How Can We Help The Homeless And Should We?: Searching For A Solution :: essays research papers

How Can We Help the Homeless and Should We? Searching for a replyJust a few months ago I was with my friends Mike and Kim and we had been walk of life around having a great time in the city. We consequently exited a store and Kimsaid something under her breath like, "Oh, no," when I looked in the likedirection to find a middle aged man with a drunken stargon to him. She knew thisman as "the town drunk" and he had been homeless for years. He asked us for thetime and we replied, but he didnt precisely stop with that and followed us acrossthe street talking up a storm. He was telling his whole life story in thefifteen minutes we stood at that place he talked about how he grew up financial backing poor withhis family and how he wanted to be educated and go through college to get a goodjob so he could represent well. But he said his parents just didnt have the moneyand it was impossible. I felt threatened as did Mike and Kim from the drunkengestures of this man an d conception to myself, if this man wanted to make somethingof his life, I mean if he rightfully wanted to, he would try harder and somehow dowh at he wanted. We tried to leave as soon as possible.     But then I began reading these essays about the homeless and it startedto change my mind. The essay "Virginias muddle" by Peter Marin especiallyeffected me because of the way it portrays the new(a) womanhood that has nonhinggoing for her and almost everything against her. I though about this and trenchantI had misunderstood the whole plight of this population and thought there mustbe a better way to help these miserable people. How should we help thehomeless and should we try even though they may not help themselves? I figurethat is the most important question that unavoidably to be answered if anything is tobe done.     Of the essays I analyzed Awalts "Brother Dont Spare a Dime" was theone essay that went against the id ea of helping the homeless because the reasonthinks its their own fault for being the way they are. The other two essays areeasier on the homeless and want to lend a helping hand. In "Address UnknownHomeless in Contemporary America" pile Wright thinks that helping the homelessby giving them more benefits that they will be more prosperous. Peter Marin hasthe same idea in "Virginias Trap" where the young woman is in need of just a