In the article The Indignities of Unemployment, Kenneth Brown discusses the negative impact of unemployment on the individuals, on their mental and physical health, on their dignity and confidence. The author shares his experience of being unemployed with the readers. Kenneth Brown states that “unemployment can make you question your skills and abilities. And it can damage your self-esteem”¦ unemployment can shake that confidence” (Brown 56). Moreover, the author of the article tells the readers about his numerous difficulties he faced in the process of job searching, including preparation for the next job interviews, negative emotional state, lack of confidence, the long period of waiting for a response, etc.
However, the author states that he has got some positive things from his unemployment. He says that he has gained an absolutely renewed awareness of his life’s blessings: he realized the value of his true friends and experienced the love and support of his family members who encouraged him and prayed for his unemployment to end as soon as possible. He is sure that he has become a stronger person. In addition, the author of the article uses humor in order to free his mind from anxiety. He says, “I have resolved to survive unemployment. I resolve to become a statistic for working Americans, and not just another African-American male without a job” (Brown 56).
To sum up, Kenneth Brown tries to warn the readers of those difficulties that can occur in the life of an individual who is unemployed and tries to find a new job. The major idea of the article is to prove the fact that those people who are unemployed today should never give up.