“People who live on hills sleep so close to the stars they forget those of us who live too much on earth. They don’t look down at all except to be content to live on hills. They have nothing to do with last week’s garbage or fear of rats. Night comes. Nothing wakes them but the wind” (Cisneros 86)
For a person who is not in a financial crisis, like Esperanza, this statement is astounding. As the wealthier class, we like to believe that we do more good than bad to these people. But there is an ignorance among us that only the downtrodden will ever see. We are peoples of luxury. For the most part, Americans are pretty materialistic, desiring multitudes of clothes, healthy food, electronic commodities, and so much more. America is one of the wealthiest nations in the world but the poverty gap is extremely large. There are many programs and organizations tasked with defeating poverty but they are failing miserably. It is too big a job to tackle, even for a large organization like the Salvation Army. So a question must be asked: how much do we really help the less fortunate? Do you ever give food or money to a homeless person when u see them on the corner? Do you ever help out at the can food drives or homeless shelter on the weekend? I know I don’t and I’m ashamed. People like Esperanza curse at us when we walk by because we are selfish with what we own. We don’t ever look down, to see the real problem in today’s society. You don’t see sons of billionaires spray painting trains. U don’t see blue collar men mugging people in an ally. To prevent this we must open our eyes to the true problem. These people can’t or won’t help themselves, and our complacency is not solving anything either. Look down upon the poor and throw a lifeline. Give a meal to a hurting family on a Sunday night and encourage them to come to church. By the homeless man a happy meal, with caution mind you. Donate your time at a homeless shelter. Poverty can only be cleaned up by those who own the mops. It’s your turn.