In the passage “The Hands of Poverty”, Jane Addams describes one of her most vivid impressions of visiting East London. She witnessed a sale that was being held on one of the Saturday nights. This sale offered fruit and vegetables that were already spoiled at a low price because the item had to be sold out by Monday. This short passage gives a terrible picture of the problem of the poor who cannot afford proper food. Addams uses methods of comparison and description to make her story sound more expressive and better convey the emotions of seeing rural suffering.
Addams uses comparison to describe the behavior of the poor who have gathered in the square in anticipation of the opportunity to get at least some food. The author describes her impressions of the actions of these people, comparing them with “the cunning and shrewdness of the bargain-hunter” (Addams, 2020). Addams certainly does not consider the poor “bargain-hunter”, she understands that such predatory behavior is caused by the need and desire to get any food at any cost. This comparison is used for literary purposes and is intended to express the impression of horror and sympathy that the author felt at the sight of these people. The desire to give the reader the opportunity to feel these impressions dictated the use of this comparison. Addams uses another comparison to describe the hands of the poor, they moved “rhythmically” like “in a calisthenic exercise” (Addams, 2020). This comparison is used to enhance the tragedy of the moment, to create scale. A whole square of people regularly come together to get at least a piece of rotten fruit or vegetable and move together in a single stream. This comparison is necessary to increase the expressiveness of the description. The author correctly and clearly uses the method of comparison, expressing his impressions of what she saw. The reader can visualize both the predatory gaze of hungry people and hundreds of hands moving rhythmically in an attempt to get food. Addams manages to create a tragic, disturbing and eerie impression of a poverty.
Addams uses the method of description to better express the shock and horror she experienced at Saturday’s auction. The first example is the direct description of the poor who wear “ill-fitting, cast-off clothing” (Addams, 2020). The author does not use comparisons or metaphors, she directly describes the unpleasant impression that she received from contemplating people in the square. This technique serves the documentary purpose of creating a clear description of what she saw. With these adjectives, Addams completes the picture of the poverty of hundreds of people. The second time the author uses a descriptive device to convey the impression of the hands of the poor: “myriads of hands, empty, pathetic, nerves and workworn” (Addams, 2020). In fact, all these qualities belong not to hundreds of hands, but to the people themselves, tired, hungry and tortured. The author saw these human qualities in the outstretched hands. This technique serves to increase the expressiveness of the description, as well as to convince the reader of the horror of this picture. The descriptive details that Addams introduces exaggerate the issue of poverty and make the reader think about the problem. Shocking descriptions using strong adjectives allow Addams to have the fullest impact, these techniques work effectively for both expressive and compelling purposes.
Addams effectively uses the method of comparison and description in her narration. The author needs these techniques in order to most vividly convey her own impressions and convince readers of the tragedy of the problem of poverty. The most striking thing about this prose is the descriptive detail, which allows the reader to visualize the events being described. With a short prose passage, Addams manages to convey the horror of poverty in a vivid and expressive manner that enhances the reader’s impressions.
Reference
Addams, J. (2020). Twenty years at Hull-House. Mint Editions.