Reflection 7

        The line is described as what the poor people are trying to reach and the rich fold are trying to prevent from going below referring to the poverty line. It's the difference between life and death. Some stereotypes that we think of when we see poverty is laziness, uneducated, unskilled, and these people prefer to be poor.

       The stories challenge those stereotypes  because the people like John who had to suck up his pride and admit he needed help. He went to the food pantry and left a number of times because he was ashamed and embarrassed of what he had to do just to survive. Sheila had a terrible accident and was unable to work, so she had to rely on her disability and SNAP to help her and her kids. These people don't want to be below that line. I can see it in their face.

       Some outside influences that might offer a real solution to poverty are soup kitchens, food pantries, homeless shelters, and charities. Some homeless shelters help people find jobs and try to help them get back on their feet as much as possible. Food pantries and soup kitchens give that meal that the person was going to miss that day.

       Environmental threats and disasters are related to poverty because you could be sitting really nice and doing just fine, but one day a hurricane and strikes and just like that you have nothing. All of your valuables and necessities taken away with one blink. People in Louisiana are losing jobs because the coast was destroyed by the BP oil spill. They were making earnings from the ocean. The tycoons at BP are doing fine still, but they ruined multiple people's incomes.

       Education isn't the problem because like James if you give someone a chance they can learn. That is why it's difficult to get a job these days because you have to have experience and education, but nobody wants to give you that education or the skills to learn. You don't have to go to college to be successful, you just need a chance and some motivation. Once you get that chance it's all up to you. You have to show people that you aren't another statistic in the poverty percentage. You're going to get back to the line or even above it, you just have to be patient and try.