeless people are forced to endure. “They will sleep in the trunks of old cars, and in parks I wouldn’t walk through in daylight, and in abandoned buildings in inner-city combat zones” paints an almost unreal picture of the conditions homeless live in (Perkins 259). To continue the journey Grisham goes on describing the “growing threat” of homelessness (Perkins 259). From the panhandler being charged with “blocking pedestrian traffic or loitering , to the young children at the soup kitchen ,” little street soldiers, preparing for the coming battles” of living on the streets (Perkins 260). Grisham uses his fictional writing ability to describe a lifestyle he can only experience as an onlooker. In comparison O’Rourke’s “Doctors Tell All- and it’s Bad” takes us to the sterile and cold environment of the hospital medical system. Where Grisham uses mostly his observations, O’Rourke is able to use her real life experience. She states “this essay isn’t about how I was right and my doctors were wrong”. She describes her experience once in the hospital, “The lighting was harsh, the food terrible, the rooms loud” (O’Rourke). Within this article O’Rourke describes precisely how many people experience hospital encounters. “In the hospital, I always felt like Alice at the Mad Hatter’s tea party: I had woken up in a world that seemed utterly logical to its inhabitants, but quite mad to me”(O’Rourke). With each new paragraph O’Rourke is able to deliver the reader to a seat right beside her in the hospital. “The organizational chaos and the emotional detachment as nurses, doctors, and administrators bustle in and out, barely registering the human distress it is their job to address” brings the reader directly to the Emergency Room (O’Rourke). Grisham and O’Rourke both interject humor and fiction like descriptions throughout their works. Grisham discusses homelessness to inform his readers of a growing problem strictly from the outsider’s viewpoint. Whereas O’Rourke uses her work to bring to light the growing communication issue between medical practitioners and patients. Both essays allow readers glimpses into worlds they may not encounter on a regular basis and bring to light growing issues. In the course of O’Rourke’s work she not only focuses on the patient experiences but also the doctors. She recounts her very long and frustrating journey with medical professionals to try to learn the cause of her symptoms. While recounting her experiences O’Rourke interjects humorous descriptions of her encounters with descriptions that transport the reader directly to that moment. She also discovers that doctors are likewise becoming just as frustrated and disillusioned with the system as told in a few recently published books on the subject. She writes, “In 1973, 85 percent of physicians said they had no doubts about their career choice. In 2008, only 6 percent “described their morale as positive,” … Doctors today are more likely to kill themselves than are members of any other professional group”(O’Rourke) Her use of conversational writing paired with interjections of humor and fiction type descriptions engages the reader and maintains their attention on a controversial and important topic. Grisham’s work, on the other hand, is unlike any of his other works. The perspective from John Grisham's work "Somewhere for Everyone" is one of empathy. Grisham inspects the regularly ignored way of life of the homeless. Grisham clarifies his adolescence encounters with the homeless, an unsettling encounter with one specific homeless individual amid Grisham's adulthood and ultimately he endeavored to speak with the homeless society referring to a couple of purposeful personal encounters. Grisham clarifies the experiences as he refers to," I almost froze on a park bench one night as I tried to strike up a conversation with a homeless man who suspected I was from the IRS. I talked politics with a panhandler near the Capitol”(Perkins 260). The effect that his encounters had on him are clearly seen when he states, “I cried only once” (Perkins 260). It is through that admission of emotion that the reader may begin to be persuaded to action. Nonetheless, in the most literal sense of the question it is unmistakably conveyed that Grisham's view is that of an outsider. Each essayist created informative articles yet neither approached them with a true journalistic writing style. In Grisham’s work a more conversational and fictional approach is taken. It is almost as if he is speaking with a close friend while remembering his encounters with the panhandler. O’Rourke on the other hand approaches the subject of healthcare with a similar writing style. She recounts her personal experiences within the healthcare system with humor and almost light heartedness. O’Rourke does enter into the a more journalistic approach when she discusses the factual numbers in specific issues. O'Rourke contends compellingly for a medical system that promotes healing instead of monetary benefit for medical corporations. She uncovered the stories of disillusioned doctors and offers conceivable answers for overworked doctors and under-treated patients. She advises the reader that they don't need to settle for mediocre care. They can change the system if they want to, if they are willing join together and speak up for change. Grisham needed to uncover the issue of homelessness to American readers who are for the most part clueless about the emergency. He starts by conceding that he was once unconcerned about the issue of homelessness. As per Grisham, homeless were disregarded or stayed away from in the place where he grew up. He never considered where they sleep, how they live with no medical care, or how young mothers survive. He never understood that laws against loitering or sleeping on park benches represents “a new and growing threat” to homeless people (Perkins 258).The defining moment came when Grisham wanted to write about a street layer for his next book and was compelled to confront every one of these issues head-on. "My research," he states, "took me into the world of the homeless" (Perkins 258). There, in Washington D.C., Grisham encountered the routines of street life and talked with homeless face to face. Once a complacent American, Grisham's involvement in D.C. forced him to understand that "the problem [...] is not solved by removing victims from our view" (Perkins 258). Though each author took slightly different approaches and their topics were very different, both Grisham and O’Rourke managed to balance their emotional appeals to their audience. As well as maintain their character and rationale while persuading the reader to take a deeper look into these issues.
