Misrepresentation of Poverty

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the way poverty is portrayed in the media in the United States. Citing charity organizations such as World Vision and Habitat for Humanity, the author explains their need to hold campaigns and gain sympathy from the public in order for donations to come in. The paper discusses the similar visual representations that the advertisements that these charity organizations use - helpless, homeless, sad but cute looking children either in the US or third world countries wearing nothing but rags or nothing at all. The author argues that while these visual techniques do generate donations, they present a false image on what poverty actually looks like.

From the Paper:

"There are many charity organizations that help people in these situations, whether it be Habitat for Humanity which is an extremely active charity organization that provide homes for people in need, or World Vision which is a charity organization that provides clothing and food for children in poverty. But how do these charity organizations gain sympathy from the public and gain their generous donations? They need to convince them through various advertisements; however these advertisements all have similar visual representations: helpless, homeless, sad but cute looking children either in the US or third world countries wearing nothing but rags or nothing at all. They assume these ads will be the most persuasive, ultimately leading to the desired donation."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anderson, Maggie. "Among Elms and Maples, Morgantown, West Virginia, August, 1935." Critical Encounters With Texts. Ed. Margaret Himley and Anne Fitzsimmons. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008. 19-20.
• George, Diana. "Changing the Face of Poverty." Critical Encounters With Texts. Ed. Margaret Himley and Anne Fitzsimmons. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2008. 149-168.
• Moleen, Kaitlin. "Jacob Riis: How relevant are his photos and writings today?" Newarkmetro. 9 September 2008 <http://www.newarkmetro.rutgers.edu/essays/display.php?id=235>.
• United Sates. U.S Census Bureau. "Poverty." 9 September 2008. <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/poverty07/pov07hi.html>.

More papers on Misrepresentation of Poverty:

• Term Paper # 128409 : "Commission on the Elimination of Poverty Act."
• Book Review # 140111 : "Rural Women Speak About the Face of Poverty" - A Book Review"
• Term Paper # 97784 : "Child Abuse"

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