sonal growth. In myopinion, education is essential to have success in life. When the main goal of life is purelysurvival, often privileges such as education and opportunity are forgotten. Poor children performless well in school and are more likely to drop out of school. Often, the reason for dropping outof school is to get a job to help with family expenses. Ironically, without an education evengetting a minimum wage job is impossible to obtain. Illiteracy is often the result of not gettingan education. Lack of education combined with inability to obtain work sometimes leads youthto a life of crime.Theories focusing on the role of society in juvenile delinquency suggest that childrencommit crimes in response to their failure to rise above their socioeconomic status( Streib). From my own personal observance, I have seen underprivileged classmates fall into thetemptation of gangs and delinquency. They seemed to believe that the only way to get ahead wasto participate in illegal activities that would insure them the money they needed. It is a very sadsituation when a poor youth feels that the only way to get ahead in life is by turning to a life ofcrime.Poverty is a trap seldom escaped. Every day children are born into and die in poverty,and everyday more millions are added into the almost disgustingly fat pockets of men such asBill Gates. According to the National Center for Children Living In Poverty, The United Statesyoung child poverty rate is substantially higher, often two to three times higher than that of otherWestern industrialized nations. The United States has billions of dollars to spend on weaponsand aid to other countries, but who is going to help the poor children starving in Americanstreets everyday? The effects poverty has on children include poor health, ignorance, and crime.Somebody needs to speak for these children who cannot speak for themselves....
