King Lear and Homelessness - What Are Your Thoughts About the World’s Homeless and Poor?

What are your thoughts about the world’s homeless and poor?

Passage:

Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are,

That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,

How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,

Your looped and windowed raggedness, defend you

From seasons such as these?

One of the most prominent motifs in King Lear is the idea of the hardships faced by poor and homeless individuals. It is during Scene four of act three, that homelessness is really put into context as we see Edgar, King Lear, Kent and the Fool all facing the same hardships that a modern-day homeless may face. They cope with the natural hardships of the storm and wind with no shelter over their heads. As they experience the miserable life of homeless individuals, Lear realizes his past faults of being ignorant and indifferent to other people’s feelings as he wonders how the poor and homeless will survive the stormy night.

The homelessness in King lear illustrates a strong connection to the poor and homeless in major cities such as Toronto. Like King Lear, many people are forced on the lonely streets by circumstances they once were under their control. However, the difference is that Homeless and poor in the modern world stay poor and homeless forever. I personally believe homeless in modern countries are in most cases lazy individuals, who choose to live a miserable life. Majority of them are healthy individuals, more than capable of getting a decent pay and afford a house if they have a strong enough desire. The dilemma is that they can get out of the hassle of working hard by begging and asking citizens for their hard-earned money. The homeless take the lazy path and do not work when they are capable of doing