Diane Urban, for instance, was one of the many people who were trapped inside this horror. She “was comforting a woman propped against a wall, her legs virtually amputated” (96). Flynn and Dwyer appeal to the reader’s ethical conscience and emotions by providing a story of a victim who went through many tragedies. Causing readers to feel empathy for the victims. In addition, you began to put yourself in their shoes and wonder what you would do.
Previously, the narrator has intimated, “She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own.” Her thoughts and emotions engulf her, but she does not “struggle” with them. They “belonged to her and were her own.” She does not have to share them with anyone; conversely, she must share her life and her money with her husband and children and with the many social organizations and functions her role demands.
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
Statistically, over 670,000 Americans are homeless with a growing number. 48 million people go to bed hungry every night. Although we do provide shelters and opportunities in America, millions of people are homeless worldwide. Even on a more minor level there are still hundreds homeless within hometowns. Everyday we encounter the homeless whether by seeing them holding their personal signs at stoplights, confronts with beggars, or viewing them from afar under bridges. In her essay titled “On Compassion”, writer Barbara Ascher uses rhetorical techniques detailing some of her personal homeless experiences within the city life, Asher does effectively use logos, pathos,
Grisham writes “Somewhere for Everyone” in which he asserts that homelessness is harming mankind. All throughout history homelessness has dependably been an issue. However, as of not long ago individual tensions are beginning to arise towards the homelessness. Grisham questions himself to why individuals are not taking care of this issue. Hundreds of years prior, it was known for the rich individuals to compose occasions such philanthropies to assist poor people. It has come to the heart of the matter were those of
It’s shown satirically on television, made fun of in music, and joked about in day-to-day activities: being homeless. I don’t understand what’s so funny about being homeless. The struggle to stay alive in an uninviting climate with nothing but the clothes on your back, doesn’t seem very fun. Yet in the media, being homeless is still treated like a joke. In the essay “Homeless” by Anna Quindlen, the reader is shown what it truly means to be without a home. My view on the struggles that homeless people have to endure is very similar to that of Quindlen’s in her essay, which perfectly captured the reality of what it is like to be without a home, and what it truly means to be homeless; while simultaneously demonstrating to me the negative effect
Although most people know what homelessness is and it occurs in most societies, it is important to define because the forces of displacement vary greatly, along with the arrangement and meaning of the resulting transient state. The Stewart B McKinney Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 defined a homeless person as “an individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence or a person who resides in a shelter, welfare hotel, transitional program or place not ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation, such as streets, cars, movie theaters, abandoned buildings, etc.” Resent surveys conducted in the U.S. have confirmed that the homeless population in America is extremely diverse and includes representatives from all segments of society, including: the old and young, men and women, single people and families, city dwellers and rural residents, whites and people of color, employed and unemployed, able workers and people with serious health problems. The diversity among people that are homeless reflects how difficult it is to generalize the causes of homelessness and the needs of homeless people. Robert Rosenheck M.D., the author of Special Populations of Homeless Americans, explains the importance of studying homelessness based on subgroups, “each subgroup [of homeless people] has unique service needs and identifying these needs is critical for program planning and design.” Despite these diversities, homelessness is a devastating situation for all that experience it. Not only have homeless people lost their dwelling, but they have also lost their safety, privacy, control, and domestic comfort.
