TIME Article: Below the Poverty Line

                Today’s economic situation for many stands in need of dire correction. Though some may believe that the worst is over, America still suffers a nearly 10% unemployment rate with an even higher poverty rate of 15.1%. TIME journalist Barbara Kiviat delves into the poor with her article “Below the Poverty Line”, in which she debunks myths about poverty that ultimately will help those trying to fix it. With a classification and definition arrangement, along with powerful images of families struggling on far too little, Kiviat displays the purpose of simply education about what really happens “below the poverty line.”

                Kiviat defines poverty as living under an annual income of $22,314 for a family of four. She asserts that many do not understand what it means to be poor in USA, and then proceeds to debunk five myths/misconceptions that many people have about US poverty. The first, “poverty doesn’t live in the suburbs”, describes how the seemingly middle-class and ideal US suburbs are actually the areas with the greatest poverty increases. Kiviat points to a lack of a security net and rather unchanging nature of suburbs as to lack of preparation that these suburbs have. The second myth, that “poverty is simply about not having enough income”, shows the small margin and the minor things that happen to people for them to go from doing relatively well to cycling into poverty. Myths three and four, “getting people out of poor neighborhoods is the answer” and “focusing on individuals is the key to poverty alleviation”, both make the point that to solve the problem one has to examine poverty holistically in order to fully conquer it. This brings Kiviat to the final and more optimistically debunked myth, that “poverty is inevitable.” She credits Social Security and private programs as models of how poverty can be drastically reduced, and how eventually we can really solve the situation of the forever poor.

                “Below the Poverty Line” is written in a classification arrangement, taking apart each myth and then giving either its validity or impracticality. Kiviat writes in a spatial context, writing in regards to today’s poverty situation and also that of previous hard times in the US. Statistics strengthen her argument and add to her logos and ethos. Pathos and emotion is strongly presented by the individual photos of those living in poverty, each with a small caption about the person’s often shocking conditions.