write essay about poverty

7 Essays About Poverty: Example Essays and Prompts

Essays about poverty give valuable insight into the economic situation that we share globally. Read our guide with poverty essay examples and prompts for your paper.

In the US, the official poverty rate in 2022 was 11.5 percent, with 37.9 million people living below the poverty line. With a global pandemic, cost of living crisis, and climate change on the rise, we’ve seen poverty increase due to various factors. As many of us face adversity daily, we can look to essays about poverty from some of the world’s greatest speakers for inspiration and guidance.

There is nothing but a lack of social vision to prevent us from paying an adequate wage to every American citizen whether he be a hospital worker, laundry worker, maid or day laborer. There is nothing except shortsightedness to prevent us from guaranteeing an annual minimum—and livable—income for every American family. Martin Luther King Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?

Writing a poverty essay can be challenging due to the many factors contributing to poverty and the knock-on effects of living below the poverty line . For example, homelessness among low-income individuals stems from many different causes.

It’s important to note that poverty exists beyond the US, with many developing countries living in extreme poverty without access to essentials like clean water and housing. For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .

Essays About Poverty: Top Examples

1. pensioner poverty: fear of rise over decades as uk under-40s wealth falls, 2. the surprising poverty levels across the u.s., 3. why poverty persists in america, 4. post-pandemic poverty is rising in america’s suburbs.

• 5. The Basic Facts About Children in Poverty
• 6. The State of America’s Children 
• 7. COVID-19: This is how many Americans now live below the poverty line

10 Poverty Essay Topics

1. the causes of poverty, 2. the negative effects of poverty, 3. how countries can reduce poverty rates, 4. the basic necessities and poverty, 5. how disabilities can lead to poverty, 6. how the cycle of poverty unfolds , 7. universal basic income and its relationship to poverty, 8. interview someone who has experience living in poverty, 9. the impact of the criminal justice system on poverty, 10. the different ways to create affordable housing.

There is growing concern about increasing pensioner poverty in the UK in the coming decades. Due to financial challenges like the cost of living crisis, rent increases, and the COVID-19 pandemic, under 40s have seen their finances shrink.

Osborne discusses the housing wealth gap in this article, where many under the 40s currently pay less in a pension due to rent prices. While this means they will have less pension available, they will also retire without owning a home, resulting in less personal wealth than previous generations. Osborne delves into the causes and gaps in wealth between generations in this in-depth essay.

“Those under-40s have already been identified as  facing the biggest hit from rising mortgage rates , and last week a study by the financial advice firm Hargreaves Lansdown found that almost a third of 18- to 34-year-olds had stopped or cut back on their pension contributions in order to save money.” Hilary Osborne,  The Guardian

In this 2023 essay, Jeremy Ney looks at the poverty levels across the US, stating that poverty has had the largest one-year increase in history. According to the most recent census, child poverty has more than doubled from 2021 to 2022.

Ney states that the expiration of government support and inflation has created new financial challenges for US families. With the increased cost of living and essential items like food and housing sharply increasing, more and more families have fallen below the poverty line. Throughout this essay, Ney displays statistics and data showing the wealth changes across states, ethnic groups, and households.

“Poverty in America reflects the inequality that plagues U.S. households. While certain regions have endured this pain much more than others, this new rising trend may spell ongoing challenges for even more communities.” Jeremy Ney,  TIME

In this New York Times article, a Pulitzer Prize-winning sociologist explores why poverty exists in North America.

The American poor have access to cheap, mass-produced goods, as every American does. But that doesn’t mean they can access what matters most. Matthew Desmond,  The New York Times

The U.S. Census Bureau recently released its annual data on poverty, revealing contrasting trends for 2022. While one set of findings indicated that the overall number of Americans living in poverty remained stable compared to the previous two years, another survey highlighted a concerning increase in child poverty. The rate of child poverty in the U.S. doubled from 2021 to 2022, a spike attributed mainly to the cessation of the expanded child tax credit following the pandemic. These varied outcomes underscore the Census Bureau’s multifaceted methods to measure poverty.

“The nation’s suburbs accounted for the majority of increases in the poor population following the onset of the pandemic” Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube,  Brookings

5.  The Basic Facts About Children in Poverty

Nearly 11 million children are living in poverty in America. This essay explores ow the crisis reached this point—and what steps must be taken to solve it.

“In America, nearly 11 million children are poor. That’s 1 in 7 kids, who make up almost one-third of all people living in poverty in this country.” Areeba Haider,  Center for American Progress

6.  The State of America’s Children  

This essay articles how, despite advancements, children continue to be the most impoverished demographic in the U.S., with particular subgroups — such as children of color, those under five, offspring of single mothers, and children residing in the South — facing the most severe poverty levels.

“Growing up in poverty has wide-ranging, sometimes lifelong, effects on children, putting them at a much higher risk of experiencing behavioral, social, emotional, and health challenges. Childhood poverty also plays an instrumental role in impairing a child’s ability and capacity to learn, build skills, and succeed academically.” Children’s Defense Fund

7.  COVID-19: This is how many Americans now live below the poverty line

This essay explores how the economic repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic 2020 led to a surge in U.S. poverty rates, with unemployment figures reaching unprecedented heights. The writer provides data confirming that individuals at the lowest economic strata bore the brunt of these challenges, indicating that the recession might have exacerbated income disparities, further widening the chasm between the affluent and the underprivileged.

“Poverty in the U.S. increased in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic hammered the economy and unemployment soared. Those at the bottom of the economic ladder were hit hardest, new figures confirm, suggesting that the recession may have widened the gap between the rich and the poor.” Elena Delavega,  World Econmic Forum

If you’re tasked with writing an essay about poverty, consider using the below topics. They offer pointers for outlining and planning an essay about this challenging topic.

One of the most specific poverty essay topics to address involves the causes of poverty. You can craft an essay to examine the most common causes of extreme poverty. Here are a few topics you might want to include:

• Racial discrimination, particularly among African Americans, has been a common cause of poverty throughout American history. Discrimination and racism can make it hard for people to get the education they need, making it nearly impossible to get a job.
• A lack of access to adequate health care can also lead to poverty. When people do not have access to healthcare, they are more likely to get sick. This could make it hard for them to go to work while also leading to major medical bills.
• Inadequate food and water can lead to poverty as well. If people’s basic needs aren’t met, they focus on finding food and water instead of getting an education they can use to find a better job.

These are just a few of the most common causes of poverty you might want to highlight in your essay. These topics could help people see why some people are more likely to become impoverished than others. You might also be interested in these essays about poverty .

Poverty affects everyone, and the impacts of an impoverished lifestyle are very real. Furthermore, the disparities when comparing adult poverty to child poverty are also significant. This opens the doors to multiple possible essay topics. Here are a few points to include:

• When children live in poverty, their development is stunted. For example, they might not be able to get to school on time due to a lack of transportation, making it hard for them to keep up with their peers. Child poverty also leads to malnutrition, which can stunt their development.
• Poverty can impact familial relationships as well. For example, members of the same family could fight for limited resources, making it hard for family members to bond. In addition, malnutrition can stunt the growth of children.
• As a side effect of poverty, people have difficulty finding a safe place to live. This creates a challenging environment for everyone involved, and it is even harder for children to grow and develop.
• When poverty leads to homelessness, it is hard for someone to get a job. They don’t have an address to use for physical communication, which leads to employment concerns.

These are just a few of the many side effects of poverty. Of course, these impacts are felt by people across the board, but it is not unusual for children to feel the effects of poverty that much more. You might also be interested in these essays about unemployment .

Different countries take different approaches to reduce the number of people living in poverty

The issue of poverty is a major human rights concern, and many countries explore poverty reduction strategies to improve people’s quality of life. You might want to examine different strategies that different countries are taking while also suggesting how some countries can do more. A few ways to write this essay include:

• Explore the poverty level in America, comparing it to the poverty level of a European country. Then, explore why different countries take different strategies.
• Compare the minimum wage in one state, such as New York, to the minimum wage in another state, such as Alabama. Why is it higher in one state? What does raising the minimum wage do to the cost of living?
• Highlight a few advocacy groups and nonprofit organizations actively lobbying their governments to do more for low-income families. Then, talk about why some efforts are more successful than others.

Different countries take different approaches to reduce the number of people living in poverty. Poverty within each country is such a broad topic that you could write a different essay on how poverty could be decreased within the country. For more, check out our list of simple essays topics for intermediate writers .

You could also write an essay on the necessities people need to survive. You could take a look at information published by the United Nations , which focuses on getting people out of the cycle of poverty across the globe. The social problem of poverty can be addressed by giving people the necessities they need to survive, particularly in rural areas. Here are some of the areas you might want to include:

• Affordable housing
• Fresh, healthy food and clean water
• Access to an affordable education
• Access to affordable healthcare

Giving everyone these necessities could significantly improve their well-being and get people out of absolute poverty. You might even want to talk about whether these necessities vary depending on where someone is living.

There are a lot of medical and social issues that contribute to poverty, and you could write about how disabilities contribute to poverty. This is one of the most important essay topics because people could be disabled through no fault of their own. Some of the issues you might want to address in this essay include:

• Talk about the road someone faces if they become disabled while serving overseas. What is it like for people to apply for benefits through the Veterans’ Administration?
• Discuss what happens if someone becomes disabled while at work. What is it like for someone to pursue disability benefits if they are hurt doing a blue-collar job instead of a desk job?
• Research and discuss the experiences of disabled people and how their disability impacts their financial situation.

People who are disabled need to have money to survive for many reasons, such as the inability to work, limitations at home, and medical expenses. A lack of money, in this situation, can lead to a dangerous cycle that can make it hard for someone to be financially stable and live a comfortable lifestyle.

Many people talk about the cycle of poverty, yet many aren’t entirely sure what this means or what it entails. A few key points you should address in this essay include:

• When someone is born into poverty, income inequality can make it hard to get an education.
• A lack of education makes it hard for someone to get into a good school, which gives them the foundation they need to compete for a good job. 
• A lack of money can make it hard for someone to afford college, even if they get into a good school.
• Without attending a good college, it can be hard for someone to get a good job. This makes it hard for someone to support themselves or their families. 
• Without a good paycheck, it is nearly impossible for someone to keep their children out of poverty, limiting upward mobility into the middle class.

The problem of poverty is a positive feedback loop. It can be nearly impossible for those who live this every day to escape. Therefore, you might want to explore a few initiatives that could break the cycle of world poverty and explore other measures that could break this feedback loop.

Many business people and politicians have floated the idea of a universal basic income to give people the basic resources they need to survive. While this hasn’t gotten a lot of serious traction, you could write an essay to shed light on this idea. A few points to hit on include:

• What does a universal basic income mean, and how is it distributed?
• Some people are concerned about the impact this would have on taxes. How would this be paid for?
• What is the minimum amount of money someone would need to stay out of poverty? Is it different in different areas?
• What are a few of the biggest reasons major world governments haven’t passed this?

This is one of the best essay examples because it gives you a lot of room to be creative. However, there hasn’t been a concrete structure for implementing this plan, so you might want to afford one.

Another interesting topic you might want to explore is interviewing someone living in poverty or who has been impoverished. While you can talk about statistics all day, they won’t be as powerful as interviewing someone who has lived that life. A few questions you might want to ask during your interview include:

• What was it like growing up?
• How has living in poverty made it hard for you to get a job?
• What do you feel people misunderstand about those who live in poverty?
• When you need to find a meal, do you have a place you go to? Or is it somewhere different every day?
• What do you think is the main contributor to people living in poverty?

Remember that you can also craft different questions depending on your responses. You might want to let the interviewee read the essay when you are done to ensure all the information is accurate and correct.

The criminal justice system and poverty tend to go hand in hand. People with criminal records are more likely to be impoverished for several reasons. You might want to write an essay that hits on some of these points:

• Discuss the discriminatory practices of the criminal justice system both as they relate to socioeconomic status and as they relate to race.
• Explore just how hard it is for someone to get a job if they have a criminal record. Discuss how this might contribute to a life of poverty.
• Dive into how this creates a positive feedback loop. For example, when someone cannot get a job due to a criminal record, they might have to steal to survive, which worsens the issue.
• Review what the criminal justice system might be like for someone with resources when compared to someone who cannot afford to hire expert witnesses or pay for a good attorney.

You might want to include a few examples of disparate sentences for people in different socioeconomic situations to back up your points. 

Affordable housing can make a major difference when someone is trying to escape poverty

Many poverty-related problems could be reduced if people had access to affordable housing. While the cost of housing has increased dramatically in the United States , some initiatives exist to create affordable housing. Here are a few points to include:

• Talk about public programs that offer affordable housing to people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
• Discuss private programs, such as Habitat for Humanity , doing similar things.
• Review the positive impacts that stable housing has on both adults and children.
• Dive into other measures local and federal governments could take to provide more affordable housing for people.

