Poverty In America

957 Words4 Pages
What does it mean to experience poverty? This question is one that has transcended generations. As defined by John Iceland in his novel Povery In America: A Handbook, Poverty “essentially refers to economic, or income, deprivation” (Iceland, 2006, Ch.3). Even a definition such as this leaves so much room for different interpretations. Since poverty can be defined as such vastly different things to different people, there developed a need for there to exist a poverty standard. The main need for this standard is for there to be a set line to distinguish between those which need aid to be provided from the government and those who are comfortable on their own. In order for this standard to exist, and aid to be provided to those in need, the definition for poverty needs to be solidified. The standard of poverty was much easier to determine in the past than it is in today’s society. In the past, poverty was determined by a lack of items essential to survival. "Whether it be directly through starvation, or indirectly through sickness brought on by insufficient nourishment, poverty must necessarily lead to the extinction of the physical life” (Iceland, 2006, Ch.3). This definition made determining who was living in an impoverished state very ease; howver, as the times changed, so did the definition of poverty. Today, there is lots of pressure to determine an exact line for who is deserving of government aid, and who should be expected to fend for themselves. The definition of poverty that was effective in the past, is now defined as Absolute poverty. Absolute poverty defines the essential needs of a person, and as such the definition of Absolute poverty remains constant over time. Measures of Absolute poverty are based on calculations of income levels and costs of a bare-minimum standard of living. This definition begins to be questioned when you begin to
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