An Analysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun

â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is an autobiographical play written in 1950 by Lorraine Hansberry, an African American writer. The main characters are the Younger family, Mama, his son Walter and her daughter Beneatha. The play dramatizes a conflict between the main characters’ dreams and their actual lives’ struggles in poverty and racism. The main characters’ lives as African-Americans contribute to their feeling of entrapment by poverty and racism. The play predicts the black society struggles in the years to come. Although their day to day lives in poverty put their individual dreams on hold, each one’s pursue to realize their dreams continues. For example, Walter, though constantly frustrated on not able to become rich quickly, he maintains his dream of finding a new way to support his family. For Mama, Walter’s mother, dreams are more important than material wealth, so she takes care and holds onto her plant. Her plant symbolizes her dream, her dream of taking care of her family by owning a house with a garden and a yard. Hence, she uses half of her husband’s death insurance money to make a deposit to buy a house. Dream that she shared with her husband before he dies. Walter depends on the rest of the insurance money from his father’s death to invest the money in a liquor store with his friends. Likewise, Walter’s sister, Beneatha, fights to hold on onto her dream of becoming a doctor and realizes she also depends on her father’s death insurance money to be able to attendShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin And The Sun Essay2363 Words   |  10 PagesPoverty is always a great place to start a story, yet is there a lesson to be learned if the characters ends up right where they started? That is one of the several predicaments in the story â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† by Afro American writer Lorraine Hansberry. The story takes place in Chicago during the late 1950â⠂¬â„¢s the civil rights era, and the most prevalent question is what makes an African American different to any other person. The story dives deep into what that is through the use of money, as theRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1876 Words   |  8 PagesA Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry in 1959. This is a story about an African American family striving to reach the American Dream despite significant financial difficulties and a racially oppressive environment in the postwar era. The passage I chose was from Act 2, scene 3 of the play. This is when the chairmen of the neighborhood committee in Clybourne Park, Mr. Lindner comes to speak with the Younger family about their future presence in the neighborhood. This passageRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1343 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† is play written by Lorraine Hansberry about a struggling African American family. Set in the nineteen-fifties, the play explores the dynamics of how the family operates in a time era Chicago that challenges the family with poor economic status and racial prejudice. Hansberry uses dreams as one of her main themes in this play. Three of the characters, Walter, Beneatha, and Mama, all have a similar goal in their respective dreams, to improve the life of the whole family, butRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1854 Words   |  8 Pageseven drink from the same water fountain. Schools being desegregated has helped young American people grow together in an educational environment, where they can build friendships with students of other races. Throughout the play, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, Lorraine Hansberry vividly portrays the racism and discrimination of white people towards African-Americans in the fifties, as well as similarities to her own childhood. Walter Lee Younger, husband of Ruth Younger, works as a chauffeur for a rich whiteRead MoreAnalysis Of Lorraine Hansberry s A Raisin Of The Sun 1797 Words   |  8 Pages Worthless money itself All money brings is nothing but dreams and evil. Where there is money there is also dishonesty or corruption.. In a play called â€Å"A Raisin In The Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry, she focuses on the struggle that was faced by one African American family from late 1950s. As the play opens, the family are about to receive an insurance check for $10,000. This money comes from the death of Mr.Younger’s insurance policy. Everyone was very excited and were waiting for the money to beRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Beneatha In A Raisin In The Sun1487 Words   |  6 PagesCharacter Analysis â€Å" A Raisin in the Sun† is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry about the life of an African American family during the era of segregation. The play starts off with the Younger family receiving a 10,000 dollar check from Mr. Younger’s insurance policy. The family argues over what they are going to do with it. Mama wants to buy a house with it, Walter wants to invest in a liquor store, and Beneatha wants to use the money to go to medical school. The contrast of the characters’ personalitiesRead MoreThe American Dream By Lorraine Hansberry1570 Words   |  7 Pagesabout it their whole lives? Many families struggle to even get close to the American Dream. In Lorraine Hansberry’s â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, the Younger family struggled for money, despite having numerous jobs, and a descendant living space. Being African American in the 1950’s made it difficult for the family to move up in class to achieve the American Dream. In â€Å"A Rai sin in the Sun† by Lorraine Hansberry, the Younger’s cannot fully achieve the American Dream due to societal obstacles they experienceRead MoreA Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry2035 