Analysis of “Modern poverty” by Tracy Tee
“Modern poverty” by Tracy Tee isn’t your average poverty poem, unlike most other poems about poverty in third world countries, this poem directs its main point to the United States of America. The poem has a very liberating, almost punk style to it, which creates a very motivating feel to it.
What I really love about this poem is that Miss Tee isn’t afraid to speak her mind and even makes calls at politicians in this poem. As shown here: “These so called Politicians … who bleed the poor dry”. And here: “The taxes rising every year… Yet Poverty still rife”.
Thinking they’d escaped
their self inflicted greed
Imagine how many families
their dirty money could feed
That paragraph above really made sense in my head. I’ll use an example: Bill Gates gives a million to a charity, does he do it for good? or to relieve his guilt? Guilt is probably the most likely answer and I suspect thats what Tracy Tee thinks too.
The poem takes a paragraph form with lots of rhyming. But as I said in my other analysis it isn’t mindless rhyming (well some of it is). At times it really flows and others it just is stupid, which pretty much wrecks most of the poem.
As I said in the first paragraph, the poem does have a very rebellious touch to it. Which is outlined best in the last paragraph:
I mean no disregard
But the system’s so unfair
Unless we, as a nation
Stand up, and show we care
That paragraph does have a lot of truth to it though.
But overall I think that Tracy Tee just wanted to write a poem to tell people her view of poverty. A very good poem in my eyes.
Analysis of “Poverty is a relative thing” by Francis Duggan
“Poverty is a relative thing” is very good poem by Francis Duggan. Duggan is trying to stress the point that if you think you are poor there is someone poorer than you. The poem has a very sad tone to it, this is outlined through out the poem with many lines, for example: “And there are millions who lay down to rest hungry at night”. That line is a great example of poverty.
“A poor bloke buys his girlfriend a ten dollar ring
But to a pauper one with ten dollars is not poor at all”
Those two lines really stood out to me. It uses more western poverty in contrast with third world country poverty and really helped set the tone for the rest of the poem. With that being said it helps add an edge to other lines in the poem like: “And it will not be of malnutrition that you will die”, that line points out that nearly all poverty stricken in third world countries die of malnutrition, a very long and painful death, compared to what a poor person who lives in the USA for example will probably die of more natural causes.
This poem doesn’t take the normal paragraph form of most other poems. This makes the poem flow more instead of their being breaks and changes of the main subject. Duggan also rhymes this poem but in a very discreet and flowy way, unlike other poems that use outrageous and totally of subject words just for the sake of rhyming.
But overall Francis Duggan has written an extremely eye opening poem about poverty in third world countries but also in more modern, developed countries.
Aren’t you lucky by Brodie Roberts
Aren’t you lucky
Have you ever been jealous of your friends house?
have you ever just been jealous?
have you ever gotten a small present of a friend and didn’t appreciate it?
Well in other, poorer countries that small present would mean the world to them
they have literally nothing
while you have everything your heart desires
so next time you whine about not having the new toy
think about poor little Salesh in India
By Brodie Roberts
Any work? by Brodie Roberts
Any Work?
Carl lost his job last month
he’s desperately trying to support his starving family
he walks to a near by factory
Carl leaves his resume in the mailbox
he is hopeful that he will get the job
but he knows deep inside that in these times its unlikely
But what will he’s family think when he comes home?
They already have no money anyway and his son is getting very sick
Carl blames the politicians for his troubles
But his deceased Dad told him that its never gunna help if you whinge
As Carl walks across the intersection near his home
A truck hits him
By Brodie Roberts
Torn Hands by Brodie Roberts
Torn Hands
Dad returns home empty handed
to his family of five
he has been trying to find a job for months now
but no one will employ him
his eldest Jaxon has already died
dad sits at the table accompanied by his family
he tells his wife how he hasn’t found a job yet
she starts crying hysterically
he can’t take it anymore
life is just to hard for him
By Brodie Roberts
Australian Poverty by Brodie Roberts
Australian Poverty
Tomorrow by Silverchair (Listen to while reading poem)
Have you ever been shopping?
Have you ever noticed the poor homeless man?
The one who stands out from all the expensive stores
Some people just walk past not even bothering to spare him a few dollars
He needs your help desperately
He is like a lost dog
he has no home
no money
no hope.
By Brodie Roberts
Modern Poverty by Tracey Tee
Modern Poverty
Because we no longer live in slums
poverty goes unseen.
We pay our Rent and Mortgage
Our Dinner? A Tin of Beans?
That is if your lucky,
while others seem to dine
on A la Cart and Sunday Lunch
and the finest Vintage Wine.
The rest of the population
with families unfed
counting up there pennies
to buy a loaf of bread.
With no money over from the bills
both Parents working hard
no wonder families break down
Does no one seem to care.
These so called Politicians
who bleed the poor dry
are getting thier cumupance
with tears in thier eyes.
Thinking they’d escaped
their self inflicted greed
Imagine how many families
their dirty money could feed.
The taxes rising every year,
Yet Poverty still rife
Take more off the rich
to give us a better life,
No one seems that bothered that
those living in our streets
have no heating in thier homes
and not a decent meal to eat.
I mean no disregard
But the system’s so unfair
Unless we, as a nation
Stand up, and show we care
By Tracey Tee
On Poverty Street by Francis Duggan
On Poverty Street
On Poverty Street and Refugee camps far away
The struggles of life it goes on every day
The struggles to live in the face of despair
The have nots of the World have never been rare
The homeless and hungry obliged to sleep rough
And many far too many are doing it tough
And thousands are growing poorer for each new millionaire
No such a thing as equality in the big World out there
On the people of Poverty Street the drug dealers prey
For their own gain they treat their fellow human beings in a disrespectful way
For money to feed their addictions the poor sinned against turn to crime
And they end up in jail for a considerable time
On Poverty Street there is no cause for cheer
And of success stories from there one seldom does hear
By Francis Duggan
The Poverty of the World by Ric S. Bastasa
Elegy to Poverty by Cheryl L. DaytecYañgot
Elegy to Poverty
Did you see the five-year old boy rummage thru
trash cans for garbage his family could feast on?
Do you behold that pre-school girl peddling
white flowers amidst hurtling cars on perilous
streets as she piously hopes for family supper?
Are you smacked by shame that while the few
snorkel in the lake of prosperity, the multitude
is sinking in the ocean of your wretchedness,
with them babies who know not how to swim?
Oh, Poverty, you are the ruthless scourge that
abbreviates Infancy and impounds Innocence.
Be banished; hide as a skeleton in the cupboard
The time is too soon for the infants to know you
Suffer them to slurp milk from generous cups
Permit them to frolic around with their toy cars
Let them dress up their chubby baby dolls
Pilfer not their mirth and smell of Innocence
Inoculate them from the vile reek of your curse
Let Life be their gift; let it not be their burden!
Let them embrace Faith, not yet Despondence.
Free them to have memories of Beauty and Virtue
for when Innocence fades away and they meet you
By Cheryl L. DaytecYañgot
