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Essay on poverty and slums
Essay on poverty and slums
Essay on poverty and slums
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In the story “Flavio’s Home” by Gordon Parks, he draws you into a world that is very descriptive and allows yourself to imagine what it would be like if you were standing there with him. Gordon was there with Life reporter Jose Gallo to find a father with a family to examine the poverty of that particular family in Rio de Janeiro. Instead they came across a boy named Flavio, they followed Flavio up the mountain to a leaning shack. Flavio was only twelve but had worked so hard from the time he could stand that his body had taken the toll. Gordon describes the favela of Catacumba, pale by comparison to New York’s Harlem and Chicago’s south side. In so doing this gives the readers in those populated city’s an idea of how much greater the poverty
In Samba, Alma Guillermoprieto describes the Carnival celebrated every year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and explores the black cultural roots from which it takes its traditions as well as its social, economic, and political context in the 1980s. From her firsthand experience and investigation into favela life and the role of samba schools, specifically of Manguiera, Guillermoprieto illustrates a complex image of race relations in Brazil. The hegemonic character of samba culture in Brazil stands as a prevalent theme in numerous facets of favela life, samba schools, and racial interactions like the increasing involvement of white Brazilians in Carnival preparation and the popularity of mulatas with white Brazilians and tourists. Rio de Janeiro’s early development as a city was largely segregated after the practice of slavery ended. The centralization of Afro-Brazilians in favelas in the hills of the city strengthened their ties to black
The Carrillo Adobe is in a dire situation. It has not only fallen into disrepair from the many years of weather and use by so many individuals, but by visitors and citizens have been less that kind and considerate of its age and the prominence that it deserves. After Carrillo’s death her house was given to three of her daughters, Marta, Juana, and Felicidad. Then her belongings were distributed between all of her children. In the first decade after her death her different children each occupied the house at different times. One of her daughters, Juana and her husband ran the home as a tavern. They then converted the adobe into the first post office in the town of Santa Rosa. After her daughters no longer had a need for the adobe it was turned into a trading post where numerous individuals...
Question #1: In chapter one, does Zinn portray Bartolome de las Casas as an adversary of Indians?
Jacob Riis’ book How the Other Half Lives is a detailed description on the poor and the destitute in the inner realms of New York City. Riis tries to portray the living conditions through the ‘eyes’ of his camera. He sneaks up on the people flashes a picture and then tells the rest of the city how the ‘other half’ is living. As shocking as the truth was without seeing such poverty and horrible conditions with their own eyes or taking in the experience with all their senses it still seemed like a million miles away or even just a fairy tale.
Carolina told about two boys wandering the streets of the favela who were from shelters in the city. At the shelters, there were innocent children abandoned or orphaned, but also there were young criminals sentenced to stay there. Both groups were thrown together and treated as though they all had prison sentences. Carolina wrote, “I felt that in the State Shelter the children’s morals were lowered. […] What’s lacking? Concern for the unfortunate or money from the State?” (81). Whether it was babies dying in the favela, or children growing into poverty, the families of favelados were destined for misfortune. Carolina’s older children were still in school, but they contributed to the family income, as was common at the time, by going out to beg or to collect paper and scrap with her. Favelas of Brazil bred the destruction of innocence and children grew up quickly, such as when “the son of Joaquim went to school drunk” (130). Intersectionality of race and class was also pertinent. Racism and classism prevented poor, impoverished children from receiving any opportunities to improve their
The themes explored in the novel illustrate a life of a peasant in Mexico during the post-revolution, important themes in the story are: lack of a father’s role model, death and revenge. Additionally, the author Juan Rulfo became an orphan after he lost
Multiple studies have been completed to show that people from all racial groups and ethnicities are negatively affected by poverty. Those in the lowest social class, while a mix of ethnicities, are predominantly minorities and affected the most. What stood out about Philippe Bourgeois’ is that he not only studies the people and their culture but he lived it with them. Mr. Bourgois spent two years with his wife and child living with the Puerto Rican’s in East Harlem, NY. He lived with them and became a friend to many of them with the hopes of providing an accurate analysis of their culture. While living there he encountered all of the barrios social problems; from gender inequality to drugs and illegal activities to racial segregation. Above all the main social problem that the people of East Harlem encounter is poverty.
