David Pattenaude
Professor Kiefer
ENGWR 300
6 September 2016
Summary of "Self-Definitions"
William T. Vollmann, in the first section titled “Self-Definitions” of his book Poor People, through a series of interviews, research, and self-examination attempts to define the concept of poverty and what makes people poor. In the introduction of the book, the author states that he is looking for the “similarities and differences in the experiences of being poor" (Vollmann 2). He admits that while other writers have experienced poverty he, himself, has not. Vollmann is found in every chapter asking those he interviews why they believe they are in their situation and whether or not they believe they are poor.
The first chapter takes place with Vollmann …show more content…
As the author begins his interview with the tuna fisherman in Yemen, he asks the fisherman if he believes he is poor to which the fisherman replies, “Good. Not rich or poor, but I am happy” (Vollmann 29). Vollmann asks a similar question to a beggar lady whose name is Annah, and he gets nearly the same response to that of the fisherman “…For me it’s no problem. And I am happy” (Vollmann 30). And when the author recalls Wan and her circumstances, he is simply reminded of her inability to succeed regardless of whether she thinks she is rich due to her frailty and obviously diminishing health. The author labors with the idea of how to measure “the difference between ‘living normally’, another’s unqualified ‘need’ and their ‘rock bottom’ need” (Vollmann 34). The author also struggles with the concept of who is to blame for a person’s poverty. He states that in order for a person to change their behavior that they have to take responsibility for the problem. However, if he waits for them to change their behavior, they might not do it. In the meantime, what is the author’s responsibility for their condition (Vollmann 32)? He also discovers that people in poverty experience changes in how they view their experience over time. Their perception of what is normal is altered. Throughout the interviews Vollmann learns that poverty is very difficult to …show more content…
We see a struggle throughout the chapter between the better-off people of Nan Ning who want to invest and become richer and the middle class who are being forced into poverty. The people who had lived in Nan Ning and whose homes had been occupied for years were now being torn down by the government to make way for new roads. The better-off people defined this as progress and believed that poor people were lazy because they were unable to invest in new title deeds for their homes (Vollmann 91). Those who had lived in homes before the reconstruction were merely displaced and left to their own devices. Some of these displaced people were still coming to grips with their poverty, while others were accepting a new state of “normality” (Vollmann 87). The title “Everything you Should do by Yourself” relates to the thought that poor people should accept their condition and not complain (Vollmann
Professor Kiefer
ENGWR 300
6 September 2016
Summary of "Self-Definitions"
William T. Vollmann, in the first section titled “Self-Definitions” of his book Poor People, through a series of interviews, research, and self-examination attempts to define the concept of poverty and what makes people poor. In the introduction of the book, the author states that he is looking for the “similarities and differences in the experiences of being poor" (Vollmann 2). He admits that while other writers have experienced poverty he, himself, has not. Vollmann is found in every chapter asking those he interviews why they believe they are in their situation and whether or not they believe they are poor.
The first chapter takes place with Vollmann …show more content…
As the author begins his interview with the tuna fisherman in Yemen, he asks the fisherman if he believes he is poor to which the fisherman replies, “Good. Not rich or poor, but I am happy” (Vollmann 29). Vollmann asks a similar question to a beggar lady whose name is Annah, and he gets nearly the same response to that of the fisherman “…For me it’s no problem. And I am happy” (Vollmann 30). And when the author recalls Wan and her circumstances, he is simply reminded of her inability to succeed regardless of whether she thinks she is rich due to her frailty and obviously diminishing health. The author labors with the idea of how to measure “the difference between ‘living normally’, another’s unqualified ‘need’ and their ‘rock bottom’ need” (Vollmann 34). The author also struggles with the concept of who is to blame for a person’s poverty. He states that in order for a person to change their behavior that they have to take responsibility for the problem. However, if he waits for them to change their behavior, they might not do it. In the meantime, what is the author’s responsibility for their condition (Vollmann 32)? He also discovers that people in poverty experience changes in how they view their experience over time. Their perception of what is normal is altered. Throughout the interviews Vollmann learns that poverty is very difficult to …show more content…
We see a struggle throughout the chapter between the better-off people of Nan Ning who want to invest and become richer and the middle class who are being forced into poverty. The people who had lived in Nan Ning and whose homes had been occupied for years were now being torn down by the government to make way for new roads. The better-off people defined this as progress and believed that poor people were lazy because they were unable to invest in new title deeds for their homes (Vollmann 91). Those who had lived in homes before the reconstruction were merely displaced and left to their own devices. Some of these displaced people were still coming to grips with their poverty, while others were accepting a new state of “normality” (Vollmann 87). The title “Everything you Should do by Yourself” relates to the thought that poor people should accept their condition and not complain (Vollmann