This refers to the "mountain people" being unable to take advantage of opportunities for improvement and modernization. They still think as they did many years ago, with the view that education is not important and that living life is all they need to focus on. Elam then mentions that “education is necessary to understand and find the solution to social problems” (Elam 13). I completely agree with what Elam said, because an education helps you understand the basic principles of life, teaches you many life skills and also skills that will help you in your future career. With education, the social problems of poverty could be eliminated over time as people would be more educated on how and why education actually helps. It is easy to see that the simplest solution to poverty is for everyone to simply receive an education beyond high school. However, many people in Kentucky still don't understand this concept and need more information about how it can help them in the long term. Getting an education now may not help you immediately, but in the long run it will help the generations and yes, the generation will be more knowledgeable about how to stay above the poverty line and achieve greater respectability and