Talking about homeless people is very important to me. I care deeply about the poor people who do not have much to live off of, but are still managing to survive. I was especially involved with the discussion this week, since I am a member of the Teens Alone Board. As a board, we discuss how to raise money to publicize Teens Alone, a nonprofit organization, so that teenagers with problems may have a place to speak of them and feel better about themselves. We concentrate on homelessness, and last year we hosted a Battle of the Bands focused on homelessness to raise money.

                The works we had the opportunity to read were quite spectacular. I really enjoyed analyzing all of them for rhetorical devices, and I was actively engaged in the message the pieces were trying to get across. The movie, ‘The Soloist’, was also very moving.

                Million Dollar Murray, by Malcolm Gladwell, intrigued me for many reasons. The thesis, that we should solve homelessness rather than manage it, was interesting for me to consider. At Teens Alone, we try to counsel homeless teens. Also, we supported a bill that would give homeless people more money to lift them off their feet and off the street. I found these actions to fall in the ‘manage’ category rather than the ‘solve’ one.  I then thought if what we are doing is wrong, for which I decided the answer was most definitely ‘no’. Managing homelessness is just as important as solving it, though it should always be complemented with an act to solve it. We cannot simply think about solving the issue when there are several homeless people suffering on the street. We must help them in the process. I also liked Gladwell’s idea that homeless people can be encouraged to use skills to work or to follow the rules in order to gain advantage, such as an apartment. This greatly decreases tension on the streets and gives the homeless people a chance to start making some money. This is an offshoot of what Gladwell describes, but it is essentially true in essence.

                Dumpster Diving was very entertaining to read. I loved it! I was hesitant to read it at first, but I fell in love with it after getting a taste of Eighner’s subtle sarcasm and humor. I found his writing to reflect my free writing, as we undoubtedly share an amazingly similar sense of humor.  It was very interesting to read a piece instructing how to find what could become treasures in a dumpster. I had expected a piece written by a homeless man to be about the miserable lifestyle he leads, but I was in fact shocked by the undeniable optimism Eighner presented. It is nice to know that he has successfully adjusted. It is imperative that he does in order for him to survive. I also liked his attitude. If he has to do it, he may as well like it. I hope people have a more positive look on homelessness after reading this article. Perhaps to some, like Eighner, it is an art.

                ‘The Soloist’ was a great movie, as it showed some of the more serious and unfortunate aspects of homelessness, as compared to Dumpster Diving. Nathaniel was great musician, a prodigy even, but even he could not escape the horrors of homelessness as a victim of schizophrenia. It was painful to see how such a dedicated, talented, and hard-working man could see all his work go to waste because of a mental illness. I hope the movie allowed people to see that it is absolutely essential in today’s society to rid people of their illnesses as much as possible. We may then uncover great talents, causing America to become very powerful. Also, I hope more people like Steve Lopez, who have the power to bring certain issues to the surface, do so. When people know about the unfortunate states of the homeless, and that it can be prevented, perhaps something will be done.