Mr. Venkattesh: What's Like To Live In The Poor

564 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sociological analysis theory

Mr. Venkatesh was a student of University of Chicago, majoring in Sociology. He was trying to do some research on the poor areas in the area and see how their living styles. Looking around the environments has him wondering do people in this type of life style go to work. How are they bringing in money for their family? What’s like to live in the poor area? He was interested in the poor black neighborhoods that surrounded the university and he wanted to study them. He wanted to explore how the black folks lived in the projects, he wanted to know how life was like the challenges it took for those who live there. The sacrifices it takes to move forward and how poverty affects the way of living it would soon lead him to an adventure that would soon change his way to look at life differently and …show more content…

With the qualitative research he wanted to understand more through first hand observation of the researches than learned it through the window of the quantitative method. His research later on is based on the knowledge he gained upon collecting and observing from the life of the residents and from gang members. I started to think that venkatesh was brave to do a research like this and put himself in danger just so he can get a good understanding on how low income families live. Venkatesh shows that the most recent solution to poverty in public housing was the wholesale destruction of the entire housing project and the forced removal of the poor from their homes. I find it quite understanding on how the residents lived. Not saying have a better lifestyle or anything but I can say I relate to their struggle and feelings living in a poor enviorment.people don’t understand how it is to live in a household full of people with no money coming in from nobody, not even your parents. This struggle leads up to people doing anything in their power to have

Show More
Related

  • What Is The Last Taboo By Julia Whitty Summary

    1023 Words  | 3 Pages

    In order to understand why Whitty’s argument is effectively communicated it must be noted that this article was published in the politically progressive magazine, Mother Jones. The audience of Mother Jones mostly consists of young adults, mostly women, who want to be informed on the corruptness of the media, the government and the corporate world. In order to be fully effective in presenting her points, Whitty starts her article by creating a gloomy imagery through her story of the city of Calcutta and the hard lives which its citizens live. Through her use of words such as “broken down…. Smoky streets” to describe the scene at Calcutta, she is able to create this gloomy image. She ties this gloomy story to how the population of Calcutta is the reason for the harsh living environment and how immense its population density is when compared to cities like New York. Additionally, she discusses how the increase in population has caused harsh lives for individuals in the Himalayas, the rest of India and the rest of the world. Through these examples she ties the notion that the root causes of such hard lives are because of the “dwindling of resources and escalating pollution,” which are caused by the exponential growth of humankind. She goes on to

    Read More

  • Separate Pasts Sparknotes

    1301 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ism and segregation, it is what will keep any society form reaching is maximum potential. But fear was not evident in those who challenged the issue, Betty Jo, Street, Jerry, and Miss Carrie. They challenged the issue in different ways, whether it was by just simply living or it was a calculated attempt to change the perspective of a individual. McLurin illustrated the views of the reality that was segregation in the South, in the town of Wade, and how it was a sort of status quo for the town. The memories of his childhood and young adulthood, the people he encountered, those individuals each held a key in how they impacted the thoughts that the young McLurin had about this issue, and maybe helping unlock a way to challenge the issue and make the future generation aware of the dark stain on society, allowing for more growth and maximum potential in the coming years.

    Read More

  • It Ll All Come Out In The Wash By Joanne Crutchfield

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    The stories that the author told were very insightful to what life was like for an African American living in the south during this time period. First the author pointed out how differently blacks and whites lived. She stated “They owned the whole damn town. The majority of whites had it made in the shade. Living on easy street, they inhabited grand houses ranging from turn-of-the-century clapboards to historics”(pg 35). The blacks in the town didn’t live in these grand homes, they worked in them. Even in today’s time I can drive around, and look at the differences between the living conditions in the areas that are dominated by whites, and the areas that are dominated by blacks. Racial inequalities are still very prevalent In today’s society.

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Education In Montayj's 'Duggan'

    1776 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the novel, Duggan, Montayj depicts the consequences of lacking a proper education. Through the use of a character named Jackie, Montayj enables the reader to learn about the reality of poverty through her experiences and actions.

