Living in the Favela’s in Rio de Janeiro can be a very labor-intensive experience. Once a person is old enough to work, they are either contributing to the family chores or out in the community making money. Even after a full day’s work, most people will only come home with about a dollar. Flavio’s father was once asked “How much do you earn a day?” and he responded by saying “Seventy-five cents. On a good day maybe a dollar.” (Parks). “Flavio’s Home” written by Gordon Parks, showed the daily life of the poverty stricken people of Rio. My goal for this essay is to explain the responsibilities of Flavio, the way of life in the Favela in the 1960s, and how things have changed since then. Flavio had the responsibilities of an adult at the age …show more content…
Flavio’s father went to his little building every day to sell kerosene and bleach to the residents. He made little to nothing, not even enough to buy his children clothing so they could attend school. His mother, eight months pregnant, had to walk up and down the hill to wash laundry for little to no money as well. They also had very poor healthcare. Mr. Da Silva, Flavio’s father, constantly had back pain, but all the doctor would give him was a “pink pill”, which could range from baby aspirin to Carter’s liver pill. Mr. Da Silva’s shop was directly across from the hospital. The hospital, not wanting an unsightly shack across the street, refused to treat any of his children, until it was removed. Because of this, Flavio and his siblings would never get any treatment if they were sick. Even if they agreed to treat the children, the hospital was so crowded that there was always about fifty people waiting for multiple hours. The Da Silva’s also had absolutely no privacy at all. The entire family lived in the same room, so the mother and father never had private time without their children listening and watching; none of them could ever just be alone in their shack. The lifestyle that these people had to endure could be a tough and frustrating experience