Words   |  8 PagesLorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun is a remarkable play written in 1959 by an African American author about an African American family. This time period was in the early days of the modern awakening of civil rights awareness. It was a timely play challenging the then current stereotypical view of a black family by depicting a realistic portrayal of a specific black family with aspirations, hopes, dreams, dignity, and ambition as would be expected from all families regardless of race. TheRead MoreThe Matriarchs of the House in A Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry814 Words   |  3 PagesIn A Raisin in the Sun by Loraine Hansberry, the three strong-willed women of the story have varying opinions, views, and beliefs on life. The story is set in the Southside of Chicago, Illinois. The Younger’s are an African-American family that has struggled to survive financially for many years. With a large injection of money from Mr. Younger’s death, the family struggles to make a unanimous decision on what they will use the 10,000 dollars for. The three major female characters differ in a varietyRead MoreA Raisin In The Sun Archetypal Analysis1452 Words   |  6 Pagesarchetypal analysis that enables one to gain insight into the conventional and universal experiences within the society of which that form of literature is based upon. These repeating and shared experiences are especially prevalent in the literature of the 1950s, as it is a period of time characterized by social injustice and prejudice targeting not just individuals but entire groups such as blacks, women and other disenfranchised communities within American society. Accordingly, Lorraine Hansberry’s

The Minimum Wage Should Be A Basic Right For Worker

What I Wanted To Know If you are born poor in America today there is a great possibility that you are probably going to stay poor. The purpose of minimum wage was to keep America’s workers out of poverty. I selected this topic because minimum wage applies to everyone entering the work force. This topic resonate with me because am about to start working and I would like to know is I can support myself financially, with only one job. I wanted to know if living wage should be a basic right for worker, should we raise the minimum wage and how does changing the minimum wage affect the economy. Increasing the minimum wage will help minorities in earing a higher equality in regards to income. The Result According to the information on pbs new, 3.3 million Americans work at an hourly rate or below the federal minimum of $7.25. These 3.3 million Americans represent just 4.3 percent of hourly paid employees. Employees 16 and older are paid hourly; they make up nearly 60 percent of the workforce. Minimum wage workers are usually young, female and white who are often working for scandalously low paying industries. 88 percent of the young works are going to be affected by the raise in minimum wage are at least 20, half of the works are over 30, who these jobs are essential to their families incomes. The real uncertainty about the debate over raising the minimum wage has beginning about big the increase should be. â€Å"The trade unions want the wage to be raised by 1000 to 10,200 crowns aShow MoreRelatedAdvantages And Disadvantages Of Minimum Wage In Taiwan1541 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Nowadays, minimum wage is very important for workers in this world. In addition, minimum wage is also a core element of public policy in lots of countries. For example, minimum wage has become a hot topic in Taiwan recently. The Taiwanese complained that the working hours are too long, and the wages are too low. Because of that reason, workers in Taiwan have come forward to protest this policy. Therefore, according to this example, minimum wage has become an issue that cannot be ignoredRead MoreShould Minimum Wage Be Increased?1691 Words   |  7 PagesShould Minimum Wage be Increased? Introduction The term, â€Å"minimum wage† refers to a lowest payment that an employer is bound to pay to its workers. Today minimum wage is made compulsory in more than ninety percent of nations including Canada where workers are demanding to increase minimum wages for a long time. Minimum wages are revised by governments in order to met growing needs of workers. There is a difference of opinion on the issue of increasing minimum wages among people of Canada. EmployersRead MoreMinimum Wage Laws Do Not Meet The Basic Needs Of People850 Words   |  4 PagesThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights set forth by the United Nations in 1950, article 25, paragraph 1 states, â€Å"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary socital services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livel ihood in circumstances beyond his control† (â€Å"Universal DeclarationRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Should Be Increased976 Words   |  4 Pagesthe federal minimum wage. The post may have a picture of a soldier, a disheveled EMT in the back of an ambulance, or a waving American flag with overlying text stating something to the effect of ‘â€Å"Burger flippers† think they should be paid as much as these minimum wages workers? No way!’ If my experience on social media is any indicator, the most popular posts always contain â€Å"burger flipper† or â€Å"baconator.