    Read More

  • Poverty in Everyday Use, Sonny's Blues, and The Cathedral

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    The notion of poverty has a very expanded meaning. Although all three stories use poverty as their theme, each interprets it differently. Consequently, it does not necessarily mean the state of extreme misery that has been described in ?Everyday Use?. As Carver points out, poverty may refer to poverty of one?s mind, which is caused primarily by the lack of education and stereotyped personality. Finally, poverty may reflect the hopelessness of one?s mind. Realizing that no bright future awaits them, Harlem kids find no sense in their lives. Unfortunately, the satisfaction of realizing their full potential does not derive from achieving standards that are unachievable by others. Instead, it arises uniquely from denigrating others, as the only way to be higher than someone is to put this person lower than you.

    Read More

  • On The Uses of a Liberal Education: As a Weapon In the Hands of the Restless Poor

    628 Words  | 2 Pages

    Shorris wanted to explore on poverty in America and write a book based on opinions on what keeps people poor. Therefore, as results of varied conversations with special people in prison, Shorris came to support the prisoner, Viniece Walker’s, argument that destitute students are those most in need of a liberal education. Viniece introduced Shorris to the thought of the “moral life of downtown”, meaning to expose them to museums, lectures, etc. (Page 2), which he understood as the need for reflection for the poor. This emphasizes the very fact that in order for the poor to escape from their “surround of force” (Page 1) they must undergo a transformation rooted in reflection and self-realization. Shorris believes that “the surround of force is what keeps the poor from being political and the absence of politics in their lives is what keeps them poor.”(Page 1) He further explains that by political he means: “activity with other people at every level, from the family to the neighborhood to the broader community city-state”(Page 1). This idea of a different type of learning, instead of your everyday math and English, but a broader education where there isn’t always a right or wrong answer is what Shorris believes is the key difference maker. Thus with these new realizations, Shorris set up an experiment to verify his theory of the importa...

    Read More

  • Behind the Beautiful Forevers Analysis

    1207 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...oes not show emotion to either side, which truly makes a difference. I am astounded that the slum dwellers of Annawadi are doing what they can to make it through the day, attempting to fulfill Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs of the Western world. This development into a Western country was short-cut ridden, the result of corruption and social structural factors that cause widespread poverty. The other side of greed is apparent within this non-fiction text, a moving text published by Katherine Boo.

    Read More

  • Life as a White Man in The Autobiography of An Ex-Colored Man

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    The sympathetic humanist might bristle at first, but would eventually concur. For it's hard to argue with poverty. At the time the novel was published (1912), America held very few opportunities for the Negro population. Some of the more successful black men, men with money and street savvy, were often porters for the railroads. In other words the best a young black man might hope for was a position serving whites on trains. Our protagonist--while not adverse to hard work, as evidenced by his cigar rolling apprenticeship in Jacksonville--is an artist and a scholar. His ambitions are immense considering the situation. And thanks to his fair skinned complexion, he is able to realize many, if not all, of them.

    Read More

  • Sudhir Venkatesh's Gang Leader For A Day

    1852 Words  | 4 Pages

    Moreover, my beliefs on poverty and gangs were different once I analyzed Venkatesh’s ethnography. In my views I thought that the poor were people who suffered without the essentials of life such as food, shelter, water, and the feeling of being safe. I would see people on the streets begging for money and donations, but I was always afraid that they would go and buy alcohol or cigarettes which are unhealthy for people. In my view, the poor are the ones that need help the most. They are the ones who have to scavenge for the necessities of life. When I was in middle school I was afraid of gangs, I was afraid that I would get shot from one of

    Read More

  • Just Walk On By Brent Staples

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    He portrays the racist tendency of people to assume black men are potentially violent and dangerous. He describes about a white woman’s reaction when she and him were walking on same street but on the opposite sides during the night. He says that women seemed to be worried, she felt uneasy and she thought that he was ‘menacingly close’. He even shares his experience on how he was taken as a burglar, mistaken as a killer and forced out of a jewelers store while doing assignment for a local paper. The reason behind being kicked out of the jeweler store and women running away was because he was a black man. During that period black men were stereotyped as rapist, murderer, and gang members. These names upon a person’s personality can hinder ones feelings and can also affect ones confidence level. Thus stereotyping can cause a person to miss opportunities and the person might face difficulties in building relationships with specific types of people. (Brent

