Literary Analysis of “What do Fish Have to do With Anything” and “Homeless”
Almost 100 million people are homeless, affecting the lives of many. If you’re a humane person how could the homeless not have an effect on your life? In the short story, “What Do Fish Have To Do With Anything?” by Avi Mortis and the non-fiction essay “Homeless” by Anna Quindlen, characters and people living in poverty affect the plot and help the readers realize something important throughout the timelines. The theme in the story “What Do Fish Have to do With Anything” and the author’s purpose for writing “Homeless” are both comparable to the message they portray, which is shown through the poor characters in the stories. The theme of the story “What Do Fish Have…show more content… Her purpose for writing the nonfiction essay was to show readers the importance of a house, to show that homelessness is a serious issue and that it should not be taken lightly. In the selection it states, “ They are not the homeless. They are the people who have no homes.” Anna is trying to show that by avoiding certain people and turning them into a problem, makes most people think they have done a lot. In fact, she shows that they do the opposite, by turning people into issues they miss the big picture that these people are not “The Homeless” they are normal people who have no homes. She is trying to tell people to come closer and help poor people rather than to keep a great distance and then give them many names to avoid them altogether. It also states,” Not the size or location of it, but pride of ownership. Painted blue.” This quote in the essay shows that being humans, the ‘homeless’ have many feelings about their houses. They do not care much about any of its physical features but the abstract feelings associated with it. Anna Quindlen took the problem of these few people to inform the world about the abstract issues of homelessness and loss of pride and ownership. She showed her audience that bigger issues like equality, wealth distribution, and emotional importance, have a lot to do with these destitute beings. The value of a house is increased in her mind after having seen these people and she is trying to convey this to her readers. Quindlen wants them to stop avoiding the homeless, she wants them to be as ‘people with no homes’ rather than ‘The homeless’, she wants them to start treating poor people as fellow human beings rather than treating them as problems. By creating such a piece, Anna Quindlen clearly shows that her purpose for writing this essay is to show the homeless as actual people, to
