The Meaning and Measurement of Poverty Essay example

Submitted By meli7791
Words: 464
Pages: 2

Poverty is the lack of basic human needs, such as clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing, and shelter, because of the inability to afford them. This is also referred to as absolute poverty or necessity. Relative poverty is the condition of having fewer resources or less income than others within a society or country or compared to worldwide averages. Poverty is additionally seen as a state of mind and a lifestyle more than just a lack of materials. It is a state of denial and insecurity. Even those who can get above poverty are always close to falling back into its clutches.

The biggest effect of poverty is hunger; however hunger can also be a cause of poverty. “You don’t a car to get to a supermarket, much less to Costco, where the middle class goes to save money. You don’t have three hours to take the bus. So you buy groceries at the corner store, where a gallon of milk costs an extra dollar.” (The High Cost of Poverty) Hunger holds back those living in absolute poverty of the skill and strength to carry out productive work. People who die of hunger lack the money to buy enough food so they become less able to work.

People are considered poor if they fail to achieve minimum standards of living. In the movie “Pursuit of Happyness,” Chris Gardener collects his pride and becomes greater and pulls himself out of poverty. Pride is believing in yourself and having dedication. Jo Goodwin Parker says, “a dream of when asking for help does not eat away the last bit of pride.”

Poverty hits children the hardest. They need to grow up healthy, but a lot of them