Life in the Favelas Essay Example
Life in the Favelas
This essay is based on a captivating piece written by Gordon Parks, “Flavio’s Home” (2009). This selection exposes the extent of extreme poverty and poor living conditions in Brazil. These circumstances are in an area known as the favelas where families like Flavios live. The favelas society should be explored further to find out who lives there, discover where they came from, and why do they remain in this dismal environment. Another interesting aspect of this reading, is how the people of Rio de Janeiro view the residents of the communities they call the favelas.
Favela is a term used to identify the disorganized illegal slum areas of Brazil that are built on public or private lands outside of major cities like Rio de Janeiro. They have existed in Rio de Janeiro for over 100 years; the cause is mostly from the increased population in the major cities of this country (Perlman 155). This increase is due to the flood of people from the economically suffering rural communities neighboring the large cities. Many of these rural immigrants moved into the favelas hoping to find work and a better way of life for their families (Perlman 156). The people coming from the countryside have very little skill and almost no education, which makes it more difficult for them to find a job in the city. This eventually leads many of them to end up struggling in the favelas. The people who live within the favelas do not have very many options regarding work (Perlman 168). They can apply for a job in the city, become a street vendor, or sell drugs.
These shantytowns are full of poverty, crime, and civil war. Although there are not any laws in the favelas, it is not a completely chaotic, lawless society. The favelas maybe disorganized, but the people of the favelas are extremely organized and welcoming (Perlman 164). The drug lords do set up some basic law such as no stealing or murder; useless crimes attract unwanted attention from the police (Perlman
This essay is based on a captivating piece written by Gordon Parks, “Flavio’s Home” (2009). This selection exposes the extent of extreme poverty and poor living conditions in Brazil. These circumstances are in an area known as the favelas where families like Flavios live. The favelas society should be explored further to find out who lives there, discover where they came from, and why do they remain in this dismal environment. Another interesting aspect of this reading, is how the people of Rio de Janeiro view the residents of the communities they call the favelas.
Favela is a term used to identify the disorganized illegal slum areas of Brazil that are built on public or private lands outside of major cities like Rio de Janeiro. They have existed in Rio de Janeiro for over 100 years; the cause is mostly from the increased population in the major cities of this country (Perlman 155). This increase is due to the flood of people from the economically suffering rural communities neighboring the large cities. Many of these rural immigrants moved into the favelas hoping to find work and a better way of life for their families (Perlman 156). The people coming from the countryside have very little skill and almost no education, which makes it more difficult for them to find a job in the city. This eventually leads many of them to end up struggling in the favelas. The people who live within the favelas do not have very many options regarding work (Perlman 168). They can apply for a job in the city, become a street vendor, or sell drugs.
These shantytowns are full of poverty, crime, and civil war. Although there are not any laws in the favelas, it is not a completely chaotic, lawless society. The favelas maybe disorganized, but the people of the favelas are extremely organized and welcoming (Perlman 164). The drug lords do set up some basic law such as no stealing or murder; useless crimes attract unwanted attention from the police (Perlman