† Posts like the ones described above make moral judgements about the minimum wage with littleRead MoreThe Minimum Pay For Labour Or Services868 Words   |  4 Pagesto the Concise Law Dictionary, ‘wage’ means the giving of a security for the performance of anything. The money paid for labour or services usually according to specified interval of work. Wages, in the widest sense, mean any economic compensation paid by the employer, under some contract, to his workers for the services rendered by them. Wages, therefore, include family allowance, relief pay, financial support and other benefits. But, in the narrower sense, wages are the price paid for the servicesRead MoreShould Minimum Wage Be Raised?1337 Words   |  6 Pagesdisgrace that millions of full-time workers are living in poverty and millions more are forced to work two or three jobs just to pay their bills† (Wolf 1). Sanders has said this frequently and is referring to the drastic amount of Americans who are currently struggling, despite already having a job. The issue of whether or not to raise the minimum wage in America has been a widely discussed topic for years. Minimum wage refers to the smallest amount of money a worker can legally be paid in the U.S. ItRead MoreMinimum Wage Is A Touchy Subject1454 Words   |  6 PagesMinimum wage is a touchy subject for most in this state of Michigan and in the nation as well. The fact that people who work jobs for menial pay, and are expected to survive on this limited budget is absurd. The prices for basic necessities have skyrocketed and has never ceased from creeping upward, and the largest expense for families is child care. Paying a living wage cuts down on absenteeism, decreases employee turnover, and saves on retraining costs. In a recent study of calculating expensesRead MoreThe Impact Of Minimum Wages On Society1741 Words   |  7 Pagestalking about how minimum wages can have impacts on society as well as if there are new laws coming into place to help the common person with a family. Also see if households are impacted by how much they are getting paid and see what companies are doing to help with those that are just making minimum wage. Providing minimum wage to workers ensures that he or she will be able to provide for him or her, as well as the family his or she is taking care of. â€Å"The federal minimum wage is not tied to inflationRead MoreThe Benefits Of Raising The Minimum Wage1656 Words   |  7 Pagesseem to be should the minimum wage be raised or should it be lowered or eliminated altogether. From where I stand minimum wage should be raised. Everyone is more successful when people are paid a living wage. Changes to the minimum wage would strengthen the economy and business, Lift Americans out of poverty, and will be unlikely to significantly impact prices. The only way to grow the economy in a way that benefits 90% is to change the structure of the economy. Paying people a fair wage is a signRead MoreBenefits Of Minimum Wage Law990 Words   |  4 Pagesthere are still workers who work all day and still can not afford the basic necessities in life like, decent living conditions, food to feed their fam ilies or even clothes to put on their backs. But here in the United States, we are fortunate enough to have a law in order to complete the bare minimum to afford a decent living condition, food for their families and even to put on decent clothes to keep themselves warm. The minimum wage law was set so employees have a decent living wage and are not in

Poverty Notes Free Essays

Poverty: Poverty is the lack of basic human needs, such as clean water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter, because of the inability to afford them. . Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than others within a society ,or compared to worldwide averages. We will write a custom essay sample on Poverty Notes or any similar topic only for you Order Now About 1. 7 billion people live in absolute poverty; before the industrial revolution, poverty had mostly been the norm CAUSES OF POVERTY: Education: Lack of education keeps children from obtaining jobs that would lift them and their families out of poverty.Often, children are kept from school because they are needed at home to support their family with additional income. Health: Poor health decreases the amount of work impoverished individuals can do, lowering their income and driving them deeper into poverty. The onset of disease, such as HIV/AIDS or malaria, can result in death (which can cut off a major source of income for a family), or high medical costs that many impoverished families cannot afford. Economics: The poor often have very limited economic choices – they are often prevented from receiving loans and other financial benefits.This makes it hard for them to establish businesses, increase their income, and break out of poverty. Government: The governments of many developi ng countries are often dysfunctional, unstable, and corrupt. Lack of government infrastructure (public sanitation, schools, social welfare, etc. ) can be crippling for the poor. I. Types of causes of poverty A. Individual Poverty is explained by individual circumstances and/or characterstics of poor people. Some examples: amount of education, skill experience intelligence health handicaps age work orientation time horizon culture of povertyDiscrimination, together with race, sex, etc. B. Aggregate There are two types of aggregate poverty theory: case generic. There is no agreement on which is the correct explanation of most poverty. 1. Case. Add up all poverty explained by individual theories, and that is equal to total or aggregate poverty. In other words, according to case theories of poverty, individual and aggregate explanations are really the same. According to these theories, aggregate poverty is just the sum of individual poverty. 2. Generic. Poverty is explained by general, economy-wide problems, such as inadequate non-poverty employment opportunities nadequate overall demand (macro problems, macro policy) low national income (Less Developed Country) If generic theories are correct, poverty is caused by one set of forces (general, economy-wide problems) but distributed according to individual theories. II. Case vs. Generic Theories of Poverty A. What difference does it make whether poverty is caused by case or generic causes? Answer: It makes a lot of difference. Example 1: Suppose somehow we significantly reduce racial discrimination. Will total poverty fall? Case answer: Yes. Generic answer: No. Poverty will only be redistributed. ompensatory education. 