If someone would asked me, what poverty is before reading this story of Jo Goodwing Parker I would answer that poverty is not having food to eat or a place to sleep. But after reading Jo’s essay about poverty, I realized is deeper than not having a place to sleep or food to eat. She asked us to listen without pity, and indeed I don't think that is pity what we experiment reading her story, is shame and guilty what we actually feel. Attacking our emotions and comfort zone, giving us vivid and personal examples, and making us feel guilty about the stereotypes we hold, Jo describes what poverty is.
Parker attacks our comfort zone since the beginning of her story by saying, "You ask me what is poverty? Listen to me”. Her tone is extremely direct which makes you feel as if she were speaking directly to you. Then Parker examples, “Poverty is dirt. You say in your clean clothes coming from your clean house, ‘anybody can be clean’ ”. This sentence makes us feel uncomfortable and embarrassed by the fact that reminds us how many times we have judged someone only because of his or her bad odor. …show more content…
She knows it might be people who would not feel sorry about her situation because she is an adult but when she writes about her children those readers will feel guilty about Parker’s babies. She says, “In summer poverty is watching gnats and flies devour your baby’s tears when he cries.” This sentence is heartbroken. It makes us to feel horrible for them and increase our level of guilt. She also talks about her children’s health explaining the entire health’s problem that they have, “They have worms, they have infections, they have pinkeye all summer.” She makes you appreciate what you have and also make you feel sad about what they