Buy essay on Domestic Violence and Poverty

Today in almost all locations there are specially programs which give consultation and support for women, men and children which were abused at home. Such programs are usually financed from the government or some powerful people from the country and provide temporary accommodation and money assistance, free legal support and child care. However, these programs are usually short-termed because their funding is limited. “In many locations there are programs that provide housing and temporary cash assistance, child care and free legal representation. However, most of these programs have limited funding, offer short-term resources” (Paul). As a result, women do not feel free in such environment and require strong social support on the side of different organizations in order not to maintains her abuser’s pressure, leave, have place to live for her children, etc. Being not able to provide themselves and their children with the things of first necessity, women with low income rarely decide to leave their abuser.
Moreover, low-income women often face discrimination in the social and administrative sphere. For example, some factories avoid hiring women with children but without husband knowing that they would frequently require sick-lists, social help support from the factory. It often happens that landlords do not want to rent apartments for single women with two children and more and who live in poor neighborhoods due to the fact sometimes the rent is half-paid by the government and presumes different subsidies for such women. “For example, some landlords may not want to lease an apartment to single mother or to a woman whose rent is subsidized by the government. In general, women living in low-income neighborhoods have fewer employment and economic opportunities” (Paul).
All Over But the Shoutin’ by Rick Bragg is a deep investigation of poverty and domestic violence and their correlation. The book is touching and interesting and it not only gives facts to the readers, but also touches their emotional side. The book is interesting because it investigates the theme of “white poverty”. During recent years multiple books about bad situation and poverty in black communities had been published. Bragg investigates the poverty regardless of the skin color.
The author uses his own example to tell about the poverty. He speaks about his own life and this makes the narration very touching and personal. He describes terrifying facts about the poverty and personal style of narration makes the readers to turn attention to the problem. Bragg speaks about black family who helped his family during the difficult times when they did not have money even for food. Bragg’s book is valuable because it breaks racial prejudices and stresses out that poverty is a serious problem and it should not be neglected. He points out that it is time to forget about racial differences and it is necessary to combine effort when dealing with poverty. Bragg dedicated his book to his mother, who put great effort to raise him and his brothers despite difficult life conditions. His mother married his father and spent her life working hard to earn living and to give boys the most necessary things. His father left family for several times and came back for several times as well. He drank hard and often turned to violence and abuse. Rick’s mother had to stand not only poverty and hardships but also bad attitude of her husband, which is quite common for this class of people. Despite her huge effort two of sons finally got to jail and one of them died. Rick Bragg, found the way out of poverty and bad life conditions. His book became famous and even won the Pulitzer Prize.
Bragg does not give much attention to his own book. He states that it tells “a story of a handful of lives, in which one tall woman came off looking good and noble” (Bragg 12). He presents the record of his life and recollects his own memories in order to show his painful experience of growing up in poverty and experiencing abuse. Bragg also wants to show the sacrifice of his mother who spent her life making her best to fight poverty and bad conditions of life and trying to give everything she had to her children. The problem of poverty and domestic violence got attention of publicity thanks to Bragg’s book. The book shows these important problems of the contemporary society from inside and the reader can understand feelings and emotions of people who spend their life without the most necessary thing. The account is very interesting because it illustrates childhood memories of the author. The readers can feel the way small boy feels when he lacks the most important things, even food and, in addition, has to observe how his mother works hard day after day and how his father mistreats her. Bragg’s book may shed light to the reasons of poverty since he sincere and in great detail describes his family situation. He speaks about his father who does nothing to help the family in difficult situation and even creates additional problems. The author shows their difficult relations: “He never said he was sorry.
He never said he wished things had turned out differently. He never acted like he did anything wrong.” (Bragg, 154). The figure of drunk and abusive father is contrasted to the figure of caring and loving mother who does everything possible to give her children normal life conditions. Bragg gives touching details which illustrate great sacrifice of this woman. He tells that after marrying his father his mother did not bought her a new dress. All money she had she spent to provide decent living to her three songs. Bragg’ story is full of episodes which show the scenes of domestic violence and abuse : “He had been a fearsome man, the kind of slim and lethal Southern man who would react with murderous fury when insulted, attacking with a knife or a pine knot or his bare hands. When I was six I watched him kick the mortal hell out of a man in a parking lot. I cannot remember why he did it. I just remember how the man covered up his head and tried to crawl under a car to get away, but he was too fat and wedged himself half in and half out, while my daddy kicked his ass and spit on his back and called him a son of a bitch” (Bragg, 96). On the example of Bragg’s family the readers may see factors which influence poverty rate. The author himself retells the scenes of abuse and drinking which were typical for his community. Despite all the effort of his mother she is not able to raise three sons by herself. She does not have a normal job and she spends all her time and effort to earn some money for food. Braggs shows different types of behavior which are presented by his mother and his father.
On the example of his father and his mother, as well as his brothers, Bragg shows how people are trapped by poverty. In his attempts to investigate the roots of violence he can not define between the cause and the reason. From the one side people who live in poverty and do not have normal life conditions gradually become cruel and violate. They do not have the sense of life and can not fulfill even their basic needs. This finally results in violence, abuse and drinking. From the other side abuse and drinking become additional factors which cause even bigger poverty because people loose jobs and last money because of such behavior.
The problem of poverty is a serious problem which needs scrupulous attention of publicity. For long time different social organizations make attempts to resolve this problem. Despite minor progress reached in this filed the most of effort fails. One of the possible reasons of this failure may be wrong approach to the problem. The problem of poverty is often regarded separately, without paying attention to such problems as domestic violence or alcoholism. The study of these problems together may give new perspectives and new ways to resole them.

Works Cited

Paul, Aditi, Poverty And Domestic Violence, 27 January, 2010. Retrieved 16 April, 2010 from countercurrents.org
Bragg, Rick, All Over but the Shoutin’, New York: Vintage Books, 1997.
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