On Compassion vs. Homeless

The thesis of On Compassion by Barbara Lazear Ascher is: we can't deny that homelessness exists when it hits us in the face everyday. Compassion is not a trait that we inherit, it is a learned experience. The thesis from Homeless by Anna Quindlen is the homeless were once just like us but something happened to them that made them lose their homes.

In On Compassion, Ascher presents us with three scenarios as I have mentioned before. A man who is walking down the street when a woman hands him a dollar bill. A man who receives bread and coffee from the owner of a cafe and the mayor of NYC who moved the homeless into the hospitals. We discussed whether or not the gesture was out of fear or compassion and I came to the conclusion that it was fear that motivated the gift. But, all in all what is Ascher's point? Her point of the story is: a person isn't born compassionate. As one goes on with their lives different events and experiences shapes their mind set that makes them grow compassionate.

In Homeless by Anna Quindlen she gives us a homeless woman named Ann. She was doing a story on homeless and the woman was trying to prove her wrong by showing pictures of her house. Anna realized that  this woman was just like all of us before. The point that Quindlen is trying to make: the homeless were people just like us once, they were no different.

Which article made me more sympathetic towards the homeless? The first one, written by Ascher did. Ascher described the situations of the homeless in a very sad way that made me think twice about the homeless. The way those people reacted towards the homeless had me thinking and I realized that there were people all over the world who acted like this towards the homeless. It made me very sad to think that people would often give money or goods to a person to keep them away, maybe instead of the dollar they would like some company for at least a minute.

Which article did I like the best? I liked the Homeless article/essay the best because it wasn't written in a negative tone. I felt like she (Quindlen) was trying to persuade us to see the homeless in a different set of eyes. That all they really need is a home. She starts off by telling us about her imperfect home, and lets us know that she loves it even though it's not that great. She's giving us a message to be grateful for what we have while others don't even have a dish rack to call their own.