For those who live an impoverished life, it is difficult to participate in society. They are left behind in our cultural movement because they lack the necessities to be on an equal level with the rest of society. Because the poor can not get their basic needs for life, they cannot improve their well-being; therefore, our society as a whole cannot efficiently move in new directions.

As Jo Goodwill Parker states in "What is Poverty," she does not have luxuries. Luxuries of the impoverished are what we would consider our basic needs such as food, water, transportation and shelter. Simply getting adequate food is difficult, but not the main problem for the poor. As Parker states, her children "do not suffer from hunger, [her] seventy-eights dollars keeps [them] alive, but they do suffer from malnutrition" (63). The poor also suffer from a lack of clean water...