1. If case theories are correct: Address the individual cause of poverty. For example, if poverty is caused by inadequate skills or education, then the solution is skill training or compensatory education. If poverty is through direct test. 2. There’s some indirect evidence pointing to generic theories: For example, there is the failure of poverty to fall during periods of large training programs, and the failure of poverty to fall with rise in general educational level of population. Further indirect evidence later on in the course. 3. Most people assume case theories are correct. Why? Micro experience (fallacy of composition — assuming that what’s true of the part must be true of the whole). Poverty scholars study the poor instead of the economy. Antipoverty policy would be too hard (expensive) if generic theories were true. Blaming the victim. A desire to help the poor. (P. S. If generic theories are true, how can you help the poor? ) Acute causes of poverty: Warfare: The material and human destruction caused by warfare is a major development problem. For example, from 1990 to 1993, the period encompassing Desert Storm, per capita GDP in Iraq fell from $3500 to $761.The drop in average income, while a striking representation of the drop in the well-being of the average Iraqi citizen in the aftermath of the war, fails to capture the broader affects of damages to the infrastructure and social services, such as health care and access to clean water. Agricultural Cycles: People who rely on fruits and vegetables that they produce for household food consumption (subsistence farmers) often go through cycles of relative abundance and scarcity. For many families that rely on subsistence production for survival, the period immediately prior to harvest is a ‘hungry period. During these periods of scarcity, many families lack sufficient resources to meet their minimal nutritional needs. Being familiar with these cycles has enabled development practitioners to anticipate and prepare for periods of acute need for assistance. Droughts and Flooding: Besides the immediate destruction caused by natural events such as hurricanes, environmental forces often cause acute periods of crisis by destroying crops and animals. Natural Disasters: Natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes have devastated communities throughout the world.Developing countries often suffer much more extensive and acute crises at the hands of natural disasters, because limited resources inhibit the construction of adequate housing, infrastructure, and mechanisms for responding to crises. Entrenched factors associated with poverty: Colonial Histories: One of the most important barriers to development in poor countries is lack of uniform, basic infrastructure, such as roads and means of communication. Some development scholars have identified colonial history as an important contributor to the current situation.In most countries with a history of colonization, the colonizers developed local economies to facilitate the expropriatio n of resources for their own economic growth and development. Centralization of Power: In many developing countries, political power is disproportionately centralized. Instead of having a network of political representatives distributed equally throughout society, in centralized systems of governance one major party, politician, or region is responsible for decision-making throughout the country. This often causes development problems.For example, in these situations politicians make decisions about places that they are unfamiliar with, lacking sufficient knowledge about the context to design effective and appropriate policies and programs. Corruption: Corruption often accompanies centralization of power, when leaders are not accountable to those they serve. Most directly, corruption inhibits development when leaders help themselves to money that would otherwise be used for development projects. In other cases, leaders reward political support by providing services to their followers.Warfare: Warfare contributes to more entrenched poverty by diverting scarce resources from fighting poverty to maintaining a military. Take, for example, the cases of Ethiopia and Eritrea. The most recent conflict over borders between the two countries erupted into war during 1999 and 2000, a period when both countries faced severe food shortages due to drought. Environmental degradation: Awareness and concern about environmental degradation have grown around the world over the last few decades, and are currently shared by people of different nations, cultures, religions, and social classes.However, the negative impacts of environmental degradation are disproportionately felt by the poor. Throughout the developing world, the poor often rely on natural resources to meet their basic needs through agricultural production and gathering resources essential for household maintenance, such as water, firewood, and wild plants for consumption and medicine. Thus, the depletion and contamination of water sources directly threaten the livelihoods of those who depend on them.Social Inequality: One of the more entrenched sources of poverty throughout the world is social inequality that stems from cultural ideas about the relative worth of different genders, races, ethnic groups, and social classes. Ascribed inequality works by placing individuals in different social categories at birth, often based on religious, ethnic, or ‘racial’ characteristics. In South African history, apartheid laws defined a binary caste system that assigned different rights (or lack thereof) and social spaces to Whites and Blacks, using skin color to automatically determine the opportunities available to individuals in each group.Addressing the Underlying Causes of Poverty