Shei+Jerde

Copy and paste your essay Shei Anne Jerde

Mrs. Bear

English 10

24 October 2011

The hobo image: What do you think when you here homeless? Do you think of the guy that sits on the corner, by where you work, who asks for money everyday? Or is it all the people who are waiting in a line to get food on your way home? Do you think that all homeless people are like the ones you see on the movies you watch at home? Well they’re not. When I was little I used to wonder on the one memory I have, from when I lived inHawaii. I was eight. My family and I were walking on the beach barefoot. I could feel the sand between my toes and the salt water splashing my face. The waves rolled and the fish jumped over them. All day long we played in the water. It is one of the memories I miss. On our way home, we were walking through the city. I could see everyone with the shopping bags and everyone who slept on the ground we walked on. It was easy to spot out the differences. No one really thought about the fact that ground they walked on was also being slept on and that it was a home to others. InHawaiithere are homeless people all over the place. There was a man in raggedy old clothing, begging for money. I knew his situation because I was in the same one myself. My mom bent over to give him twenty dollars. He was blind so he couldn’t see what she was doing. She reached out and took his hand instead of just putting it in the tin can he had. She knew that when people put their hands in the can they didn’t always put money in it rather than take money out. He blessed her and sent her on her way. So on the way home my mom and step dad were arguing about why she gave him the money. I can still remember the argument. “What the hell is wrong with you?” he would say. “We under stand the same situation so don’t yell at me! He needed the money more than us!” her words were harsh, but true. The argument went on for days and after that day I understood why she gave him the money. I always felt bad for anyone who goes through being homeless. I mean I know the feeling. It’s not a good feeling. I know that not every homeless person looks like the guy on the corner begging for money. The actually do things with their lives. So when you hear homeless what is the first thing that comes to mind? The man on the corner of your work who begs for money? Or all the people who are waiting in line for food out in the freezing cold? They’re not what you think. They are better than that, well some of them.