The struggle, heartbreak, and hope portrayed in “Soap and Water” really got to me as I read it. I know what it’s like to feel dread at the idea of not being able to better my life and hollow anger at the unjust burden of poverty. Growing up, I had lofty dreams. I would study at Oxford, live abroad, travel the world, and be respected in whatever profession I chose. As a teenager, I excelled in school, was active in my community, and was decorated with awards from my academic and extracurricular endeavors. When my acceptance letter to Cornell University came, I was full of joy, hope, and triumph. My “American Dream” was coming true, and I had always believed in the “equal opportunity” that our country advertises.
The reality of real world struggles hit me hard. Two years later I was renting a tiny, ugly room for $200 in a pot dealer’s home, sleeping on the floor, and trying to keep the smell of weed out of my clothes as I went to work at my low-paying pharmacy technician job by day and bussed tables by night. I had made the difficult decision to turn down my full scholarship with the US Army ROTC program after illness, exhaustion, and unhappiness caused me to reevaluate my path. As a result, I was unable to secure anywhere near enough funding to pay the Cornell tuition.
Our economic system is flawed. While I still believe in this great nation and in American ideals, we are far from perfect. Many, many people are still slipping through the cracks. We need to acknowledge this and change it, starting with the education system. Poverty is a horrible and unjust oppression. I met so many wonderful, kind, diligent people scraping by for their families on minimum wage and taking solace in cigarettes because they felt had nowhere else to turn. These people did once have dreams of attending college, had even been accepted, but couldn’t get the aid they needed. Who has time for such things when every minute’s worth of wage is needed just to survive. Good, hardworking people should not have to feel second rate. These people need a voice.
