Life After Death Analysis
Does someone from Flint, Michigan, a city that has a median household income of $24,834, have the same opportunity as someone from the big city of Manhattan that has a median household income of $66,739? Does the city of Flint have the same amount of resources compared to a city like Manhattan? You may say, well of course not. New York trumps Flint in resources, education, and many other things. This holds true and for that reason the starting point of someone from a big city vs. the starting point of someone from a smaller city, where poverty is higher, is actually not the same. Sure, of course, there are outliers and those who were able to overcome being from a town that didn't contribute much to a person's success and worked against all odds of poverty. It also doesn't mean someone from a big city is bound to succeed and live a financially free life but, I believe your chances are much higher of succeeding in a larger, urban city than a smaller town with fewer
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opportunities and a higher rate of poverty. The justice system, education, income, and religion are definitely a huge difference of living in a small town and living in a big city.
Damien Echols was a victim of being from a poor family in a small town. In his book "Life after Death" he talks heavily about his life from his earliest memories as a kid, to the time he and his 2 other friends were falsely accused of the murder of three young boys. He goes into detail about being from a small city, living deeply in poverty, barely being able to stay warm at night. He was falsely accused of murder, with no physical evidence or matching DNA. Living in a small town simply hurt him not being able to have the necessary resources for a lawyer and other legal necessities. If being able to have those necessary resources, Damien's chances of winning the case would have been significantly higher.
Damien Echols was born in extreme poverty and lived poor throughout his youth. The suffering and pain he went through from an economic standpoint were very significant. He says
"After a while my mother and father managed to borrow a small portable heater. My mother would stand my sister and me in front of it as we dressed for school in the morning so that we wouldn't shiver ourselves into pieces". (Echols, 30) Lack of education plays a role in poverty. In an interview, he talks about dropping out of school in the ninth grade and it being more than anyone else had in his family. Having a higher quality education could've been the difference in his life of poverty maybe, living in a better neighborhood leading to lower chances of ever getting falsely accused of something he didn't do. Having a better education could've informed him that he was supposed to read his Maranda Rights. According to the U.S. Current Population Survey, 73% of children whose parents have less than a high school diploma live in low-income families. Education is one of the main correlations to poverty. Damien believed his conviction that falsely sent him to jail was a product of him being "poor white trash" living horribly in poverty. Could his situation have been slightly different is his parents went to school and successfully graduated? We can bring up a lot of different scenarios and hypothetical's as to whether education could've altered his life but, it's highly likely better quality of education could've changed the course of his life. Education is one of the key measures as to how someone's life may turn. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, someone with an advanced degree makes an average of $78,093. Someone with a bachelor’s degree makes an average of $51,554. Someone with a high school diploma makes an average of $28,645. At the bottom of the latter, someone with no diploma makes an average of $19,169. Keep in mind, Damien only made it to the ninth grade, until he dropped out, claiming him in his family reaching the highest grade level.
Why can't a small rural town reach the level of prosperity or at least half the benefits of prosperity if a big city? I believe it is because of lack of income. When a town or city have insufficient operating businesses, it creates a huge ripple effect in a community. It leads to a weak economy, which then leads to an increase in unemployment. Unemployment ultimately results in low to no income leading to poverty. Low income characteristically means poor nutrition, poor housing and, greater environmental risks. Take a city like Flint, Michigan, where 40.1% is living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census. In December of 2015, Flint declared a state of emergency after the city is urged to stop using the tap water for drinking, cooking or bathing as high levels of led were found in the water. I believe that poverty factored into how the Flint government carelessly handled the water resulting in lead contamination.
Unemployment is a huge factor when looking at poverty. Work is one of the only ways someone can make money and support their families. When work is taken away or not provided, it creates a lack liquidity in households. Families are forced to downsize their lifestyle, cut spending, etc. Damien's parents being unemployed could be a single reason why he was sent away. Not having a steady income, led to them not being able to afford a better lawyer for Damien. Instead, Damien had to settle for a court-appointed lawyer, who was not paying close attention to the case. The lawyer was detrimental to the case. It took fundraising for Damien to get a second chance for a fair trial. The effects of poverty will never go in the opposite direction. Many infants born in poverty have a lower birth weight, which is linked to many mental and physical disabilities. In the case of Jessie, Damien’s friend who was interrogated by the police and involved in the case had a reported IQ of 72.