There are a lot of political and social angles to address with this essay, so you might want to consider spreading this out across multiple papers. Affordable housing can make a major difference when trying to escape poverty. If you want to learn more, check out our essay writing tips !

Meet Rachael, the editor at Become a Writer Today. With years of experience in the field, she is passionate about language and dedicated to producing high-quality content that engages and informs readers. When she's not editing or writing, you can find her exploring the great outdoors, finding inspiration for her next project.

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Essay on Poverty: Samples in 100, 200, 300 Words

• Updated on  
• Oct 14, 2023

Poverty is a deep-rooted problem that continues to affect a large portion of the world’s population today. It touches on several aspects of human life including but not limited to political, economic, and social elements. Even though there are several methods to escape poverty, still issues arise due to a lack of adequate unity among the country’s citizens. Here are some essays on poverty which will give you insights about this topic.

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on Poverty in 100 words
• 2 Essay on Poverty in 200 words
• 3.1 Reasons Behind Poverty
• 3.2 World Poverty Conditions
• 3.3 Role of NGOs to Eradicate Poverty
• 3.4 What Can be Done by Us?

Essay on Poverty in 100 words

Poverty is defined as a state of scarcity, and the lack of material possessions to such an extreme extent that people have difficulties in fulfilling their basic needs. Robert McNamara, a former World Bank President, states that extreme poverty is limited by illiteracy, malnutrition, disease, high infant mortality rate, squalid conditions of living, and low life expectancy.

In order to eradicate poverty in a country, strict measures need to be taken on all levels. The political system needs to address this issue with utmost sincerity and strategic implementation in such a way that it improves the lives of people, especially the ones living below the poverty line. 

Also Read: Speech on Made in India

Essay on Poverty in 200 words

Poverty is like a parasite that degrades its host and eventually causes a lot of damage to the host. It is basically the scarcity of basic needs that leads to an extremely degraded life and even low life expectancy. It includes a lack of food, shelter, medication, education, and other basic necessities. Poverty is a more serious circumstance where people are forced to starve. It can be caused by a variety of factors depending upon the country. 

Every country that is hit with pandemic diseases, experiences an increase in poverty rates. This is because of the fact that poor people are unable to receive adequate medical care and hence are unable to maintain their health. This renders the people powerless and even puts their liberty in jeopardy. This is because of the fact that poor people can become trapped in a vicious cycle of servitude. The condition of poverty is a distressing one that causes pain, despair, and grief in the lives of the ones it affects. 

This is also a negative scenario that prevents a child from attending basic education. It’s the lack of money that prevents people from living sufficiently. Also, it is the cause of more serious social concerns such as slavery, child labour, etc. Hence action is needed on the same with utmost sincerity. 

Essay on Poverty in 300 words

Poverty is a multifaceted concept that includes several aspects such as social aspects, political elements, economic aspects, etc. It is basically associated with undermining a variety of essential human attributes such as health, education, etc. Despite the growth and development of the economies of countries, poverty still exists in almost every one of them. 

Reasons Behind Poverty

There are several contributing reasons behind poverty in a nation. Some of them are mentioned below:-

• Lack of literacy among citizens
• Lack of Capital in the country
• Large families and a rapidly growing population
• Limited employment opportunities

There are even urban areas where the slum population is increasing. These are deprived of many basic amenities such as sanitation, drainage systems, and low-cost water supply, etc. 

World Poverty Conditions

According to UNICEF , around 22000 children lose their lives each day due to poverty. There are approximately 1.9 billion children in developing countries in the world and India is also among them. Out of these, approximately 640 million don’t have a proper shelter, 270 million are living without medical facilities, and approximately 400 million don’t have access to safe water. This worldwide situation is growing at a fast pace. 

Role of NGOs to Eradicate Poverty

The approaches by NGOs basically include helping the poor by providing various public services such as medical services etc.

They also play a major role in mobilizing the services recommended by the government. They have various approaches and strategies that directly help the poor in various ways.

What Can be Done by Us?

We help in eradicating poverty by increasing employment opportunities.

Ensuring financial services and providing the same is another such measure that can be taken.

Recognizing social entrepreneurs as people of influence, conveying to them the seriousness of this situation, and then eventually making people aware of the same is another thing that can be done. 

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Writing an essay on poverty in 200 words requires you to describe various aspects of this topic such as what causes poverty, how it affects individuals and society as a whole, etc. The condition of poverty is a distressing one that causes pain, despair, and grief in the lives of the ones it affects.

An essay on poverty may be started as follows:- Poverty is a deep-rooted problem that continues to affect a large portion of the world’s population today. It touches on several aspects of human life including but not limited to political, economic, and social elements. Even though there are several methods to escape poverty, still issues arise due to a lack of adequate unity among the country’s citizens.

Poverty in 100 words: Poverty is defined as a state of scarcity, and the lack of material possessions to such an extreme extent that people have difficulties in fulfilling their basic needs. Robert McNamara, a former World Bank President, states that extreme poverty is limited by illiteracy, malnutrition, disease, high infant mortality rate, squalid conditions of living, and low life expectancy. In order to eradicate poverty in a country, strict measures need to be taken on all levels. The political system needs to address this issue with utmost sincerity and strategic implementation in such a way that it improves the lives of people, especially the ones living below the poverty line.

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu .

Deepansh Gautam

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5 Essays About Poverty Everyone Should Know

Poverty is one of the driving forces of inequality in the world. Between 1990-2015, much progress was made. The number of people living on less than $1.90 went from 36% to 10%. However, according to the World Bank , the COVID-19 pandemic represents a serious problem that disproportionately impacts the poor. Research released in February of 2020 shows that by 2030, up to ⅔ of the “global extreme poor” will be living in conflict-affected and fragile economies. Poverty will remain a major human rights issue for decades to come. Here are five essays about the issue that everyone should know:

“We need an economic bill of rights” –  Martin Luther King Jr.

The Guardian published an abridged version of this essay in 2018, which was originally released in Look magazine just after Dr. King was killed. In this piece, Dr. King explains why an economic bill of rights is necessary. He points out that while mass unemployment within the black community is a “social problem,” it’s a “depression” in the white community. An economic bill of rights would give a job to everyone who wants one and who can work. It would also give an income to those who can’t work. Dr. King affirms his commitment to non-violence. He’s fully aware that tensions are high. He quotes a spiritual, writing “timing is winding up.” Even while the nation progresses, poverty is getting worse.

This essay was reprinted and abridged in The Guardian in an arrangement with The Heirs to the Estate of Martin Luther King. Jr. The most visible representative of the Civil Rights Movement beginning in 1955, Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. His essays and speeches remain timely.

“How Poverty Can Follow Children Into Adulthood” – Priyanka Boghani

This article is from 2017, but it’s more relevant than ever because it was written when 2012 was the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. That’s no longer the case. In 2012, around ¼ American children were in poverty. Five years later, children were still more likely than adults to be poor. This is especially true for children of colour. Consequences of poverty include anxiety, hunger, and homelessness. This essay also looks at the long-term consequences that come from growing up in poverty. A child can develop health problems that affect them in adulthood. Poverty can also harm a child’s brain development. Being aware of how poverty affects children and follows them into adulthood is essential as the world deals with the economic fallout from the pandemic.

Priyanka Boghani is a journalist at PBS Frontline. She focuses on U.S. foreign policy, humanitarian crises, and conflicts in the Middle East. She also assists in managing Frontline’s social accounts.

“5 Reasons COVID-19 Will Impact the Fight to End Extreme Poverty” – Leah Rodriguez

For decades, the UN has attempted to end extreme poverty. In the face of the novel coronavirus outbreak, new challenges threaten the fight against poverty. In this essay, Dr. Natalie Linos, a Harvard social epidemiologist, urges the world to have a “social conversation” about how the disease impacts poverty and inequality. If nothing is done, it’s unlikely that the UN will meet its Global Goals by 2030. Poverty and COVID-19 intersect in five key ways. For one, low-income people are more vulnerable to disease. They also don’t have equal access to healthcare or job stability. This piece provides a clear, concise summary of why this outbreak is especially concerning for the global poor.

Leah Rodriguez’s writing at Global Citizen focuses on women, girls, water, and sanitation. She’s also worked as a web producer and homepage editor for New York Magazine’s The Cut.

“Climate apartheid”: World’s poor to suffer most from disasters” – Al Jazeera and news Agencies

The consequences of climate change are well-known to experts like Philip Alston, the special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. In 2019, he submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council sounding the alarm on how climate change will devastate the poor. While the wealthy will be able to pay their way out of devastation, the poor will not. This will end up creating a “climate apartheid.” Alston states that if climate change isn’t addressed, it will undo the last five decades of progress in poverty education, as well as global health and development .

“Nickel and Dimed: On (not) getting by in America” – Barbara Ehrenreich

In this excerpt from her book Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreich describes her experience choosing to live undercover as an “unskilled worker” in the US. She wanted to investigate the impact the 1996 welfare reform act had on the working poor. Released in 2001, the events take place between the spring of 1998 and the summer of 2000. Ehrenreich decided to live in a town close to her “real life” and finds a place to live and a job. She has her eyes opened to the challenges and “special costs” of being poor. In 2019, The Guardian ranked the book 13th on their list of 100 best books of the 21st century.

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of 21 books and an activist. She’s worked as an award-winning columnist and essayist.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

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• Poverty Essay for Students in English

Essay on Poverty

Poverty is a disease that has no cure. The deeper this disease is, the deeper its wound. By the way, man lives under compulsion. But usually one wants to avoid it. Poverty is a condition of extreme poverty for any person or human being. This is a situation when a person starts to lack important things in his life such as the roof, necessary food, clothes, medicines, etc. to continue his life.

The causes of poverty are excessive population, fatal and contagious diseases, natural disasters, low agricultural yields, unemployment, casteism, illiteracy, gender inequality, environmental problems, changing trends in the economy of the country, untouchability, little or limited access to people's rights, Problems such as political violence, sponsored crime, corruption, lack of encouragement, inaction, ancient social beliefs, etc. have to be faced.

Poverty has become a big problem of the world, efforts are being made across the world today to remove poverty, but the problem is that it does not take the name of ending. This problem affects a human's economic and daily life. Poverty teaches man to live like a slave in which he has to change the place over time, in this situation due to the lack of education of the poor, his nature and speech also make a difference. Living in a world of poor people has become a curse. Getting enough money to get food is like getting relief from a curse for the poor, that's why they do not have access to education.

Reasons of Poverty

There are many reasons that have continued with carrying it for a long time. Because of this,  freedom, mental and physical fitness, and lack of security in a person remains. It is very important that in order to live a normal life, the country and the whole world will have to work together to bring proper physical and mental health, complete education, a home for everyone, and other important things.

In today's time, there is the problem of poverty which gives all the pain, pain, and despair to the poor. Due to the lack of money from poverty, I show the lack of many things. Poverty makes children spend life in compulsion. If forced to make bread, sometimes in bringing children's books. At that time he is also unable to raise children.

We can tell poverty in many ways like it has become a common thing in India. Most of the people here are unable to get the things they need. Here a vast section of the population is illiterate, hungry, and forced to live without clothes and a home. About half of India's population suffers from this epidemic of poverty.

A poor person lives his life without possession of basic things like food for two times, clean water, house, clothes, proper education, etc. There are many reasons for poverty in India. Incorrect distribution of national income is also a reason. People in the low-income group are much poorer than those in the high-income group. Children of poor families never get proper education, nutrition, and a happy childhood environment. The main cause of poverty is illiteracy, corruption, growing population, weak agriculture, the growing gap between rich and poverty, etc.

Measures to Control Poverty

Corruption has to be erased.

Unemployed will have to give proper employment

A growing population will have to be stopped

Farmers have to be given proper facilities for farming

Education should be provided to children for proper education

Poverty is not just a human problem but it is a national problem. It should be solved by implementing some effective methods on a quick basis. Every person should be united by ending corruption. A problem has been created in which he does not get even the basics. That is why at present, many measures are being taken to prevent poverty so that the standard of living of people around the world can be improved.

Short Essays on Poverty

Poverty is akin to being a slave, as a person cannot achieve anything he desires. It has various faces that alter depending on who you are, where you are, and when. It can be defined in various ways depending on how a person feels or experiences it.

Poverty is a state that no one wants to be in, but it must be removed owing to cultural norms, natural disasters, or a lack of adequate education. The individual who is experiencing it frequently wishes to flee. Poverty is a call for poor people to earn enough money to eat, have access to education, have adequate shelter, dress appropriately, and take steps to protect themselves from social and political violence.

