Poverty in the 20th and 21st Century - Research Paper Example

Poverty in the 20th and 21st century Introduction Poverty is the of scarce or adversely limited resources in the society. Societies in the 21st century are divided into three groups. The first and most influential group is the rich social classes (Smiley, 4). This comprises of people from wealthy backgrounds who live a high and standardized life. The second group is the middle class social class which is comprises of people who can afford and live a basic life. The third group is the poor social class which comprises of people who struggle to afford and live the basic lifestyle. Poverty is an essential topic of discussion as it is considered as a current event. Many societies around the world suffer from poverty as a result of poor methods of sustainable development in the past(DeNavas-Walt and Proctor, 11). Poverty in various societies around the world is rooted from cultural and historical events. For instance, Poverty in America is portrayed by economic inflation created in the transition from the period after the American Revolution which was inspired by rebuilding strategies as the nation had undergone through a massive loss of lives and property worth billions of dollars. This document looks at the difference and similarities depicted in the transition with a comparison to Orwell’s concept of poverty as written in “Down and Out in Paris and London.” Orwell’s “Down and Out in Paris and London,” is a reflection of the current poverty state in some parts of the United States as it consists of similar events which link the 20th and 21st century. Down and Out in Paris and London,” is George Orwell’s story about the poverty state of immigrants living in Paris and London. In the story, the narrator tells the challenges that befall foreigners when in search for employment in a foreign land. He acquired his first job as a dishwasher in one of the hotels in Paris where employees who were mostly foreigners worked for twelve hours each day of the week with little pay. This made him live in a small and inveterately dirty room as there were no maids to clean the room since they were extremely cheap. The narrator’s place of residence depicted poverty in the immigrant society as most of his neighbours were foreigners from different countries in Europe with few coming from other continents around the world. The narrator describes the condition of the room in which he lived while in Paris saying, “The walls were as thin as matchwood, and to hide the cracks they had been covered with layer after layer of pink paper, which had come loose and housed innumerable bugs” (Orwell, 6). The story depicts circumstances of people living in ghettos in the United State. The set up in George Orwell’s “Down and Out in Paris and London,” can be compared to the current poverty state in the US. Poverty in the US is a result of the economic constrains that has led to high number of unemployed graduates in the country. In George Orwell’s “Down and Out in Paris and London,” the immigrant society living in Paris slum is faced with unemployment problems that have subjected them to a harsh form of lifestyle in the slums. The poor society in US currently live in places which area referred to as ghettos. The ghettos are made of squeezed and cheap houses. This notion affirms that poverty in both the 20th and 21st century is rooted to the drastic growing population in both America and Europe. The growing population in these regions led to high unemployment rates thus the rise of poverty in most societies (DeNavas-Walt and Proctor, 14). According to the ‘center of budget and policy priority’ America has struggled with the fight against poverty for more than 48years. Population is one of the major challenges that result to poverty. The improved medical care in the 21st century has led to an increase in birthrate. The increased birthrate led to job scarcity as the available job market could not accommodate all graduates. As the level of access to education advanced due to the increase in schools and policy of free high and elementary education, the number of college graduates increased thus the percentage of unemployed people in the US. The same problem is depicted in George Orwell’s “Down and Out in Paris and London,” as the narrator gives a story of two students who lived in Paris slums. The two students went to Paris in search of education and were forced to work at night and study during the day. This notion affirms that education played a role in poverty as most countries with good education systems in the 20th century faced unemployment and poverty problems. Industrialization and urbanization are other causes of poverty in both the 20th and the 21st century. Many people tend to settle in urban centers in search of employment. This aspect leads to overpopulation thus the exploitation of limited resources in these areas. In George Orwell’s “Down and Out in Paris and London,” the narrator says the Paris slums were filed with immigrants from various parts of the world together with natives who went to Paris city in search for employment. This led to congestion in the city thus leading to the formation of Paris slum. The formation of Paris Slum affirms the concept of industrialization and urbanization as cause of poverty in the 20th century. Hidalgo County in the United States portrays the concept of industrialization and urbanization as a cause of poverty in the 21st century. The county is overpopulated with Mexicans who cross the Mexican border in search of employment (Joshua, 1). They cause congestion in the urban centers of Hidalgo County thus causing a strain in resource utility. As a result, poverty is created since many people struggle for the limited resources in the urban centers. This aspect also increases the cost of living in urban centers. Conclusion Poverty causes in the 20 and 21st century is linked by similar events in both eras. Unemployment is affirmed to be the major cause of poverty in both centuries, followed by industrialization and urbanization. Unemployment is a result of overpopulation. However, the 20th and 21st centuries have a slight difference in reflect to poverty issues. Poverty in the 20th century was mainly influenced by low industrial development that led to minimal job opportunities. Poverty in the 21st century is mainly influenced by the rise in technology has replaced human labor (Smiley, 57). In George Orwell’s “Down and Out in Paris and London,” the narrator worked as a dish washer in a big hotel in Paris where he provided cheap labour. Currently these services have been replaced by the use of dish washers. This aspect has led to unemployment of my graduates in the US employers tend to prefer machinery labour which is cheap and efficient. Work Cited DeNavas-Walt Carmen and Proctor Bernadette D. Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013. New York: U.S. CENSUS BUREAU. Published: September 2014. 2014. Print http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/p60-249.pdf Joshua B. 10 Of The Biggest Slums In The World. Published. 27th Feb 2014. 2014. Pp 1-1. Print http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/poorest-list/10-of-the-largest-slums-in-the-world Orwell George. Down and Out in Paris and London. New York: Lulu.com. 2012. Print Smiley Tavis. The Rich and the Rest of Us. California: Hay House, Inc, 2012. 2012. Print Read More