After examining the causes of poverty, there is a strong chance that if Damien or anyone living in poverty could’ve been given another chance at life, being born in another city with greater opportunity, it is more likely that they could’ve had a better chance to succeed. Better education, environment, and overall way of living. Damien wouldn’t have been automatically targeted for such a crime and if so would’ve had more ability to broaden his resources. Poverty is something that can determine how you’ll end up in life and the numbers show that. This is why I believe the justice system, education, income, and religion are definitely a huge difference of living in a small town and living in a big city.
opportunities and a higher rate of poverty. The justice system, education, income, and religion are definitely a huge difference of living in a small town and living in a big city.
Damien Echols was a victim of being from a poor family in a small town. In his book "Life after Death" he talks heavily about his life from his earliest memories as a kid, to the time he and his 2 other friends were falsely accused of the murder of three young boys. He goes into detail about being from a small city, living deeply in poverty, barely being able to stay warm at night. He was falsely accused of murder, with no physical evidence or matching DNA. Living in a small town simply hurt him not being able to have the necessary resources for a lawyer and other legal necessities. If being able to have those necessary resources, Damien's chances of winning the case would have been significantly higher.
Damien Echols was born in extreme poverty and lived poor throughout his youth. The suffering and pain he went through from an economic standpoint were very significant. He says
"After a while my mother and father managed to borrow a small portable heater. My mother would stand my sister and me in front of it as we dressed for school in the morning so that we wouldn't shiver ourselves into pieces". (Echols, 30) Lack of education plays a role in poverty. In an interview, he talks about dropping out of school in the ninth grade and it being more than anyone else had in his family. Having a higher quality education could've been the difference in his life of poverty maybe, living in a better neighborhood leading to lower chances of ever getting falsely accused of something he didn't do. Having a better education could've informed him that he was supposed to read his Maranda Rights. According to the U.S. Current Population Survey, 73% of children whose parents have less than a high school diploma live in low-income families. Education is one of the main correlations to poverty. Damien believed his conviction that falsely sent him to jail was a product of him being "poor white trash" living horribly in poverty. Could his situation have been slightly different is his parents went to school and successfully graduated? We can bring up a lot of different scenarios and hypothetical's as to whether education could've altered his life but, it's highly likely better quality of education could've changed the course of his life. Education is one of the key measures as to how someone's life may turn. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, someone with an advanced degree makes an average of $78,093. Someone with a bachelor’s degree makes an average of $51,554. Someone with a high school diploma makes an average of $28,645. At the bottom of the latter, someone with no diploma makes an average of $19,169. Keep in mind, Damien only made it to the ninth grade, until he dropped out, claiming him in his family reaching the highest grade level.
Why can't a small rural town reach the level of prosperity or at least half the benefits of prosperity if a big city? I believe it is because of lack of income. When a town or city have insufficient operating businesses, it creates a huge ripple effect in a community. It leads to a weak economy, which then leads to an increase in unemployment. Unemployment ultimately results in low to no income leading to poverty. Low income characteristically means poor nutrition, poor housing and, greater environmental risks. Take a city like Flint, Michigan, where 40.1% is living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census. In December of 2015, Flint declared a state of emergency after the city is urged to stop using the tap water for drinking, cooking or bathing as high levels of led were found in the water. I believe that poverty factored into how the Flint government carelessly handled the water resulting in lead contamination.
Unemployment is a huge factor when looking at poverty. Work is one of the only ways someone can make money and support their families. When work is taken away or not provided, it creates a lack liquidity in households. Families are forced to downsize their lifestyle, cut spending, etc. Damien's parents being unemployed could be a single reason why he was sent away. Not having a steady income, led to them not being able to afford a better lawyer for Damien. Instead, Damien had to settle for a court-appointed lawyer, who was not paying close attention to the case. The lawyer was detrimental to the case. It took fundraising for Damien to get a second chance for a fair trial. The effects of poverty will never go in the opposite direction. Many infants born in poverty have a lower birth weight, which is linked to many mental and physical disabilities. In the case of Jessie, Damien’s friend who was interrogated by the police and involved in the case had a reported IQ of 72.
After examining the causes of poverty, there is a strong chance that if Damien or anyone living in poverty could’ve been given another chance at life, being born in another city with greater opportunity, it is more likely that they could’ve had a better chance to succeed. Better education, environment, and overall way of living. Damien wouldn’t have been automatically targeted for such a crime and if so would’ve had more ability to broaden his resources. Poverty is something that can determine how you’ll end up in life and the numbers show that. This is why I believe the justice system, education, income, and religion are definitely a huge difference of living in a small town and living in a big city.