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Poverty Is The State Of Being Extremely Poor

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Poverty is generally regarded as the state of being extremely poor. While this is true, this state can only be judged as a relation to a given social or economic state. In light of this, a better way to define poverty would be; the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions (Merriam-Webster). Poverty has many faces, changing from place to place and across time, and has been described in many ways. Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time (Narayan, 2000, n.p.). Poverty is one of the greatest economic and social issue that affects most of the nations in the world. It is also felt in developed countries; The United States has a poverty rate of 14%. According to the United States Census Bureau, more than 45 million people are living in poverty (“Poverty”, n.d.). Poverty in the United States is getting worse each day. Why is it almost impossible to eradicate poverty? Does poverty play a crucial hidden role in society? This paper explores the function of poverty using the conflict, symbolic-interactionist, functionalist, and feminist perspectives of sociology to determine the purpose of poverty in America. The Conflict Theory is derived from the works of Karl Marx. It highlights the influence of power in shaping the

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