Jo Goodwin Parker's essay 'What is Poverty" is about Parker who has personally experienced rural poverty. She explains her story from childhood to adulthood. Her struggles are overwhelming. Using examples drawn from personal experience, she explains the meaning of poverty in this essay. Her use of connotative language creates many harsh images of her experiences in a life of poverty illustrating the difficulties and challenges her impoverished family experiences. The essay is a personal account. addressed directly to the reader, about living in poverty.

In her essay. "What is Poverty? ", American essayist Jo Goodwin Parker forwards a comprehensive definition of poverty. According to her, poverty is a bad smell, dirt, tiredness, ugliness, cruelty, sleeplessness, begging, a black future, and a nightmare. Moreover, she defines it as a lack of-respect, hope, better foods, and medicinal care. Proper sanitation and proper education. It is like an acid that destroys pride, honour, health and future.

According to Parker, the upper and middle classes cannot understand her situation. Instead of helping, they go on complaining about the government spending money on the immoral mothers of illegitimate children. That means, neither they provide her financial aid nor peace. Their criticism gets on her nerves. They offer her invalid solutions. Finally, she kindly requests them to be silent.