The innocence of Brazilian lower class children are lost in both films ,City of God directed by Fernando Meirelles, and in Pixote directed by Hector Bebenco. In both of these films the loss of innocence stems from a lack of authoritative power and most importantly the lack of a familial structure. This lack of innocence derives from the lower class socio-economic status the youth are born into. The children and teenagers are able to gain an astonishing amount of power when introduced to violent lifestyle of the streets . While both films comment upon the different causes and effects of Brazilian street culture, both films clearly exhibit how lack of authority and lack of a structure leads to the demise and death of many young street Children. In this essay, I will analyze and compare both films commenting upon the similarities in the causes and effects of street children in Brazilian society. In City of God , Rocket stands on the fence balancing equally between both the gang lifestyle and his escape. In Pixote, Pixote is forced into the gang lifestyle by by societal constraints, and authoritative figures that limit the choices . In this essay I will explain how societal norms and ideas inflicted on children mold the future of the Brazilian culture typical for teens and children in the slums/ favelas. The idea that, from birth these kids will become products of the favela, which leads to youth transgression. Lack of structure leads to violence Rocket in the City of God is a young character out of the slums of Rio trying to separate himself from the gang banging culture typical, found in slums, he achieves this by his attempts to make a living for himself as a photographer. Though the temptations of the slum are great, Rock... ... middle of paper ... ...violence initially began as revenge since Lil Ze raped Ned’s girlfriend. This violence escalated and Carrot took advantage of Ned’s lack of protection and brought him into his gang as a weapon against Lil Ze. In this section of the film war breaks out between the two gangs putting everyone in danger, bringing kids in as soldiers to fight for them. Violence becomes the key in power seeking revenge. This chapter is about the eugenics, by turning the innocent youth and creating a breeding ground for gang violence. In Pixote the children are naturally forced to become violent when the cops started killing off the children and blaming unsolved murders on them. “The police themselves regularly murder street youth and round up reform school offenders, beating confessions out of them and locking them in solitary in order to close unsolved crimes.” (Epstein 380).
It is an animated documentary film released in 2011 that displays the harsh reality of the Colombian youth narrated by children themselves (ages 8-13). The directors use only interviews and drawings produced by children that have suffered by the violence of the armed conflict. The end result is an innovative animation movie that allows to look at the Colombian current reality from a child`s point of view: full of innocence and sweetness, not ready for the violence that surrounds them.
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
In Mike Sager’s Death in Venice, Sager creates a vivid story about the gang in Venice as well as their addiction to cocaine. What I enjoyed about this article, was that it told a story in the perception of the gang members. It allowed me to see a glance through the lives of the gangs in the late twentieth century. Throughout the story, I felt multiple emotions, it ranged from disbelief to anger. It is astounding how Sager documented the lives of young males in Venice. As a Chicana, I was surprised by the actions in the article, I grew up in an environment where my daily life was not surrounded by gangs and drive-bys.
Slick showed Rios the “hotspots” where life shapes these youth environments. The structure, as well as the constraints, that shape these young boys life in the neighborhood, slick points out a corner where one of his best friends got shot by a drive-by shooting. The lifestyle of these young boys is tragic.
In City Lights the film begins with city folk observing the tramp on a new city monument. They react to his antics, as if he is some kind of idiot. Comparably, many of the characters throughout the story of Don Quixote detect that he is a madman. Additionally, in City Lights there are boys selling
Living in poverty brings high tensions and people tend to lose it. The use of alcohol is a contributor of the excess violence in the favelas. Many men and women begin to fight about the littlest thing, but it expands to a large issue as a result of the alcohol. Carolina recounts whenever a fight breaks out, “I was giving lunch when Vera came to tell me there was a fight in the favela” (de Jesus 63). These incredibly common vicious fights are entertainments to people living in the favelas. It is so familiar that whenever a fight breaks out people just enjoy it as if it were a show. As Carolina being the great hero she is, she regularly breaks up the
In the article “Flavios Home ” , Gordon Parks talks of how Flavio, a 12 year old living in poverty and experiencing the harsh times that comes with it has to take care of his brothers and sisters. Throughout the essay one can see various impressions brought out by Gordon parks rhetorical strategies. Gordon Parks wrote the essay as a way to reach out to the government and other policy makers in the country as a way of urging them to try and urge them to try and improve the lives of the people living in the slums such as the one Flavio was living in.
His execution of imagery, diction, and dialogue throughout the text were very prominent regarding these three factors. The authors use of pathos, sickly diction, and humanistic dialogue were very important agents to bring this piece altogether and alive. Especially with the subject of poverty and how it effects not only Flavio’s family, but as the text says “Pockets of poverty in New York's Harlem, on Chicago's south side, in Puerto Rico's infamous El Fungito seemed pale by comparison. None of them had prepared me for this one in the favela o[ Catacumba.” Poverty effects a lot of people, and awareness needs to be brought up through messages like
In the favela of São Paulo, Brazil, 1958, Carolina Maria de Jesus rewrote the words of a famous poet, “In this era it is necessary to say: ‘Cry, child. Life is bitter,’” (de Jesus 27). Her sentiments reflected the cruel truth of the favelas, the location where the city’s impoverished inhabited small shacks. Because of housing developments, poor families were pushed to the outskirts of the city into shanty towns. Within the favelas, the infant mortality rate was high, there was no indoor plumbing or electricity, drug lords were governing forces, drug addiction was rampant, and people were starving to death. Child of the Dark, a diary written by Carolina Maria de Jesus from 1955 to 1960, provides a unique view from inside Brazil’s favelas, discussing the perceptions of good
When a 10 year old boy (Robert “yummi” Sandifer, from Atlanta) in a gang is executed by his gang “friends” because he was bringing heat from the cops on the gang because that boy shot a 12 year old girl, it’s a sad commentary on society. When there is a lack of social stability in a community, it reflects onto the children who seem to have nothing else to do, or no other way of getting the attention they need.
One reason is there are several stereotypes: sexual/physical abuse, hereditary factors and exposure to violence at home. Second reason that leads to violent behavior is physical neglect by parents. Third reason is juveniles was incarcerated for acts of violence such as: fighting peers or their parents, hitting teachers or instructors, bringing weapon to school to scare his peers and etc. All these come from mistreatment to their children when they was younger. When that happen all children start going crazy and not listening to their parent or anyone that been in their shoes before they was born to even see this happen.
...dolescents to weapons. In many cases children have access to a weapon, particularly a handgun, within their own home. With lack of supervision, children experiment with these dangerous weapons, and may even take them out of their homes. Another contributing factor to violent acts among children is the role of the media and the way that television and movies portray violence. Every where you turn on television and in movies, you see someone killing someone or someone getting killed. Kids see the brutal ways, or the quick and smart schemes of combat tactics. They falsely believe that these types of behaviors are acceptable, because the next week they are back on the show demonstrating another episode of violent acts, with no consequences.
The director makes Rocket a narrator in this movie; I think the reason is find an intermediary between gangs and the press, inside of the evil world and the outside. So we can see, his voice that accompanies us throughout many of the stories that "City of God" has to offer by Rocket¡¯s photography dream became true.
In the twenty first century there have been many cases of kids committing murder, whether it is the relationships they hold at home or the video games they play, the environment a child is exposed to will affect their developmental process. Children are supposed to be innocent and pure without the desire to kill, yet in the last 50 years official statistics on Listverse.com suggest that over 1,100 kids have been found guilty of murder in England alone. The average age of a child that kills is just about fourteen years old. These kids are usually brought up in an environment that does not teach them right from wrong.
According to the scientist research, when children see violence, they become to aggressive way and want to destroy it for little pieces.