It's a problem that goes unnoticed yet significantly impacts a person's social life. Poverty is an entirely avoidable problem, but there are various reasons why it has persisted in the past.

Poverty robs people of their freedom, mental health, physical well-being, and security. Everyone must strive to eradicate poverty from the country and the world, ensuring appropriate physical and mental health, full literacy, a home for all, and other necessities for living a simple life.

When a person cannot do anything according to his will, he is said to be in poverty. Many different faces alter depending on who you are, where you are, and time. It can be characterized in a variety of ways, depending on how the person feels or what they have achieved. Poverty is a circumstance that no one wants to be in, even if it is forced upon them due to a lack of experience, nature, natural disasters, or a lack of suitable education. Humans have won it, but they prefer to stay away from it. Poverty is a call for needed clothing and protection against social and political violence for the poor to earn enough money to buy food, receive an education, and find a suitable place to live.

This is an unseen problem that harms a person's social life. Even though numerous factors have contributed to its long-term persistence, poverty is a perfectly preventable problem. As a result, a person's freedom, mental and physical well-being, and sense of security are all compromised. It is critical to bring poverty and poverty from worldwide to work together to live everyday life, provide adequate physical and mental health, complete education, a home for everyone, and other essential things.

FAQs on Poverty Essay for Students in English

1. What are the Effects of Poverty?

When people are not able to afford their basic necessities. For example medications and hospital fees are impossible to afford for that means they choose crook ways of obtaining money i.e. stealing, robbery, etc.  

2. What are the Possible Ways to Remove Poverty?

Since India is a developing country, eliminating poverty here is much tougher than in other countries but still some measures can be taken and government assistance would be much helpful in this step which requires some relevant planning and policies for those who fall under the poverty line. Another major factor of poverty is illiteracy and unemployment. Therefore education is the most efficient tool to confine the poverty line in the country. 

3. What is the Poverty Line?

The Below Poverty Line (BPL) signifies the state of people who fall under poverty status. It also symbolizes an economic drawback. In addition, it is used for people who are in need of help and assistance from the government.

4. What are the causes of poverty?

Poverty has several causes, including a lack of access to essentials such as water, food, shelter, education, and healthcare. Poverty is also caused by inequities such as gender or ethnic discrimination, bad governance, conflict, exploitation, and domestic violence. These disparities not only cause a person or a society to fall into poverty, but they can also prevent people from receiving social assistance that could help them get out of it. Due to political upheaval, past or present conflict, corrupt authorities, and lousy infrastructure that restricts access to education, clean water, healthcare, and other essentials, children and communities in fragile states confront greater poverty rates.

5. What can we do to put an end to extreme poverty?

We can aid in the eradication of extreme poverty by determining what causes it in a particular community and then determining what needs to change. Because poverty manifests itself differently in different regions and is caused by different circumstances, the work to end extreme poverty differs depending on the situation. More economic resources are needed to assist people in increasing their income and better providing for themselves and their families. To ensure that poverty does not return, the work must be sustainable, regardless of the solution. As a result, the community must be involved at every stage.

6. What criteria are used to assess poverty?

Each country's government determines poverty levels by conducting home surveys of its citizens. The World Bank, for example, assists and may conduct their surveys, although data collecting is time-consuming and slow. New high-frequency surveys are being created and tested, leveraging estimations and mobile phone technologies. If you want to learn more about these topics, download the Vedantu App that has been specifically designed and curated for students by experts.

7. What is the poverty cycle?

Poverty can be a catch-22 situation. To escape poverty, a person requires access to possibilities such as education, clean water, local medical services, and financial means. Poverty creates a generational cycle if these critical factors are not there. If parents cannot afford to take their children to school, they will struggle to find work when they grow up. Even natural disasters and conflicts can exacerbate the poverty cycle by bringing more people.

8. What are the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of goals for countries worldwide to work together in a global partnership for the benefit of people, the environment, and prosperity. The Sustainable Development Goals aim to abolish extreme poverty for all people everywhere by 2030 and to reduce the proportion of people living in poverty in all forms by at least half. In September 2015, the United Nations member states accepted this objective as one of 17 to end extreme poverty.

Essay about Poverty Causes and Effects: Writing Guide and Topics

Poverty is a dreaded term, and the thought of its visitation elicits nasty reactions. As a high school, college, or university student, you must be well-versed in how to write an essay about poverty causes and effects. As it is a cause-and-effect essay , at least mostly, you must come up with supporting ideas for the causes and effects of poverty.

Sometimes, it can be descriptive causes of poverty essays. So when asked to write a short essay on poverty, you should first understand your writing type.

Writing a good poverty essay needs time and dedication. Getting a topic is never guaranteed as most people have always chosen the best. However, you can get a topic for your poverty essay with creativity and critical thinking.

In this article, apart from offering free topics for poverty essays, we advise you on how to write such essays. When you need help, too, our custom essay writing service is ready to help.

How to Begin a Poverty Essa (An Eye-Catching Introduction)

We can never tire reiterating that any essay begins with a sound, clear, and concise introduction. In your introduction, here are some questions to ask yourself:

• What is poverty?
• What are the causes of poverty?
• What are the causes and effects of poverty?
• What are the different eradication strategies for poverty?
• How many people are affected by poverty globally?

The above questions can also be part of the topic ideas for your poverty essay.

The introduction should also have an elaborate poverty essay thesis. The poverty thesis should highlight the gist of the entire essay in either one or two sentences. It helps the reader identify the plan and intention of the essayist when writing a poverty essay.

Your introduction should also have some statistics to show the gravity of the issue globally. And when using quoted statistics, ensure they are recent, from a scholarly source, and well-referenced.

If you write an argumentative or persuasive essay on poverty, follow the right introduction to the poverty essay format.

How to Format/Outline a Poverty Essay

When writing a cause-and-effect essay on poverty, a persuasive poverty essay, or an essay on the causes of poverty, an outline precedes the other sections.

Your global poverty essay should begin with a great topic. After the topic, outline the introduction.

The body paragraphs come immediately after the introduction. Depending on the length of the poverty essay, it can follow the five-paragraph format. The body paragraphs should contain one idea. For instance, if you are writing a short essay on poverty in the world, your ideas can be poor governance, lack of education, and climate change. Those points should be in their paragraphs.

If it is How to end poverty essay, some potential considerations would be policy changes, education, fair sharing of resources, and environmental conservation.  The same applies when writing a short essay on helping the poor.

30 Suitable Topics for Essays on Poverty

Here is a list of some suitable poverty essay topics. They can help you brainstorm for the best topics or better yet you can choose and use them in your essays, research papers, theses, and dissertations.

• Child poverty and its impact on growth and development
• Is poverty inevitable?
• Is there a nexus between poverty and world hunger?
• Explore the causes and consequences of poverty in India.
• What are the most successful nations in eradicating poverty?
• Which countries have the highest poverty index?
• The impacts of poverty in our society.
• Poverty definition essay.
• Real-life examples of poverty.
• Poverty as a multifaceted issue.
• Exploring the American stagnant poverty line
• The connection between poverty and homelessness
• How poverty affects aboriginal communities
• Poverty in contemporary society.
• Poverty and crime rates.
• Prejudice and poverty.
• How poverty affects the progress of students
• Does terrorism cause poverty?
• Wars and poverty: A case study of Congo, Somali, and Iraq.
• Human Conflict and Poverty.
• How the United Nations and the Red Cross are fighting Poverty.
• State and Non-state actors in poverty eradication.
• Family planning and poverty.
• Poverty and access to quality healthcare.
• The link between culture and poverty.
• Does poverty in a nation depict poor governance?
• How poverty acts as a factor in human trafficking and prostitution.
• How is poverty measured?
• Capitalism and poverty?
• The Role of the Great Depression on Poverty.

Related Reading: Informative speech topics and ideas.

Concluding an Essay on Poverty (Leave the Audience Yearning for More)

Now, even after writing an excellent poverty essay, it must end. You don't bring it to an end anyhow. Instead, you will have a closing sentence that signals the reader that the essay, albeit great, is ending.

The best thing to do here is to highlight the essay's main points. Choose the best words to use when summarizing ideas. Again, you will need to restate the thesis in a reinvented format this time.

Make the conclusion memorable, like the introduction to your essay about poverty. You will score the best grades when you balance the introduction, body, and conclusion.

If you cannot find ideas for writing a poverty essay, our professional paper writers can help you. We are a known paper writing service .

From research papers to essays, term papers, thesis, thesis proposals, dissertations, dissertations, and research paper proposals, GradeCrest has experts in any field. Get a custom essay that is professionally done.

If you have written a poverty essay and need some editing, we can correct your poverty essay fast. Get to submit a paper that is devoid of plagiarism, relevant, and informative. After all, there are many reasons  people seek essay writing services .

Useful Resources:

• Facts on Poverty
• Poverty World Clock (Real-time poverty index calculator)
• Defining Poverty
• Eradicating poverty

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

Essay on Poverty

Essay generator.

In a world where wealth and progress are often spotlighted, poverty remains a critical global issue. This essay seeks to explore poverty’s definition, implications, and how students can effectively discuss it in writing competitions.

Poverty is not just an economic condition but a multidimensional phenomenon. It entails a lack of basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter, and extends to deprivation in education, health, and dignity. It’s a state where individuals or groups are unable to enjoy minimal standards of life and well-being.

The Dimensions of Poverty

• Income Poverty: This is the most commonly understood dimension of poverty, where individuals or households do not have enough income to meet their basic needs, such as food, shelter, clothing, and healthcare.Poverty thresholds or poverty lines are often used to define income poverty, which varies from one region or country to another.
• Material Deprivation: Material deprivation goes beyond income and focuses on the lack of access to essential goods and services, including safe housing, clean water, sanitation, and education.It considers the inability to afford items necessary for a decent standard of living.
• Multidimensional Poverty: Multidimensional poverty measures take into account a range of factors, including income, health, education, and living conditions, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of poverty.
• Health Poverty: Lack of access to quality healthcare and nutritious food can lead to health poverty. People in poverty often have higher rates of illness, malnutrition, and limited access to healthcare services.
• Education Poverty: Education poverty refers to the limited access to quality education and the high dropout rates among children living in poverty. It can perpetuate the cycle of poverty by limiting opportunities for future generations.
• Social Exclusion: Social exclusion refers to the isolation and discrimination faced by individuals or groups living in poverty. They may be excluded from social activities, decision-making processes, and access to public services.
• Vulnerability and Insecurity: Poverty often leads to vulnerability and insecurity, as individuals and families lack financial stability and may be at risk of falling further into poverty due to unexpected expenses, job loss, or economic shocks.
• Environmental Poverty: Environmental poverty highlights the connection between poverty and environmental degradation. Poor communities may lack access to clean water, face the consequences of climate change, or be forced to live in hazardous environments.
• Food Insecurity: Food insecurity is a dimension of poverty related to inadequate access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. It can result in malnutrition and hunger.
• Inter-generational Poverty: Inter-generational poverty occurs when poverty is passed down from one generation to the next, often due to limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
• Urban and Rural Poverty: Poverty can manifest differently in urban and rural areas, with urban poverty often characterized by issues like slums, overcrowding, and informal employment, while rural poverty may be related to agriculture and landlessness.
• Gender Poverty: Gender poverty acknowledges that poverty affects women and men differently. Women often face additional barriers and discrimination, making them more vulnerable to poverty.

Causes of Poverty

• Lack of Education: Limited access to quality education can hinder people’s ability to secure well-paying jobs, leaving them stuck in low-paying or informal employment.
• Unemployment and Underemployment: A lack of job opportunities or the presence of jobs with low wages and poor working conditions can lead to poverty.
• Low Wages and Income Inequality: Even when employed, individuals may earn insufficient wages to cover basic needs, and income inequality can exacerbate poverty by concentrating wealth among a small percentage of the population.
• Health Issues: High medical expenses, lack of access to healthcare, and chronic health conditions can lead to poverty due to medical bills and reduced earning capacity.
• Family Structure: Single-parent households, especially those headed by women, often face a higher risk of poverty due to limited income and resources.
• Discrimination and Social Exclusion: Discrimination based on factors like race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or disability can limit opportunities and lead to economic disparities.
• Geographic Location: Poverty rates can vary significantly based on where people live, with rural areas often facing unique challenges such as limited access to services and economic opportunities.
• Economic Shocks and Vulnerability: Sudden economic downturns, natural disasters, or personal crises (e.g., illness or job loss) can push individuals and families into poverty or deepen existing poverty.
• Lack of Access to Financial Services: Limited access to banking and credit services can make it difficult for people to save, invest, or access funds in times of need.

The Global Impact

Poverty leads to a cycle of deprivation impacting education, health, and economic prospects, perpetuating a generational trap. It also hinders global development, as vast segments of the population are unable to contribute effectively to society.