Building a more widespread commitment to overcoming poverty is an essential first step in overcoming poverty, and actions to address this are discussed below. Share the benefits of economic growth through an emphasis on more widespread employment. The phenomenon of jobless economic growth that increases income inequalities and generates too few jobs for low income groups poses a serious threat to the well-being of many nations, both North and South. Government policies should consider not only aggregate economic impact b ut also the distribution of employment.Socially responsible venture capital and microcredit initiatives can foster employment-generating businesses that complement the local culture and environment. Rout out corruption, which harms society as a whole. Corruption, both in government and business, places heavy cost on society. Businesses should enact, publicize and follow codes of conduct banning corruption on the part of their staff and directors. Citizens must demand greater transparency on the part of both government and the corporate sector and create reform movements where needed.Broaden access to education and technology among marginalized groups, and especially among girls and women. The educational attainment of women has strong bearing on the well-being of their families, and efforts to improve education for women and girls must be strengthened. At the same time, steps should be taken to ensure that the current revolution in information technology benefits marginalized groups. This must begin in school. Improve government capacity to provide universal access to essential goods and services, including potable water, affordable food, primary health care, education, housing and other social services.Governments around the world have made commitments to this through the 20/20 Initiative, which calls for 20% of national budgets and 20% of foreign aid to be spent on human services. But raising adequate resources through effective taxation and other mechanisms is often politically difficult. New mechanisms for public policy dialogue that enable citizens of all classes to recognize the benefit of universal access to key services must be put in place. Nonprofit groups and even corporations can provide essential support here, helping articulate a vision of a healthy society.These nongovernmental actors can also help in the actual provision of services. Poverty In The United States Of America. Poverty in the United States roughly 13 to 17% of Americans living below the federal poverty line at any given point in time, and roughly 40% falling below the poverty line at some point within a 10-year time span. Poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. ? English: US poverty rate estimate for all ages in 2008. Data comes from US census bureau data. ? SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 74, No. 14, January 23, 2009, pp. 4199–4201[14] Poverty and family status According to the US Census, in 2007 5. 8% of all people in married families lived in poverty, as did 26. 6% of all persons in single parent households and 19. 1% of all persons living alone. By race/ethnicity and family status Among married families: 5. 8% lived in poverty. This number varied by ethnicity with5. 4% of white persons,8. 3% of black persons, and14. 9% of Hispanic persons (of any nationality) living in poverty. Among single parent families: 26. 6% lived in poverty.This number varied by ethnicity with30% of white persons,40% of black persons, and30% of Hispanic persons (of any nationality) living in poverty. Among unrelated individuals living alone: 19. 1% lived in poverty. This number varied by ethnicity with18% of white persons 27. 9% of black persons and27% of Hispanic persons (of any nationality) living in poverty Poverty and race The US Census declared that in 2008 13. 2% of the general population lived in poverty:8. 6% of all non-Hispanic White11. 8% of all Asian-American23. 2% of all Hispanic (of any nationality)24. 7% of all African-American.About half of those living in poverty are non-Hispanic white, but poverty rates are much higher for blacks and other minorities. 57% of all poor rural children are non-Hispanic white, compared with 28% of poor urban children. Poverty and age The US Census declared that in 2007 12. 5% of the general population lived in poverty:18% of all people under age 1810. 9% of all people 19-64, and9. 7% of all people ages 65 and older The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) uses a different measure for poverty and declared in 2008 that child poverty in the US is 20% and poverty among the elderly is 23%.The non-profit advocacy group Feeding America has released a study (May 2009) based on 2005-2007 data from the U. S. Census Bureau and the Agriculture Department, which claims that 3. 5 million children under the age of 5 are at risk of hunger in the United States. The study claims that in 11 states, Louisiana, which has the highest rate, followed by North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho and Arkansas, more than 20 percent of children under 5 are allegedly at risk of going hungry. The study was paid by ConAgra Foods, a large food company. A Problem with Lasting EffectsUnfortunately, poverty becomes an obstacle to future success before a child is even born. Since poor women are more likely to be uninsured, they often wait to seek proper prenatal care. In addition, they may suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, or other medical conditions that place their child at risk of premature birth. This often leads to physical and/or developmental delays that cause a child to lag behind his or her peers. Even accounting for the problems associated with their mother’s poor prenatal care, children in poverty have greater health concerns than their more affluent counterparts.For example, problems with asthma are more common among kids who live in older buildings