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Welcome to the MORE Program's book blog. This summer we will be reading the University's One Campus, One Book selection by Steve Lopez, titled The Soloist. As we read the novel, we will encounter various themes and topics which will allow us to reflect on our own personal backgrounds. You will be asked to write about some of these themes discussed in the novel in order to more fully internalize such concepts. Some of the concepts you will be asked to comment on include, but are nor limited to, homelessness, mental illness, friendship, inspiration, music, passion, and redemption.

BLOG #1

Listed below are two questions based on the first portion of the book, pages 1-119. Respond to one of the two prompts and express your thoughts and opinions on the matter. Your response should be a minimum of 500-750 words.

1. In The Soloist, Nathaniel finds his solace and escape in music. How do you escape? What talents do you possess that help you escape? What benefits do you gain from escaping into your world? What opportunities do you miss out on when you do?

OR

2. Write an article about yourself, written in third person. It needs to be in a positive tone, describing any obstacles or hurdles you've overcome and accomplishments you've achieved. Pretend it will be published on the front page of the Sunday L.A. Times. What do you want the world to know about you? No obstacle, hurdle, or accomplishment is too small.

BLOG #2

Listed below are two questions based on the second portion of the book, pages 123-286. Respond to one of the two prompts and express your thoughts and opinions on the matter. Your response should be a minimum of 500-750 words.

1) Find two incidents in The Soloist that you find particularly important in terms of its message about homelessness and mental illness. Summarize each incident and indicate how they contribute to the theme of the book.

or

2) Why do you think there are homeless people in the United States? Can something be done about this issue? Finally, who do you think is responsible for dealing with the problem of homelessness?

The homeless have always been in the margins of my sight, background characters to my leading role.  They were there, beggars and drunkards alike, cast in the shadows of the spotlight.  I had never really looked at them, but I remember them; some overdressed in layers of dirty apparel in the summer heat, some barely clothed in the wet winters. There were some lying on the sidewalk as if they were dead, there were some who walked out into the middle of the street during heavy traffic, sat down, and ate their lunch of scraps next to a dead pigeon.  The homeless were always there, but I never gave them a second thought.

One day a couple of weeks ago, I took the train to visit my mom in Carson.  When I met her in the parking lot of the train station, she asked me if I wanted to go take some water to the people living in the parking lot.  I was shocked. Did she mean to deliberately go to them and offer them one of her many gallons of water on that blistering day?

“Sure” I said, with some apprehension. I didn’t really know how to proceed with that.  She had never shown such open altruism to me before, and seeing her brave the encampment of soiled paisley bedding tents and mismatched shopping carts, I wondered how many times she had done this.

She walked with a smile, juggling four gallons of water in her arms as she offered water to those she passed. Seeing her confident stride, I did the same.

When all of our water had been given away, we walked backed to our car. As we passed a woman, she asked if my mother was a pastor.  I smiled and said no, just doing a little public service.  My mother stopped as well and asked the woman her name.  She began to cry at that, and said “Gloria”.

“Why are you crying, Gloria?” my mom asked.

“Because I’m out here, getting high all the time,” she said, her voice cracking.

And in that moment, I began to really see her.  She was a woman in her mid-thirties with such sad eyes and a broken spirit. She said she came out there almost every day to get high.  She spoke `for a while, just venting her troubles about her precarious situation, about how she wanted to do better, but couldn’t seem to find the strength.  When she had finished, she asked me to keep her in my prayers.

I thought about Gloria for a long time afterwards. I realized that the spotlight wasn’t just on me.  Everyone had their own spotlight, and deserved to be seen and heard just as much as I did.  The homeless weren’t just background characters, they were main characters—and main characters were human beings. People without homes deserve to be in the spotlight just as much as anyone.

People become homeless for many different reasons.  But just because they live on the streets doesn’t mean they aren’t worth our time, our attention, our respect.  The reasons people become homeless don’t seem as important to me as helping them adjust to their new situation and helping them get back on their feet.

I don’t know the solutions to “ending homelessness” either, but I know that journey begins with all of us showing a little compassion.

Homelessness in the U.S.

I believe that there are many homeless people due to unemployment, uneducated people, economic status and health issues. Unemployment most of the time occurs because of discrimination against race. For example, a white and black person could be interviewed at the same time and although the black person was more outgoing with more to offer, the white person would get the job due to bias of racial discrimination. Discrimination against a person of color is a factor in unemployment that should not be tolerated or practiced in any case. Frequent unemployment lead to high rates of homelessness which invades the streets with unfortunate individuals. Unemployment leads to homelessness, starvation, and last but not least it portrays a negative image of the United States government.

The U.S government should be having a priority in education. To provide full financial aid opportunities of higher education to all American born citizens will further enrich the values of America. Many students don’t want to attend college for the fear of being financially unstable while having other priorities. This fear or priorities force individuals to work full time, while having a high risk of being laid off when something in particular is not in demand. Typically a demand for people who illegally emigrate from other countries to “have a better lifestyle” is high because they earn lower than minimum wage with no citizenship rights.  It is important to pay attention to the level of education each American citizen obtains because a better education system will lead to a better country. A greater emphasis in K-12^th grade education will also help students gain motivation to pursue a four year degree, therefore having the government invest more of its money into this category will help alleviate if not diminish homelessness in the U.S.