• Economic Consequences
• Health and Well-being .
• Education and Human Capital
• Global Inequality
• Migration and Displacement
• Food Security
• Conflict and Instability
• Human Rights and Social Justice
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Global Health Challenges
• Environmental Impact

Writing About Poverty

For students participating in essay competitions, discussing poverty requires sensitivity and depth:

• Use Real-Life Examples : Incorporate case studies or stories to illustrate poverty’s impact.
• Statistical Evidence : Include relevant data to provide context and support your points.
• Global and Local Perspectives : Discuss poverty both as a global issue and within your local context.
• Propose Solutions : Offer innovative ideas or existing strategies that address poverty reduction.

Poverty is more than just a lack of income; it’s a lack of opportunity and security. Its complexity requires thoughtful understanding and action. In writing about poverty, students have the opportunity to raise awareness, challenge perceptions, and contribute to a more equitable world. Understanding and articulating this topic can be a powerful tool for change, making it an essential subject for essay competitions and beyond.

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Essay on Poverty | Poverty Essay for Students and Children in English

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Essay on Poverty: As commented by Mahatma Gandhi decades back, ‘Poverty is the worst form of violence’. During recent years, Poverty is the biggest hurdle in an entire way towards India’s development. Poverty is a worse condition in which the person entirely fails to fulfil his/her physiological needs and the need for food and luxurious life. Poverty-stricken people can also have the best facility for fighting against the diseases and get balanced nutrition and proper medical assistance whenever required.

Even since the immemorial times, poverty has been a more comprehensive concerning issue, and it intensified more in India under the British rule, reaching a peak in the 1920s. The essay on poverty contains various facts and details that are important for understanding the students about the concerned agenda.

You can also find more  Essay Writing  articles on events, persons, sports, technology and many more.

Long and Short Essays on Poverty for Students and Kids in English

We provide children and students with essay samples on a long essay of 500 words and a short essay of 150 words on the topic “Poverty” for reference.

Short Essay on Poverty 150 Words in English

Short Essay on Poverty is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Poverty is the lack of food, clothing, proper shelter, medicine, education, and other essential elements for better survival in the World. It is also the assurance of having equal human rights. Poverty is a worse situation that forces people to starve without proper shelter, clothing, ethical rights, and educational assistance.

Several reasons lead to poverty in any country. Even though there are several solutions to avoid the poverty attack, the lack of proper unity among a country’s residents for following the answers leads to the issues. This is another primary reason why the poverty rate is rapidly rising with each passing day.

The spread of the epidemic diseases also leads to the rising rate of poverty in any country. This is because most poor people cannot maintain their health status and get appropriate medical aid in such situations. Poverty is the adverse situation that makes the people unable to go to the service assurers for their needs, and go even more towards the diseases and illness due to unclean and unhygienic food and water and living in unhealthy situations.

It is the effect that makes people powerless and risks their freedom. This is because a poverty-stricken person might enter the vicious circle of slavery. But, this is an inescapable issue, and thus the person who is stuck in it has to live with it. Poverty is an adverse human situation that brings grief, pain, and despair in individuals’ lives. It is the lack of money and necessities for living luxuriously and adequately with access to all the essential elements. This is an adverse situation that might also make a child unable to enter the school and study during childhood, and this is also the reason behind worse social issues like child labour and slavery.

Poverty means the shortage of money for arranging even the perfect two times meal and have a healthy nutritious diet. Such people do not have enough money to afford the essentials for living a perfect and healthy human life. Thus, there are several ways available that one can use for defining poverty.

Poverty is the most common social issue in the underdeveloped or developing nations, like India and Africa. These nations have a higher poverty rate than the developed countries across the World. This is because a significant segment of people in these countries do not have access to better-earning opportunities and income and cannot meet the basic needs of life. A more substantial segment of these nations’ population is illiterate, stays hungry, and lives without a home and proper clothes.

Poverty is also the primary reason that hinders the country’s economic, social, and political growth. Poor people do not have enough money to satisfy all their needs and lives the entire life without access to many facilities, including even a two-day meal and clean drinking water. Poor people are thus forced to enter into wrong paths and do crimes for earning their living. There are several reasons for poverty in a nation, and for India, it was mainly the British rule, slavery conditions, and rising epidemic illness rates. Children from low-income families do not even get access to education and facility to have proper schooling and medical aids. Many of them are not even aware of the modern advancements that the comparatively more prosperous people have access to.

Long Essay on Poverty 500 Words in English

Long Essay on Poverty is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Poverty is a worse situation that represents poor quality of life, rising illiteracy and malnutrition, lack of basic and essential elements of living, lower development of the human resource, and others. This is a more significant challenge, significantly hindering the growth of the developing nations, like India. Poverty is the phenomenon in which a segment of society does not have access to meeting the basic needs of life and have a healthier life. The experts also observe that poverty level is still declining since India’s last five years (reaching 26.1% in 1999-2000 to 35.97% in 1993-1994)

Poverty in India has also declined at the state level rapidly. In Madhya Pradesh, the poverty rate fell from 43.42% to 37.43%. Not only this, but in other states like UP, and Orissa too, the poverty rate has gone downwards. However, even though there is a downfall in the country’s poverty rate, to eradicate it from the routes, we must make use of some effective programs with combined efforts of Government. It is necessary for the Government of the country to formulate effective strategies for developing a socially poor sector of the society using the critical components like population control measures, and primary education made compulsory, employment generation, and others.

Several issues arise due to a higher poverty rate. Illiteracy increases with poverty as people cannot access proper education and get learning resources due to lack of money. Poverty also leads to rising malnutrition as poor people are unable to afford a proper two-time meal and get a nutritious diet to stay healthy. In turn, this leads to increasing illness and diseases that also remains uncured because of lack of medical aid. Due to poverty, families have lower income that is unable to meet their needs, and thus the children are also forced into child labour to meet the demands.

Unemployment is a significant cause of poverty as it leads to a shortage of money and affects the daily lives of the people. It also forces people to work against their will in harmful conditions. Poverty leads to social stress due to inequality in income between the rich and the poor. This also creates a worse issue for people as they have to stay out of their homes on roadways, sidewalks, open spaces, and without any shelter. Poverty is a worse issue that affects people from all the demographics and age group in adverse ways, causing severe losses and stress for them. This is a concerning factor, and only the Government of a nation can come up with practical ways to reduce the poverty rate.

Poverty is an adverse condition in which the people are left without shelter in a depriving state for basic necessities like food, water, clothes, etc. India has a higher poverty rate. A more significant segment of the entire population cannot afford even the two-time meals properly, have to sleep on the roadsides, wear dirty clothes, drink unclean water, and live in unhealthy and unhygienic conditions. Poor people lack access to proper and healthy nutrition, medical aid, educational assistance, and other essential services to better their lives and the lives of their children.

In urban India, poverty is rapidly rising due to the rise in urban population as people from many rural areas are shifting towards the urban ones. As people move in search of employment and a better lifestyle, but lack of employment opportunities forces them into a financially unstable situation where sometimes they are even forced to work under harmful and unpleasing conditions. In India, more than eight crore people’s income is still lower than the poverty line, and 4.5 crore urban people stand at the verge of the poverty level. A more significant number of urban people stays in the slums, and most of them are illiterates.

Despite many initiatives of Government and NGOs, there is still no satisfying effect regarding the lowering of the poverty level. Several reasons lead to poverty like one of India’s significant cause for poverty is the rising population, poor agriculture, lack of employment opportunities, corruption, a wider gap between poor and rich, epidemic diseases, and many more. A more significant per cent of the Indian population depends on the agriculture sector, which is getting poor rapidly. People also face a shortage of food due to poor agriculture and unemployment.

Furthermore, as there is no limitation on having children after marriage, the rising population also leads to poverty. There are more stomachs to feed, and the income cannot satisfy the same for many families. Furthermore, as the basic facilities are not available adequately, many people get poverty-stricken. With this, the poor become extra poor and richer ones get extra rich, widening the gap between both the segments.

Poverty leads to severe impacts ion the entire society and adversely affects the lives of the people. Poverty leads to illiteracy, lack of proper diet and nutrition, child labour, poor lifestyle and lousy sanitization, and other adverse effects. People are often unable even to get a proper two-time meal and clean drinking water, and due to lack of a healthy diet, the children are mostly malnutrition. Children are unable to study and get appropriate education, and thus the cycle of poverty continues in the families for generations. This eventually hinders the overall development of the nation.

For controlling poverty, there are specific measures that we can take to solve the issue for ensuring a better lifestyle for all the people staying on the planet. There are specific effective measures like farmers must receive proper and necessary access to facilities for better agriculture. The illiterate people must get adequate access to education and training to understand several aspects of a better life. People must be given training for family planning and sex education for population control. Every child must go to school, and there must also be new employment opportunities for all type of people.

Poverty Essay Conclusion

Poverty is not an individual-level problem, but it is a broader issue for the entire nation and the planet. This is a significant threat to human resource development and must be taken care of on a priority basis. People must consider essential and effective measures to control the poverty rate. We must combined work to eradicate all the loopholes in the government systems and encourage the organizations which work to handle the poverty crisis.

The article contains an essay on poverty to satisfy various students’ educational and academic requirements from different classes. This is a concerning factor. The students must understand the issue sufficiently to eradicate the problem and ensure a better and developed lifestyle for all the people Worldwide.

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• Poverty Essay

Poverty in India Essay

500+ words poverty in india essay.

Poverty is defined as a condition in which a person or family lacks the financial resources to afford a basic, minimum standard of living. Poor people don’t have adequate income; they can’t afford housing, health facilities and education which are essential for basic survival. So, poverty can be understood simply as a lack of money, or more broadly, barriers to everyday human life. With the help of this poverty essay, students will understand the meaning of poverty, the major causes of poverty and the efforts taken to eliminate poverty in India. So, students must go through this poverty in India essay in depth to get ideas on how to write effective essays and score high marks in exams.

What Causes Poverty?

There are various factors that are responsible for poverty. The major causes are unemployment, illiteracy, increasing population, and lack of proper education and training. As people are not able to find work for themselves, they are not able to earn their livelihood. Due to this, they lack access to basic education, health care, drinking water and sanitation. They are unable to feed their families and children. The other causes of poverty include war, natural disasters, political instability, etc. For example, World War II impacted many countries and they had to suffer from poverty for a long time. It took a lot of effort for such countries to recover their normal state. Similarly, natural disasters affect some areas so badly that poverty and hunger arise.

How is Poverty Measured in India?

The minimum expenditure (or income) required to purchase a basket of goods and services necessary to satisfy basic human needs is called the Poverty Line. Poverty can be measured in terms of the number of people living below this line. It is measured by the State Governments and information is provided by Below Poverty Line (BPL) censuses. Different countries use different measures for measuring poverty but the basic concept remains the same. The definition of the poverty line remains the same, i.e, consumption required for maintaining the minimum standard of living in a country.

Efforts to Eliminate Poverty

Earning income is the first step towards poverty eradication. Poverty can be eliminated by empowering people, and by giving them a good education that will prepare them to have a better career and future. With the help of education, people can get good jobs which allow them to earn a good living. In this way, they will be able to provide their children with a better life. People should be given easy access to transportation, information, communication, technologies, and other public facilities and services to help remove poverty.

The government has also taken several steps to eradicate poverty in India. It has launched various programmes and schemes such as the Five Years Programme, Prime Minister’s Rozgar Yojana, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana, Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana etc. These programmes help to generate wage employment for the poor, unskilled people living in rural areas. The government also has social security programmes to help a few specific groups such as poor women, elder people, and widows. Apart from these government initiatives, citizens of India have to take an active part in eliminating poverty because it can’t be achieved by just a few people. It needs the support of everyone.

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Frequently asked Questions on Poverty in India Essay

How can poverty in india be abolished completely.

Abolishing poverty in India completely can be challenging. Steps should be taken to ensure equality in education so that everyone gets equal opportunities to find better livelihoods. Proper sanitation and water facility 3. Economic security and development

When was the first plan implemented for Poverty abolition?

The fifth five-year plan was first implemented in the year 1974-79 and since then the government has taken several steps and made many reservations to take this plan forward.

What is the relation between Poverty abolition and economic development?

Poverty abolition and economic development go hand in hand with each other and they are interlinked to each other. Eradication of poverty automatically improves the overall economic situation of a country.

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Poverty in India Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on poverty in india.

Poverty refers to a situation in which a person remain underprivileged from the basic necessities of life. In addition, the person does not have an inadequate supply of food, shelter, and clothes. In India, most of the people who are suffering from poverty cannot afford to pay for a single meal a day. Also, they sleep on the roadside; wear dirty old clothes. In addition, they do not get proper healthy and nutritious food, neither medicine nor any other necessary thing.

