Community in Action (A)

It is feasible that we, as people, can accomplish goals individually with extreme determination, focus, and drive; but if we receive help and care from our fellow human beings, we can achieve more than ever thought possible. Community in Action by Studs Terkel explains Terkel’s belief that people, when united and working together, produce greater positive effects than one person on their own. During the Great Depression people voluntarily left their daily lives to help a neighbor when they got evicted. When a family’s belongings were thrown in an alley and they had no water or electricity, the neighborhood plumber and electrician turned on their gas and fixed their plumbing out of the kindness of their hearts. This unity portrays that when we work together we can produce positive and progressive effects.

Community and society come together the most during times of hardship and despair to reach toward a common goal of change; The Great Depression, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina. These national events caused a change in American society’s attitude; 9/11 produced loads of patriotism. America united to commemorate the lost ones and care for each other in their grievances. The people of New Orleans and other states worked as a whole to improve the damages made by Hurricane Katrina. Terkel also compares the community with family in that we are all untied under the same species and should treat each other kindly, thoughtfully, and equally. From my experience I have learned that without love from my friends and family I would not have been able to get through the difficult times in my life. Community in Action is a touching piece that makes me believe that, with the help of a community and family, anything is possible.