New York City is claimed to be one of the greatest cities in the world. Many are blinded by the breathtaking skyline, the endless opportunities, and the hustle and bustle of the streets. As one of the economic capitals of the world, it is surprising to hear that about 30 percent of children currently residing in New York City are living in poverty (Cheney). New York City has evolved into a city for the wealthy by eliminating inexpensive housing and jobs, forcing many families to the streets (Elliot). Many are unaware of how prevalent child poverty is. To raise awareness, the New York Times did a series of articles that followed the life of a young girl named Dasani. The article highlights the brilliance that Dasani had at such a young age and emphasizes the everyday struggles that she had to face growing up as a child in poverty. Some ways that can lower the amount of child poverty is through after school programming and through work-for-rent housing.
Both Flavio and Joseph Suina both painted a picture of poverty in their respectful communities, but Flavio had it much, much worse than Suina
Have you ever seen someone going from rich to poor? If not, then this might be new to you. I read about this girl named “Esperanza”, from the book Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, who has experienced this. She is a rich girl. She doesn't do anything by herself, her servants do everything for her. She only has her mom, dad, and her grandmother in her family. Her mom’s name is Ramona, Esperanza calls her dad “Papa”, and her grandmother’s name is Abuelita. She is living in Mexico. The change from innocence to experience can be painful.
Sent out to write an article about fathers and poverty, and the effect it had on the dreams and aspirations of the lives of the fathers, Parks runs into Flavio de Silva, a 12 year old boy who looked skinny and a bit malnourished. Although the main assignment he had been sent out to do was on fathers and poverty, Parks felt that Flavio said a tone more about poverty than a dozen fathers ever could. Falvios physical appearance alone said much more than words ever could. Parks tries to use contrast to try and emphasize just how different life was for the rich whose spacious houses were situated not so far where the drainage system barely worked and where people did not even have source for clean water. From the article, one can easily imagine the times before when racism was highly rampant as in a way the people during those harsh times were also disadvantaged and unable to fight back for their rights.
It shows that poor Brazilian people have no the support from the community and government to grow socially and economically. The persistent crimes in their neighborhood make others think about them as criminals even if they are kind-hearted and want to change their lives. The lack of social and economic mobility is the urban problem that should be solved by the governments not only in the local but global levels. One should mention that some people see poverty as not an economic and social problem but as the opportunity to change their life, and Rocket is the example of the personality who looks for such possibility. However, the movie also states the strong gap between the people with low incomes and high incomes is the reason for the lack of mobility and changes in Brazilian favelas (Santos,
rich and poor people. The author tries to underscore Rosaura's circumstance while associating with the peruser to
Throughout Society, many families have seen struggle and lived through poverty. The economy is not always thriving which takes a toll on people who suffer through unemployment or low wage jobs. The Frontline documentary, “Two American Families”, is the perfect example of struggle in the United States. It shows the lives of two struggling families and their efforts to survive. Two essays, “The Sociological Imagination” by C. Wright Mills, and “The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All” by Herbert J. Hans, support the analysis of the video strongly. They express many ideas that relate to the world and struggle throughout society. Also, there are many sociological terms that depict the events that occurred in the documentary.
To what extent would a parent go to keep their child protected, safe, and happy? The movie “The Pursuit of Happiness,” a biographical drama based on a true story, portrays the hardships that an African American man (played by Will Smith) and his son face together. This movie reveals the striking reality of poverty and emphasizes that most Americans are not living the ‘American Dream.’ Hollywood generally portrays an unrealistic image of the average American and leads people to believe that everyone is meeting financial requirements on time, purchasing nice vehicles, enjoying life in fancy homes, and not dealing with constant money shortages. Director Gabriele Muccino does an amazing job at reversing this image by exposing viewers a different side. He reveals how some people in America are struggling