Journal Question

Q: Think about the last time you saw a homeless person. What was your reaction? Did you help them in anyway? Why or why not?

A: Most recently I have seen the homeless at the freeway exit on my way to school. There were two homeless people; both of them had grey hair and holding cardboard signs asking for money. I had no big reaction to their presence. I have seen many homeless people on the streets and I rarely ever give a lending hand. For the most part, I feel that the homeless are not doing enough to help themselves. However, I do understand that the United States does not provide enough aid and resources for the homeless for more sustainable living conditions.

In class, we have read the articles:“Throw the Bums Out: But do so With Compassion – Coolidge-Style Compassion” and “The Meanest Cities.”

In the article "Throw the Bums Out: But do so With Compassion - Coolidge-Styel Compassion," John Derbyshire describes his business trip to to San Francisco, which he said was plagued with the homeless people. Derbyshire also expresses his disgust of the number of homeless people after visiting the security office of the downtown museum and urges his audience the importance of cleaning up the area. The guard had shown Derbyshire a wall of polaroid photos of vagrants with offenses including masturbating in public, vandalism and assault. Although Derbyshire's approach on the topic was harsh, I do agree that we need to lower the number of people on the streets not only because it looks bad, but because homeless people need food and shelter, just like we do.

"The Meanest Cities," an article in American Magazine, discusses how cold people are towards the homeless. American Magazine writes about the harsh laws that basically criminalize homeless people. The article also entails about a city that prohibits churches from running a soup kitchen to feed the needy. In all, I do feel that those who are steady need to be a little more generous, but at the same time, I feel that the homeless are not doing enough for themselves in order to get back onto their feet financially.

Both articles show how harsh people can be on people who are already as low as they can get, and it does not help when laws push them away through laws that punish them for trying to survive in the world with little to nothing. Although, there are resources out there to help the homeless, I feel that there can be more done to further their progression in life but only if they are willing to work for what they receive from others.

Sentence Structures

1. Sentence. Sentence.

• Ralph likes to eat in his room. He eats in there every day.
• Louis likes to listen to music. He listens to music all the time.
• Kat hates studying. She studies the majority of the week.

2. Sentence; Sentence.

• Ralph likes to eat in his room; Louis enjoys eating in the bonus room.
• Louis likes to listen to Hip Hop music; Kat prefers live music.
• Kat hates studying; Louis prefers studying.

3. Sentence, [Coordinating Conjunction] Sentence.

• Ralph likes to eat in his room, and to make his food from scratch.
• Louis likes to listen to music, but only with his headphones.
• Kat hates studying, but likes to handwrite her notes.

4. Sentence; [Conjunctive Adverb] Sentence.

• Ralph likes to eat in his room; consequently, he has to clean his room a lot.
• Louis likes to listen to music; incidentally, he is open to any kind of music.
• Kat hates studying; however, she likes the results of her test scores.

5. Sentence; [Transition Phrase] Sentence.

• Ralph likes to eat in his room; after all, it is his room.
• Louis likes to listen to music; as a matter of fact, he listens to music all the time.
• Kat hates studying; at the same time, she enjoys her high test scores.

Homeless Parents

             In regards to having children, many people have different views on the proper way of raising a child and in the article “What Makes a Good Parent?” by Robert Epstein, is a list of ten essential factors that are important in parenting. However, in The Glass Castle, Rose Mary and Rex Walls had their own ways of parenting, which many people would find to be questionable. Throughout The Glass Castle, author, Jeannette Walls, describes her childhood and the extreme living conditions she had to endure with her siblings due to the choices her parents made. Although Rose Mary and Rex Walls had their method of rearing their children that is considered unfit and neglectful, and many would feel they belonged in foster care, the Walls children would not be the prospering adults they are today, if it were not for their parent’s choices.

            According to Epstein’s list of skills that makes a good parent, “love and affection [comes first], [then] stress management, relationship skills, autonomy and independence, education and learning, life skills, behavior management, health, religion, and safety” (49). However, in comparison to this list, Rose Mary and Rex Walls had drastically different priorities when raising their children. When making a hypothetical list of parenting skills, Rose Mary and Rex Walls’ list would look completely different compared to other parents. Rose Mary Walls was very self-centered and only cared for her career as an artist, often neglecting her children on numerous occasions and fending for herself. For example, there was a time when, Jeannette was three-years-old and had been making hot dogs on the stove by herself and caught on fire (Walls, 9). If Rose Mary had been more attentive and made the food, rather than painting, Jeannette would not have caught on fire and badly burnt. Also in regards to the children’s safety, when Jeannette had been touched inappropriately by her uncle and with little concern, Rose Mary said, “Well there you go. If you don’t think you’re hurt, then you aren’t” (Walls, 184). Throughout The Glass Castle Rose Mary had been selfish and did not care so much for her children. Even as the Walls children struggled to find food, Rose Mary had stashed a family-sized chocolate bar for herself. When Brian had found it, Rose Mary started crying and said, “I can’t help it. I’m a sugar addict” (Walls, 174). During times of desperation most mothers would go out of their way to provide their children with food before themselves, but this was not the case for Rose Mary Walls, who was more concerned about being number one.

