Writer Jeannette Walls. The Glass Castle. Literature & Language. Essay

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The Glass Castle
1 C. How likely is a person born into poverty to pull themselves out?
It is less likely that a person born into poverty can pull themselves out. In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls presents her memoir to show how she was able to pull out despite his parents struggling with abject poverty. She claims that her father, Rex, provided the right tools she needed to grow up and pursue a successful career in journalism later in life (O’Sullivan). Parental style such as “swim or sink” hardens children to become independent and good decision makers, but children from poor backgrounds are less likely to become successful. The cycle of poverty often sets in when one is born into a poor background where the parents are struggling to provide for the basic needs. Unless this cycle is broken, poverty is seen to be passed down from one generation to the next (Noakes).
Some factors make it extremely difficult for individuals born into low-income families to break the cycle of poverty. For instance, according to Noakes, receiving poor quality education can significantly impact the lives of children later in life. While UNICEF has been committed to ensuring that communities are lifted from poverty by addressing inequality in educational access, 1 out of 5 primary school-aged children is locked out of school due to poverty. Although education is now free in most developing nations, school supplies such as uniforms and books are yet to be made free. The fact that struggling families can find these expensive items, it can be difficult for children to attend schools without them and eventually result in school dropouts (Noakes). Children dropping out of school get into low-paying careers that expose them to poverty, hence difficult to break the cycle.
Another factor that retains the poverty cycle for persons born into poverty is poor nutrition and vulnerability to diseases. Poverty can make individuals lead lives devoid of clean water, decent shelter or even proper sanitation. Since affording decent shelters among poor people is a challenge, they choose to share ...