with poor ventilation. Obesity is also significantly more common among poor children, since a diet rich in lean protein and fresh produce is typically too expensive for a low income family even with the assistance of food stamps. Mental health is another area which is impacted by growing up in poverty. The stressful situations that often accompany poverty, such as divorce, death, job loss, or drug addiction, can create feelings of anxiety and depression that can last well into adulthood.Parents who are struggling to provide basic necessities are often unable to spend much quality time with their children, leading to low self esteem and lifelong difficulties forming strong relationships with others. Spending large amounts of time in poor quality daycare, a situation which is much more common among children in poverty, can also have a negative impact on a child’s emotional health. Once they reach elementary school, children who live in poverty often receive a substandard education because they are forced to move frequently or attend under-funded schools. This is one of the most troubling long term effects of poverty.A child who does not learn to read and write proficiently while in elementary school is likely to continue to struggle as a high school student. With poor grades in high school, his/her prospects for attending college are seriously limited. Since career advancement in the modern economy is often tied to educational attainment, the lack of a college degree sets the poor child up for a lifetime of struggle. Teenagers who live in poverty are significantly more likely to experiment with drugs, alcohol, and risky sexual behavior. Poor teens are also more likely to engage in unlawful acts, ranging from minor shoplifting to serious gang activity.At a time when they should be laying the foundation for their success as adults, teenagers who live in poverty are often making bad decisions that will only serve to further complicate their lives. Poverty and Its Effects on Children According to the Oxford University dictionary poverty is the â€Å"state of being extremely poor,† or â€Å"the state of being insufficient in amount. † This particular issue is, and had been a, problem in America fluctuating with the passing year s. What’s more is the effect it has on children living in homes plagued with poverty.Not only does poverty affect the child’s well being, but it impacts their education as well. In general, children from homes living under the poverty line have poorer performance in school. Such performance has also been linked as far back as cognitive and emotional development which is lower in poverty stricken children than those children who live in homes whose income is above the poverty line. Although data has not yet been gathered to give specific details of all the cognitive effects, especially in older children, it is clear that the effects are not only present but threatening to the well being of the children involved.So what is it exactly that creates a rift between children from low income homes and those living above the poverty line? For one, these children lack the stability that comes with a higher income home. This means having the things that other children have from adeq uate nutrition to weather appropriate clothing. In addition, less income generally means there are less opportunities for educational activities and learning experiences. In this way low income students have less experience to draw upon when learning new concepts.As a result it can also mean fewer chances to apply the newly acquired knowledge, and in turn retention of this knowledge can be minimized. The census bureau of the United States routinely calculates the poverty lines for families during their census every four years. This number is not only calculated based on the total income of the family, but on other details the family provides as well. One such detail is the age of the people running the household, and the number of people in the family. The official poverty rate for the nation rose from 12. 5 percent in 2003 to 12. percent in 2004. The exact increase was some 37 million people. However, the good news is the poverty rate for children remained stable and unchanged. According to a US Census press release the Office of Management and Budget stated that â€Å"the average poverty threshold for a family of four in 2004 was an income of $19,307; for a family of three, $15,067; for a family of two, $12,334; and for unrelated individuals, $9,645. † (2004 Press Release, 2004) At this point schools in the US are ill-equipped and ill-prepared for the influx of poverty stricken children entering the system.The teachers lack the proper training to deal with a more diversified classroom as well as the means by which to implement appropriate curriculum. One of the key needs is support from both local and national government and their local school board teachers need to become more aware of the need to implement new types of lessons that cater to all students and allow them building blocks to use in the future. children who live in impoverish homes lack the kind of experience to draw upon for future lessons, as well as the opportunities to use the knowledge that they have acquired.It then becomes the schools duty to provide these children with these kinds of opportunities by implementing a more hands on, â€Å"learn by doing† sort of approach. In this way children can gain something of a jumping point by which to begin their base of learning. (The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning, 2005). Persons in Family Unit 48 Contiguous States and D. C. Alaska Hawaii 1 $10,830 $13,530 $12,460 2 $14,570 $18,210 $16,760 3 $18,310 $22,890 $21,060 4 $22,050 $27,570 $25,360 5 $25,790 $32,250 $29,660 6 $29,530 $36,930 $33,960 7 $33,270 $41,610 $38,260 8 $37,010 $46,290 $42,560 For each additional person, add $3,740 $4,680 $4,300 How to cite Poverty Notes, Papers