Causes of Poverty

The rate of poverty in India is increasing because of the increase in the urban population. The rural people are migrating to cities to find better employment. Most of these people find an underpaid job or an activity that pays only for their food. Most importantly, around crores of urban people are below the poverty line and many of the people are on the borderline of poverty.

Besides, a huge number of people live in low-lying areas or slums. These people are mostly illiterate and in spite of efforts their condition remains the same and there is no satisfactory result.

Furthermore, there are many reasons that we can say are the major cause of poverty in India. These causes include corruption, growing population, poor agriculture , the wide gap of rich and poor, old customs, illiteracy, unemployment and few more. A large section of people are engaged in an agricultural activity but the activity pays very less in comparison to the work done by employees.

Also, more population needs more food, houses and money and in the lack of these facilities the poverty grows very quickly. In addition, being extra poor and extra rich also widens the gap between the rich and poor.

Moreover, the rich are growing richer and the poor are getting poorer creating an economic gap that is difficult to fill up.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Effects of Poverty

It affects people living in a lot of ways. Also, it has various effects that include illiteracy, reduced nutrition and diet, poor housing, child labor, unemployment , poor hygiene and lifestyle, and feminization of poverty, etc. Besides, this poor people cannot afford a healthy and balanced diet, nice clothes, proper education , a stable and clean house, etc. because all these facilities require money and they don’t even have money to feed two meals a day then how can they afford to pay for these facilities.

The Solutions for Ending Poverty

For solving the problem of poverty it is necessary for us to act quickly and correctly. Some of the ways of solving these problems are to provide proper facilities to farmers . So, that they can make agriculture profitable and do not migrate to cities in search of employment.

Also, illiterate people should be given the required training so that they can live a better life. To check the rising population, family planning should be followed. Besides, measures should be taken to end corruption, so that we can deal with the gap between rich and poor.

In conclusion, poverty is not the problem of a person but of the whole nation. Also, it should be deal with on an urgent basis by the implementation of effective measures. In addition, eradication of poverty has become necessary for the sustainable and inclusive growth of people, society, country, and economy .

FAQs about Poverty in India Essay

Q.1 List some ways to end poverty in India. A.1 Some ways to end poverty in India are:

• Develop a national poverty reduction plan
• Equal access to healthcare and education
• Sanitation facility
• Food, water, shelter, and clothing facility
• Enhance economic growth with targeted action

Q.2 Which is the poorest state in India? A.2 Chhattisgarh is the poorest state of the country.

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Cyclical poverty

Collective poverty, concentrated collective poverty, case poverty.

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poverty , the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. Poverty is said to exist when people lack the means to satisfy their basic needs. In this context , the identification of poor people first requires a determination of what constitutes basic needs. These may be defined as narrowly as “those necessary for survival” or as broadly as “those reflecting the prevailing standard of living in the community.” The first criterion would cover only those people near the borderline of starvation or death from exposure; the second would extend to people whose nutrition, housing, and clothing, though adequate to preserve life, do not measure up to those of the population as a whole. The problem of definition is further compounded by the noneconomic connotations that the word poverty has acquired. Poverty has been associated, for example, with poor health, low levels of education or skills, an inability or an unwillingness to work, high rates of disruptive or disorderly behaviour, and improvidence. While these attributes have often been found to exist with poverty, their inclusion in a definition of poverty would tend to obscure the relation between them and the inability to provide for one’s basic needs. Whatever definition one uses, authorities and laypersons alike commonly assume that the effects of poverty are harmful to both individuals and society.

Although poverty is a phenomenon as old as human history, its significance has changed over time. Under traditional (i.e., nonindustrialized) modes of economic production, widespread poverty had been accepted as inevitable. The total output of goods and services, even if equally distributed, would still have been insufficient to give the entire population a comfortable standard of living by prevailing standards. With the economic productivity that resulted from industrialization , however, this ceased to be the case—especially in the world’s most industrialized countries , where national outputs were sufficient to raise the entire population to a comfortable level if the necessary redistribution could be arranged without adversely affecting output.

Several types of poverty may be distinguished depending on such factors as time or duration (long- or short-term or cyclical) and distribution (widespread, concentrated, individual).

(Read Indira Gandhi’s 1975 Britannica essay on global underprivilege.)

Cyclical poverty refers to poverty that may be widespread throughout a population, but the occurrence itself is of limited duration. In nonindustrial societies (present and past), this sort of inability to provide for one’s basic needs rests mainly upon temporary food shortages caused by natural phenomena or poor agricultural planning. Prices would rise because of scarcities of food, which brought widespread, albeit temporary, misery.

In industrialized societies the chief cyclical cause of poverty is fluctuations in the business cycle , with mass unemployment during periods of depression or serious recession . Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the industrialized nations of the world experienced business panics and recessions that temporarily enlarged the numbers of the poor. The United States’ experience in the Great Depression of the 1930s, though unique in some of its features, exemplifies this kind of poverty. And until the Great Depression, poverty resulting from business fluctuations was accepted as an inevitable consequence of a natural process of market regulation . Relief was granted to the unemployed to tide them over until the business cycle again entered an upswing. The experiences of the Great Depression inspired a generation of economists such as John Maynard Keynes , who sought solutions to the problems caused by extreme swings in the business cycle. Since the Great Depression, governments in nearly all advanced industrial societies have adopted economic policies that attempt to limit the ill effects of economic fluctuation. In this sense, governments play an active role in poverty alleviation by increasing spending as a means of stimulating the economy. Part of this spending comes in the form of direct assistance to the unemployed, either through unemployment compensation , welfare, and other subsidies or by employment on public-works projects. Although business depressions affect all segments of society, the impact is most severe on people of the lowest socioeconomic strata because they have fewer marginal resources than those of a higher strata.

In contrast to cyclical poverty, which is temporary, widespread or “ collective ” poverty involves a relatively permanent insufficiency of means to secure basic needs—a condition that may be so general as to describe the average level of life in a society or that may be concentrated in relatively large groups in an otherwise prosperous society. Both generalized and concentrated collective poverty may be transmitted from generation to generation, parents passing their poverty on to their children.

Collective poverty is relatively general and lasting in parts of Asia, the Middle East , most of Africa, and parts of South America and Central America . Life for the bulk of the population in these regions is at a minimal level. Nutritional deficiencies cause disease seldom seen by doctors in the highly developed countries. Low life expectancy , high levels of infant mortality, and poor health characterize life in these societies.

Collective poverty is usually related to economic underdevelopment. The total resources of many developing nations in Africa, Asia, and South and Central America would be insufficient to support the population adequately even if they were equally divided among all of the citizens. Proposed remedies are twofold: (1) expansion of the gross national product (GNP) through improved agriculture or industrialization, or both, and (2) population limitation. Thus far, both population control and induced economic development in many countries have proved difficult, controversial, and at times inconclusive or disappointing in their results.

An increase of the GNP does not necessarily lead to an improved standard of living for the population at large, for a number of reasons. The most important reason is that, in many developing countries, the population grows even faster than the economy does, with no net reduction in poverty as a result. This increased population growth stems primarily from lowered infant mortality rates made possible by improved sanitary and disease-control measures. Unless such lowered rates eventually result in women bearing fewer children, the result is a sharp acceleration in population growth. To reduce birth rates, some developing countries have undertaken nationally administered family-planning programs, with varying results. Many developing nations are also characterized by a long-standing system of unequal distribution of wealth —a system likely to continue despite marked increases in the GNP. Some authorities have observed the tendency for a large portion of any increase to be siphoned off by persons who are already wealthy, while others claim that increases in GNP will always trickle down to the part of the population living at the subsistence level.

In many industrialized, relatively affluent countries, particular demographic groups are vulnerable to long-term poverty. In city ghettos , in regions bypassed or abandoned by industry, and in areas where agriculture or industry is inefficient and cannot compete profitably, there are found victims of concentrated collective poverty. These people, like those afflicted with generalized poverty, have higher mortality rates, poor health, low educational levels, and so forth when compared with the more affluent segments of society. Their chief economic traits are unemployment and underemployment, unskilled occupations, and job instability. Efforts at amelioration focus on ways to bring the deprived groups into the mainstream of economic life by attracting new industry, promoting small business, introducing improved agricultural methods, and raising the level of skills of the employable members of the society.

Similar to collective poverty in relative permanence but different from it in terms of distribution, case poverty refers to the inability of an individual or family to secure basic needs even in social surroundings of general prosperity. This inability is generally related to the lack of some basic attribute that would permit the individual to maintain himself or herself. Such persons may, for example, be blind, physically or emotionally disabled , or chronically ill. Physical and mental handicaps are usually regarded sympathetically, as being beyond the control of the people who suffer from them. Efforts to ameliorate poverty due to physical causes focus on education, sheltered employment, and, if needed, economic maintenance.

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Ielts writing task 2 sample 344 - what are some of the reasons for poverty, ielts writing task 2/ ielts essay:, every country has poor people and every country has different ways of dealing with the poor. what are some of the reasons for poverty what can we do to help the poor.

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Third World Countries: Origins and Modern Implications

This essay is about understanding Third World countries, tracing the origin of the term from the Cold War era to its modern implications. It discusses the economic, social, and political challenges these countries face, such as poverty, inadequate education, poor healthcare, and underdeveloped infrastructure. The essay emphasizes the importance of addressing these issues through comprehensive and sustainable strategies, including international aid and local capacity-building. It highlights the potential for growth and development in Third World countries, with examples of nations that have made significant progress through focused efforts on reform and investment.

How it works

During the epoch of the Cold War, the term “Third World” emerged to delineate nations that remained unaligned with either the capitalist NATO consortium led by the United States (deemed the First World) or the communist bloc overseen by the Soviet Union (termed the Second World). These states, instead, often comprised nascent independent entities, aspiring toward self-determination within the global paradigm. Over time, this designation expanded to encompass nations exhibiting lower tiers of economic advancement, elevated rates of impoverishment, and myriad societal dilemmas.

Third World nations typically exhibit characteristics such as constrained industrialization, rudimentary infrastructure, and a reliance on agriculture or primary resource extraction. Many grapple with economies heavily reliant on the exportation of a handful of commodities, rendering them susceptible to vicissitudes in the global market. Such economic fragility is frequently compounded by factors like political turbulence, corruption, and strife, exacerbating impediments to progress. Notwithstanding these tribulations, numerous Third World nations boast rich cultural melanges and abundant natural endowments, offering fertile ground for advancement and evolution.

Poverty emerges as a predominant issue afflicting Third World countries. Elevated levels of destitution invariably correlate with suboptimal health outcomes, restricted educational access, and deficient public amenities. Often, poverty constitutes both a root cause and a repercussion of overarching systemic challenges such as governance deficiencies, infrastructural deficits, and constrained economic opportunities. Ameliorating poverty in these contexts necessitates holistic approaches encompassing enhancements in education, healthcare, and social services, alongside the cultivation of economic growth through sustainable developmental paradigms.

Education emerges as a pivotal linchpin in breaking the cycle of poverty within Third World nations. Access to quality education equips individuals with the requisite competencies and insights to enhance their economic prospects and contribute meaningfully to community advancement. However, myriad barriers impede the universal provision of education in many of these locales, encompassing financial insufficiency, infrastructural inadequacies, and socio-cultural constraints curtailing educational opportunities, particularly for marginalized demographics like girls and women. International assistance and non-governmental organizations often assume pivotal roles in buttressing educational endeavors in these spheres.

Healthcare constitutes another salient domain necessitating attention within Third World contexts. Many such nations grapple with elevated prevalence rates of infectious maladies, malnutrition, and deficient medical provisions. Elevating healthcare systems mandates concurrent focus on immediate exigencies like immunization provision and rudimentary medical supplies, alongside enduring objectives such as healthcare infrastructure fortification and healthcare professional training. Initiatives aimed at enhancing healthcare in these environs often garner support from international entities, yet sustainable advancement mandates indigenous capacity enhancement and financial investment.

Economic advancement within Third World nations represents a labyrinthine and multi-faceted conundrum. While select countries have achieved notable strides in recent epochs, many remain ensnared by impediments such as infrastructural deficits, capital unavailability, and political turbulence. Fostering economic proliferation in these realms entails fostering an investment-conducive milieu, buttressing small and medium-sized enterprises, and nurturing industries capable of vying in the global marketplace. Additionally, adopting sustainable developmental frameworks safeguarding natural resources and ensuring enduring growth emerges as an imperative for these nations to attain sustainable economic advancement.

Notwithstanding the adversities, myriad instances abound of Third World countries making substantial headway. Nations such as Vietnam and Rwanda illustrate how concerted endeavors toward education, healthcare, and economic reformation can yield notable enhancements in living standards and economic performance. These triumphs serve as testimonials to the efficacy of judicious policies and support, underscoring the potential of Third World countries to surmount obstacles and realize enduring developmental strides.