In the U.S. there exists a group of people with mental and health issues who are homeless or close to being homeless. Economic status is a big part of this issue, as those who struggle financially and are in need of a doctor don’t have the funds to pay for medication or therapy. It is essential for a person with a disability to have good economic standing to be able to have a positive health progression. Many people who do not have the money to help their relative or themselves to get better, end up selling their possessions or anything that may help them get the money they need to pay a doctor or medication. Many families go through this situation, making it very difficult to pay home bills, buy food, or even pay for rent. Many families end up homeless when they are unqualified of receiving help from the government to pay for medical expenses. It is important for the government to address all health issues and provide everyone with a decent way of life, especially in a country like the U.S.

                I believe that the government is responsible for the homelessness in the U.S. It is evident that there are thousands of people who are homeless as one passes through the streets of downtown LA. Homelessness could be an issue that is possibly ignored because the government prefers to spend money on other things like war and worldwide issues. I believe it’s important for the U.S. government to take care of its people hence it will create a better society for American citizens and increase the values of the American people. 

Unique Individuals

         Homeless people wandering the street of the United States have different backgrounds that is why it is important to look at each case individually. Understanding what led them to become homeless will be key to find a way to help them and prevent many others from becoming one of them. Among the causes are drug abuse, abusive home environment, a traumatic experience or mental illness and making poor financial decisions. Most of them can be prevented with a better preparation of individuals to face the challenges that life might bring along. It is governments duty to look after those whom they represent by providing them with health care and a good education but individuals should also be responsible of themselves and their loved ones by asking for help when needed. Individuals should take advantage of the services provided and get informed health issues.

            Drug abuse is a big cause for individuals to lose hope for a better life and lose everything including their families. This particular group of individuals represent a bigger problem than being homeless as they can contract many diseases and spread them by sharing needles. They can also be threat to other people because of the violent behavior many of them might experience when under the influence of drugs or when they feel the need for it but can’t get it. A better education on drug abuse at an early age combined with family support could have prevented many of them from getting to that point. The only way to make these individuals an input for society is to force them into treatment and keep track of them to make sure treatment worked.

            Making poor financial decisions led many people to lose their homes, and everything they had and some of them did not find a way to get back the life they used to have. Hopeless they made the streets their homes and the bridges their refuge, keeping them safe from the rain, snow, or the heat. They have to be accounted for their own failure but government and family should also take the blame for not providing them with the guidance to make better decisions or the support to overcome failure. High school is a perfect time to inform students about the way economy works like understanding credit, loans and consumerism instead of just memorizing a few definitions and draw supply and demand graphs.

              Many of the individuals wandering the streets are affected by a mental illness or were victims of a traumatic experience. For individuals with a mental disease, family and government have to be accounted responsible for not providing the support and services needed. More mental health institutions need to be opened to provide care and treatments for those who need it. Someone with a mental issue will very likely not accept the need for help and that is why they must be persuaded and force into treatment. Family plays a key role by providing the moral support and love needed by those under treatment that is why they must get involved. More information about mental issues must be provided to make sure people showing the symptoms get treated as soon as possible.

               Solving the problem of having too many homeless people requires the cooperation from the public and families with government to provide the help needed in the best possible way. Taking a different approach according to the circumstances that led that particular induvial to become homeless is the best way to do it because will meet that person’s particular needs and recovery can be more successful. The goal should be to make of them functional individuals that contribute to society and economy and that’s why the must feel like they are part of it and that they can still have an input on it.

Together We Can

A huge number of Americans are homeless each year. A great part of those homeless people are families with children. There are many factors that contribute to the reason why there are many homeless people in the United States. Many become homeless due to losing their jobs. People start having financial problems and as they struggle to find another job, they lose their homes and are pushed to live out on the streets. Other people are homeless after having divorced. They lose everything they had and they, along with their children, are left alone without a home. Another reason for homeless people is mental diseases and physical disabilities. Many of these people with these issues try to isolate themselves from society and often times leave their families behind and go out to live on the streets. Homelessness can also be due to natural disasters. For instance, after an earthquake, a hurricane, or a fire, people lose their homes and they are pushed into living on the street. Another factor is drugs. An addiction to drugs leads people from all ages to live inside a small bubble, where they isolate themselves. These people lose their jobs as a consequence. With no job, there is no income. No income means no money to pay the bills. Then this leads to losing everything they have, including their homes. The only solution to them is to live out on the streets. 

But there should be more than one solution to help this issue that should concern all of us. As a society, we need to work together to help those who needs us. The first step to ameliorate the situation of homelessness in America is for the victims to acknowledge that they have a problem and that they can return to their normal lives. It is the government's job to keep building homeless shelters that provide a place to stay and also a meal. There should also be organizations whose goal is to aid people who have lost their homes due to natural disasters. In addition, medical aid should be provided to help those suffering from mental disease and physical disabilities. 

It is not only the government's job to help but it is also our job, as citizens of the United States, to help as well. For example, I'm part of the Union Station Homeless Shelter Organization and we provide food for the homeless. Every year for Christmas and Thanksgiving, we volunteer and make sure that each individual has a warm, nice meal to enjoy. People can also gather up a group of volunteers and cook their own food and go visit homeless shelters. If we work together, we CAN make a difference in the world.