Flavio's Home Analysis

When I was a young child my mom told me daily to be appreciative of what I had, because life could always be worse. As I continue to grow up and branch out on my own, this statement becomes more valid and apparent each day. The past couple years I’ve come to realize on my own the number of countries that vary greatly from the United States, such as Rio de Janeiro. “Flavio’s Home” is an essay written in 1961 before the World Cup in 1962. Flavio is 12 years old and he lives each day caring for his seven brothers and sisters, while living in a six foot by ten foot shack in the favelas of Rio. The favelas in Rio de Janeiro present various issues for their residents, which include health challenges, environmental challenges, and responsibilities,

which don’t quite fit the capability of a ten year old child.

The large majority of children in the United States visit some form of doctor at least five times a year; in the favelas of Rio, however, this luxury doesn’t exist.

Gordon Parks describes Flavio as miserably thin and only wearing denim shorts. He’s said to have jaundice colored skin and bony cheeks. Parks also noted that he was heaving as he breathed. Upon taking Flavio to the doctor, they just gave him pink pills and told them to pretend like it was nothing, because the likelihood of him living much longer was precisely slim. The doctor explained to Parks that, in Rio, they don’t have access to the medicines needed to eliminate the diseases that are in existence. There are other situations in the common home and community in Rio that would be considered unsanitary and inhumane in the United States, such as no forks or plates for the children, children sleeping on floors, and proper sewer systems. In the home, boxes were used as chairs, while the can tops were used as plates and fingers for forks. The homes in the favelas were made of scrap sheets of ply wood with gaps between them, providing little actual protection. In the story, Parks mentions that the favelas are severely dangerous at night due to loitering criminals. These reasons show that Rio’s standards are incredibly lower than that of the United

States.

Flavio’s adult responsibilities are also a huge part of this story. Each morning, he has to collect water and wood for the home. Due to the weak state of his body, he loses half of the water on his trek back to their home. His body was breaking down day by day, but he continued to smile through every situation. Two other responsibilities of his are taking care of his seven younger siblings and helping maintain chores around their household. He oversees the washing of each child, prepares the dinner for the entire family, and washes the floors each day. These responsibilities are standards higher than any a ten year old child should have to withhold.

Comparing the above to the current situation presents a plethora of significant information.

To start off, favelas have improved their homes by running water and electricity to their homes. This could’ve been used to baths, washing dishes, and warmth in the winter. Along with this, the slums of Rio de Janeiro have added banks, drug stores, and a bus line. This helped fix environmental issues like not having resources to receive the correct drugs to heal the clients at the local clinic. A negative difference, though, is the drug trafficking, violence, and police brutality that exists more today than ever before. Rio has become hot spot for cocaine. The homicide rate is about 7 times higher than when the military were there from the World Cup. And Rio’s police force, infamous for using extreme force with near total impunity, is often the perpetrator of these killings of non-whites (brown.edu). Since the World Cup, progress has been made in the homes, however, the community status has fallen as police interaction has

increased.

So, if the reader is living in a home where they can watch TV while eating a three course meal, play video games while waiting on their clothes to finish washing in the next room over, or increase the temperature of their home with the touch of a few buttons, they should consider themselves blessed. The vast majority of Americans have no idea what struggles other countries face day in and day out. While others, like Flavio and the residents of Rio’s favelas, which are the main topic of “Flavio’s Home”, couldn’t dream of waking up each day to a fresh tub of water and breakfast in their kitchen. The next time the reader wants to complain about something, he or she should sure to ask themselves, “Is there someone somewhere else that would enjoy this?”