In summation, the notion of Third World countries has transcended its Cold War provenance to encapsulate nations contending with profound developmental exigencies. Effectively addressing the predicaments of poverty, education, healthcare, and economic advancement in these realms demands nuanced and sustainable strategies. While the odyssey toward development remains intricate, the prospects for advancement are palpable, and with unwavering dedication and assistance, many of these nations harbor auspicious prospects for a brighter tomorrow.

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Critic's Notebook

Shrink the Economy, Save the World?

Economic growth has been ecologically costly — and so a movement in favor of ‘degrowth’ is growing.

Credit... By Timo Lenzen

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By Jennifer Szalai

• June 8, 2024

A rising tide and a bigger pie: Economic growth has long been considered such an obvious boon that it’s pursued by governments across the world as a matter of course. But in 2016, when a London professor warned an audience in Newcastle that Brexit would lead to a precipitous drop in Britain’s gross domestic product, that well-worn measure of economic activity, one woman’s heckling caught him by surprise. “That’s your bloody G.D.P.,” she shouted, “not ours!”

The eruption tapped into a suspicion supported by reality: Gains in economic growth have too often buoyed the fortunes of the richest instead of lifting all boats. Prosperity even in the most prosperous countries hasn’t been shared. But all the attention to inequality is just a crack in the edifice of economic orthodoxy. Now a much more radical proposition has emerged, looming like a wrecking ball: Is economic growth desirable at all?

Less than two decades ago, an economist like Herman Daly , who argued for a “steady-state economy,” was such an outlier that his fellow economist Benjamin Friedman could declare that “practically nobody opposes economic growth per se.” Yet today there is a burgeoning “post-growth” and “degrowth” movement doing exactly that — in journals , on podcasts, at conferences. Consider some of the books published in the last several years: Tim Jackson’s “Post-Growth: Life After Capitalism,” Kate Soper’s “Post-Growth Living,” Giorgos Kallis’s “In Defense of Degrowth,” Vincent Liegey and Anitra Nelson’s “Exploring Degrowth,” Jason Hickel’s “Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World.” The proliferation of the term is as good an indicator as any: The literature of degrowth is growing.

In 1972, the French theorist André Gorz coined the word décroissance to ask whether “no-growth — or even degrowth” in material production was necessary for “the earth’s balance,” even if it ran counter to “the survival of the capitalist system.” Gorz was writing the same year that “The Limits to Growth” was published, a report by a group of scientists warning that surges in population and economic activity would eventually outstrip the carrying capacity of the planet. “The Limits to Growth” was initially met with skepticism and even ridicule. Critics pointed to humanity’s undeniably impressive record of technological innovation. As one representative economist put it, “Our predictions are firmly based on a study of the way these problems have been overcome in the past.”

And so degrowth remained on the fringes of the fringe for decades, until increasing awareness about global warming percolated into public debates in the early aughts. The realization that we hadn’t innovated our way out of our ecological predicament, along with inequalities laid bare by the 2008 financial crisis, fueled a more widespread distrust of the conventional capitalist wisdom. Maybe relentless economic growth was more poison than panacea.

An Ideology of ‘Growthism’

This doubt has taken varied forms, from cautious agnosticism to categorical doomsaying, with degrowth occupying the furthest end of the spectrum. For advocates of degrowth, it’s a core tenet that in high-income countries the constant expansion demanded by capitalism isn’t required to improve people’s lives; instead, the ensuing inequality and environmental havoc have frequently undermined them.

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History of Now

What Does George Orwell’s ‘1984’ Mean in 2024?

Now 75 years old, the dystopian novel still rings alarm bells about totalitarian rule

Anne Wallentine

In recent years, some conservative American groups have adopted the slogan “Make Orwell fiction again,” a line that suggests the dystopian depictions of totalitarianism, historical revisionism and misinformation found in George Orwell ’s 1984 are now reality. Liberal groups may agree with some of those concepts—but would likely apply them to different events.

Seventy-five years after its publication on June 8, 1949, Orwell’s novel has attained a level of prominence enjoyed by few other books across academic, political and popular culture. 1984 ’s meaning has been co-opted by groups across the political spectrum, and it consequently serves as a kind of political barometer. It has been smuggled behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War and used as counterpropaganda by the CIA; at moments of political crisis, it has skyrocketed to the top of best-seller lists.

The language and imagery in the novel—which Anthony Burgess, author of A Clockwork Orange , once called “an apocalyptical codex of our worst fears”—have also been reinterpreted in music, television, advertisements and films, shaping how people view and discuss the terror of political oppression. The terms the book introduced into the English language, like “Big Brother” and “thought police,” are common parlance today. “ Big Brother ” is now a long-running reality TV show. 1984 -like surveillance is possible through a range of tracking technologies. And the contortion of truth is realizable via artificial intelligence deepfakes . In a world that is both similar to and distinct from Orwell’s imagined society, what does 1984 mean today?

Jean Seaton , director of the Orwell Foundation and a historian at the University of Westminster in England, says that 1984 has become a way to “take the temperature” of global politics. “It goes up and down because people reinvent it [and] because people turn to it … to refresh [their] grasp on the present. It’s useful because you think, ‘How bad are we in comparison to this?’”

In 1984 , three totalitarian states rule the world in a détente achieved by constant war. The all-seeing Party dominates a grimly uniform society in the bloc called Oceania. As a low-level Party member, protagonist Winston Smith’s job is to rewrite historical records to match the ever-changing official version of events. As a Party slogan puts it , “Who controls the past controls the future: Who controls the present controls the past.”

Winston begins to document his contrarian thoughts and starts an illicit affair with a woman named Julia, but the two are soon caught and tortured into obedience by the regime. Ultimately, Smith’s individuality and attempt to rebel are brutally suppressed. While most contemporary societies are nothing like the book’s dystopia, in the context of today’s proliferating misinformation and disinformation , the Party’s primary propaganda slogans—“War is peace,” “Freedom is slavery” and “Ignorance is strength”—don’t seem all that far-fetched.

According to Orwell’s son, Richard Blair , the writer thought his novel would “either be a best seller or the world [would] ignore it. He wasn’t quite sure which of the two it would be.” But soon after its publication, 1984 ’s best-seller status became clear. The book has since sold around 30 million copies. It most recently returned to the top of the American best-seller list in January 2017, after a Trump administration adviser coined the doublespeak term “alternative facts.”

“It’s a very relevant book … to the world of today,” Blair says. “The broad issue [is] the manipulation of truth, something that large organizations and governments are very good at.”

Many other dystopian novels carry similar warnings. So why does 1984 have such staying power? Orwell’s novels “all have exactly the same plot,” says the author’s biographer D.J. Taylor . “They are all about solitary, ground-down individuals trying to change the nature of their lives … and ultimately being ground down by repressive authority.”

1984 , Taylor adds, is the apotheosis of Orwell’s fears and hypotheses about surveillance and manipulation: “It takes all the essential elements of Orwell’s fiction and then winds them up another couple of notches to make something really startling.” Orwell’s precise, nightmarish vision contains enough familiar elements to map onto the known world, giving it a sense of alarming plausibility.

The novel traces the dystopian future onto recognizable London landmarks. “The really scary thing for the original readers in 1949 was that although it was set in 1984, it’s there: It’s bomb-cratered, war-torn, postwar England,” says Taylor. The University of London’s Senate House inspired the novel’s “ Ministry of Truth ,” as it had housed the Ministry of Information during World War II’s propaganda push.

Born Eric Blair in 1903, Orwell had a short but prolific writing career, chronicling politics, poverty and social injustice before his early death from tuberculosis in January 1950, just seven months after 1984 ’s publication. Though an accomplished essayist, Orwell is best known for 1984 and Animal Farm , his 1945 satire of Stalinist Russia.

Born in Bengal when the region was under British colonial rule, Orwell studied at Eton College but left the school to follow his father into the civil service. He became disillusioned with the colonial British Raj while serving in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, an experience that inspired his first novel, Burmese Days . In 1927, Orwell returned to England and Europe, where he immersed himself in working-class poverty to write Down and Out in Paris and London and The Road to Wigan Pier . He fought against fascism in the Spanish Civil War, almost dying from a throat wound. The conflict reinforced his socialist politics : “Everything he wrote after that was against totalitarianism [and] for democracy,” Blair says.

Orwell wrote 1984 while battling tuberculosis on the Isle of Jura in Scotland, aware that his condition was deteriorating as he wrote the novel, Taylor says. Upon finishing the manuscript, he went to a London hospital for treatment, where he married editorial assistant Sonia Brownell from his hospital bed. The writer died three months later at age 46. Blair, whom Orwell had adopted with his first wife, Eileen O’Shaughnessy, shortly before her death in 1945, was 5 years old at the time.

Though Orwell described 1984 as a warning rather than a prophecy, scholars have demonstrated significant interest in mapping the author’s imaginings onto the modern world. “When I started writing, what I was involved in was something you could call ‘Orwell Studies.’ And now there's an Orwell industry,” says Taylor, who has published two biographies of the author. (His latest , released in 2023, was informed by new primary source material.)

Taylor attributes this popularity to Orwell’s “uncanny ability … to predict so many of the things that trouble us here in the 2020s.” He notes that in the United Kingdom, Orwell mainly draws political and literary audiences, while in the United States, scientific circles are increasingly curious about Orwell’s foreshadowing of modern technology and surveillance methods.

“There’s something about his work that keeps getting reinvented and reactivated” in relation to events that happened well after Orwell’s death, says Alex Woloch , a literary scholar at Stanford University. “I think of Orwell as a text that people can turn to in confronting many different kinds of political problems, and particularly propaganda, censorship and political duplicity.”

Orwell’s “main relevance in the U.S. was forged during the Cold War,” Woloch says. A democratic socialist and anti-Stalinist, Orwell was able to “represent the contradictions of the communist ideology, the gap between its self-image and its reality.” 1984 and Animal Farm “were understood as the exemplary anti-communist texts ,” embedded in U.S. curriculums and widely taught in the decades since.

“With the end of the Cold War,” Woloch adds, “Orwell’s writing could be claimed by many different people who were arguing against what they saw as various forms of political deceptiveness,” from the Marxist Black Panther Party to the ultraconservative John Birch Society .

“It’s very difficult to think of another writer who’s so much admired across all parts of the political spectrum,” Taylor says. “He’s almost unique in that way.”

Adapted to the needs of a broad range of readers, 1984 took on a life beyond its author and its pages. In her forthcoming book, George Orwell and Communist Poland: Émigré, Official and Clandestine Receptions , Krystyna Wieszczek , a research fellow at Columbia University, explores the use of 1984 as a tool of resistance. The novel “provided an easy-to-use vocabulary … that [readers] could use to name the phenomenon” of oppression, Wieszczek says. Copies were smuggled into Poland and other countries behind the Iron Curtain that divided Eastern Europe from Western Europe, some even in the diplomatic bag of a secretary to the French Embassy in Warsaw.

In the 1950s, a CIA operation sent Animal Farm and other “printed matter from the West [into communist countries] in gas-filled balloons,” Wieszczek says. But many Poles objected to this tactic, fearing a reprise of the devastating and unsuccessful 1944 Warsaw Uprising . Through distribution points across Europe, the U.S. also sent millions of copies of anti-communist literature, including 1984 , to Poland. According to Wieszczek, surveys suggest that as much as 26 percent of Poland’s adult population—around seven million people—had some access to clandestine publications in the 1980s. Polish émigré imprint s like Kultura in Paris also ensured banned publications reached audiences in the Eastern bloc during the Cold War. Cheekily, one of Kultura’s editions of 1984 even used a “Soviet militant poster as a cover,” Wieszczek says.

“Many people read 1984 as a very negative, pessimistic book, but … it had a kind of liberating impact … for some readers,” she explains. They were reading a banned book about banned books that reflected, to an extent, their own circumstances.

“ 1984 is a horrible book,” Wieszczek adds. “You never forget—it stays with you, this big pressure on the chest and the stomach. But somehow, it brought hope. There was this man on other side of the Iron Curtain who understood us. … There is hope because people understand.”

A protean text for political, intellectual and underground movements, 1984 has also resonated in popular culture. Its myriad artistic interpretations are explored in Dorian Lynskey’s The Ministry of Truth: The Biography of George Orwell’s 1984 . The novel inspired television shows, films , plays, a David Bowie album (though Orwell’s widow, Sonia, turned down the artist’s offer to create a 1984 musical) and even a “ Victory gin ” based on the grim spirits described in the novel. It was cited in songs by John Lennon and Stevie Wonder and named by assassin Lee Harvey Oswald as one of his favorite books. And its imagery continues to inform the public’s perception of what might happen if 1984 weren’t fiction after all.