In the early hours of the morning on Thursday, January 3, 2013, James G. Fulmer was found frozen to death on the steps of a Nashville Church. James Fulmer was 50 years old, homeless, and physically handicapped (wsmv.com). His tragic story is just one of almost 1,000 homeless men and women will suffer death caused by hypothermia each year. (nationalhomeless.org). Every night in the United States, over 600,000 people encounter homelessness. Their stories are diverse and their paths to homelessness, varied. Many have found themselves on the streets due to domestic violence, job loss and mental illness (npr.org). Some were teachers, accountants, musicians, painters, and even doctors. So many of the homeless population once lead normal lives. Yet, there is a social stigma that views the homeless as lazy, unwilling to work, uneducated and even untrustworthy. In a Capitalist society that places the highest value on image and the almighty dollar, there seems to be little desire to interact with these “outcasts”.
At any given time, approximately 600,000 homeless survive at the front door of America. They are sleeping in parks, living in cardboard boxes, sitting on street corners, and resting under bridges. Terrible hunger gnaws at their stomachs as they search for food. Society labels the homeless as useless and worthless, but they are not. They are children, grandmothers, grandfathers, mothers, and fathers that need a place to sleep, eat, and live. What does society do to help? Nothing. Society hurries home from work, shopping, and leisure, worrying about who will win the next football game. Society is not worried about where their next meal will come from, where they will sleep, or where they will be tomorrow. Although it is difficult for society not to feel discomfort at seeing homeless people, it is the homeless who pay for the way people feel about them. Alienation of the homeless in America is a direct result of injustice, health issues, and societal attitudes; however, solutions are available to society as they are obligated to all of their citizenry, including the homeless.
“Homeless is more than being without a home. It is tied into education needs, food, security; health issues both mental and physical, employment issues, etc. Don’t forget the whole picture.” (“Boxed In” 2005 pg. 108)
Today in the U.S. there is a large percentage of people that are homeless. There are so many questions when one sees a homeless person, for example why doesn’t he or she get a job and get out of the streets? People that make comments like the one just made probably doesn’t really know anyone that is homeless so they do no understand what they go through. In the book “ Tell Me Who I Am,’’ Elliot Liebow tries to explain what the cost and gains are for women living in a homeless shelter.
...reader to walk away, giving anyone the chance who is willing to stand against the injustices of society. She uses her own personal afflictions in order to better create a stronger, individualized woman after the acquisition of hope. She uses her story; she enlists the help of the reader to put justice and hope back into society. Therefore, "Let us begin."
She continues in this sequel to talk about the abuse she faced and the dysfunction that surrounded her life as a child and as a teen, and the ‘empty space’ in which she lived in as a result. She talks about the multiple personalities she was exhibiting, the rebellious “Willie” and the kind “Carol”; as well as hearing noises and her sensory problems. In this book, the author puts more emphasis on the “consciousness” and “awareness” and how important that was for her therapeutic process. She could not just be on “auto-pilot” and act normal; the road to recovery was filled with self-awareness and the need to process all the pieces of the puzzle—often with the guidance and assistance of her therapist. She had a need to analyze the abstract concept of emotions as well as feelings and thoughts. Connecting with others who go through what she did was also integral to her
Walking down the streets of large cities it is common to see men, women, and sometimes even whole families laying beside buildings. Some people may ignore them and keep walking, some feel frightened, and some see the homeless as a human being and treat them like one. These people tend to be dirty, smelly, or they have a sad look that has overtaken their faces because of their struggle to survive. The people sleeping outside of buildings are homeless. Being homeless means not having anywhere to call home, although it also can mean living in a place that was never intended to house humans, such as a bus stop or a highway underpass. It is tempting to wedge the homeless together under a single label but there are an abundance of contrasting causes
This great nation of awesome power and abundant resources is losing the battle against homelessness. The casualties can be seen on the street corners of every city in American holding an ?I will work for food? sign. Homeless shelters and rescue missions are at full capacity. There is no room at the inn for the nation?s indigent. Anyone who has studied this issue understands that homelessness is a complex problem. Communities continue to struggle with this socio-economic problem while attempting to understand its causes and implement solutions. The public and private sectors of this country are making a difference in the lives of the homeless by addressing the issues of housing, poverty and education.