Rex Walls struggled to provide for his children due to the alcoholism he experienced throughout his life. During the Walls’ life in Battle Mountain, Rex Walls got a job and was able to provide food and shelter for the family but, due to his addiction to alcohol, Rex eventually began spending his earnings on alcohol, rather than his family. During one Christmas, Rose Mary and Rex did not have enough money to buy the children gifts, but instead resorted to giving them a star in the sky. When giving Jeannette the planet Venus, Rex said, “Years from now, when all the junk they got broken and long forgotten, you’ll still have your stars” (41). After living in Welch, Rex’s alcoholism had gotten worse, after his mother died, to the point that Rex would not come home for days (Walls, 171). Furthermore, Rex expresses his little concern for Jeannette’s safety when using her to win money from games of billiards. On one occasion, Rex allows a drunken man to take Jeannette upstairs after winning eighty dollars (Walls, 212). Rex had also tricked his family to giving him money including Jeannette, and stole a check for the lease on Rose Mary’s land in Texas (Walls, 214). In all, both Rex and Rose Mary had trouble prioritizing to provide for their children. If the parents of the Walls children had put their children before them, perhaps their lives would have had fewer hardships.

            While the bad living conditions in Welch were at their worst, the opportunity to join the foster care system was presented. A man had appeared at the door and asked if Jeannette was being neglected or not and persuading the man that she was not being neglected, the man left. Jeannette was angry and had no interest in being separated from her siblings in foster care. Jeannette also showed no concern for her parents but only wanted to stay with Lori, Brian, and Maureen:

He’d launch an investigation and end up sending me and Brian and Lori and Maureen off to live with different families, even though we all got good grades and knew Morse code. I couldn’t let that happen. No way was I going to lose Brian and Lori, and Maureen. (194)

         Also, within the foster care systems are many flaws. According to ABC News, “about 520,000 children end up in foster care each year,” and each social worker has “three or four times” (Facts on Foster Care…) the recommended cases due to the large number of children entering the system. If the Walls children had been placed in the foster care system,

“The children [could] stay in the system for almost three years before either being reunited with their families or adopted [and] almost 20 percent wait five years or more. [Also], children have on average three different foster care placements.” (Facts on Foster Care…).

          Assuming the children went to foster care services, the Walls children would have had a high possibility of being separated from each other, which was not an option for the children. The children were very close-knit and went through the hardships their parents put them through together. If the children did not have each other, the outcome of their lives would be completely different for each of them with the exception of Maureen. Despite the fact, Lori, Brian, and Jeannette may have had successful lives after leaving Welch, but Maureen could have possibly had a better life if she had gone into foster care. Maureen had fended for herself through her friends’ families that felt bad for her. Overall, the children did not want to go through the risk of being separated from one another, even though the children could have had a more comfortable living condition. As for staying with their parents, the children did not want to live with them either.

            The Walls children knew the living conditions were bad at “93 Little Hobart Street” did not have indoor plumbing, and “during one particular fierce rainstorm that spring, the ceiling grew so fat it burst, and water and plasterboard came crashing down onto the floor” (Walls, 153), and the kids would eventually devise their own plan to move to New York. After Rose Mary had gotten back from renewing her teaching accreditations, she felt that teaching was not her ambition in life and said, “It’s time I start living my life for me” (Walls, 218). Lori and Jeannette were forced to work to provide for Brian and Maureen, and knowing that Rose Mary and Rex would not help them progress out of Welch, Jeannette comes up with the idea of helping Lori move to New York and eventually she would join her. Lori, Jeannette, and Brian move to the big city without the help of their parents, but eventually Rex and Rose Mary would decide to move to the city as well, although, the children felt as thought their parents were dragging them down.

            In all, Rose Mary and Rex Walls were neglectful parents and needed to better understand how much their children depended on them. Despite the Walls’ lifestyle, it was through their hardships that they became the people they are today and if they children were placed into foster care, the result could have been entirely different. Although the three of the four Walls children are successful today, it could have been possible for all the children to be successful if Rex and Rose Mary were better parents.

Works Cited

Epstein, Robert. "What Makes a Good Parent?" Scientific American Mind 21.5 (2010): 46-51. Print.

"Facts on Foster Care in America - ABC News." ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News - ABC News. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/FosterCare/story?id=2017991>.

Walls, Jeanette. The Glass Castle. New York: Scribner, 2005. Print.