In January 1984, an Apple Macintosh ad directed by Ridley Scott aired during the Super Bowl. It depicted a maverick woman smashing a Big Brother-esque screen that was broadcasting to the subordinate masses, and it ended with the tagline , “You’ll see why 1984 won’t be like ‘1984.’” The implication was that buying Apple products would set people apart from the crowd. In an Orwellian twist, although the ad positioned Apple as the underdog against the dominant IBM, the company actually had a competitive market share, claiming 25 percent to IBM’s 24 percent at the end of 1983.

While the term “Orwellian” can be used to describe Orwell’s style, “the classic use … is for politicians [who] grotesquely misuse language for ideological purposes and use language to disguise or pervert reality rather than to expose it,” Woloch says. Today, the phrase has become a “floating signifier,” Taylor says. “It’s so regularly used it doesn’t actually mean anything.” He cites a politician misusing “Orwellian” to complain about a perceived personal injustice (a canceled book contract).

“[Orwell’s] books have such widespread currency that you can use him to describe anything, really,” Taylor adds. “The word can mean anything and nothing at the same time.”

This is ironic, given how precise Orwell was about language. The reduction of language and creative thought to “ Newspeak ” in the novel figures largely in the population’s oppression. Orwell “was passionately committed to language as a contract crucial to all our other contracts,” writes Rebecca Solnit in Orwell’s Roses . He is “an exemplar of writing as the capacity to communicate other people’s experience,” Seaton says, “… so to read Orwell is, in a sense, to defend language and writing.”

Orwell’s main question, according to Woloch, “is how, as a thinking person and a fair-minded person, … do you confront the genuine pervasiveness of political problems that make up the world that we’re in?” The scholar quotes Orwell’s famous line from a 1938 New Leader essay : “It is not possible for any thinking person to live in such a society as our own without wanting to change it.”

“The big three themes [of 1984 ] that people ought to bear in mind,” Taylor suggests, “are the denial of objective truth, which we see everywhere about us, every war that’s currently taking place anywhere in the world and in quite a lot of domestic political situations, too; the manipulation of language … and the use of words to bamboozle people; and the rise of the surveillance society. … That to me, is the definition of the adjective ‘Orwellian’ in the 21st century.”

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Anne Wallentine is a writer and art historian with a focus on the intersections of art, culture and health. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and the Courtauld Institute of Art, she writes for outlets that include the Financial Times , the Economist , the Art Newspaper  and Hyperallergic .

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33 Interesting Writing Prompts for Language Learners (of All Levels)

When your language teachers and tutors advise you to get more writing practice , it can be hard to follow their guidance.

If your daily life isn’t action-packed, keeping a diary in your target language can get boring and repetitive, but what other topics can you discuss?

Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, there are plenty of great things to write about. Here are 33 writing prompts for language learners to get you started.

Beginner Writing Prompts

1. who are you, 2. what are your favorite hobbies, 3. what’s your family like, 4. what’s your best friend like, 5. where do you live, 6. what’s your favorite food, 7. what’s your favorite season, 8. what’s your favorite movie or tv show, 9. describe your daily routine., 10. what are you going to do this weekend, 11. what’s your favorite animal, intermediate writing prompts, 12. what’s the funniest thing that has ever happened to you, 13. where would you like to go on vacation, 14. what’s the best vacation, trip or outing you’ve ever had, 15. where do you see yourself in five years, 16. what are your goals for the future, 17. what were you like as a child, 18. write a poem (rhyming or not) about something that inspires you., 19. pretend you’re instructing someone on how to do your favorite activity., 20. what’s your favorite (or your family’s favorite) tradition.

• 21. What do you think the world will be like in 50 years? 

22. Why is education important?

Advanced writing prompts, 23. if you were given three wishes, what would you wish for, 24. what do you think the most significant world problem is, 25. if you could change one thing about society, what would you change, 26. how has the internet affected communication how do you see it affecting communication in the future, 27. what do you think would be an ideal political system does an ideal system exist, 28. who’s responsible for poverty why does it exist, and how could it be resolved, 29. what’s your favorite literary work, and what has it taught you, 30. if you could teach your future children or other children of the future one lesson, what would it be, 31. what medical issues have you or your loved ones faced how did you handle them or how do you continue to handle them, 32. what topics are not adequately addressed in schools today why should these topics be addressed more, 33. describe a recent world event. what are the potential consequences of this event, why use foreign language writing prompts, how to get the most out of writing prompts for language learners, and one more thing....

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Beginning level students usually know basic vocabulary related to describing people, weather, food, animals, routines and related topics.

Writing as a beginning student can be a bit tricky because you don’t yet have a vast vocabulary. Additionally, your verb conjugation abilities are probably limited, so you may need to stick to the present tense.

These writing prompts can be answered with simple, general vocabulary and present tense verbs , so they’re ideal for beginning students.

You can take this question in a wide variety of directions. Based on what vocabulary you want to practice, you might describe your appearance, your job and/or your interests. If you want to try using more advanced-level vocabulary, you could try getting more philosophical with your response.

Everyone has something they like to do. What are your favorite hobbies? If your vocabulary is limited, you might try simple responses, like “I like sports.” However, as your vocabulary gets more advanced, you can add more detail into your response. For instance, “I like sports, especially soccer. My favorite thing about soccer is hitting the ball with my head.”

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What do they look like? What are their personalities like? How is each person related to you? What are their interests? This prompt can be used for quick, easy writing practice or for a book-length extended project.

You can describe your friend physically, describe their personality and/or explain what you like to do together. If you already know some past tense verbs, you might even tell a story about something that happened with your friend in the past to illustrate what your friend is like.

You could even break this one down into a series of prompts. Describe your neighborhood. Describe your city. Describe your state. Describe your country. You might discuss the layout, culture, businesses, natural environment or how you feel about your location.

Not only can you name the dish and list the ingredients, you can also describe how it tastes. As your language skills progress, you might even try explaining how the dish is made.

With this prompt, you can address a variety of subtopics. What is the weather like? What does the season look like? How does it feel? What events or holidays happen during the season?

You can describe what happens in the movie or TV show in either past or present tense. You might also note the genre and/or describe the characters.

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Major bonus points if you can describe a Netflix movie or TV show  that you also watch in your target language!

Beginning students commonly learn words related to daily routines, so go through your day and explain what you do. When do you wake up? How do you get ready for work or school? What do you eat for breakfast? When do you leave for work or school? How do you get there? What do you do once you’re there? What do you eat for lunch? When do you leave? What do you eat for dinner? How do you relax in the evening?

This question can be a little more advanced in that you could use future tense verbs. However, if you don’t yet know future tense, depending on what your target language is, you may be able to simply use “I am going to…” constructions. Writing about your plans can help you practice words for common activities and prepare you for real conversations you may have with native speakers.

You might describe the animal, what it looks like, what it eats, where it lives, etc. This can give you practice with animal words, physical descriptions, food words and location-related vocabulary.

As an intermediate writer, it’s time to up your game. Now, you can use a broader range of vocabulary words and verb tenses. These prompts will help you make good use of your advancing skills.

Whip out your past tense verbs for this one! Consider writing the story of the funniest thing you’ve experienced. Maybe it’s something that happened to you or maybe it’s just something you witnessed. Regardless, this will give you practice with more diverse vocabulary and past tense verbs.

This prompt invites you to give your conditional verb tenses a workout. Where would you like to go? Why would you like to visit this location? What would you like to do there? Who would you go with?

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Describing the best out-of-the-ordinary experience you’ve had, whether a vacation or any other break from daily routine, gives you an opportunity to use plenty of past tense verbs. You might even work in some less common verbs to describe specific activities you participated in, like snorkeling or skiing. You can describe the experience, who you were with, what you did and what made it so enjoyable. Feeling nostalgic? Look at old photos if you have them and describe them in your target language.

Oh, the age-old interview question! In your native language, it’s probably an uncomfortable opportunity to reflect on your goals, but in your target language, it can be a valuable way to practice using future, conditional and/or subjunctive verb tenses while also employing industry-specific vocabulary.

Plus, if you ever need to do a job interview in your target language, you’ll be happy you have the practice. If you like this prompt, you might even consider using some of  The Muse’s list of common interview questions  for additional writing prompts.

What do you hope to achieve in your life? You might use future tense here, but if you prefer present tense, you can use an “I want to…” or related construction. From there, you can use all sorts of vocabulary words related to your career, family, housing, etc.

Use past tense to describe yourself as a child. You might describe your appearance or personality. To work in more advanced vocabulary, you might also note in what ways you challenged your parents and what you wanted to be when you grew up.

Writing poetry can be a fun way to use your language skills. To make it a little trickier, write in rhyme. You can write about whatever you like, but you can’t go wrong with a love poem. After all, you can always re-purpose it down the road if need be.

Whether it’s cooking, painting or playing Fortnite, this will require the use of commands and a strong vocabulary related to whatever activity you write about.

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Whether they’re monthly or yearly, passed down through generations or made up on the spot, traditions shared by people can be a lot of fun. But they also afford a lot of opportunities to use whatever verb conjugations you need to practice. You can talk about your favorite tradition from the past, how you practice it today or how you hope to practice it in the future. You could even instruct readers on how to adopt your favorite tradition.

21. What do you think the world will be like in 50 years?  

Think about society, culture and major world issues. How do you think everything will change and evolve? Not only can you use future tense verbs, but this prompt will give you the opportunity to use more advanced vocabulary related to science, technology, culture and/or politics. Depending on your vision, you could even expand your work into a sci-fi or dystopian novel.

This prompt could work with either present tense or conditional verbs. However, more importantly, it invites you to use plenty of more advanced vocabulary relating to learning, careers and society. Responding to this prompt could even serve as extra motivation by reminding you why education or learning of any kind (including your language learning) is so important to you.

As an advanced student, you should be aiming to write without having to think too much. You should be able to navigate seamlessly between any verb tenses and use your large and diverse vocabulary effectively. These prompts aim to help you exercise a broad array of skills.

Okay, you might not have a genie in a bottle, but what would you ask for if you did? This question invites the use of conditional tense verbs. Plus, the vocabulary you use is likely to be as diverse and varied as your dreams.

Writing about current world problems can help you use vocabulary words that are relevant today but might not be terribly common. While you could use present tense, you might also use future and/or conditional tense to examine how this issue could cause long-term consequences.

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Take this world’s problems and turn them around! Considering what you would change about society will give you an opportunity to use conditional tense and/or commands to explain what needs to change and how.

Past and future tense in one prompt? How can you resist? Not only that, this prompt invites you to use the latest technology-related words, which are super useful for advanced learners.

This prompt invites you to use advanced vocabulary related to politics and society. Plus, you can use it to practice the conditional tense, future tense and/or subjunctive tense verbs.

This question may feel nearly impossible to answer in your native language, so it will be even more challenging in your target language. However, if you give it a try, you’ll be able to practice words related to society and politics. While you’ll probably use mostly present tense verbs, you might also work in some conditional, subjunctive, future and/or past tense.

Using key literary terms is often reserved for academia, so writing about your favorite literary work will certainly give your vocabulary a workout. While this will be largely in present tense, you might throw in a few other verb tenses for good measure.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned? Why do you want others to learn it? This question is complex enough that you might incorporate a huge array of verb tenses.

Medical terminology can be a little tricky, but practicing using it is useful , particularly if it relates to a medical condition you or loved ones have. Writing about medical issues and their treatments will reinforce medical vocabulary and past tense verbs. Plus, if you ever experience a medical emergency abroad, you might be relieved to have practiced relevant vocabulary.

You’re educated. You know what’s up. What do you think should be covered more in schools? Addressing this issue gives you an opportunity to use education terms, present tense verbs and conditional verbs.

Not only can you use vocabulary that’s currently relevant, you can also use an array of verb tenses. Start with past tense and then transition to future, conditional and/or subjunctive tenses. Using this writing prompt can help you practice transitioning smoothly between tenses.