    Read More

  • Self-Interest as a Driving Force in Arundhati Roy’s The God of Small Things

    1426 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...such that individuals disregard the desires of others, even those who are supposedly close to them, in order to advance their own goals. The combination of subthemes allows her to easily juxtapose Velutha with those who aim to ruin his life. Roy also emphasizes the importance of caste and maintaining social status through her depiction of Velutha’s father’s reaction to his son’s affair with a woman of a higher social class. Roy’s political beliefs can be seen interspersed throughout the story and she repeatedly comments on the post-colonial situation in India through the actions of her characters. The amalgamation of Roy’s views on the moral quality of human beings and the political character of 20th century India come together to support her assertion that those who are overly selfless and spend no time trying to get ahead in life ultimately lose in the long-term.

    Read More

  • Metamorphosis Essay

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...urther thinks, “people’s troubled relationship represents the effect of capitalism brought by industrialization in the town. I believe people care more about improving their financial status without caring about its effects on other people. For example, my father does not care about what I am going through provided he made money for the family”. Samsa finally supposes that his father’s hostility towards him show lack of appreciation for his money.

    Read More

  • The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

    982 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel, The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga the main character, is Balram, one of the children in the “darkness” of India. Adiga sheds a new light on the poor of India, by writing from the point of view of a man who was at one time in the “darkness” or the slums of India and came into the “light” or rich point of view in India. Balram’s job as a driver allows him to see both sides of the poverty line in India. He sees that the poor are used and thrown away, while the rich are well off and have no understanding of the problems the poor people must face. The servants are kept in a mental “Rooster Coop” by their masters. The government in India supposedly tries to help the poor, but if there is one thing Adiga proves in The White Tiger, it is that India’s government is corrupted. Despite the government promises in India designed to satisfy the poor, the extreme differences between the rich and the poor and the idea of the Rooster Coop cause the poor of India to remain in the slums.

    Read More

  • Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh

    1369 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sociology student Sudhir Venkatesh sets out on a journey within the Chicago housing projects with a quest of finding out how it feels to be black and poor. Sudhir was an Indian native from a middle class Californian family and he was unfamiliar with the black culture within Chicago. In his book Gang Leader for a Day, he tells of his sociology research within one of the roughest housing projects in Chicago. Sudhir starts his research by talking to a few elderly gentlemen he played chess with at the park. His conversation with them led him to the Robert Taylor Housing Projects which was described as one of the worst Ghettos in America. His research began the first day he arrived with his clipboard of questionnaires ready to ask the question, “How does it feel to be black and poor?” His intent was to interview a few families within the projects and then go home but something unexpected happened. He ended up spending much longer gaining an insight of the lives of poor blacks, gangs, and drug dealers.

    Read More

  • Social Classism In William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the book, Anse is constantly complaining about not having teeth. He wants them so he can look nicer and hopefully find another wife. To get the money, Anse argues with Dewey Dell because she has money that he can use. The argument ends with Dewey Dell narrating, “He took the money and went out” (Faulkner, page 257). Anse took the money so he look fancier with teeth and impress a woman from the city. Dewey Dell also struggles with herself internally for the duration of the novel. She has sex with a man from town, Lafe, and becomes pregnant. The only support he offers her is giving her ten dollars to get an abortion, which Anse eventually takes from her. Dewey Dell is forced to try and hide her pregnancy without any help from Lafe. Vardaman too struggles with the fact of being underprivileged. He wants to purchase a toy train set from a store in town, but the family can’t afford it. He is constantly nagging about it; the train set represents wealth and prosperity, but Vardaman can’t understand why the family can’t purchase it. All of these points show the internal conflicts that the characters face throughout the novel and how their needs and wants exemplify their want to escape this lower class feeling and become more alike the

    Read More

More about Mr. Venkattesh: What's Like To Live In The Poor

Open Document