A Lonely Road written by Chico Harlan is the article shows the struggle of lower-middle-class and lower-class people in the Deep South because of poverty. Society needs to know poverty is a very sensitive topic in certain people’s lives. Poverty has a very thin line in terms of income between the lower middle class and the lower class, but it can make a vast difference in their private life. Poverty can make people lose their places to stay and it also affects the mental state of a child at a very young age. The struggles of a single mother and unplanned childbirth had made Scott almost homeless. The deep South was getting worse for the people with lower income which resulted in a lack of job opportunities, pushed out people from urban areas into places of poor public transportation, rising real estate, and change of government policies. The struggles of a single mother, the obstacles to finding jobs, and changes in the poverty ratio from the last decade are the major problems for people in the deep south.
Lauren Scott was a single mother with an 18-month-old daughter her name was Za’niyah. When poverty hit the deep south it affected Scott in a very bad way. She was almost homeless with a child which is why she had to find a shelter. Scott tried all the possible ways to find a job and government policies that help people with no job and a child, but nothing worked in her favor. Once she got the job she finally decided to work without any problems because there was no other way. The author has provided enough evidence and credibility of Scott’s state of life which is very much appropriate to any poor or lower-class people going through at that period. The author shared all the details like she did not have a car, and she was looking for shelter, but they were only providing 4 months of stay. Using the phone for her job applications which she can do online and it was explained with enough facts and data to believe the author and understand Scott's story widely.
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According to the graph provided in the article, poverty levels have changed a lot from the year 1995 to 2013. There has been a recession in some years during this period which has changed the numbers and graph of poverty in the deep south. In 1995 the poverty rate in America was 12.5 and the number in poverty was 36 million. In 2013 the poverty rate in America was 14.5 percent which increased by 2 percent since 1995. In 2013 the number in poverty jumped to 45.3 million compared to 1995. During the time recession in the united states poverty hit the most in the deep south region like Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina by 58 percent most of them were single mothers. According to Census Bureau data, the percentage of the poverty rate in single mothers jumped from 42 percent to 46 percent in the Deep South in comparison to other regions.
There are many reasons which might affect society more largely. Scott was having both public and private issues while finding a job. She had a car but had no money to fix it. She decided to take public transport which was a bus but getting to the destination through the bus was very hard. It took her almost an hour and twenty-five minutes by bus in comparison to the car which was 25 min of the route. Issues like this increase the willingness of people to buy a car and not to use public transportation. This can give eagerness to spend more money on cars than necessities. Looking at the situation of Scott before having a child and after having a child may raise the number of abortions. The attention, expense, and sincerity a child needs can be overwhelming. If a person is not able to fulfill the basic needs of a child, it may result in abortion at an early age. Scott was strong and struggled so much to feed and take care of her daughter but not everybody has the same strength, health, and dedication. This can also affect the future and present of the baby.
On the other hand, to resolve the issue of poverty there is some way the government can help people in need. The cash assistance program was the perfect way to reduce the poverty rate. That can help mothers like Scott to get some money to travel and find a job and stay somewhere, which can make her more productive and she can fulfill her basic needs. The society also helps single mothers by opening night care like daycare so babies can be taken care of and mothers can work through the night. Scott left her old job because they were changing her shifts and schedules from day to night which was not convenient for a single mother. Poverty can also be reduced by opening shelter homes for more than four months which gives poor people enough time to find a job and a place to stay. Scott did everything she could to find a job and give her baby a good environment to grow up in. This is how the government can help reduce poverty a bit and also help the poor people to get their life together
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