• Using foreign language writing prompts can help reduce anxiety when writing in your target language . Staring at a blank page can be stressful and can make you want to procrastinate trying to write, but writing prompts can make writing seem less like hard work.
• You can also use foreign language writing prompts to determine what vocabulary and/or grammar you need to work on . Writing can help you detect what grammar rules you’re struggling with and what holes in your vocabulary you need to fill.
• Writing prompts can help you keep your target language in shape . Skills can slip over time, so continuing to practice your writing can help prevent backsliding.
• Using writing prompts can help make it so that writing in your target language feels easy and requires less conscious effort .  Writing in a foreign language is a skill like any other. The more you practice it, the easier it will become.
• Don’t just write. Read. To write well in your target language, you’ll need to also read in your target language. Luckily, there are plenty of places to read content in your target language .  Project Gutenberg  offers many classic works in several languages, and  BBC News  gives you news stories in a variety of languages.
• Write as often as possible. Writing as often as possible not only gives you the practice you need to improve your skills, it also keeps you in the habit. If you set aside a few minutes each day for your writing practice, you’re less likely to forget to do it.
• Try to use specific rules or vocabulary you’ve recently learned. Trying to use specific grammar rules and vocabulary you’ve recently learned is a terrific way to practice using your new skills. It reinforces them and makes them easier to use the next time.
• As you write, note what you’re struggling with. While you’re writing, you’ll probably notice a few hiccups. For instance, you may want a word but realize you don’t know it. Whenever you encounter one of these problems, jot it down. Then, after you write, you can go over your notes to work to resolve whatever issues you struggled with.
• Read what you’ve written and correct your own work. Once you’ve responded to a writing prompt, read over your work with a critical eye. What errors do you notice? How could you improve your writing? Going over your work gives you an opportunity to spot some errors you didn’t notice as you wrote.
• Consider having a native speaker correct your work. You might ask a friend or a tutor to read over your writing and tell you what they think. You could also consider finding a tutor through italki. Even finding someone to do a one-time check of your writing on occasion can be a huge help.

With these writing prompts for all levels, you’ll never be at a loss for words.

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Poverty in America — America’s Wealth Paradox: Unpacking Systemic Poverty and Inequality

America's Wealth Paradox: Unpacking Systemic Poverty and Inequality

• Categories: Economic Problem Poverty in America

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Published: Jun 6, 2024

Words: 753 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The systemic nature of poverty, inadequate social policies, economic structures and wealth inequality.

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Six non-fiction books you can read in a day

Resolved to read more there may be no more rewarding genre than the short book.

T HE SHORT book, long underestimated, has a lot going for it. To start with the prosaic: if you want to get through more volumes, short is shrewd. Slender books can be slipped into a bag or coat pocket and plucked out again in an idle moment, so you’ll be more likely to finish them. For adventurous readers the format allows for casual experimentation with new styles, topics and authors. For indecisive ones it can make a bookshop’s universe of possibilities feel less daunting: just scour the shelves for slim spines. Most of all, there is a rare satisfaction in reaching the final pages of a book while still holding the full sweep of its story in your mind. Taut prose is intense and immersive, like a distilled fragrance. These books offer that, too. They must; they don’t have long to make their point. In an era of many distractions, that is a great virtue.

These six non-fiction books include memoir, journalism, essays and pictorial essays. They take you into the bedroom of a grieving husband in imperial China; into the courtroom where a sensational murder trial split New York’s Bukharan Jewish community in the late 2000s; and, classically, into a room of one’s own. In short, they get plenty done in just 150 pages.

Six Records of a Floating Life. By Shen Fu. Translated by Leonard Pratt and Chiang Su-Hui. Penguin Classics; 144 pages; $16 and £9.99

A meditation on extraordinary love and an ordinary life, this memoir was written at the beginning of the 19th century in Qing-dynasty China by a widowed scholar. Despite the lapse of time, Shen Fu’s joys and sorrows feel comfortingly familiar. He was a civil servant who, though highly educated for his time, did not manage to rise up the ranks. He quarrelled with his parents, played drinking games and went on picnics. He also married the love of his life (they had known each other since they were 13 years old) and, as Shen’s memoir reveals, he treated Chen Yun like an equal, admiring her practicality and sparring with her in ad lib poetry competitions. The book has long been cherished in China as a true account of deep love. For modern readers the records may hold some surprises, too. Shen loved flower arranging. And although he and Yun adored each other, she matter-of-factly sought out a concubine for him—with whom, the text implies, she also had sex (lesbian relationships were not especially frowned upon at the time). The translators’ judicious footnotes make the reading all the more pleasurable.

Oranges. By John McPhee. Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 149 pages; $16. Daunt; £9.99

Are there 150 sparkling pages to be written about the everyday orange? John McPhee proves there are. “Oranges”, which evolved from an essay published in the New Yorker in 1966, established a new form of journalism: one that marries whimsy with forensic explanatory reporting. Mr McPhee examines the rise of frozen orange-juice concentrate after the second world war—already then a $700m industry and “the boomiest boom since the Brazilian rubber boom”. He interviews Florida’s orange barons, pickers, packers and pomologists. His essay flows from the fantastic sex life of oranges to the Sanskrit origins of the word ( naranga ) to oranges’ role in the Norman invasion of Sicily. It is sweet to read about Botticelli and Degrees Brix (the standard measure of sugar) in a single sitting. This is also dissection at its sharpest, and eating an orange will never be the same again.

A Room of One’s Own. By Virginia Woolf. Mariner; 128 pages; $16.99. Penguin Modern Classics; £5.99

Among the most influential essays of the 20th century, “A Room of One’s Own” was based on a lecture that Virginia Woolf gave at Newnham College and Girton College, the first two for women at Cambridge University. Woolf lands her best-known line by the second page: “A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.” That sends her down new routes of inquiry. As she relays the train of thought she has while walking around “Oxbridge” (a barely fictitious composite) and London, her wry humour develops a fierceness that builds to anger. “Why are women poor?” she asks. “What effect has poverty on fiction?” And “What conditions are necessary for the creation of works of art?” She summons the work of women over the centuries, from Aphra Behn to the Brontë sisters, to find the answers. The lot of women in Britain has improved dramatically in the century since Woolf wrote her essay. Yet it still feels like essential reading, in particular as a manifesto on the right to form one’s own opinion and express it.

Iphigenia in Forest Hills: Anatomy of a Murder Trial. By Janet Malcolm. Yale University Press; 155 pages; $13.95 and £9.99

If the aim of journalistic inquiry is to provide answers, Janet Malcolm shows, with devastating rigour, that observation can be enough. “Iphigenia in Forest Hills” tells the story of a murder trial in New York in 2009. Mazoltuv Borukhova, a 35-year-old doctor, is accused of paying an acquaintance to kill her husband. Malcolm lays out the facts of the case, then raises the question at the heart of most true-crime stories: “She couldn’t have done it, and she must have done it.” Yet the title, a reference to the Greek myth of Iphigenia, sacrificed daughter of Agamemnon, says it all. This too is a tragedy; its end certain. Malcolm does not offer suspense. Instead, from many small procedural details at the Queens Supreme Court she coaxes bigger, more unsettling questions. Such as, is bias inevitable? “Borukhova’s otherness was her defining characteristic,” notes Malcolm. Observe, her text urges, how decisive the opinion of an expert witness can be. Notice the seduction of certainty—how courtrooms revel in it. See what small tyrannies the judge permits himself. Unshowily, Malcolm makes her point: a trial is perhaps nothing more than “a contest between competing narratives”.

Ways of Seeing. By John Berger. Penguin Modern Classics; 155 pages; $11 and £9.99

Adapted from a four-part BBC television series of the same name that aired in 1972, John Berger’s book will probably change how you think about art. Four essays consider the reproduction of art; the female form and the male gaze; how ownership influences art; and publicity and the illusion of authority. These are delightfully complemented by three wordless pictorial essays, bold visual arguments for Berger’s incantatory opening—which purposely appears right on the cover of this edition—that “seeing comes before words”. He shows how the meaning of art is always influenced by how and where it is viewed. Berger’s book is naturally a product of its time, too: Marxist, radical and preoccupied with the ruling class. But it made complex ideas about a closed world accessible and engaging. Its influence is lasting: read the review we wrote for its 50th anniversary .

A Man’s Place. By Annie Ernaux. Translated by Tanya Leslie. Seven Stories Press; 96 pages; $13.95. Fitzcarraldo Editions; £7.99

Annie Ernaux made her mark with autobiographical fiction in which, as we wrote when she received the Nobel prize in literature in 2022, she remakes “the private and the ordinary into something profound”. But to write a radically short biography of her father the French author had to strip away all pretence; she abandoned a first attempt at a novel with “feelings of disgust”. “If I wish to tell the story of a life governed by necessity,” she writes, “I have no right to adopt an artistic approach.” The result is a spare, starkly beautiful memoir. Its studied restraint, almost ethnographic, is the work of a daughter at pains to do justice to the life of a father whom she felt she could no longer truly know: “Although it had something to do with class, it was different, indefinable. Like fractured love.” Like many others of his era, he first laboured on a farm, then entered a factory and finally worked for himself, as a shopkeeper in rural Normandy. Ms Ernaux strove, she writes, to convey both his happiness and “the humiliating limitations” of his class. It is the story of a generation, but also firmly her father’s own.

Ms Ernaux wrote a short biography of her mother, “A Woman’s Story”. It is as accomplished as that about her father, and secured her reputation with French readers . If you enjoyed Janet Malcolm’s “Iphigenia in Forest Hills”, try “Still Pictures”, a short book published posthumously that is also perhaps her most personal. We reviewed it last year here . New to John McPhee’s writing? He has written more than 30 books. After “Oranges”, why not try his most recent, “Tabula Rasa”—it comes in at under 200 pages. We offered our appraisal here .

From the June 8th 2024 edition

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Five novels that imagine dictatorship in America

A gripping way into thinking about democracy under threat

Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development Essay

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Introduction

Causes of poverty, how poverty alleviation may help in achieving sustainable development.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG), which were set by 189 countries, consisted of global targets aimed at improving livelihoods and eliminating numerous deprivations, among them poverty. In fact, the countries considered poverty as the most serious problem and affirmed their dedication to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. According to Tagler and Cozzarelli (2013), poverty is an economic condition that is characterized by sustained low levels of income. The status affects access to basic services of education, health, food, and shelter. The research focuses on the causes of poverty and the benefits of poverty alleviation in achieving sustainable development.

Poverty is a long-term consequence of economic, social, and political failures. According to Williams (2013), an author with ‘The Borgen Project (NGO)’, causes of poverty are categorized into four major categories. One of the causes of poverty is discrimination and social inequality. Levels of inequalities in income distribution, access to basic amenities, legal structures, and information lead to serious economic disparities that subject victims to poverty. Additionally, Burton and Development Programme United Nations (2005) consider war and political instability as a leading cause of poverty. Political instabilities and wars affect insecurities and social and legal structures responsible for enhancing equitable distribution of resources and wealth. Ineffective policies expose people to exploitation and corruption. Sociopolitical failures affect literacy levels and access to information, which is vital in promoting self-actualization. Similarly, geopolitical histories and locations are other major causes of poverty. At-risk countries exposed to frequent natural catastrophes experience serious challenges in sustaining infrastructure development, effective information communications, and delivery of communal amenities. Additionally, historical political conflicts led to the depletion of vital resources from colonies of historic superpowers. The last cause of poverty is the national debt accrued from local and international loans. The loans increase financial constraints in the affected countries and deter the implementation of development initiatives that empower citizens.

The Commission on Human Rights considers poverty eradication as an effective strategy for combating social and economic inequalities. There have been different poverty alleviation measures, including food distribution, the building of infrastructures and schools, intervening in politically unstable countries, and providing financial support, among others. Lloyd-Jones and Rakodi (2013) argue that poverty alleviation programs contribute greatly to achieving sustainable development. One of the benefits of poverty alleviation programs in achieving sustainable development is in empowering the poor. Provision of education, electricity, stable political structures and favorable market conditions are some of the poverty alleviation strategies that empower poor people. The other sustainable development target in poverty alleviation is introducing equality and non-discrimination measures. These initiatives ensure that affected persons are self-sufficient. Equality and accountability are also assured in poverty alleviation when funding goes from donors to governments yet to streamline local structures. Additionally, civil and social rights are streamlined through poverty alleviation strategies.

Poverty is one of the most challenging issues among global institutions. The causes of poverty have been associated with political failures, historical implications, and infringed human rights. The research demonstrates the need to address poverty in order to uphold human rights for the welfare of global sustained developments. Whereas human rights are not rigid, poverty needs a flexible platform to integrate affected people while targeting corrupt and compromised officials in the global governments.

Burton, I., & Development Programme United Nations. (2005). Adaptation policy frameworks for climate change: developing strategies, policies and measures. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

Lloyd-Jones, T., & Rakodi, C. (2013). Urban livelihoods: A people-centred approach to reducing poverty . Ney York, NY: Routledge.

Tagler, M. J., & Cozzarelli, C. (2013). Feelings toward the poor and beliefs about the causes of poverty: The role of affective-cognitive consistency in help-giving. The Journal of psychology , 147 (6), 517-539.

Williams, D. (2013). What are Causes of Global Poverty? Web.

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IvyPanda. (2022, January 25). Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development. https://ivypanda.com/essays/poverty-alleviation-and-sustainable-development/

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IvyPanda . "Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development." January 25, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/poverty-alleviation-and-sustainable-development/.