Homeless

Focus questions [|Homeless]

What is your definition of Homeless? What do you usually judge people by?

** Argument: ** "They are not homeless. They are people who have no homes. No drawer that holds the spoons. No window to look out upon the world. My God. That is everything."

Explanation of Author's position: Homeless lack not the physical ideal of a home rather the comfort of security and belonging

** Our Definition of Homeless ("people who have no homes"): ** the lack of a home meaning a place where you can be yourself. Not really lacking a place to stay, sleep, and eat. (Home) What they're really lacking is a place where they can be themselves. Where they can feel secure and have their privacy.

** Examples of a Home: shelter, park bench, street corner **

** Actual Definition of Homeless: ** "Physically or spiritually homeless or deprived of security;" - James Stern (dictionary.com)

** Actual Definition of Home: ** "Shelter that is the usual residence of a person." (dictionary.com)

🛐 The author organized the passage by order of importance. The overall effect of the memoir is that it makes you think about society and how we judge others based on their appearance. She challenges us this way by,

"She was not a drift, alone, anonymous, although her bags and her raincoat with the grime shadowing its creases had made believe she was. She had a house, or at least once upon a time she had had one. Inside were curtains, a couch, a stove, and potholders. You are where you live. She was somebody." The author shows how she herself came to a realization that she shouldn't judge other's by their appearance, during the interview with the woman.

The author uses persuasive techniques by using simple wording; this in turn helps the average reader to understand the message being conveyed to them. "Home is where the heart is. There's no place like it." The writing is very simplistic but sophisticated. Which makes her writing sound very formal and simple? "Sometimes I think we would be better off if we forgot about the broad strokes and concentrated on the details. Here is a woman without a bureau. There is a man with no mirror, no wall to hang it on. They are not the homeless. They are people who have no homes." The sentences are long but there are places in the article in which she only uses a few words to emphasize emotion. Anna also uses ethic and emotional appeal to try and convince the reader that "they are people who have no homes." By doing this she tries to grab the reader's attention.

The effect that the author's words have on the reader is that of both sentimental and passionate feelings shown in her work.

The author's attitude had a persuasive tone in the presentation of her memoir.” This is a difficult problem, and some wise and compassionate people are working hard at it. But in the main I think we work around it, just as we walk around it when it is lying on the sidewalk or sitting in the bus terminal--the problem, that is. It has been customary to take people's pain and lessen our own participation in it by turning it into an issue, not a collection of human beings. We turn an adjective into a noun: the poor, not poor people; the homeless, not Ann or the man who lives in the box or the woman who sleeps on the subway grate." The author's persuasive tone shown here makes you feel the need to do something to help those whom you put into those categories. To do something about "the homeless" people we should really talk about as individuals, and their stories not just group them together as the pile we call "the homeless." The author's words are meant to make you rethink how you group people together. When she says "we turn an an adjective into a noun: the poor, not poor people..." she is saying that we are degrading them by puting them in a general group instead of acknowledging them as individuals and their stories, by doing this she is using pursuasive techniques.

After analyzing the main objective of the author we came to the conclusion that Anna Quindlen was trying to convey that the individuals who are labeled as "the homeless" are only "homeless" if they are lacking any type of shelter that provides them with a sense of security.

**KWhite** **KVargas** **Per.4**